《I Became The Academy’s Blind Swordsman》 Chapter 1 EP.1 Blindfold That is Beyond Reason For me, when good things follow, then misfortunes alwayse ordingly. As if sweet luck is not within my means. There was a special event in which a very rare item was given to only one person in my favorite game. Since it was a single game, not an online game with PVP elements, people also thought that there would be such an event. Of course, I applied too. I didn¡¯t want to win. There was an event, so I applied for it, However, I was the one winner, and I never thought it would lead to ¡°importation.¡± Lv.5 Current Skills -Ghost yer Technique* Lv.4 *TN: In the game Dungeon&Fighter has a skill with the same name in the novel (Reference: https://.youtube/watch?v=xpUgvGngHNw). -Excellent Sense Lv.1 -Weakness Detection Lv.MAX ¨C Applying the effect of [Blindfold That is Beyond Reason] Items In Use ¨C Blindfold That is Beyond Reason. [Legendary] ¨C Low-quality Eastern de. [Normal] Even though it¡¯s a vivid reality, this familiar screen floating in the air, which is unrealistic, was enough to confuse me. At first, I thought it was really a dream. But it didn¡¯t take long to realize this was real. This world, which I was used to, was not a game or a dream, but a clear reality. The early skills taken in the character creation window became a force of my own, and a special item ¡°Blindfold¡± that I received before I was reincarnated became a precious item that could not be exchanged for anything. And a nickname that I made without thinking much, Zetto, has be my name in this fantasy world from now on. I¡¯ll wear a blindfold that covers my eyes, so I¡¯ll be blind. And if I¡¯m a blind man, a sword is a must. A blind swordsman How harmonious and cool. The two words were the concept of this character that I came up with roughly. When I touch my eyes to wake up to reality again, I can feel the thin cloth covering my eyes. ¡®Blindfold That is Beyond Reason¡¯ It¡¯s a ¡®legendary¡¯ level item that is hard to see anywhere even now that the world in the game has be a reality. In terms of level, it was the best, the ultimate, and the most powerful that was ced at the end. On the outside, it was just an ordinary white bandage, but as the name ¡°blindfold¡± suggests, it was the right way to wear it when you covered your eyes. The effect of this item, which was exined by the gamepany, had a fraudulent effect as it¡¯s a high level item. ¡®Experience increase 500%¡¯ ¡®Weakness Detection Lv.MAX¡¯ ¡®Critical Hit Damage increase 300%¡¯ Even if you leave out one of these, it¡¯s a very good item effect, but¡­ Nevertheless, I¡¯m still at a loss. The game was basically based on battle. In other words, from now on, instead of using a keyboard and mouse, I have to lead my body directly to avoid the pouring magic and arrows, confronted with a real sword fight. It wasn¡¯t easy for me, who had never been able to fight properly in my life. Fortunately, even with the blindfold covering my eyes, I can still see everything well. This also has the effect of the Blindfold That is Beyond Reason. I looked up at the sky which was dazzling with sunlight. The sky was clear and blue. On the street, I could see people walking in the same outfit as me. There was nothing that I couldn¡¯t see. I could see through the blindfold without any blockage. It was a bizarre and incredibly fantasy thing. ¡®It¡¯s already the entrance ceremony.¡¯ Zetto, I mean, I was busily walking from early morning. Thest few days of being reincarnated are prologues for the game. Today is the entrance ceremony of the ¡®Innocence Academy¡¯, which was the main background of the game. Since it was a typical academy game, the story in the game can be seen as starting today, when the entrance ceremony is held. Honestly, not entering an academy would also be a way to live in this world, but with the information I have from the game. In other words, as it was information inside the academy, I¡¯d better use it within the academy. That¡¯s why, I thought that leaving the academy from the beginning wasn¡¯t a good option. In this medieval fantasy world, there is no ce for amoner without a surname like me to seek safe growth and sess besides the academy. Oh, and by the way. ¡®It¡¯s further than I thought.¡¯ I could ride a carriage to the academy with all my money, but I was afraid I was going to have to stop because ¡®Carriage from outside cannot go further¡¯. Innocence Academy is an educational institution and a fairlyrge city. I knew that it was a closed disposition, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this much. There wasn¡¯t much time before the entrance ceremony, so it was about the time when I hurried to move and passed the street corner. ?THUMP! On the other side of the street corner, I bumped into somethinging this way and fell. ¡°Gosh! You should watch where you¡­¡± It was a woman with red hair. She raised her voice as if she was angry, but then suddenly cut herself off. I slowly caught her face in my eyes, nkly touching the floor. I could tell who she was at once from the way she looks because she is one of the main characters in the game. A finely braided red hair of the same color of dark blood. Fiery red eyes as if they were ming up. ¡®Yuri Clementine¡­¡¯ Why did I have to bump into this woman? The glory of the Earl of Clementine, who rose to fame on the continent with her fire magic. The only heir to the Earl of Clementine and was called the ¡®ming Flower¡¯ because of her beautiful appearance¡­ ¡­Though she isn¡¯t really fond of that nickname. The most important thing in this situation is. Yuri is short-tempered. Basically, she gets angry easily. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t concentrate¡­¡± I scratched my head and spoke as low as I could. Nothing good will happen if I get in the way of Yuri here. As she was a major character, we¡¯re likely going to encounter a lot in the future. ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Suddenly, Yuri is speechless. She was speechless for a while now. ¡°No, it¡¯s not your fault. I should have been careful, too.¡± Yuri slowly took a deep breath and answered in a raised voice. Yuri Clementine apologized? It was a rare and unfamiliar image, but it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand. From Yuri¡¯s point of view, the blindfold was covering my eyes. That¡¯s right. Looking like this, everyone would think that I¡¯m a blind man. A simple thing. If someone covers their eyes with a bandage, people will obviously think that the person can¡¯t see, and if not a blind man, there¡¯s no reason to walk through the street and get into this. I could see well, but from the perspective of others, certainly, I was blind. She must have wanted to pour out your anger as usual if her mood was bad, but if the opponent is blind, she would turn herself into a weirdo if she got mad. The Yuri I know was a fiery woman who was angry all the time, but at least she knew how to keep the line. I stopped lying on the floor and stood up, dusting off the dirt. ¡°From the color of the tie¡­ I guess you¡¯re entering the academy today, too. My name is Yuri Clementine.¡± Yuri reached out her hand but as she looked at my blindfold, she let out an ¡®Oh¡¯ and didn¡¯t know what to do. Because she was cute in a clumsy way, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Haha. I already have a good feeling with just that much. My name is Zetto.¡± So I reached out my hand and asked for a handshake. The touch of her hand, which I only watched on the monitor screen, was very soft. I can¡¯t believe that powerful me magic pours out of this slender hand. ¡°Feeling¡­?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see, but I can feel what¡¯s around me with other senses. If it¡¯s not that ufortable to move my body.¡± It¡¯s no good to anyone to know that I can see clearly. If she knows that this ordinary blindfold that she saw was a special item, it could endanger my life by an unidentified assant that I have sought for. It¡¯s a legendary item. The value may be so high that it would betched to the viins¡¯ ears. Above all, knowing the effect of the blindfold, I have to keep this blindfold on. So I have no choice but to act blind. Even with a usible excuse. Yuri let out an ¡®Aha~¡¯ as if she fully understood the exnation of the usible made-up feeling. As she and I were both freshmen, we naturally walked together. ¡°You must be a swordsman¡± Yuri¡¯s eyes touch the sword in my waist. ¡°My skill is stillcking to call myself a swordsman.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re a swordsman, then you mean the swordsman in the east, right?¡± I nodded my head in affirmation of Yuri¡¯s words. ¡®Swordsman¡¯ is a real job in the game. Isn¡¯t a blind swordsman better than a blind knight? The starting weapon, which was decided when making the character, was also deliberately chosen as the Eastern sword. ¡°As expected, you¡¯re the esteemed daughter of the Clementine family. You have a wide view of knowledge.¡± ¡°Since I was young, I used to learn this and that annoying knowledge. This is nothing.¡± Despite the obviouspliments, Yuri smiled softly as if she felt good inside. I don¡¯t think she was this funny when I yed the game. Is she different in reality? The difference between game and reality. Things that were not possible in the game may be possible in reality. For example, even if I could have improved my likability, it was in a game that did not lead to a rtionship with the character, but if I were you now, I could date the person I wanted. The most important thing is. ¡®I don¡¯t know if I can save the dead character no matter what choice I choose in the game.¡¯ It meant a lot to me. This is because I have also tried my best to save a certain character. After thinking for a while, I could feel the crowd around me. ¡°I think we¡¯re almost at the academy.¡± ¡°Come to think of it¡­ How did you find your way before you met me?¡± ¡°Just¡­ I asked the people around me for directions or walked along the path that many people headed for. I assumed that people were walking around the city at this time so there must also be many cadets.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s a pretty smart way.¡± Somehow, the conversation seemed to continue to be an inquiry into the life of the blind, but Yuri had no choice because she was born with curiosity. As we walked along the road, the main building of the academy was finally revealed. The main building of Innocence Academy, where talented young people from all over the continent gather, was emitting a grandeur worthy of its reputation. The main story finally started. Chapter 2 EP.2 Entrance Ceremony As we entered the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was to be held, the eyes of the cadets who had already arrived there began to slowly gather at Yuri. ¡°Look. It¡¯s Yuri Clementine.¡± ¡°So, Clementine ising, too.¡± ¡°Then, all four elementary families gathered for this admission.¡± ¡°Her eyes are fierce.¡± ¡°Well, she does look really pretty.¡± First, it was because of Yuri Clementine, the esteemed daughter of a famous family. ¡°Who¡¯s next to her?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing him. Why is he covering his eyes?¡± ¡°He must be blind.¡± ¡°He¡¯s having a sword¡± ¡°Maybe he stabbed himself.¡± Second, it was because of my unique visuals. I can hear a group of rude students looking and whispering about me. I¡¯m not used to this reaction, but I¡¯ll have to get used to it from now on It doesn¡¯t bother me much. It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t see. The fact that I don¡¯t know anyone¡¯s face is an ¡°extra¡± which doesn¡¯t have much importance but extras usually have just as much level as their level, so all the sarcasm didn¡¯t feel like a threat. I looked at Yuri, who was next to me, but her expression wasn¡¯t that good. Yuri¡¯s red eyes seemed to be burning up. Should I say that she¡¯s on the verge of bursting into anger? Maybe she didn¡¯t like how they were scoffing at me for being blind. ¡°Huh. There are always those kinds of people.¡± However, as there aren¡¯t only cadets but also instructors here now, it wouldn¡¯t be a good sight to express anger. I restrained Yuri from approaching them. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s my business, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Whether she felt my words or not, Yuri stared at me with her mouth tightly closed. Fortunately, her foul mouth didn¡¯t curse at them. When Yuri was getting more likable, even though she was a bit bitchy, she was still good at heart. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s short-tempered¡­ She¡¯s a character who is closer to the good side. Yuri got angry more often at the beginning of the story. Of course, thanks to that, Her aptitude, the me magic power, was maximized, but one day she experienced inner growth and through restrained anger, the me got more powerful I remember clearly how she pours out her magic. Self-control. That¡¯s an important emotion in her awakening. If I help her little by little and she gets stronger a little faster, it will be a great help to the story ahead. ¡®There¡¯s no harm in awakening early.¡¯ Perhaps we were a littlete, since the students who followed us already stood in their seats, the lights in the auditorium gradually turned off and attention began to put on the tform, which was naturally the only one that shone. ¡°Wee, cadets. My name is Juliut us, the 21st principal of Innocence Academy.¡± The speech began with the principal¡¯s dignified voice moving forward to the podium. I watched the first episode in the game without skipping. From the next episode, I skipped all these lines, so it¡¯s been a long time since I heard the speech. But it¡¯s still boring as before. The posture is ufortable, so it feels even more boring. I started looking around and checking out the main characters one by one. I could only see the back of their heads because I sat at the back, but they were still distinguished. ¡®There¡¯s that big guy who does Earth magic.¡± Familiar instructors also caught my eye. Theposition of the characters was all the same. ¡­Except for one. I can¡¯t see her. I looked back just in case, but I couldn¡¯t find her face in the back either. There¡¯s no way I can¡¯t see her since her hair color stands out. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you feeling ufortable?¡± Yuri, who was standing next to me, looked worried as I moved my head to look around. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Well, since I¡¯m blind, she never thought I¡¯d be finding someone. I¡¯d better pay attention to these details in the future. ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Acting blind isn¡¯t easy either. There¡¯s a lot more to pay attention to than I thought. The more important thing right now is¡­ ¡®If she doesn¡¯t show up¡­ What if she doesn¡¯t exist in this world¡­?¡¯ This idea wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable considering her unusual ¡®character¡¯. She was a character who no one knew where and when she would appear, but she always showed her face at the entrance ceremony. ¡®This is weird¡­¡¯ *** ¡°And congrattions once again on your admission, and now I¡¯ll exin the ss assignment test.¡± Before I knew it, most of the events of the entrance ceremony wereing to an end. I could feel the eyes of the students who were bored as the principal mentioned the ¡®test¡¯. ¡°The ss assignment test will be held after a three-day break for cadets who have gone on a long journey.¡± ss assignment test has a long tradition and history in Innocence Academy. No status gap applies within the Academy. The main influence was that the warrior who defeated the devil in the past was amoner. Cadets can always have a difference between themselves, which is ¡®force¡¯ or the strength of the cadet. In short, skills are everything in the academy. An educational system that encouragespetition back to super meritocracy. I didn¡¯t think much about it in the game, but there are parts that feel a little cruel when ites to reality. ¡°What kind of test will it be this time?¡± Yuri looked at the podium and asked a question with no answers. ¡°You said it changes every time, right? The contents of the test.¡± I just yed along. Of course, I know the contents of the test. Death matches in a virtual space created by illusionary magic divided into 10 people. Battle Royale for 10 people. ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t matter. I can literally burn them all.¡± Yuri casually uttered harsh words without any expressions. It¡¯s her character. She¡¯s just being weirdly gentle with me. When I looked at her without saying anything, she noticed my gaze and turned her head for no reason. ¡°¡­My father told me that¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± You¡¯re such a passionate person.¡± A brief awkward atmosphere between the two Apuse reverberates in the auditorium. The principal was leaving after saying hisst greeting. You can tell from the name of the four-element continental family, there are a total of four families. Four elements of fire, water, wind, and earth. The four-element family refers to a group of families who show off their more outstanding talents with elemental magic, which is somon that it is said to be representative. The Caligus family of Earth magic. The Windless family of Wind magic. The Aisin family of Water magic. And the Clementine family of Fire magic. The only daughter of Xerath Clementine, the current owner of the Clementine family. Her name is Yuri Clementine. ming Flower. Her nickname was made based on her beauty and the characteristics of the Clementine family since birth. Thanks to her unrivaled position and beauty, also as the only heir to the prestigious Clementine family, many engagements have been offered since childhood. The men approached only by looking at Yuri Clementine¡¯s face and body, or the value of the family¡¯s name, but it was unwee to her. Love. The love stories in the fairy tale told by the nannies in our childhood were sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes terribly sweet. Yuri Clementine longed for love in such fairy tales. But she realized at a young age that men who approach her don¡¯te with love. It was from then on. Yuri Clementine became angry and showed off her talent for fire magic. She knew very well. That if she gets angry like fire, men will leave without trying to approach her. Time went by, and she entered the academy. ¡°Gosh! Watch where you go¡­¡± ¡­She met a man who she couldn¡¯t get angry with for the first time. It was enough to upset her with the fact that he was in an ufortable state, despite that she bumped into him on the side of the road and knew she was at fault that shecked attention¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t concentrate¡­¡± The man named Zetto, who was covering his eyes with a white bandage, was ¡®blind¡¯. No matter how much she was, she couldn¡¯t get angry after bumping into a blind man. She thought it wasn¡¯t right. For the first time that day, she was able to have more than five words of conversation with an outsider other than her family. At first, it was curiosity. It was simply amazing to see him walking well without relying on a cane even though he couldn¡¯t see. ¡°It¡¯s a feeling.¡± A feeling. An ability to walk well alone and swing a sword even though he is blind. ¡°As expected, you¡¯re the esteemed daughter of the Clementine family.¡± When heplimented her, it felt different from thepliments of other men she had heard. Perhaps, because it was apliment on the knowledge gained from the history ss that she hated. The important thing is that she didn¡¯t feel the same incident desires as other men. His smile was strangely clear and transparent. Yuri¡¯s conversation with him wasn¡¯t so bad. He didn¡¯t say anything that bothered her, and most of all. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s my business, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Unlike herself, he was calm. He didn¡¯t get angry even though he was despised. Unlike herself, who has often been angry about nothing. Yuri Clementine suddenly realized. All men were ufortable, but she was feelingfortable with him without realizing it. Zetto was blind. To Zetto, her beautiful appearance was useless. Beauty is worthless to him who can¡¯t see. Strangely, she could be sofortable because he couldn¡¯t recognize her beauty at all. ¡°Thanks to you, I was able toe to the academy without much worry.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Thanks to you, I wasn¡¯t bored on my way here.¡± It was time to say goodbye to him. Yuri didn¡¯t want to say goodbye just yet. Is it because she feelsfortable talking with a guy after a long time? Meanwhile, Zetto talked to Yuri following her answer. ¡°¡­It¡¯s meant to be, so let¡¯s get along well.¡± ¡°¡­Get along¡­¡±¡± Let¡¯s get along well He meant as a friend. Friend. Since Yuri Clementine was young, she had no friends because she stayed away from boys and girls were busy jealous of her. A friend of the opposite sex when you don¡¯t even have a friend who¡¯s a girl of the same gender as her? But seeing Zetto reaching out with a pure smile. ¡®Yeah. Friends¡­ There¡¯s no harm in having one.¡¯ ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Yuri identally grabbed his hand. It was the first time in her life that she had a ¡®friend¡¯. Chapter 3 EP.3 Ghost yer Technique Today is the second day of the break. For two days, I concentrated on growing by mobilizing all the game knowledge I had. ¡°Thank you! Young man!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even see anything, but it¡¯s amazing how you found our Chuchu.¡± The old man was petting a cat named Chuchu which was in his arms. It was very easy for me to know where the cat was hiding. Of course, the cat was not as obedient as I thought, so I bought a fish from the fish store, but the result was good. ¡°It¡¯s just a small gift. It will be a sess since we used reliable ingredients this time!¡± This seemingly ordinary old man is an alchemist. To be exact, I think I should call him a crazy alchemist? He was a character who appeared only in the beginning and then disappeared, so no one knows his name or his real identity. Compensation was important to me anyway. When the old man epted the potion, he waved at me and disappeared into a shaded alley. ¡®Did I finish all the side quests that can be easily solved in the beginning with this one?¡¯ Organizing what to do wasn¡¯t that difficult. The quest with the right reward for the ¡®swordsman¡¯ job was better, and it had to be easy enough to solve in a short time even though it was a quest from the early part of the game. Even though I skipped some, there were much more than I thought, so the sun was already leaving after finishing my work. This potion, called ¡®Unknown Potion¡¯ in my hand now, actually has a tremendous effect of raising skill points. ?Gulp gulp Without further dy, I inhaled the potion in a fit of anger. ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± It tastes like trash. I didn¡¯t expect it to taste good because of the strange color, but I feel nauseous. But they say that good medicines taste bitter. I immediately checked the status window. ¡®Skill points have definitely risen.¡¯ I used all the remaining points at this time. lv.10 Archived skill -Ghost yer Technique Lv.8 -Excellent Sense lv.3 -Weakness Detection lv.MAX ¨C Applying the effect of [Blindfold That is Beyond Reason] Items in use ¨C Blindfold That is Beyond Reason. [Legendary] ¨C Low-quality Eastern de. [Normal] ¨C Energetic Silver Ne. [Rare] I worked hard for two days. Looking at the status window showing progress ordingly, I feel proud. Since the rewards from the quests, which only gave experience, were activated well, my level rose by five levels, and thanks to that, I was able to raise my skill level a lot. The average level of cadets taking the ss assignment test is about 6. Compared to that, I was already at level 10. The effect of the blindfold was also greatly applied to the ¡®Experience Gained Increased by 500%¡¯. No matter what game it is, the difference between levels is obvious. People in this world didn¡¯t seem to know the existence of ¡®levels¡¯, but the difference must exist. Once the level rises, the amount of mana in your body increases. Mana can be seen as the basis of power in this world. The wizard had to be able to handle Mana, much less a knight with a sword. This is because it wasmon to fight by strengthening the body or weapon through Mana. I feel that the amount of mana that was flowing in my body has also increased significantlypared to the first day. At this rate, it may not be a dream to achieve the top score in the ss assignment test. ¡®Well, I¡¯m still overwhelminglycking in hands-on experience.¡¯ For your information, my wallet has be thick as I solved the quests. I remember spending all my money a few days ago to ride in a carriage. ¡®I¡¯m hungry. Should I buy a sandwich on my way to the dorm?¡¯ Near here, there was a famous sandwich shop called ¡®Boar¡¯, which was made with meat from wild boar monsters. I think food is the most interesting part aftering to this world and to a ce that I wouldn¡¯t have thought about. I was able to taste unusual food that was filled with the fantasy that I had only seen in the game, and the food was quite delicious. Of course, the academy dormitory also provides good quality meals, but for me, who has yed the game for a long time, the delicacies in the city attracted more attention. Tonight¡¯s dinner is a special boar meat sandwich. *** Thest day of the break I got myself out of bed. The single room was assigned by the academy This means that there was no need to fight any unfamiliar men. The interior of the room was very luxuriouspared to the motel room I stayed in beforeing to the academy. In my case, I¡¯ll be fine with everything as long as the bed is okay. The bed in the motel that I mentioned earlier was like they put millions of straws on it, and since I¡¯ve been used to being a modern person, I didn¡¯t sleep well. The bed in the dorm? It was much better than the bed in my studio. I overslept on the first day thanks to it. Early in the morning, I washed up and finished preparing to go out. Today, I¡¯m going to the training ground to test my skills. ¡®Passive skills have been applied well so far.¡¯ ¡®Ghost yer Technique¡¯ helped me handle the sword skillfully and mboyantly, and ¡®Excellent Sense¡¯ provided me with a better response speed through my sharp sense. For ¡®Weakness Detection¡¯, which was obtained through my blindfold, I haven¡¯t experienced it yet, but I know what effect it had. The effect of Weakness Detection is simply increasing the probability of fatal blow. However, now that it¡¯s a reality, I still don¡¯t know how it will work. I haven¡¯t experienced anybat yet, so I guess I¡¯ll get to know more only if I get into a fight. When I arrived at the training ground, I warmed up lightly. ¡°Is he¡­ blind?¡± ¡°He¡¯s even holding a sword.¡± ¡°He must be a freshman, too.¡± I got the attention from the cadets who came first, but as I wandered around for two days toplete the quests, these turned out to be a familiar reaction. I just have to mind my own business. ?Sling I took out my sword slowly. The eastern de that I was holding. It was better to cut than to stab. I immediately swung it with grace. ¡®Ghost yer Technique¡¯. Originally, ¡®Ghost yer Technique¡¯ is a skill that can work only when the spirit of the dead, which is a devil(¹í), is contained in the sword. In this world, you can only shine when you use it with a Spectralsword(Ñýµ¶), which is a demon sword. Depending on whose soul the Spectralsword contains, how strong the soul has, and how strong the soul was during its lifetime, the performance of ¡®Ghost yer Technique¡¯ varies widely. It¡¯s difficult to perform well from the beginning, but if the conditions are met, it can show high power. To do so, the first priority is to make a sword that can withstand a strong evil spirit, and it¡¯s essential to find a strong soul and seal it in the sword to make a Spectralsword. An ingredient that is resistant to the evil spirit is needed to make a sword. Funds to entrust production to a skilled cksmith. It wasn¡¯t something that could be solved in only a few days. There¡¯s no big problem with a powerful soul. It can be solved quickly with my game knowledge. There are some suitable candidates who know the location because they¡¯ve already used the Ghost yer Technique technique in games. As powerful as they are¡­ ¡®¡­It¡¯s not going to be as easy as the game.¡¯ Although the Ghost yer Technique technique wasn¡¯t showing its performance, it¡¯s still swordsmanship for now. Surely, the skill level has risen, so the sword itself moved faster and more shy than before. I swung my sword further and stopped. ¡°Haa¡­ Haa¡­¡± I¡¯m out of breath. I can even feel the hot drops of sweat flowing through my face clearly. It was because I pulled out Mana as much as possible and wielded a sword with it in my whole body. How the hell did they train in this way¡­?¡¯ I might have slightly more mana than other cadets, but I still have a weak pointpared to them. Dealing with mana. I¡¯m weak at controlling my mana. I just let mana flow all over my body. It¡¯s almost impossible to use as much mana as I want in the desired area. There was no mana in modern times. Mana could never be used to this unfamiliar energy in my body. It was a much more alien sense than three more tails and arms that humans should not have. Even in the game, mana was just a basic stat bar. And the yer omitted the process of dealing with it. Because it¡¯s a game. But in this world, mana was so important. It was a worldview in which even themoners who carried heavy loads could use mana to lift their luggage more easily. So I was just copying one of the key characters¡¯ training methods to get more familiar with mana. A very, very simple practice of wielding a sword with a mana all over my body until I¡¯m exhausted. Having lost all my strength, Iy down on the side of the wall of the training ground. This time, neither the knowledge of the game nor the performance of fraudulent items could solve this problem. *** Around when the surroundings became dim and the buildings lit up one by one. I led my throbbing body out of the drill hall. Indeed, there was no significant effect in one day. My whole body was a disgrace. Bones creak and muscles struggle to rest. ¡®I still have some time before the test, but I was too greedy.¡¯ I can¡¯t do anything more today. I should go back to the dormitory and take a deep rest. On my way back to the dormitory with a desperate walk. The appearance of the character approaching from the other side of the boulevard is familiar. ¡°Ha.¡± There is a snort as soon as I notice her presence. ¡®I didn¡¯t see her at the entrance ceremony¡­ But it seems like it¡¯s not that she didn¡¯t enter the school.¡¯ Not only is she the main character, but the girl I¡¯ve been searching for since the entrance ceremony. A white coat over a uniform as her signature. Her brilliant tinum blonde hair shines brilliantly with the bright moonlight as a light. As I slowly got close to her. It was a relief. If she hadn¡¯t existed in this world, things would have gone so much different. She was just that important to me. Perhaps a lot more than when she¡¯s in the game. Her golden eyes were so close now that I could see them with my own eyes. If this was the game and I was the yer, I¡¯d talk to her at this time¡­ But I knew it might not happen. But she didn¡¯t walk past me and stopped right in front of me. I had no choice but to stop because of her who blocked me from the front. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± I was wondering if I should say something, but there¡¯s no way she would speak up and I could hear her voice. She was just watching me with her mouth shut. Eyes that seem like a lot of thoughts are passing by. Her expression isplicated, and only indescribable emotions can be felt. ¡°May I help you¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was no answer. She ended up standing there for a long time, and then passed by, staring at me. ¡®What the hell just happened?¡¯ I looked back at the ridiculous sight, but only the back of her walking silently past me can be seen. Her name is Aizel Ludwig. I tried to save her by doing countless retries in the game. ¡­This game, I mean, the only ¡®regressor¡¯ in this world. Chapter 4 EP.4 Aizel Ludwig Aizel Ludwig was a pretty unique character. The first line she utters when she meets a yer is always the same. ¡®I¡¯ve never seen this face before¡­¡¯ It may not be a very special line. ¡®You¡¯re also a freshman. What are you talking about?¡¯, it¡¯s bound to be such a reaction. Since then, she has been a character full of suspiciousness that disappears leisurely, leaving only unique lines. However, things change by the time the yer gradually progresses to the fact that she¡¯s a regressor. The word ¡°first-time face¡± means that the yer has never appeared in her return, and the unusual words she uttered were hints about the future stories. This unique characteristic hase as an attractive element for users who y multiple episodes, and a guide for beginners. A slightly different line from the past In fact, the story is slightly twisted after that. It was a powerful set up that led the yer to y the next episode. I wasn¡¯t much different as a yer either. In a way, I should say that I was attracted to her more. A regressor who tries to change the future through numerous regression. The yer could be the only ¡®understander¡¯ of such a regressor. The seductive rtionship had a fascinating knack. I was such a fan of hers. Many yers, not just me, would have been her fans. All of us were purely attracted to the character ¡®Aizel Ludwig¡¯. But even though I¡¯ve yed so many times¡­ ¡®¡­Nothing could prevent her death.¡¯ In the middle of the story, Aizel Ludwig dies in an episode rted to the purpose and reason for her return. The yer should also be considered a regressor There was even a way to proceed with a new round, as the system¡¯s save and load could be reversed as much as possible. However, nothing could change the oue of her death. Because of this, the gamepany was criticized a lot. ¡®We can¡¯t save Aizel no matter what we do?¡¯ ¡®You said we could do anything, motherfuckers. But why can¡¯t we save Aizel?¡¯ ¡®I know how she died, and I know why she died¡­ I¡¯ve prevented everything I can, but she¡¯s still dead.¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything we can do about this. The person who made the game said that, so what more can we do?¡¯ It should have been seen as a game with such a high degree of freedom within the academy, so these reactions should have leaked out. On the other hand, the gamepany took a silent attitude toward questions rted to Aizel. Someone agreed to that, someone denied. Because Aizel boasted unrivaled poprity in the game, there are many aftermaths in the process. Quitting the game or making fun of Aizel for being an ipetent returner. Or not giving up foolishly and continuing to try and save Aizel. I was thetter. In fact, I couldn¡¯t let go of Aizel even before I entered this game. At some point, it was because I was proceeding toe halfway rather than because I like Aizel. At that point, it wasn¡¯t just persistence, but stubbornness. I thought there would be a clue now that the game has be a reality.¡¯ Aizel, whom I had just encountered, passed me without saying anything. This has never happened in the game. ¡®Should I say that I¡¯m not a yer right now?¡¯ In fact, I don¡¯t know much about Aizel from a non-yer perspective. In the game, the strong fate force called ¡®system¡¯ worked, so it was made to be rted to her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I can¡¯t find an answer even if I try to work my brain. To be honest, she should be considered a more subtle person to be a returner to reality, not a set line like the game. I¡¯ll try everything I can. My desire to save her still hasn¡¯t changed. Not her death that I stared into the monitor screen. It¡¯s so painful to imagine seeing the warmth escaping from her body with my own eyes. *** I couldn¡¯t even say a word. It wasn¡¯t easy to see him again. I didn¡¯tmit a crime, but I hid in an alleyway as if I was running away from him. ¡®¡­May I help you?¡¯ I had to admit it. He is now a different person from the ¡®Zetto¡¯ I remembered. The memories I shared with him no longer exist. ¡­He doesn¡¯t know me anymore. The ufortable and frightening truth rips through my head. ¡®This thing¡­ I thought that I already got used to it.¡¯ I guessed not. He may have been secretly keeping away. To be deeply involved with people. That guy¡­ Zetto was special. He was the only ¡®variable¡¯ that urred in repeated regression. I was worried about him. But it seems like I wasn¡¯t the only one who minds. He approached me sofortably. I once had a deep conversation with him. He had an ¡®understanding¡¯ that I couldn¡¯t imagine. Maybe that understanding¡­ I might have been craving it. He squeezed into my empty heart and inted the size. Before I knew it, his existence, which grew as big as the void inside me, was a clear ¡°poison¡± for me, a regressor. A drop of hot liquid flows down my cheek. Hisst moment still lingers in my head. His body, which was barely supporting himself against the broken wall, was bleeding heavily. The bandage around his eyes dropped helplessly, and his deep, wide-sea-like blue eyes, which had been covered so far, shone softly. With a gentle smile that has continued from the first moment. He said while swallowing the surging blood. ¡®Always¡­¡¯ ¡®I was looking at the same ce as you, Aizel.¡¯ ¡®The sea that you liked¡­ I hope we can go see it together next time.¡¯ At the end of the sentence, he closed his eyes with a smile on his lips until the end. The world was silent as if to honor him. Even though she achieved her long-cherished goal with his help. She didn¡¯t want it to end. ¡®Where¡¯s the next one¡­?¡¯ There¡¯s always been a ¡®next¡¯ for Aizel. He didn¡¯t have a ¡®next¡¯. To see the sea with him now. It doesn¡¯t mean much to him as a blind man, and he doesn¡¯t even remember¡­ It was a selfish wish. It became my new purpose. I went back for him. With the repeated regression, Ipletely changed my behavior, which had been steadily organized. The previously reluctant method was good as long as it could achieve its purpose. Be strong with anything thates. Use whatever I can. ¡°In this life¡­¡± I will never repeat that experience again. Never. Ever. *** Something happened that bothered me, but time didn¡¯t just wait for me. Time went by and it¡¯s already the day of the ss assignment test. I was worried that I might be in bad shape. I wasn¡¯t in such a bad condition. It may have been helpful to eat and sleep after eating ¡®Special Smander Rice¡¯, which had a great effect on recovering physical strength. For your information, it didn¡¯t taste good. ¡®I thought it was rice with grilled eel.¡¯ The ss assignment test was already actively happening. All the freshmen, including me, were looking at arge screen located in front of the test site. The cadets who had finished the test or were waiting for the test were able to see through the transmission magic screen inside the space created by the illusion magic. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ that¡­¡± Yuri, whom I don¡¯t know how she found me, was somehow standing next to me and rying to me the progress. Thanks to her, I was struggling to pretend that I couldn¡¯t see the contents of the test, but I¡¯m just grateful that it was an act that came from her good heart. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good¡­¡± ¡°Is it that much?¡± ¡°She¡­ I don¡¯t want to admit it, but¡­ I think she already easily surpassed the cadet level.¡± Then who is taking the test right now that Yuri is making such a fuss. The girl¡¯s white golden hair on the screen flutters in the wind. It was Aizel. I totally agree with Yuri. It doesn¡¯t make sense to emit that much power already. ¡®¡­That¡¯s too strong, though.¡¯ Aizel in the game, of course, topped her group, but she wasn¡¯t this overwhelming. Now Aizel smashed all nine people, except herself, who would have been scattered on stage in about three minutes. The screen shows Aizel cutting off thest surviving cadet. With a creepy, emotionless face, she stood there as if she had finished everything she had to do. The image was clearly known to all the cadets watching it. Even if her ss is different, she¡¯s so much further from others. The sudden magic she usually used remained the same, but other skills and abilities that couldn¡¯t be seen in the game were noticeable. She was extremely strong, even considering her special ability, ¡®regression¡¯. ¡®I can¡¯t keep up with what¡¯s going on.¡¯ I managed to endure a sigh that was about to burst. After the long-awaited meeting with her, I feel like my headache won¡¯t go away. ¡°I will call out the next participant.¡± Of course, I wasn¡¯t even given time to look at Aizel and think about it. ¡°¡­Aamon Caligus.¡± ¡°¡­Zetto.¡± My name can be heard quietly from the lips of the instructor who was conducting the test. Since then, the names of the remaining members have been called one after another. Okay. I¡¯m going to take care of myself first. It¡¯s only after I be strong that I can think about how much I can influence others. Oh, and by the way. ¡°Aamon Caligus¡­¡± ¡°From the four-element family, It¡¯s the Caligus who¡¯s responsible for the earth. I used to run into him at meetings when I was a kid, but how can a big, distracted guy be so vicious¡­ Even if he only took over half of his father, his personality is not very friendly.¡± Yuri, who was next to me, snatched my murmur and frowned as if she was displeased. It happened to be a four-element family during the ss assignment test. Even in the game, this kind of start was not easy. ¡®Nothing is going well.¡¯ Chapter 5 EP.5 ss Assignment Test (1) Aamon Caligus. I know this guy as much as Yuri Clementine. A typical strong-weak character. Corruption or reform. He has two routes with different roles. He was a character with a story close to a third-grade viin when corrupted, but when he undergoes a self-change, he bes a reliable colleague as a tanker with strong defense. Of course, his unique grumbling doesn¡¯t change even after he gets nicer. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think the opponent is easy.¡± I said, fiddling with the sword around my waist. Of all things, I have to deal with the Earth magic which has a high physical defense. We don¡¯t really match. If I were a wizard, you could twist your body and win. ¡°Well¡­ Aamon is simple, so he can easily fall for provocation, and he can be careless, so it¡¯s worth a try if you try to look for a chance.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to do my best.¡± Yuri also gave me advice as if she knew that we weren¡¯t a match. ¡°¡­Monstero. 10 people who were called, step forward.¡± After being called, I followed the instructor¡¯s words and stepped up. While walking, I can see a group of people who took the test earlier returning to their seats. Among them was Aizel. Except for Aizel, the other nine seem to be far away from her, as if she¡¯s scary. ¡°Good luck with your test.¡± Aizel walked leisurely, whispering in a low voice that others cannot hear as she passed by me. ¡°¡­¡± I don¡¯t know why, but it seemed right that she was paying attention to me. One thing is certain: Aizel, who I¡¯ve seen countless times in the game, is different from Aizel now. How much information in the game that I remember is right and how much is wrong? What has she been through to show this attitude? Thanks to Aizel¡¯s unpredictable move, my mind is confused. But I didn¡¯t stop moving. I had to step forward. Except for Aizel, it was still going as I expected. Ten cadets, including myself, stood in front of the instructor. After confirming our appearance, the instructor continued the same exnation as before. ¡°This test is a death match for people to decide who would kill and who would be killed in a space created by illusionary magic. As we saw earlier, dying in it does not actually kill you.¡± As I was facing the instructor¡¯s stern eyes right in front of me, the tension began to creep up. Aamon¡¯s giant figure standing next to me was enough to make me nervous. ¡°So don¡¯t be afraid and show the best you can.¡± From the start of the examination, think of the others as an enemy to kill and not the same academy cadets.¡± ¡°Use your ability to survive for a long time or destroy all your enemies. The instructors will keep an eye on all your actions and score points. That¡¯s it.¡± Afterpleting the important exnation, the instructor activated the magic circle that was prepared on the floor of the test site. Soon, the dimensional door opened on the floor and swallowed all 10 cadets, including me. Eventually, my consciousness. It started fading. *** As soon as I came to my senses, I stood up, and it was a ce full of grass and trees. ¡®Is the topography a forest?¡¯ As I looked up, countless stars were shining. The sound of grass bugs was heard around, and the fragrant smell of grass stimted my nose. This is all fantasy stuff? The environment was so vivid that I got goosebumps. ¡®He must be an archmage at this point.¡¯ This illusionary magic was none other than Juliut¡¯s ability, the principal of the academy. The cool wind blows and the hair flutters. ¡®I can¡¯t hear any loud noise yet.¡¯ It seems that there¡¯s no battle yet. I think everyone must be awake at a simr time and make judgments about the situation. However, due to the tradition of the test, it¡¯s highly likely that it is not far away. I should go check somewhere else. In this situation, the person who moves first and finds the enemy first will have a better benefit. ¡®But.¡¯ Quickly pull out the sword and strike the flying object after me. ?sh!! An arrow of ice touches my sword and breaks into powder. ¡®¡­That¡¯s the one I found first.¡¯ It was an attack that was close to a raid without even hearing a sound, but thanks to my ¡°Excellent Sense¡± skill, I was able to manage to respond. I checked the direction of the ice arrow. I can see a cadet with a surprised look on the tree that was there. Is that a wizard who mainly deals with freezing magic? The level didn¡¯t seem too high, so it was perfect for the first opponent. ¡®I was worried about meeting Amon from the beginning.¡¯ Jackpot. I still rushed at the brat who was preparing for the next spell without moving. The opponent was on a tall tree, about three stories high, but when I reached level 10, I was able to reach it with just one leap. ¡°Ice Arrow!¡± At the same time as I rushed at him, another ice arrow flew out, but I easily hit it. And a light leap after infusing mana into the body. ¡°This crazy¡­¡± He waspletely bewildered because I didn¡¯t think he would jump up this height at once. The moment I tried to cut down the guy standing on the branch with a stupid face in the air. There were several half-transparent red circles on his body. I instinctively cut down the waist where the biggest circle of the many red circles was. ?Crack! ¡°Cough!!¡± Soon, a groan of pain is heard, and his body, which has been halved, quickly bes ashes and disappears. There was no blood spatter. It was the influence of illusionary magic. ¡®The red circles I saw just now¡­¡¯ ¡®Is it the effect of the ¡®Weakness Detection¡¯ skill?¡¯ ¡®I need to find out more.¡¯ Battle is more enjoyable than I thought. That¡¯s because I thought my knowledge and efforts were not wasted. I was smiling faintly in the dark forest with a sword in my hand. *** ?Crush!! Lower my posture and rush at great speed to cut down the enemy in front of me. The opponent, who couldn¡¯t even scream and split in half, became ash and was blown away by the wind. The opponent who just copsed used a two-handed sword. I wanted to see how far I could reach with my Ghost yer Technique without the ¡®Spectralsword¡¯, but¡­ This excessive mana operation ended most of the battles as quickly as possible because I thought my body wouldn¡¯t hold out until the end of the test. This is the fourth person. After several battles, I was able to understand more about Weakness Detection Skills. As I guessed, the red circle meant the opponent¡¯s weak point. Any solid object was cut as smoothly as if cutting tofu when the red circle passed by. ¡®The important thing is¡­¡¯ Weak point was not limited to the opponent¡¯s body or weapon. The effect of the maximum skill level for Weakness Detection was not to that extent. ¡®Magic has its weak point, too.¡¯ I could find a clue to Aamon¡¯s rtivew here. Fortunately, I realized this without meeting Aamon. I didn¡¯t know why magic also made red circles. It wasn¡¯t a skill that worked with this principle in the game. ¡®Simply because the skill level is at its maximum? Or is it influenced by the blindfold?¡¯ As it¡¯s a legend-grade item, there may be more hidden effects. High-grade items often have such things. The fact that I can see ahead right now should have been seen as a hidden effect of the blindfold. ¡­Of course, I might sound greedy to hope for more effect here. As I was thinking about taking a break. I can feel a movement behind me. Hearing footsteps, this person must be quite big. ¡°What are you?¡± I could hear him speak up as he saw me. ¡®Speak of the devil.¡¯ I turned back and looked at him. ¡°What do you want? Are you an idiot? Can¡¯t you see anything¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The guy who had a rude mouth, Aamon Caligus. A giant body that seems around two meters tall On his arms, a huge gantry of rock stands out. Aamon¡¯s basic attack is a hit using a gauntlet created by Earth magic called ¡°Earth Gauntlet.¡± Depending on the situation, Earth magic such as ¡®Rock Face¡¯ or ¡®Stone Shower¡¯ may be used. Earth magic with great physical defense. On the other hand, there was no magic damage to my attack. He put a nasty grin while looking at the sword in my hand. But likewise, I couldn¡¯t lose my smile after I checked his figure. The red circle was clearly visible from his gauntlet. ¡®Either falling down or bing a new man.¡¯ It¡¯ll be better to act nicely, right? I slowly approached him one step at a time. *** The teachers gathered to watch the ss assignment test. Most of the instructors were focusing on the transmission screen. The grading was also done, but the atmosphere of the test was ripe as there were many fun things happening from the instructor¡¯s point of view. ¡°They finally met.¡± ¡°Aamon Caligus, four. Zetto, four. Now that there are only two left, is the winner of this fight the first ce?¡± Aamon Caligus¡¯ performance from the point of view of the instructors was a category within expectation The leader, who gathered all four element families, thought the results would be obvious in a way. However, the appearance of ¡°unstandard genius¡± Aizel made instructors excited. Then came a cadet named Zetto. He wasn¡¯t from a famous family, nor was he famous on the continent by showing off his skills early. New face. He wasn¡¯t the only one who caught the eye of the instructors. ¡°That Zetto kid. Where did hee from?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know where he¡¯s from. Besides, there¡¯s not much in the document. He doesn¡¯t have a lot of information. How did he get into school?¡± ¡°With dark ck hair¡­ And looking at that sword that he¡¯s using, I think he¡¯s from the East.¡± At this time, an interesting answer from an instructor who was well versed in swordsmanship follows. ¡°The East¡­ Come to think of it, I happened to drop by the East. I heard that they purposely block the view and train when teaching swordsmanship.¡± ¡°What? So you¡¯re saying Zetto¡¯s not blind?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. They also do that for a better sense. I was told that there was no hands-on experience.¡± Even if they don¡¯t know about other things, they must agree with his words about swordsmanship. Instructors didn¡¯t readily acknowledge the existence of Zetto. ¡°Then, at that young age, that blind kid can dispel magic with his sword.¡± ¡°Raina, that was obviously a coincidence! You¡¯ve got it wrong. How can you dispel with a sword¡­?¡± Dispel The act of interfering with the magic on disy and destroying it structurally. Originally, dispel was supposed to be another kind of magic that invalidated the opponent¡¯s magic. Zetto had previously dispelled magic with a sword when dealing with a cadet who uses magic. But the instructors all thought it was a coincidence. Except for Raina, who was confident in dispel. ?Oh, my God. Fuck!! What is this?! As the instructors were having a conversation, someone suddenly cursed out of the transmission screen. The main character of that swearing was none other than Aamon, who was fighting Zetto. ¡°The Gauntlet¡­ is gone¡­?¡± The instructor¡¯s mouth, who was denying Raina¡¯s opinion just now, was wide open. As it was a gathering of instructors who had experienced many battles, they had no choice but to admit it this time. It wasn¡¯t physically that the Gauntlet was broken. The Gauntlet disappeared as soon as it touched the sword. It¡¯s gone. Aamon¡¯s ¡®Earth Gauntlet¡¯. Aamon¡¯s Earth magic. It was clear that Zetto¡¯s sword dug into the structural part of the Earth Gauntlet and dispatched it. Raina looked at the instructor whose mouth was open and shouted. ¡°I told you that brat is weird?! He broke the spell with a sword!!!¡± Chapter 6 EP.6 ss Assignment Test (2) ¡°I told you that brat is weird?! He broke the spell with a sword!!!¡± The other instructors were forced to remain silent at Reina¡¯s shout. ¡°¡±¡­..¡±¡± Because they knew better what the word meant. ¡°I know. It doesn¡¯t make sense. But you all saw it, right? This time, instead of the ¡®luck¡¯ crap.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Only then did Raina¡¯s sharp words make the instructor who came to his mind. ¡°The question is, ¡®How did he do it?''¡± Dispel was basically a high-level skill that was possible only when you knew the magic that the opponents performed even more than themselves. ¡°For now, the battle isn¡¯t over yet, so let¡¯s wait and see.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± After saying that, the instructors began to focus again on the screen. ?Crack! Amon¡¯s right arm, which had just disappeared, was being cut off. ?Shit! What the fuck?!! In this magical illusion, Aamon didn¡¯t faint because his arm was cut off thanks to the pain that was eased five times, but it was enough to shock him. A series of Zetto¡¯s dispel This time, it was a gauntlet on the left arm. ?Crack! The defenseless Aamon¡¯s left arm is cut off. Soon, Amon knelt down in front of Zetto. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± ¡°I think the mental shock is as great as he was conceited.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. He lost fairly to a blind opponent who doesn¡¯t know his name or face.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Aamon Caligus was weak.¡± Aamon¡¯s neck, who was sitting down with the instructor¡¯s words, flew away. ¡°He just met an unexpected opponent.¡± This concluded another test. The instructors began grading the two people who remained until the end. ¡°Aamon¡¯s attack was a bit regretful.¡± ¡°Attack? I think he did exactly as much as a freshman. It was even a bit impressive to us.¡± There was no big undervaluation of Aamon. Even if he lost to Zetto, he was in second ce, and it was also true that he handled four enemies lightly. ¡°What do you think about Zetto cadet?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Surprisingly, the instructor who was good at handling swords fell into deep thought. The people except him were curious about his opinion, so they waited for him to open his mouth. ¡°His sword skill¡­ was nothing special.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Like I said. There was nothing special about his sword skill. Based on ¡®Sword Arts¡¯.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem. It¡¯s not a special sword trick, but it invalidates the magic¡­ He dispelled the opponent.¡± Everyone couldn¡¯t help but wonder because he was also an experienced veteran who had experienced many battles. If there was nothing special about skill. How on earth did Zetto dispel with a sword? At that time, Raina, who was listening quietly, spoke up. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s only one.¡± However, someone else continues to recite Raina¡¯s words. ¡°We can only say that he touched a magical structural ¡®weak point¡¯ and broke it, right?¡± At that moment, everyone paid attention to him. First, because he opened his mouth for the first time during the test. Second, because he was the only one here who wasn¡¯t an instructor. ¡°Could you stop interrupting me like it¡¯s an obvious thing? And why the hell is he here?¡± Raina got annoyed at him for cutting off her words. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do¡­¡± Everyone nodded at the other instructor¡¯s words. Considering his status, the instructors could do nothing. ¡°I came here because I thought there was something fun to watch. And I¡¯ve been keeping my mouth shut, right?¡± He grinned brightly. His torn eyes were always full of suspiciousness. ¡°My father told me to do some work. So, I just passed by.¡± His name is Edward us. His father was Juliut us, the 21st principal of Innocence Academy. ¡°Everyone was frustrated with something obvious, so it was hard to keep my mouth shut. I hate troublesome things.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Raina snorted at Edward. Edward continued without showing his face. ¡°To get down to business. Each magic has no choice but to have structural weak points, and it causes magical interference there to invalidate the other¡¯s magic. Dispel. I¡¯m sure you all know this.¡± ¡°But this dispatch requires essential prerequisites, right?¡± ¡°¡­Do you have to have a better understanding of the magic that the other person has demonstrated?¡± Raina easily solved Edward¡¯s unexpected quiz. This was a process that supported Edward¡¯s exnation. ¡°But that Zetto guy seems like he¡¯s not able to handle his mana, let alone magic.¡± Edward uttered meaningful words without losing his smile. ¡°It was like that. Isn¡¯t that why it doesn¡¯t make sense?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone thinks so. But I think¡­.¡± ¡°¡­He¡¯s ¡®seeing¡¯ everything.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He¡¯s obviously blind, so what can he see? The instructors frowned at Edward¡¯s absurd remarks. ¡°Oh, to be exact, the expression ¡®feel¡¯ is more correct than ¡®seeing¡¯.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s just my guess anyway¡­¡± ¡°¡­What if he¡¯s reading and sensing mana itself?¡± ¡°What if he could instinctively prate the weak point of the magic he saw for the first time with such a ¡®nonsense¡¯ sense?¡± Edward¡¯s hypothesis was enough to draw interest from the instructors. ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­ Is it the realm of talent or effort?¡± The topic has long been a discussion of the dispel presented by Zetto, not grading. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve seen cases when they lose important senses such as vision and hearing, and other senses get amplified, but¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha. It wasn¡¯t to this point. Not all blind and deaf people in the world can do that.¡± ¡°If even the blind man¡¯s handling of the sword in the first ce is special, it should¡¯ve been considered a special ability already. Of course, as a cadet at the academy, there must have been something else¡­¡± ¡°This kind of ability¡­¡± The instructors had the same feeling of admiration from Aizel, who had previously taken the test, and were uncertain about Zetto as ¡®unknown¡¯. Excellent cadets were asionally seen. Of course, Aizel was a great cadet beyond that. However, the topic of ¡®unknown¡¯ that they cannot figure out, such as Zetto, was different. ¡°I don¡¯t think we will have the answer if we sit here and talk about it.¡± Edward sorted out the heated discussion of the instructors. He had a point. However, that doesn¡¯t solve the doubts that have grown in the minds of instructors. Knowing that, Edward offered a simple solution to this situation. ¡°I mean, we can talk to him in person.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I think it could be a kind of favoritism.¡± Edward smiles an insidious smile when he hears it. ¡°Favoritism? Instructor Kaliman. This is Innocence Academy.¡± ¡°At Innocence Academy, skills are everything and your own force is everything. Favoritism? Did the cadets who im it have any special ability as much as Zetto?¡± Kaliman instructor shrugged. Instructor Kaliman had only a deep bad rtionship with Edward, he was well aware of the way the academy was taught. ¡°But why do you decide that you¡¯re not even an instructor?¡± Raina¡¯s sharp rebuke came in. However, Edward¡¯s subsequent remark was unexpected. He wouldn¡¯t understand if his father, Juliut, was here. ¡°I was thinking about being an instructor at this point.¡± ¡°And Miss Raina? I¡¯d like you to be polite in this public ce.¡± ¡°That brat¡­¡± Raina hit the desk in a fit of anger at Edward¡¯s criticism. Judging from the atmosphere, it seems that there will be a disturbance here. The instructors were even more disgusted by Edward¡¯s wretched grin today. *** ¡®I won.¡¯ It was a pure emotion when I returned to the site after the test. A weak point that can seen in magic I don¡¯t know exactly what I¡¯m capable of. My brain is still confused, but the result was good anyway. When I looked around, I saw a dumbfounded Aamon. Soon after he saw me, his eyes suddenly changed. ¡®So scary.¡¯ Aamon looked very upset. Whether this will lead to his depravity or his inner growth. Leaving him alone like this, everything will be up to him. Either way, I bet he¡¯ll go on his own route. However, there¡¯s no need to make enemies. It seems necessary to have a deep conversation with him sometime. It¡¯s a deep conversation called ¡®Sparring¡¯. Since the test was over, I went back to my seat where Yuri had been waiting. When I went back to Yuri, I got a lot of questions from her. ¡°Zetto, what the hell is that?!¡­¡­ G-Gosh, what was that?¡± With her eyes sparkling, Yuri was so excited that she forgot the honorifics. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Before I knew it, I think I got into the habit of acting sly in front of Yuri. ¡°Didn¡¯t you dispel Aamon¡¯s magic like you actually saw it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Should I call it ¡®dispel¡¯? It¡¯s different from what I¡¯ve known, but the magic was invalidated, so I don¡¯t know if I should call it a dispel. First of all, a usible excuse to answer Yuri, who was rushing me, came out first. ¡°I actually don¡¯t know¡­ It just became like that all of sudden.¡± ¡°¡­Stop joking.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you.¡± I really don¡¯t know. I was frustrated because I didn¡¯t know exactly what ability it was and how it happened. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t want to tell me. All right, I might have been ¡®rude¡¯.¡± Yuri, who emphasized the word ¡®rude¡¯, has never looked at me since then, turning her head away from me. I¡¯d be blind to her and I don¡¯t know what that means. But I could tell because I wasn¡¯t really blind. Yuri seemed to be sulking. Chapter 7 EP.7 ss Assignment Test (Final) The test went on smoothly. Yuri, who was still waiting for the test, was naturally called with thest group. ¡°You¡¯re going to win first ce, right?¡± Looking at the other nine, Yuri¡¯s first ce was predicted, but I was already in first ce, so I¡¯m proud for no reason. ¡°Of course.¡± Yuri responded to my joke and went forward to prepare her uniform and take the test. ¡®I can¡¯t do this. But this is fun.¡¯ The conversation with her, which was much more lively than the conversation I had with Yuri in the game, was very enjoyable. The test began when Yuri disappeared into the illusion magic. Yuri¡¯s power of the fire magic, which was sticking out, was really great. Without mercy, the cadets¡¯ bodies burst into mes, and they disappeared one by one. The images of cadets turning into ash powder werebined with fire magic, making it even more cruel. Looking at the screen covered with bright red mes, I suddenly thought of something. ¡®¡­I shouldn¡¯t have teased her, right?¡¯ She was being too nice to me, so I was oblivious to it. Yuri on the screen soon burnt down thest opponent in front of her and made a fierce smile. It went without saying that the figure was definitely ¡®Yuri Clementine¡¯. Her familiar but also unfamiliar image. The attitude she¡¯s shown me so far has been so different that I keep forgetting it. That she has a brutally strong anger. The test quickly ended with predictable results. Yuri, who easily won first ce, approached me at once and spoke bluntly with a coy face. ¡°First ce. I did it.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ So that¡¯s why I heard the sound of fireworks all the way here.¡± I replied, scratching my cheek. ¡°So we¡¯re probably in the same ss?¡± ¡°¡­Well, I didn¡¯t win first ce for that, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯re in the same ss.¡± Even though it was after the me magic was emitted coolly as if relieving stress, Yuri¡¯s mind seemed to have not been relieved yet, she looked sideways at me for no reason. ¡®¡­Once Yuri got sulky, itsted for a long time.¡¯ She looked happy as I handed over her favorite strawberry milk. It was fortunate that there were many things that I remembered about what the characters liked and what they hated, especially food, because there was a system of likability of the characters. ¡°The ss assignment test for everyone has ended.¡± The instructor who was in charge of hosting today was wrapping up the test in a loud voice. ¡°The results of the assignment will be announced on the bulletin board inside the academy in a day, so please return to the dormitory. Everyone, thank you for your efforts. Once again, congrattions on your admission to Innocence Academy.¡± Finally, the assignment test, which was neither too long nor too short, was over. The cadets were leaving the test site, each talking with their friends about the results. In the middle, there was a group of people pointing to me while gossiping. ¡®I guess I¡¯m in the spotlight.¡¯ I didn¡¯t mean it, but it¡¯s not bad in the long run. Being famous has always been a boon, unless I get famous for bad things. Above all, I could have made my name known to the main characters. Good start. *** I can see Yuri waiting for me on the bench under the warm sunshine. ¡°Sorry for making you wait.¡± I approached Yuri and gave her strawberry milk. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting to see what you¡¯re going to do. Is this milk?¡± Yuri¡¯s red eyes grow round in curiosity. ¡°I tried it on the wayst time and it tasted pretty good.¡± I¡¯m sure Yuri hasn¡¯t tried it yet as she just arrived at the academy. Later, she will be a regr customer of this store, so I was introducing her in advance to get her favor from my side. ¡®I hope this will make her stop sulking.¡¯ ¡°¡­Wow.¡± Yuri, who took a sip of strawberry milk, eximed, but cleared her throat for a moment and asked me with a rather serious face. ¡°Ehem. Where do they sell this? You¡¯re not going to say that you don¡¯t know, right?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a store near the main building of the academy¡­¡± I was sitting next to Yuri and trying to continue the exnation about the store. Someone who came out of nowhere suddenly talked to us. He was pointing at me, to be exact. ¡°Zetto. The instructors are looking for you.¡± It was the instructor who was in charge of the test earlier. The instructors are looking for me? ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, could you follow me for a moment?¡± It was an unexpected call from the instructors. When I stood up and looked at the instructor and Yuri alternately, Yuri nodded as if she was okay. ¡°¡­All right.¡± The instructor heard my answer then went ahead to lead the way, so I followed him. Why are the instructors looking for me? Somehow, things that I haven¡¯t experienced in the game keep happening. The instructor stopped walking at the test supervisory office located on the second floor of the test site. The test was over, but I didn¡¯t know why they were still here. ?Knock knock. ¡°I brought Zetto here.¡± ¡°Come on in.¡± The door opened after permission was given. As soon as I followed the instructor into the room, I felt an unknown pressure. ¡®Why is the atmosphere so scary?¡¯ There were many people who had a high position among instructors. Among them, there was one person who wasn¡¯t an instructor, but that person must have originally been set to only watch the assignment test. As much as they were the instructors of this jockey, they are also involved in the game. But none of them opened their mouths and were still observing me. ¡°¡­You said you were looking for me.¡± So I spoke up first. No matter how much I looked back on my behavior, I didn¡¯tmit any crime. ¡°Zetto cadet¡¯s test, we had fun watching it. It was very impressive. The reason why we invited you is none other than¡­¡± Kaliman rhymed. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Raina cut off Kaliman and popped in. Kaliman red at Raina, but she didn¡¯t care as if she was used to it. ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± I know what they¡¯re talking about. But I have no choice but to pretend. It was unclear whether that would work for them. It was then. As Raina tried to speak again, the man in the corner of the room moved. ¡°Chain.¡± He threw a spell at me. A chain crawled out of the magic circle on his palm toward me and came rushing in. But the red circle in the middle of the chain. The ¡®weak point¡¯ was so obvious. ?Ching! My instinctively moved sword touched the weak point, and the flying chain quickly disappeared with a sound. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± ¡°Edward!¡± Raina got angry at Edward right away. Edward, who casted a spell at me, still had no expression on his face. ¡°I was talking to him¡­!!¡± ¡°Chain.¡± Edward cut off Raina¡¯s words once again. It was the same ¡®chain¡¯ as before. The same type of chain came to me as if it were a deja vu But it was subtly different. ¡®Weak point¡­ is not visible¡­?¡¯ I tried to find the weak point to break the magic, but the red circle, which was so clear earlier, was too small and dim. I tried my best to look for his weak point, but¡­ ?sh! ?Crack! In the end, I had no choice but to deflect the chain. The chain that was deflected from my sword was smashed into the wall behind me. That guy, Edward us, was still a tough guy in the game and in the real world. ¡°This fits my hypothesis.¡± Edward said so calmly. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t do anything unexpected. Edward us.¡± An old instructor who appeared under the name of a veteran instructor in the game warned Edward. ¡°Ha. Edward, you just did it on purpose.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Raina and Edward exchanged words. I can¡¯t keep up with their conversation. Hypothesis? Did he test me? Raina exined as I freezed to the brim with questions. ¡°Just now, Edward¡¯s first ¡®chain¡¯ was deliberately made of a very loose structure. The second chain, on the other hand, was very tightly knit.¡± ¡°I guess you really can see it¡± ¡°The magic structure.¡± ¡°¡­¡± As I wasn¡¯t answering to Raina¡¯s summary, questions from other instructors followed. ¡°How can you see it? No¡­ How can you feel that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the ability to call it ¡®Sense¡¯.¡± The Q & A section started unexpectedly. As quickly as I could, I hurried and made up the setting for ¡®Zetto¡¯, which is myself. ¡°Who did you learn that ¡®Sense¡¯ from?¡± ¡°From my teacher.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that teacher?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I can¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± I answered as much as I could, creating a teacher who didn¡¯t even exist. I thought I didn¡¯t have to tell them everything. Don¡¯t people all live with secrets that they want to hide? The instructors didn¡¯t question me further. By the way, I wonder who will be the instructor in charge of ss A that I will enter. There are a total of three instructors in charge of ss A who experienced it in the game. There¡¯s a sharp-looking woman with brown hair. Raina. A man with a rough beard who is not tidied up right next to him Kaliman. Generally, one of these two bes the instructor in charge of ss A. However, among the instructors, a man with thin eyes who can be seen as a hidden character. Edward. ¡°It¡¯s a small reward, but¡­ You didn¡¯t seem used to dealing with your mana. Take this.¡± The veteran instructor gave me a bracelet. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°Wearing that bracelet will help you train mana even just a little bit. I look forward to your growth.¡± ¡°I¡¯m lending it to you, so if you break it, you¡¯ll die¡­¡± Raina threatened me with a fierce stare. The name of the bracelet was ¡®Bracelet with origins¡¯. ¡­It was an item of the Epic grade. ¡®This is really just a loan.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t small at all for a small thing. It seemed to be the bracelet that Raina was wearing herself. ¡°It¡¯s good to go back now. Sorry for taking your break away.¡± Finally, I¡¯m free. I was about to leave the room after bowing politely to the instructors. ¡°Zetto. See you soon.¡± Looking back at his voice, Edward was waving brightly. No way¡­ ¡®¡­It¡¯s not, right? It¡¯s an absolute specification that the evening seat bes an instructor. Now that the game has be a reality, it¡¯s something that shouldn¡¯t have happened. Chapter 8 EP.8 The Thread of Fate Getting out of the test site, I was dizzy thinking about Edward. ¡®The condition wouldn¡¯t have been met.¡¯ The condition for Edward, who can be seen as a hidden character, to be an instructor. Identifying Edward¡¯s ce of appearance and meeting him in advance before the test. If I have the required level ofpetence, that will get Edward¡¯s interest and he¡¯lle to the test site. At this time, if I won first ce in the test, Edward will almost certainly be an instructor in ss A. Knowing this, I deliberately avoided his appearance. I¡¯ve never encountered or had a conversation. He and I just metpletely for the first time. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The reason why I¡¯m reluctant about Edward is none other than his randomness. As a strange and suspicious character, he changes the contents of the ss as he pleases. In some ways, sses in the game were able to gain experience stably, so it was possible to level up appropriately just by taking sses. For me, who had an increase of 500% in the acquisition rate of experience values, meaning that taking sses to me is even more important. However, his ss, which I wouldn¡¯t know what would happen, was far from the word ¡°stable.¡± Some sses didn¡¯t give experience points, and some sses suffered serious injuries even if we obtained experience points. It¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t have the merits as a hidden character. If you were lucky, you could get a huge amount of experience or items as a reward through his ss. Nevertheless, I still wanted to avoid it. Now that the game has be a reality, the risk was too big to leave my body to pure luck. But why¡­ ¡®Zetto. See you soon.¡¯ Why did he say such suspicious words? Because of my dispel? That means he was already at the test site, but as I said before, I¡¯ve never met him. It doesn¡¯t make sense that he got interested in me. Then¡­ ¡®¡­Someone else other than me got his attention?¡¯ Just in time, a likely candidate came in front of me. Whether it¡¯s fate or coincidence. As I thought about her, I felt like she had been waiting for me. Her golden eyes were shining brightly, not obscured by the zing sunlight, and her gaze was directed at me the same as before. Was she sitting and looking at the flowers that were blooming in the garden? I¡¯ve been thinking whether I should just pass by her or not, but¡­ As expected, I think it would be better to start a conversation. ¡°Thank you for your support earlier. Thanks to you, I got a good grade.¡± ¡°¡­I guess you can tell the difference just by looking up.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be in trouble if you attack your colleagues. I tend to distinguish it by the unique waves that each person feels.¡± ¡°Wave¡­ For example¡­¡± Aizel swept her hair and asked me in a weak voice. ¡°Heartbeat¡­ Or the sound of breathing¡­¡± Aizel, who was sitting, stood up with her knees stretched out. And came a little closer to me. ¡°That means you remember my heartbeat.¡± Aizel pointed her face at me. Aizel¡¯s cutie face came so close to me that I could even feel her breath. ¡°T-That¡¯s right?¡± ¡°I hope you don¡¯t forget.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°My heartbeat¡± What¡¯s wrong with her? I was embarrassed at the moment by her sudden recklessness even though she seemed to be keeping a distance. ¡°¡­We might end up fighting each other. I don¡¯t want to be cut by your sword.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Then I¡¯ll make sure to remember it.¡± I tried to give Aizel a gentle smile. Aizel stopped sticking her head out at my answer and looked away at me. ¡°My name is Zetto.¡± I held out my hand to her and greeted her brightly. This is the perfect time to make an introduction. ¡°Aizel¡­ Aizel Ludwig.¡± On the other hand, Aizel didn¡¯t even look at the hand I held out, but only recited her name. Did she not like touching people? I didn¡¯t know anything about Aizel¡¯s thoughts on skinship. ¡®But she should at least ept a handshake.¡¯ I put my bitter feelings behind me, and I collected my hand embarrassingly. She may be reluctant to contact people because she is a regressor. Looking back on my memory, she only talked to the yer, but not even the yer could have had a big contact with her. I gave up my misceneous thoughts and opened up to solve the problem I was facing right now. ¡°But, by any chance¡­ Have you ever met a man named Edward?¡± That didn¡¯t happen in the game, but I thought it was possible for Aizel, as she has been acting differently from the game. As I checked Aizel¡¯s unstandard force with my own eyes, she could have attracted Edward¡¯s interest at once if she had only met him. ¡°Edward¡­¡± Aizel¡¯s fingers touch her lips, perhaps recalling her memories. There¡¯s no way she doesn¡¯t know, as a regressor. She¡¯s probably acting. Because the regressor can¡¯t make it obvious that ¡®I went back to the past.¡¯ ¡°He¡¯s a person who always sounds fishy. Haven¡¯t you met him?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Fishy¡­ Oh.¡± As I threw a simple and clear keyword about Edward, Aizel made a short sound as if she remembered something. Aizel was an outstanding actor. Her performance looked very usible. ¡°If he¡¯s a suspicious man, I¡¯ve met him once before. With white tail hair¡­ A man with wide open eyes. He was acting weird, asking me to try magic, so I ignored him and left.¡± At Aizel¡¯s answer, I finally understood the situation. ¡®So it was you.¡¯ It was Aizel who called Edward to the test site. Well, Edward, who met Aizelle, would have tested her with a strange stunt, as always. Then, he would have been interested in the Aizel¡¯s existence and reached the test site. Edward may be bothered by all sorts of things, but when he bes interested, his behavior changes. ¡°But why?¡± ¡°I met him at the test site earlier and he mentioned Aizel. It¡¯s nothing. He¡¯s just¡­ He¡¯s a weirdo.¡± In fact, Edward never mentioned Aizel when he met me, but my excuse was to be regarded as one-way information, so there won¡¯t be any problems. ¡°It¡¯s definitely weird.¡± Aizel nodded her head at my words and agreed with me. I should go back now. There was no justification to continue the conversation with Aizel, and if I made a non-existing justification to continue talking to her, it would make Aizel feel burdened.. I still wanted to save Aizel, so I didn¡¯t want her rtionship to deteriorate. ¡°Well then, I¡¯m going back now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± After bowing lightly with Aizel, I walked back to the dormitory. By this time, Yuri would have gone back on her own, right? ¡­I¡¯ll check the bench on my way just in case. I can see his back getting further away. The hand that he held out to me in front of my eyes. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t hold it. I couldn¡¯t even look. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll catch him in a fit of anger if I put his hand in my eyes for a moment. But if I take his hand now. It would be too hard to let go of his hand, so I didn¡¯t. ¡­No, I couldn¡¯t hold it. Because I never wanted to let go of his hand this time, because I would hold it hard. I wanted to hear more of Zetto¡¯s sweet voice, but it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll see him again tomorrow and we¡¯ll be able to talk longer than today. ¡®Hahaha¡­ Then I¡¯ll make sure to remember it.¡¯ You don¡¯t remember a thing. Idiot. Stupid Zetto. ¡­Lovely. My Zetto. *** An office that is full of intense feelings. The well-organized documents and items on the desk were all tangled together. This was representing the character of the owner of the ce. ¡°What you said just now. Are you serious?¡± ¡°There are many people who don¡¯t trust me today.¡± Juliut us, it didn¡¯t appear on his face, but he was very embarrassed. Edward, his son, who never listened to him when he was told him to work, now finally. ¡°Finally¡­ You said you wanted to be an instructor..¡± ¡°I was just waiting.¡± ¡°What?¡± Edward fluttered as he reclines his chair to Juliut¡¯s question. ¡°I think a lot of fascinating kids came in this time.¡± ¡°Fascinating, you said. Which cadet was it?¡± Being the principal of the academy was a very busy job. Juliut didn¡¯t have time to check the cadets for each admission. Special cadets were bound to stand out on their own anyway. ¡°There was a kid with an amazing level. At that point, I wonder why she¡¯s attending an academy. Anyway, there¡¯s one kid like that.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one unexpected kiddo. I saw him do ¡®Dispel¡¯ with a dangling sword¡± ¡°With a sword¡­ He dispelled¡­? ¡°Yes. Of course, he didn¡¯t break your ¡®illusionary magic¡¯¡­ But isn¡¯t it interesting enough?¡± Juliut thought it didn¡¯t make sense as he knew Edward wasn¡¯t the one to lie, but he was convinced. ¡°¡­So, what do you want, Eddie?¡± Juliut wanted to fulfill his wish as much as he cared for his son, but this son¡¯s selfish personality was the problem. ¡°ss A of this jockey. I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°What? Kaliman was going to take the position, wasn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°I told Kaliman instructor in advance.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Juliut stopped doing paperwork, took off his sses, put them down on his desk, and touched his forehead. ¡°¡­Did he agree?¡± ¡°Kaliman seemed to be reluctant to ss A of this jockey. It was a relief.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, since all the heavy-duty four-element family members entered together¡­ It would be burdensome to include the cadets you mentioned.¡± ¡°I promised Kaliman a fair reward. So it won¡¯t be a big problem.¡± ¡°Whoo¡­¡± Juliut sighed and got lost in thought for a moment. It¡¯s his own son. He had the ability to be a teacher. On the contrary, Juliut was underestimating Edward because he was his son. Objectively, he had an excellent ability. Compared to Juliut himself, the No.1 illusionary magic field, who has the title of a great wizard right now, he was on the verge of catching up with himself at an early age with his rapid growth. But the eye of the beholder was the problem. The person who didn¡¯t even work as an instructor will be the instructor, and that¡¯s also the instructor of ss A. And the fact that he was his son, the principal, made him worry. Then, Edward made a suggestion to Juliut. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. So how about this?¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°In the end, Innocence Academy is a ce to prove ability. Shouldn¡¯t I also prove it as an instructor?¡± ¡°Prove?¡± ¡°The main test to be taken this semester. There was no one who passed or was eliminated from ss A. What do you think?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Juliut uttered a deep sigh. The Academy¡¯s main test is a test that can change grades, or even half. ss A¡¯s test was the most difficult as the best cadets gathered. ¡°It would have been unprecedented.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s proving.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ All right. Then let¡¯s do that. But remember this, Edward. If there is even one dropout, you may never be able to work as an instructor again.¡± ¡°I see. Then we¡¯re done talking. I¡¯m going to see my wife.¡± ¡°How did that brat even get married¡­?¡± It was weird for Juliut to see Edward being endlessly affectionate to his wife every time. Edward grinned before leaving the room and left a word for Juliut. ¡°Wasn¡¯t you also able to get married because of your personality? I¡¯m leaving. Juliut ¡®principal¡¯.¡± Chapter 9 EP.9 Female Dormitory The results of the ss assignment test came out. ¡°What ss are you in?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I died without doing anything¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You said you met her. Aizel¡­¡± ¡°All the four element families are ss A. Lucky bastards.¡± Cadets were huddling in front of the bulletin board. I tried to find any gap between them and talked to them. Even though I checked the results this was a necessary task for me. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry, but could you check where my name is?¡± ¡°Oh? Yeah, yeah. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Zetto.¡± ¡°Zetto¡­Zetto¡­ Oh! There it is!¡± ¡°Which ss is it?¡± ¡°ss A! That¡¯s amazing. I think¡­ You! You¡¯re the one whopeted with Aamon¡± ¡°Oh¡­ yes.¡± ¡­I think I¡¯ve chosen a noisy one. His loud voice rang out and the cadets¡¯ attention began to focus on me. ¡°Aamon? Oh, I remember. That blindfolded guy with the bandage.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the Gauntlets break down then?¡±¡± ¡°It was crazy. How can you powder that hard-looking rock with a sword?¡± ¡°Caligus didn¡¯t do much either. He lost to the blind guy.¡± ¡°I died while ying tricks on him. He¡¯s really strong. And he also does the magic.¡± It was a burdensome situation fortunately, I was able to get out of their gap safely because they didn¡¯t recognize the dispel or asked me questions. ¡®Acting¡­ is not easy.¡¯ Aizel, who acted as natural as breathing, is admirable. I had to act blind so I could spend a safer academy life. There was nothing I could do to survive except continuing to act blind. My goal was to make sure that I could understand and move on even if I made a noticeable mistake someday. For example, if I visit a store for the first time, I can ask the name of the store. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on because I can¡¯t see the screen at the test site. Trivial things. Furthermore, there was no technology here to help the blind, such as braille, so I couldn¡¯t even step into the library. There were various stories and quests in the library, but I gave up right now. ¡®Well, I don¡¯t know if someone can help me read books.¡¯ It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t go at all. I checked the test results so I still have quite a lot of free time until tomorrow before the first ss starts. I looked at the bracelet on my wrist. The bracelet of origin is an epic-grade item and it had the effects of increasing the amount of mana and physical recovery. Mana is consumed from the moment it¡¯s used. For example, using mana to demonstrate magic, or injecting my mana into the sword to extract the sword¡¯s spirit or the sword¡¯s strength, those were all factors that consumed mana. Since it was Raina¡¯s bracelet it was a perfect item for dealing with magic and I¡¯m sure it will be of great help in my training. If I recovered my physical strength quickly, I could train more. I have something else to do today. Essential conditions for eliciting the original performance of Ghost yer Technique. I had to step up to speed on producing the ¡®Spectral sword¡¯. I had to get the ingredients first. The ingredients that will make the sword withstand the strong evil spirit. Buying at the auction house may be a way, but I don¡¯t have much money yet. Some of them are ridiculously expensive. So the best way is to get it myself. The first ingredient to get was ¡®petal¡¯. You must wonder why I would need flower petals to make a sword? You didn¡¯t hear it wrong. As much, an Spectralsword was very different from an ordinary sword. Although the sword looks and uses the same, it¡¯s essentially a kind of vessel that captures the soul. Of course not with ordinary flowers. It has to be a rare kind. But it¡¯s not far away. The first reason I tried to find it was simply because it was the closest. The problem is that the ce where the flower is located is the ¡°female dormitory¡± inside the academy. Female dormitory Boys obviously cannot go inside. For this reason, ¡®If you¡¯re going to start with the Spectralsword, make sure you choose a female character.¡¯, it was one of the tips if you choose Spectralsword users. Let¡¯s say if I go with the tip¡­ If I had made a female character, not the current Zetto, wouldn¡¯t I be suffering from terrible exhaustion by now. Changing gender is a difficult thing to go through. ¡°Phew¡­¡± I let out a sigh of relief. Giving up petals and using other ingredients is also another solution. However, if the distance is close and I can enter, it should be easy. There¡¯s no shortage of ingredients for the Spectralsword. So I¡¯m going to try. Rather, I think it may be worthwhile considering my ¡®characteristics¡¯. ¡®If I can¡¯t, I¡¯ll sneak in at night.¡¯ As the ingredient was petal, it would take a long time to get them as I need to wait until the flowers fall. It was always in bloom at the beginning of the game, so it had to be now. *** ¡°You! Boys cannot go inside!¡± The security guard outside the dormitory stopped me. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I scratched my head and waited for the guard to approach me. ¡°Why would a man¡­¡± The guard caught my face in his eyes and was speechless for a moment. I had to aim for this moment. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. I want to tell my friend something urgently. My friend¡­ She seemed very angry. I thought I could lose my friend at this rate, so I couldn¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t get my act together.¡± I bowed down with that. My voice carried as much emotion as possible. ¡°You¡¯re a cadet¡­ with a vision disability¡­ Friend¡­ Haa¡­ Oh, my.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can make friends again. Although, she was a good friend¡­¡± The guard looked at me and clicked his tongue, then suddenly grabbed me by the shoulder. ¡°For human rtionships¡­ I think timing is always important. I used to¡­ I¡¯ve done a lot of stupid things. But as always, it¡¯s hard to go back after it changed.¡± The security guard desperately sympathized with me whether he had his own deep story. ¡°¡­I guess you wouldn¡¯t do anything stupid, so it¡¯ll be fine. Here¡¯s my badge. Go and work it out somehow!¡± The security guard put his badge on my chest and screamed at me. ¡®This will work.¡¯ I didn¡¯t know it would be solved so easily. Somehow I was lucky to meet this security guard. I was able to jump over the wall of the ¡®female dormitory¡¯, which was so strict and high for men. As I entered the female dormitory, which can be called the ¡®unknown world¡¯ for men, a long corridor unfolded. The structure wasn¡¯t much different from the male dormitory. The destination is the backyard. Just go straight to the end of the hallway. ¡°¡­ A boy?¡± ¡°How did you get in here?¡± ¡°Who knows! Leave him alone, he¡¯s blind anyway.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t he the one who was with Yuri Clementine?¡±¡± ¡°Are those two dating?¡± ¡°No way. That snobbish ¡®Yuri Clementine?''¡± I ran into female cadets on my way and they chit-chatted, but they didn¡¯t bother to kick me out. Eventually, I arrived safely in the backyard. Luckily there was no one in the backyard. ¡®It should be here¡­¡¯ I began to rummage through the backyard flower garden. As I was rummaging around for a few minutes. ¡®Found it.¡¯ Finally, I was able to find the flowers in full bloom. ¡®Thest petals of Piaget.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t the name of the flower, but the petal, so the name of the item as a material. This flower contained a spiritual energy, so it had a strong resistance to evil energy like evil spirit. I remember that this flower has a special story behind it, but unfortunately, I didn¡¯t remember the story. I took out a small bottle in my pocket, then picked each petal and put it in a bottle. I finished collecting them. It was a pretty simple taskpared to the entering part. Now all I have to do is get away smoothly. I put a bottle of petals inside and went straight into the hallway as if nothing had happened. Things worked out better than I thought. The remaining materials are rare metals. And a byproduct of certain monsters. It¡¯s like an item with a soulful memory to seal. I will try to find them whenever I have time after ss. ¡®Cause it¡¯s still morning¡­ Shall I focus on training for the remaining time?¡¯ Training, quests, leveling, and producing Spectralsword. Everything had to be done. This means that when the ss starts, I will be busier in the future. ¡®I wish I had two bodies.¡¯ By the time I reached the end of the long hallway of the female dormitory, the entrance was just around the corner. ¡°¡­Zetto?¡± Someone wasing down the stairs calling my name. The owner of the voice was Yuri Clementine. She looked like she just took a shower, but her braided hair was slightly wet, unlike usual. She wasn¡¯t wearing the uniform, but afortable outfit. An outstanding ck sleeveless shirt, which was pretty revealing. ¡°Why¡­ are you here?¡± Yuri was panicking. A ¡°boy¡± who should not exist in the female dormitory was walking around calmly. What excuse should I make this time? I didn¡¯t think I would meet someone I knew, so I didn¡¯t have anything to say. ¡°Oh, my. It¡¯s nice to see you in the morning.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ Why are you here? Are you¡­¡± I was about to y innocent, but Yuri¡¯s eyes quickly became sharp. She was suspicious of me. If her doubts be clear, it will turn into a contemptuous look at the insidious embargo. But I was an exception. At least I could be free from such doubts. Yuri seemed to have noticedte, so I just need to pile on it. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°¡­No, nothing. It can¡¯t be, right? What nonsense did I think!¡± Yuri¡¯s eyes eventually reached the blindfold. It was only then that she realized that she had been mistaken for a moment that my eyes were brightened. But I¡­ I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off Yuri¡¯s chest that was endlessly generous to me. Her beautiful chest was revealed once the uniform was taken off My conscience¡¯s situation is very dangerous. The more she understands me, the more I feel guilty. ¡®It¡¯s just an instinct.¡¯ Then, I continued talking to Yuri with an awkwardugh. ¡°Haha. You must have been flustered. I was going to go out after doing my things quickly. Of course, I¡¯ve got permission from the security guard.¡± I pointed to the badge that was handed to many security guards earlier. ¡°So¡­ What business was it that you had toe here?¡± Yuri approached me with her hand on her chest, as if she was ashamed of something even if I was blind. It wasn¡¯t a special street when I thought about the usual situation, but it was quite dangerous now. The remains are approaching with powerful ¡®weapons¡¯ even though most boys might fall. My business¡­ Something to do here¡­ I had to answer Yuri¡¯s pure question, but I couldn¡¯t think of anything. The seductive atmosphere that she doesn¡¯t even recognize made my mind go nk. It was then. Another familiar voice came from behind me. ¡°Zetto, what are you doing there?¡± She talked informally even though we never decided to drop honorifics. Her shocking remark with an unenthusiastic expression followed. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, let¡¯s go quickly. I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Aizel¡­ Ludwig¡­?¡± Yuri¡¯s expression looked nk. But my soul also left my body. ¡®¡­What the hell is going on?¡¯ All of a sudden, the situation now looks like meing to the dormitory to see Aizel. Trantor Note: I¡¯m dropping this novel, it was a mistake picking up another novel when i have my hands full on Viin. Sorry for those who were enjoying the novel, hopefully another group will pick up this novel to do it justice. -Dimwitch Chapter 10: The Ocean ¡°Is that your business?¡± ¡°That, that¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s go quickly.¡± Before I could say anything to Yuri, Aizel pushed me. ¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but¡­ Should I say it¡¯s a benefit?¡¯ Yuri and I are only friends so she should understand that much. Besides, I had no excuse anyway. ¡°I¡¯ll see you next time Miss Yuri.¡± I was gently pushed away by Aizel and waved to Yuri. When I was almost out of the women¡¯s dormitory, I looked back slightly, but Yuri had already disappeared. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Aizel pretended that nothing happened. As soon as we left the women¡¯s dormitory, she returned to the cold tone of yesterday like a ghost. I had a lot to talk with her but it was kind of weird to talk here¡­ ¡°¡­Let¡¯s move first.¡± I said so and took the lead. Aizel shrugged her shoulders with an indifferent look and walked along with me. ¡®I¡¯ll have to return the badge first.¡¯ First, I headed to the ce where the guard was. The security guard¡¯s eyes got bigger as soon as he saw me while cleaning the surroundings, and he smiled at Aizel behind me. ¡°I guess you got along after all.¡± ¡°¡­Thanks to you, I was able to solve it well. Thank you.¡± I thanked the guard and held out the badge, and he stuck it back in his chest. ¡°No, no, no. It¡¯s nothing.¡± The security guard waved his hand saying so and whispered to me, ncing at Aizel behind me. ¡°But¡­ Are you really just friends? Or¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a friend.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Cadet! Why are you being so serious? It¡¯s youth.¡± The security guard patted me on the shoulder. ¡°Well¡­ have a nice day.¡± At this rate, I thought the atmosphere with Aizel would be strange, so I quickly left the security guard who was making a fuss. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± We walked silently for a while and I broke that long silence first. ¡°¡­So why?¡± ¡°You looked in trouble.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be in trouble, but¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s all right then.¡± Aizel said and looked at me strangely. ¡°You don¡¯t ask me anything. Don¡¯t you wonder why I was there?¡± I asked Aizel purely out of curiosity. ¡°¡­You have a secret. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t know¡­You sneaked into the women¡¯s dorm. The underwear thief. It¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Underwear thief is a bit¡­¡± Perhaps this kind of thought passed to Yuri for a moment. ¡°Do you want me to ask you now?¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± It was difficult to answer. If I knew this would happen, I should have sneaked in at night. ¡°¡­Anyway, thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± The conversation with Aizel was in. ¡®I think the conversation I had with Aizel in the game was more ambiguous and meaningful.¡¯ The personalities of other characters except Aizel were the same as those in the game. So were Amon, Edward, Raina, and Kaliman. Yuri was a little different, but when I listened to others, I thought she only treated me like that. But as for Aizel¡­She¡¯s not like in the game.¡¯ As she was a regressor, she knew what happened in the previous round, but I couldn¡¯t guess what happened. I tried to think of the number of times she could have regressed but there were too many. In the game, each character had a set amount of lines and there were certain scenarios that could happen. But since this is reality there would be no limit to the amount of dialog and that meant that there would be countless scenarios. I didn¡¯t try to predict every possible oue because I didn¡¯t have the foolish notion that the game¡¯s story was going to be straightforward. With the information I have and the information that Aizel could have as a regressor the future could easily be twisted. That wasmonly called the Butterfly Effect. Just looking at it now, I had to say that I was experiencing the butterfly effect. Wasn¡¯t Edward watching the ss assignment testpletely contrary to my schedule due to the unintended influence of Aizel? It was also closely rted to the reason why I wanted to be strong. Starting with the purpose of simply saving Aizel, the future was distorted and I needed enough force to cope with unexpected situations. ¡®I need to get stronger much faster than I expected¡­¡¯ Doubts creeping up from Aizel¡¯s unexpected move amplified this ¡°reason.¡± I need to advance my ns even if it means overworking my body. ¡°So where are we going now, you know the way?¡± I answered Aizel¡¯s question, emptying myplicated head. ¡°From the first day I entered the city, I went from ce to ce and memorized the geography of the city. I don¡¯t forget the way to a ce I¡¯ve visited once. It¡¯s hard to call it a talent, but I¡¯m pretty confident in my memory through my senses.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°More than anything¡­ You said you were hungry.¡± Aizel nods. She just said it, but I guess she was really hungry. When I arrived in front of the store, I looked around casually and sniffed. It¡¯s as if I was going through a process of checking if it¡¯s the right ce. ¡°¡­I think this is the right ce. It¡¯s a store I stopped by before. What do you think?¡± It was a store that I stopped by for a quest before the assignment test. For your information, it is a store Aizel liked very much in the game. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Aizel¡¯s permission was granted, and when I opened the shop, the owner weed me. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Zetto, I haven¡¯t seen you around.¡± ¡°Haha. Mr. Herald, I¡¯d like to have a meal.¡± I and Aizel settled down at a table in a corner of the store. ¡°Zetto, everyone around here heard the rumors.¡± ¡°Rumors?¡± ¡°You helped many people and now it¡¯s rumored that a blind saint appeared.¡± Herald grinned and walked over to the table we were sitting at with his arms crossed. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± I scratched the back of my head at the embarrassingpliment. ¡°What do you mean blind saint? There are real ¡®saints¡¯ out there, so I hope they don¡¯t get people arrested for sphemy.¡± ¡°Kahahahaha! If the saintes to get us, our blind saint will save us, right?¡± Heraldughs out loud at my joke. For a shaven-headed man, he was quite a boisterous character. ¡°Anyway, do you want what you were eating?¡± ¡°Would you like to try the same menu as me? It¡¯s curry, but it tastes pretty good.¡± In response to Herald¡¯s question, I rmended Aizel a curry that she would like. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have curry, too.¡± After receiving the orders Herald goes into the kitchen to cook. In the game, I used to run into Aizel in this store, but now I¡¯m introducing the store first so I felt queer. ¡°I was wondering¡­¡± As I was drinking water, I tilted my head to say something. ¡°What did you do before you came to the academy?¡± ¡°What did I do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m simply curious.¡± ¡°My Master taught me how to live in the world despite being blind.¡± In fact, it was unknown whether Zetto existed in this world before I came. ¡°How to live in the world?¡± ¡°One of the things my teacher taught me was this: when you¡¯re talking to someone, it¡¯s good to make eye contact.¡± Aizel listened with some interest. ¡°But since my eyes are covered, I should make a habit of facing the other person at least. Like now, for example.¡± Saying so, I stared at Aizel and she looked at me. Her doll-like appearance stands out to the point where I get goosebumps when I face her closely. She was like that, and so were Yuri and the other girls. Maybe it¡¯s because they¡¯re game characters but I felt like I was in a group with beautiful women. ¡°¡­Stop¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­Oh, it¡¯s just that I feel pressured.¡± Aizel turns her head away from me. This way and that way, close and then far away again. At this point, it¡¯s very hard to tell what she¡¯s thinking. Nevertheless, I continued to speak. ¡°Master taught me the ability to use my senses like another set of eyes, to walk on my own two feet without relying on anything else, to wield my own arms and sword to protect myself.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Now¡­It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve met, but I hope that answers your question.¡± Since I mentioned my teacher in the assignment test before, I have thought about him. A former powerhouse, a mysterious man whose behavior could be exined with the strangest of reasons and it had to be someone who had already died. Death, in particr, was essential because I was going to capture his soul in the de. Considering the effectiveness of the Ghost yer Technique, it was a no-brainer. There was one person who was just right to be my ¡°fake¡± teacher. She died alone out of reach of people while training in seclusion. No one knew when or why she died, so she was the perfect teacher for me. Moreover, she was an aplished swordswoman in her lifetime. She was one of the top two swordsmen on the continent. ¡°¡­So you were with your teacher until you joined the academy?¡± Aizel¡¯s question follows again. Is it purely to continue the conversation or is it because she¡¯s really curious? It had nothing to do with me spouting only false information. ¡°Teacher wanted to show me the wider world. ¡°Show me¡± are funny words for me to use.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°So I wandered all over the continent. North Syke, where the winter winds were bitter and Ishai in the east¡­.I even went to the ss Desert.¡± The information on numerous areas gained from my knowledge of the game was appropriate to liven up my lies. ¡°¡­What about the ocean?¡± In a moment, Aizel¡¯s voice is slightly lowered. ¡°When ites to the ocean¡­What kind of ocean? I¡¯ve been on a boat before.¡± ¡°Veleshanas.¡± ¡°Aha¡­ Veleshanas. I heard that it is famous for its beautiful beach, but I don¡¯t remember going there.¡± I cut it off moderately at that point. Even so, I can¡¯t say that I¡¯ve been to all regions. Aizel no longer spoke to me after that question. Did she get what she wanted from my answers? I wasn¡¯t sure, but it was clear that she was interested in me. There was a bit of a wait, and then came the curry, which could be said to make Aizel more likable. ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting a long time. Here¡¯s your curry.¡± Herald takes two curries and ces them on the table. Aizel¡¯s spoon scooped out of the curry and was soon in her mouth. ¡°¡­¡± There was no exmation, but she didn¡¯t look disgusted. She didn¡¯t say a word, just started scooping up the curry until her cheeks were full, as if it was something she hadn¡¯t eaten in a long time. The truth is, I don¡¯t like curry that much. Watching Aizel was enough to fill me up, but it was still rude not to pick up a spoon in front of the food. I took a big bite and tried it. ¡®It¡¯s really spicy.¡¯ Chapter 11: First Class (1) Chapter 11: First ss (1) It took a while but it¡¯s finally here. The schedule will be 5 chapters/week Monday-Friday. No matter what I said to her after the Veleshanas story, I never got a response from Aizel. We ate that day and went our separate ways. ¡®Was Veleshanas connected with Aizel?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t, at least not in the game that I remember. I wondered if I should visit Veleshanas sometime, but the area around Veleshanas itself is on a very peaceful axis. The only mention of it in the game is that it has a lot of tourists because of its beautiful emerald beaches. It didn¡¯t seem like a ce where anything special could happen. ¡®There¡¯s something about Veleshanas, but¡­ I can¡¯t quite put my finger on it.¡¯ A dayter, it was time for my first ss. I had already made eye contact with Yuri and Aizel, but neither of them had spoken to me. To my left, Aizel was leaning against a tree, watching the birds, and to my right, Yuri was off to the side, giving off an aura that made me feel like she would kill anyone who touched her. In order to get close to them, I talked to them and tried to increase my favorability, but as a result, this happened. ¡°No, who the hell is the instructor in charge of ss A, and why is the first ss outdoors?¡± ¡°Rumor has it that it¡¯s one of those ¡®ck bloods¡¯?¡± ¡°Then¡­ maybe instructor Reina?¡± ¡°I prefer instructor Kaliman, who is a martial artist just like me.¡± The cadets were all talking about their first ss or their instructors. ¡®There¡¯s only one guy who would do this.¡¯ It was already certain that Edward us was the instructor in charge of ss A. What the hell was he trying to do this time? When I arrived at the A ssroom where the first lesson was supposed to take ce, the door was locked and there was a terse message on the door asking to meet in the back of the academy. I dutifully followed, asking the ss A cadets who were standing around what was going on. Among them was Amon, who frowned when he saw me, but he didn¡¯t challenge me today. Before I knew it, the entire A ss had gathered in the clearing, 16 cadets in all, and the talks about the instructor were getting louder. ¡°I see you¡¯re all here now. I¡¯ve been bored waiting for you, but you¡¯re notte¡­Not really, so let¡¯s move on.¡± Edward appeared from nowhere, ncing at his wristwatch. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that? The instructor?¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s not Kaliman or Reina.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see him at the entrance ceremony¡­¡± The reaction from the cadets had a strong ¡°who is that?¡± vibe to it and for good reason. The Three ck Bloods were, after all, nicknamed by those who fought in the war. Those who didn¡¯t participate in the war might recognize the ck Bloods, but not the Three. Edward, one of the Three ck Bloods, was not known due to the nature of his unit. His reputation was known only by those in the know. Given Edward¡¯s skills and personality, it was all part of the fact that he wasn¡¯t the type to care about fame. Edward¡¯s existence was unfamiliar for cadets who had never been to war. What they were more familiar with was the Three ck Bloods¡­ ¡°Good morning, cadets. I¡¯m Edward us, your instructor for ss A.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s us¡­¡± ¡°The principal¡¯s name is Juliut us.¡± ¡°Son of the principal?¡± He was the son of the principal. ¡®This is just the way it is.¡¯ Even for me, when I first encountered the hidden instructor named Edward us in the game, my first thought was ¡°parachute¡±. It was a natural reaction but Edward keeps his smile on his face and continues. ¡°I¡¯m sure my name is unfamiliar to everyone and I know you¡¯re thinking all sorts of things, like who is he, what does he do?¡± Edward, who continued to talk suddenly apuded loudly ¡°¡­So today, we¡¯re going to spend some time getting to know each other better.¡± The cadets¡¯ faces grew nk as they listened to Edward¡¯s unintelligible words. ¡°ss A cadets, you are a remarkable group, aren¡¯t you?¡± Edward says, looking at each of the cadets in front of him. ¡°Some of you were born into prestigious families and grew up drinking expensive elixirs from an early age. Some of you were gifted with great talent from birth and havee to this position with ease. Some of you have worked tirelessly to the bone and have earned the honor of ss A.¡± Edward pauses at the end of that statement. ¡°However. Just because you¡¯re in ss A doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re the strongest.¡± Edward¡¯s meaningful words are followed by a heavy pause. ¡°It just means you got stronger a little earlier than everyone else, which means you can be caught up at any time by the very people you¡¯ve been secretly looking down on.¡± Edward¡¯s words were enough to offend the high-nosed ss A students. ¡®That¡¯s not wrong.¡¯ ss A is favored everywhere at Innocence Academy. They get better dorms, better rooms, and better meals. If you don¡¯t have money, they¡¯ll pay for your living expenses. The same is true outside the academy. Even outside of the academy, the general public perceives ss A students as amazing people. This is a huge motivator for the cadets below them. Because of this, it was quitemon for cadets to switch sses in the exams that were held every semester. ¡°Huh. On the subject of parachutes.¡± A rather harsh voicees from the group of cadets. I recognize the gruff voice as Amon¡¯s. Despite the insult, the smile on Edward¡¯s face refused to fade. In fact, the corners of his mouth turn up even higher. Edward shrugged off Amon¡¯sment and continued with his story. ¡°Howe the ss A cadets, who are supposed to be so great, have to be eaten by the back runners? I don¡¯t like it either.¡± Edward shrugged, really shrugged. ¡°If that¡¯s what you cadets think¡­ I¡¯m going to try and create a ¡®perfect A¡¯ ss this time, one that¡¯s second to none, and to do that, I¡¯m going to have to gauge your level first.¡± This is where his ramblings begin. ¡°But I don¡¯t like to be bothered. Why go in circles? There¡¯s a very simple way to do it.¡± Before we know it, he¡¯s rambling on and on, and he¡¯s extending his index finger to the cadets. ¡°I need all the cadets in ss A to give me, Edward us, their full attention from now on.¡± Most of the cadets look confused at his next statement. ¡°¡­Instructor. You mean that all of us will have to fight you?¡± Amon thought Edward was ignoring them and a few of the cadets seemed to agree with him. ¡°You dirtbag, you still don¡¯t know the Innocence Academy, do you? The instructors here are anything but ordinary.¡± Surprisingly, Yuri had a good grasp of the situation and continued to summarize the current situation. Right now, we can only hope that he¡¯s a ¡®parachute¡¯ like you just suggested. If he¡¯s not¡­ then¡­ there¡¯s no way we¡¯re going to win.¡± ncing at Amon, Yuri spoke in a somewhat harsh tone. ¡°Instructor Edwards, I have one question for you. Do we really have to ¡®win¡¯ against you?¡± Yuri asked Edward and his smile grew more sinister at her question. ¡°Was my expectation for the cadets too high? You¡¯re talking too much. You have to fight for it, right now.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Yuri held her hand out in front of her, casting a fire spell. The most powerful magic she could cast in the early game. It was about as powerful as an awakening or a special move with the longest cooldown in the game. ¡°Phoenix.¡± A giant me in the shape of a phoenix rises from the huge magic circle in front of Yuri¡¯s palm. The searing heat caused the surrounding cadets to quickly step back and I do the same. The mes in the form of a phoenix p their wings and fly toward Edward. Just as the phoenix is about to touch Edward, his form quickly disappears. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Edward reappeared right behind Yuri. ¡°¡­!¡± I realized it faster than anyone else and immediately drew my sword and lunged at Edward¡­ but¡­ Edward¡¯s swift and concise movements were fluid and drawn like a painting. ?Push!!! ¡­It¡¯s toote to react. Yuri¡¯s head, decapitated by Edward¡¯s dagger from some unknown source, is separated from his body and sent flying. Yuri¡¯s¡­ Yuri Clementine¡¯s red hair flies through the air, sttered with thick blood. At that moment I froze in ce, no longer moving. ¡°What the hell¡­¡± ¡°Is she dead?¡± ¡°What the f*ck?¡± The cadets screamed around me; they were inplete panic. Some cadets fainted, others vomited. ¡°I told you,e at me with the intent to kill.¡± Edward said, wiping the blood off his dagger. ¡°Ugh!¡± Suddenly, sparks flew from one side. ¡°Then, die.¡± Aizel sees this, too, and charges at Edward. Edward and Aizel exchange blows at a speed that the eye cannot keep up with. However, even the strongest Aizel is struck down by his dagger. ¡°Pow!¡± Edward¡¯s dagger plunges deep into Aizel¡¯s heart. ¡°Cadet Aizel¡­ You¡¯re too slow.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­Ugh¡­¡± Aizel twists and turns with the dagger in her heart until she finally copses in a puddle of blood. ¡°Haa¡­¡± I sighed heavily at the unreality of it all. Despite the urgency of the situation, there was no tension in my attitude. It was because all my tension has been relieved quickly since I noticed it. Instead, I let out a weakugh. ¡°Since when, Edward us¡­¡± ¡®Since when?¡¯ ¡°Since when did you put an illusion spell on me?¡± Edward was Edward. ¡®He¡¯s been checking the cadets¡¯ level using illusion magic since the first ss¡­¡¯ His abusive teaching methods were still as vicious as they were in the game. TL/N: Because I didn¡¯t have enough time to trante I¡¯ll release more premium chapters until I have 10 advanced chapters then the release will be 1 premium ch ¨C 1 free ch. P.S. Don¡¯t forget to get the novel role from discord to be up to date with thetest releases. Chapter 12: First Class (2) Chapter 12: First ss (2) I took a look at the horrors that happened to Aizel and Yuri. ¡®I hope hepensated them well.¡¯ Even if it was an illusion, it was unpleasant. It would be terribly unfair to feel this way without gaining anything in return. Illusion Magic. No matter who your opponent was if they had no resistance to illusion magic it was a powerful spell but had a major drawback. It forces the opponent into an unknown world of illusion, but the caster cannotpletely close the door. In other words, the entrance was both an entrance and an exit. The exit wasmonly referred to as the ¡°release condition¡± to escape the illusion. The victim of an illusion could get a hint of the ¡°release condition¡± from the caster¡¯s illusion. In fact, illusions themselves aren¡¯t all that deceptive. It¡¯s useless against a mentally superior opponent, and even with moderate skill, it¡¯s often ineffective against an academy cadet, let alone a passingmoner. It¡¯s also damn hard to learn. Illusionary magic isplex, requiring great powers of observation, quick math, and even creativity. As such, illusionary magic is not well-regarded even among wizards. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The cadet who was stabbed in the lungs from behind by Edward copses without a scream. ¡°Cadet Zetto, what are you doing with the enemy you¡¯re supposed to be defeating in front of you, are you¡­? Are you scared?¡± Edward shakes off the blood from his dagger once more. At this point, the ¡°fake¡± cadets are still dying as the ¡°fake¡± Edward, created as an illusion by the ¡°real¡± Edward, attacks them. So far, the fake Edward hasn¡¯t attacked me. The scary thing about illusory magic is that it¡¯s just like this when I encountered an illusionist of Edward¡¯s level. On a continent-wide scale, it wasn¡¯t a situation that could be faced easily. The only person with a higher level of illusion magic than Edward was his father, Juliut. Edward¡¯s talent surpassed Juliut, so it was a 50/50 shot in favor of Juliut¡¯ experience. ¡®By now¡­ my real body would be standing still under the spell of the illusion.¡¯ I was in a state ofplete non-resistance where I could easily be stabbed by a knife. It was also the reason why Edward, who fought in the war, was able to rise to the rank of captain of an assassination squad at an early age. With Edward¡¯s ridiculous theatrics behind me, I began to observe my surroundings. From the fake Edward demeanor, I had a vague idea of the dispelling condition, but there was no point in wasting energy on such a thing. Illusion magic is still magic, after all. I had already experienced Dispel, so it was a matter of finding the weaknesses in the magic and breaking them. Illusionary magic isplex. Unlike the ¡°chain¡± that Edward had flung at me in the test supervisor¡¯s office, it would have been difficult to weave. Juliut illusions for the cement test were soplete that the magic circle was actually drawn on the floor. I think that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t see any weaknesses in Juliut illusion at the time. ¡®The ce was too big.¡¯ But this is a different case. The difference between premeditated and spontaneous magic is in the details. Whether cadets were dying right next to me or not, I didn¡¯t look away, but studied the terrain elements around me. Every single element that made up this ce had to be magical. In the end, it didn¡¯t take me long to find the weak spot. The location of the weakness was where Edward first appeared. A red circle was clearly visible on the ground where he was standing. [Poof!] I stabbed the sword I was holding into the ground where the weakness was. Even though it was clearly dirt, the sword easily dug into the ground and then slowly, my vision shifted. My body was back where it had been when I met Edward. I look around and see the cadets, who have yet toe out of their illusion, frozen in ce, their eyes fluttering. ¡°Oh. The second is cadet Zetto?¡± Edward, having spotted me, says in a cheerful voice. ¡°Second?¡± Next to him was a luxurious table and chairs that had been set up for who knows how long. There were three chairs in total and one was already upied by Aizel, who had a cup in her hand. ¡°Cadet Aizel is up first, followed by Cadet Zetto. So far, so expected.¡± ¡°The top three will enjoy the luxurious tea party I prepared myself. Come here cadet Zetto.¡± I followed Edward¡¯s lead and took a seat in a chair with the number two scrawled across it. Aizel squinted at me wryly. ¡°By the way, cadet Zetto, I hope you didn¡¯t use Dispel again this time, because if you did, this instructor will be very disappointed.¡± ¡°I used Dispel.¡± ¡°¡­How much fun would it have been if cadet Zetto had taken the quiz I had so carefully prepared for him?¡± Edward, who was standing by the table, chuckled at me. He was so chatty. I remember having a hard time skipping conversations when I was ying the game. ¡°This is a carefully prepared quiz¡­¡± I could see the fear in the eyes of the cadets in my vision but this was just a fun quiz for him. ¡°I already know the conditions of release.¡± Edward¡¯s eyes narrow even more at my answer. ¡°You knew the answer, and you still pulled that stunt¡­ Cadet Zetto, you¡¯re cockier than you look, so let¡¯s see if you¡¯ve got this one right.¡± ¡°¡­Fighting back. To constantly stand up and fight back, even in the face of extreme fear¡­.That was the condition for release, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Edward ps his hands, indicating his somewhat exaggerated admiration for my answer. ¡°Yay. Exactly. That may be the first time I¡¯ve ever felt proud of myself as an instructor.¡± Edward, who had been an instructor for less than an hour, was shouting unintelligible words. At this point, it was quite remarkable that Aizel was able to sit next to him and not pay him any attention. She was simply sipping her tea, cup in hand, enjoying the ¡®tea party¡¯ that Edward had organized. Edward waved his hand and called for someone. ¡°Third ce already? This way, this way.¡± The third ce finisher appeared. Maybe it¡¯s because she¡¯d seen a bloodshed just a few minutes earlier she plops down in the chair next to me, her hair looking unusually red. ¡°And in third ce is none other than Cadet Yuri of the famous House of Clementine! Now, let¡¯s see how the other 13 cadets rank.¡± Edward announces excitedly, like he¡¯s hosting a circus show. ¡®Three of us?¡¯ Aizel, Yuri, and me. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was no conversation between the three of us, except for the asional sip of tea from Aizel at the table. I try to ease the tension, but I can¡¯t bring myself to speak to them, looking at their impassive faces. It was Edward, standing next to me, who broke the silence. ¡°¡­I was wondering¡­ who was the first person to die in the illusion?¡± The girls looked up at him, but didn¡¯t answer. ¡®Should I?¡¯ The silence was ufortable, even for me, physically sandwiched between them. ¡°¡­Cadet Yuri next to me.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± My words made Edward question. ¡°And the second one?¡± Edward asks, turning to me again. ¡°The second was Cadet Aizel.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Edward pauses at my answer, but then the corners of his mouth turn up. ¡°Hmm? This¡­ This might be unexpectedly fun.¡± Edward¡¯s suspicious tone drew the attention of all three at the table. ¡°¡­Is there any particr significance to the order?¡± ¡°Cadet Zetto¡­are you sure it¡¯s okay for me to tell this now?¡± ¡°¡­No, I¡¯m not curious all of a sudden.¡± I politely declined. Edward¡¯s insidious smile made me feel crazy because he wanted to say something different from what it really meant. This was bait. I didn¡¯t bite. I could not bite. But another fish suddenly appears and bites the bait. ¡°Why? I was just starting to wonder.¡± That fish was Yuri. Yuri was looking at Aizel or at Edward¡­ Her gaze remains somewhat ambiguous as she continues. ¡°Uh, Instructor Edward, I was wondering if you could tell me if¡­ Does the ¡®order¡¯ in which the characters die in the vision mean something?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ this is awkward, but Cadet Zetto says he¡¯s not curious¡­¡± ¡°What about you, Zetto, are you still not curious?¡± Naturally, Yuri, who is speaking casually, looks at me. She was clearly smiling brightly, but this was a clear threat. I could feel her murderous intent. ¡®I didn¡¯t say anything. Is it the effect of what happened with Aizel yesterday¡­? Let¡¯s pretend first. I was afraid that the words, which Edward would blurt out nonchntly if given permission, would open a Pandora¡¯s box that shouldn¡¯t be opened. ¡°Ahaha¡­ is that so?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so curious¡­ Are you going to say, ¡®friends?¡¯¡± The ss suddenlyes close to me. Should I just ask and be done with it? Maybe it¡¯s not as bad as I thought, it could all be a prank by Edward. ¡­My head felt dizzy but just then I heard a voice behind me. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly curious either.¡± Aizel said, setting her cup down with a grimace. ¡°Just as Zetto.¡± Yuri¡¯s one eyebrow goes up at Aizel words that follow. Beside us, Edward watched all of this as if it were exciting. He was ready to pop some popcorn any minute. ¡°Ha¡­ just tell me, Instructor Edwards, what is the meaning of that sequence?¡± I wondered if I was worrying too much. Most of all, I didn¡¯t like how much he was enjoying the situation. ¡°Oh, well, I¡¯ll take Cadet Zetto¡¯s word for it, then. It¡¯s no big deal, it¡¯s just a device I set up when I created the illusion. You¡¯ve all seen the cadets die, and I thought it would be no fun if they just died¡­¡± Edward gently unraveled the mystery of his illusion magic. ¡°I made them die in the order they felt closest to each other, so it would be easier for them to panic, and I want you to know that it was just to test the waters, nothing selfish on my part.¡± Yuri smiles at me after Edward¡¯s condescending exnation. Aizel is sipping her tea again, her expression unchanged, as if she¡¯s really not interested. ¡°Intimacy¡­ I suppose that exins it. If the order was intimacy, it made sense that Yuri would die first, not Aizel. Aizel was so different from the Aizel I had met in the game¡­ Frankly, it was strange. I still don¡¯t feel the same intimacy with her as I do with Yuri. Both characters have been a tremendous source of enjoyment for me, and they¡¯re not the only ones. Except that Aizel was dead for good. ¡°It really wasn¡¯t a ¡®big deal¡¯ for beingte to listen, was it, Instructor Edwards?¡± Yuri narrowed his eyes at Edward, his face innocent. ¡°It was all for the amusement of you cadets, you know, watching Cadet Aizel and Cadet Zetto fidget, it was fun, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Hahaha, well, if I was the only one who found it funny, I guess I failed. I¡¯ll think of something more clever next time.¡± Edward smirks and the conversation ended. Out of habit, I check my status, and I have a question. ¡°¡­Mr. Edwards. Should we assume that the ss is over?¡± ¡°Yes, for the three of you, ss is over.¡± The reason I was asking this puzzling question was because my level increased. The ss had been treated as over and I had earned experience. ¡®Four levels in one ss?¡¯ The eye patch helped, but even with that, it was still a lot of experience. ¡®How many small quests did I do just a few days ago to get to level 5¡­Is it because I had a good attitude in ss?¡¯ Sometimes the game would give you extra experience for impressing your instructor and right now, I was in second ce out of 16. ¡°If you¡¯re tired, you can go back now, but I¡¯ll bet my name that it¡¯ll be hard to see such a sight anywhere.¡± Edward¡¯s tastes, however, were quite unique, watching the cadets tremble in terror, unable to move. He should be thankful there was no school board in this world. ¡®At least for today¡­¡¯ He was a very good instructor for me. ¡®That¡¯s enough for me to go get the ¡®ingredients¡¯ tonight.¡¯ I took a sip of the tea on the table and began to formte a n in my head for what I wanted to aplish tonight. Chapter 13: Vampiric Iron and Relial the Unyielding (1) Chapter 13: Vampiric Iron and Relial the Unyielding (1) Gustel is a small vige not far from the Innocence Academy. In the peaceful, lightly traveled streets of Gustel, you¡¯ll find a small house deep in the woods that¡¯s even more off the beaten path. Suspiciously, arge group of people have beening and going from the house so often that it seems almost too cramped. In the dark passageway, there was always a breeze of dampness. Holding on to a single torch, you look toward the end of the darkness and suddenly see a bright light. At the end of the passage was a huge cave that could have been a criminal¡¯sir. This was their of the Mikels Bandits. In thisir of criminals and bandits, there was one room that could be described as the most luxurious. Inside, a man sat in a chair that was rather old-fashioned for a bandit. It was Mikels, leader of the Mikels Bandits. He had a secret, his real name was not actually Mikels. His true identity was Relial, a blood mage who, for some reason, now went by the name of Mikels. ¡®The time was ripe, but why?¡¯ Relial was in a strange mood today. The preparations were perfect, just as he had hoped. It had been five years of meticulous nning. Five years ago, he had cut off his long hair and started growing a wild beard. His disguise was perfect,plete with burn scars in several ces, and he blended seamlessly into the ranks of the fierce-looking bandits. It took him less than two years to rise to the top of the bandits¡¯ ranks and earn their respect and another three years to earn their trust. It was no easy task to earn the trust of a group of bandits who could betray him on a daily basis. Along the way, he devised this secret hideout. Until recently, when he finally found the most important ingredient in his n: a metal with the special property of attracting blood. He and his men had just retrieved the Vampiric Iron. Relial had underestimated the strength of the bandits, and so far so good, though several of his men had been sacrificed in the capture but the Vampiric Iron was worth more to him than the lives of a few men. Mikels had already made a name for himself among the bandits, and it was easy for him to recruit those who would readily follow him. All he had to do now was replenish his dwindling ranks of vicious bandits and earn their trust. The process would take several more months, but so far so good. The final step in his n was to gather his men, who would trust him with their lives, in one ce for a ceremony. It was all part of what he called ¡°Vengeance of the wicked.¡± Vengeance of the Wicked was the name of the ¡®bloodstone¡¯ he hoped to create. The blood of twenty vile and deceitful people who trusted him would bepletely fed to the Vampiric Iron slowly. The finished bloodstone could then be ground into a powder, and even a small amount could greatly amplify the power of blood magic. He could even im the entirety of the bloodstone, as it was not made by a group of blood mages working together. These bloodstones, forged by such diverse and inhuman means, were indispensable elixirs for blood mages who worked with blood. Relial was gifted in the cursed art of blood magic, among many others, but his only talent paled inparison to the others. He could only use Blood Strength, a passive blood spell that simply strengthened his muscles. The recipe for Vengeance of the Wicked, found in an old temple that Relial had stumbled upon one day, was like a ray of light for him. ¡®It took me five years.¡¯ Blood Strength allowed him to be a formidable force among bandits who had little else but an evil heart. However, it was not what he wanted, to be a king among a bunch of stupid bandits. Relial had spent his entire life in a lowly position, and he had a strong need forpensation. He had his sights set on something much higher. He wanted to be the head of a dragon, not the head of a snake. ¡®If only I had the bloodstone¡­¡¯ The idea of ruling high and mighty with only blood magic was not a far-fetched dream for Relial. As an ordinary blood mage who had grown up hearing stories of legendary blood mages who had gained the power to shake the heavens and earth by consuming a single powerful blood stone, Relial had such hopes. ¡®But why¡­ I keep getting this bad feeling¡­?¡¯ Was it because one of his least favorite rats was scurrying across the floor of his room? Is it because the owl he brought in to catch that rat isn¡¯t doing his job? Or because his men are out on patrol and haven¡¯t returned, even though it¡¯s past time for them to do so? ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Relial¡¯s thoughts were somewhatplicated by a surge of irritation for a variety of reasons, but he hoped it was just his own anxiety. After all, it¡¯s only natural for humans to be more and more anxious as the realization of a dream that has taken so long to aplish draws closer and closer. ¡®Once the dream is realized, it¡¯s over. Don¡¯t be anxious, at a time like this let¡¯s not be in a hurry.¡¯ Relial sat back in his chair and watched his owl, repeating these thoughts to himself. In the corner of hisir, his owl was waiting for the perfect opportunity to catch a mouse with its sharp talons. Then it happened. The owl, sensing the approach of someone close to the door of the room, stopped concentrating and flew off somewhere in the room. ¡°Damn. I thought it had him¡­¡± Relial felt like nothing was going right today. He was unnecessarily irritated with Mont, who must have returned from his patrol. ¡°Hey, Mont, why are you back sote? Did you go down to town and pick up a girl? I doubt it. There¡¯s no way you¡¯re going to get a girl unless you kidnap her with your face.¡± A leader who took out his frustration and anger on his men day in and day out was apt to be stabbed while sleeping. Hugo of the Hugo¡¯s Bandits, before they became the Mikels Bandits, was just such a man. ¡°¡­¡± Mont didn¡¯t respond to Relial¡¯s joke. ¡°Hey. Mont.¡± Relial sensed something was amiss and stood up. His men were not so disloyal as to not respond to him. They might be evil at heart, but through years of hard work, they trusted him. The door opened. It wasn¡¯t until it was fully open that he realized that Mont must have made his first out-of-character prank¡­ It was a ridiculous thought, and one that Relial sincerely hoped was true. s, his ominous premonition was correct. ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± The door swung open and the man who entered was not Mont, nor any of his men. The fact that it was not one of his men was immediately apparent upon his entrance since none of his men were blind and the man who burst through the door had a white bandage over his eyes. ¡°¡­¡± As soon as the stranger¡¯s full form was revealed, Relial raised both arms, muscr and oozing with blood, into abat stance. It was impossible not to notice, especially as a blood mage, that the ck robe of the intruder was reeking of blood. ¡°Who am I¡­? Well, I¡¯m not the Mont you¡¯re looking for.¡± Those were the first words out of his mouth as he strode slowly into the room. Relial had never wondered how a blind man could walk around so effortlessly. There were many chambers from the entrance to their to Relial¡¯s room and there would be his loyal men there, too. The blind man entering his chambers reeking of blood could only mean that he had destroyed his men, his precious ¡®offerings¡¯ that he had spent over five years preparing. ¡°Stop! If youe any closer, I¡¯ll punch you in the face at a speed you can¡¯t even dodge.¡± Did Relial¡¯s shallow threats work? The blind man halted in his tracks and Relial was surprised by his behavior. In fact, he was terrified now. Until he ate the bloodstone, and only until he ate the bloodstone, he was determined to avoid the strong as he had always done. For the time being, Relial lurked in the shadows, thinking only of the sweet fruits of hisbors, however humble. But as the leader of a small band of thieves and a mere blood mage of modest talent, it was impossible for him to take on dozens of bandits and kill them all without causing a stir. Still, Relial had no recollection of hearing anymotion or shouting until the intruder approached his room. That inconvenient truth meant the blind man was a force to be reckoned with, easily aplishing the impossible. ¡°¡­What do you want, there must be a reason you¡¯vee this far.¡± ¡°If I tell you what I want¡­ Will you give it to me? I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°I can imagine your efforts toe this far, so I¡¯ll listen to it if I can¡­! Those stupid guys who would have died outside anyway are not even worth it to me!¡± Relial spoke with all the bravado he had learned from years of bossing but the name of the object that came out of the mysterious blind man¡¯s mouth was something he could notpromise on. ¡°It would be impolite of me to refuse, since you¡¯ve gone so far as to say so, I understand.¡± The blind man nodded at Relial¡¯s offer, and then spoke. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll take the ¡®Vampiric Iron¡¯ then.¡± ¡°Hm, Vampiric Iron, what is that?¡± Relial¡¯s tongue twisted in bewilderment as the blind man said the words Vampiric Iron as easily as if he were ordering food at a restaurant. ¡®Why is thating out of his mouth?¡¯ Relial quickly looked away, but the small smile on the blind man¡¯s face was not disturbed by his desperate lie. Relial¡¯s nerves were on edge at this sudden and iprehensible turn of events. Sweat began to form on his forehead. ¡®Dead men? Five more years of this crap. No, I¡¯ve already been through it, so it might be quicker. But not the Vampiric Iron. No way. It¡¯s something I¡¯ll never get again.¡¯ Relial¡¯s eyes rolled rapidly. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re looking for this ¡®Vampiric Iron¡¯ that I don¡¯t even recognize¡­Did you take a wrong turn because you¡¯re blind?¡± The Vampiric Iron was obtained with a lot of hard work and a lot of luck and the blind man came to steal it in less than a few days. In an instant, countless unrealistic things happened, causing Relial¡¯s head to spin in confusion. The blind man who stood silently before him spoke. ¡°I see¡­ you¡¯re the same Relial the Unyielding.¡± Chapter 14: Vampiric Iron and Relial the Unyielding (2) Chapter 14: Vampiric Iron and Relial the Unyielding (2) ¡°That¡¯s right¡­Relial the Unyielding.¡± ¡°How do you know that name¡­?¡± Mikels, now Relial, has been living under the name Mikels for five years. He was far from a celebrity when he was Relial, so the name of the leader of the bandits, Mikels, was far more recognizable. ¡°In the game, and now in real life, you don¡¯t give up. ¡­I¡¯ll give you credit for that tenacity, because I have something I don¡¯t want to give up either.¡± ¡®Game? Real life?¡¯ The thought crosses Relial¡¯s mind that this blind man spouting unknowable information could be a madman. But the problem is, the madman is stronger than he is. The blind man removes the hood from his robes and continues. ¡°If you don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m saying, that¡¯s okay, it¡¯s just my selfish ramblings.¡± ¡°You¡­ Why do you want the Vampiric Iron?¡± Vampiric Iron is a metal with unusual properties, but as you know, it doesn¡¯t have many uses. The only people who want it are blood mages who want to make bloodstone. This would mean the horrific sacrifice of a living person, and as such, it is taboo to even possess it in many countries on the continent. ¡°Let me tell you something¡­ I¡¯m not a blood mage, just an ordinary swordsman.¡± The blind man said, revealing the thin and long sword, which was hidden by his robes. Relial could see a glimmer of hope. ¡®If this madman hasn¡¯t drawn his sword yet¡­ I have a chance.¡¯ That was his judgment. He might be able to slice through his men, who didn¡¯t even have proper armor, with such a thin de, but his own Blood Strength might not be broken so easily. But this was his wishful thinking and because he didn¡¯t know the exact identity of his opponent, Relial tried to keep his guard up. ¡°You¡¯re so persistent, trying to figure me out even in this situation. The sad thing is, I don¡¯t fight fights I can¡¯t win.¡± ¡°A little bravado goes a long way.¡± The blind man shrugs at Relial¡¯sment and then continues to speak unintelligibly. ¡°If I leave you alone¡­.you¡¯ll make¡­the Revenge of the Wicked that you¡¯ve so longed for.¡± ¡°You¡­ Who the hell are you¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an easy question to answer. I know the future and the past. If you think of it that way, it will be easier for me and easier for you.¡± The blind man before Relial was no mere madman. He knew Relial¡¯s name and his purpose¡­Perhaps everything about Relial. ¡°¡­Once you¡¯ve eaten the bloodstone, you¡¯ll get what you want: enough power that you won¡¯t have to bow down to anyone and won¡¯t have to hide anymore but that won¡¯t be a good thing for me, because that¡¯s when ¡®Relial the Unyielding¡¯ bes the terrible, Relial the yer.¡± Such hollow wordse out of the blind man¡¯s mouth. ¡°You are mesmerized by the power of bloodstones and seek to make them over and over again, killing blood mages to obtain recipes for other bloodstones, forging them over the corpses of countless victims¡­ The need for Vampiric Iron is real, but¡­ Your presence, Relial, is one of the reasons I havee here, as you are about tomit a brutal massacre.¡± The blind man remained silent after those words as if he were the executioner about to carry out Relial¡¯s death sentence. Relial did not like it. Why did he have to die like this? Naturally, Relial the Undeterred had no intention of going down without a fight until he tasted the sweet fruit. Relial clenched his bony fists and steadied himself. He turned to the blind man and asked in a low voice. ¡°¡­You say you know the future, then I have only one question. After I ate the bloodstone, was I¡­ happy?¡± The blind man gently draws his sword from its sheath in front of his face. ¡°The happiness of a wicked man who has killed countless innocent people in vain¡­ let¡¯s just say you¡¯ve beenughing like a maniac.¡± ¡°Laughing like a maniac¡­¡± Relial closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them wide, lunging at the blind man. ¡°That¡¯s enough¡­!¡± Quickly reaching the blind man¡¯s nose, Relial¡¯s legs drew a line, heading for the blind man¡¯s face. [Pfft!!!] The blind man parried Relial¡¯s kick with his sword, closing the distance. Not a drop of blood trickled down his leg despite the contact with the de. His leg should have been cut off in an instant, but there wasn¡¯t even a scratch. This was the power of Relial¡¯s Blood Strength. Although it was an unremarkable talent, Blood Strength was technically magic. It was a far cry from the simple physical enhancement of infusing mana into one¡¯s body to strengthen it. ¡®What the hell, it¡¯s worth a try¡­?¡¯ That was what Relial felt after the first exchange with the blind man. The momentum soon evened out, and Relial eximed. ¡°¡­That¡¯s it? If you think you can stop my ¡®future¡¯, you¡¯re wrong!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blind man stared at Relial as he prepared to move but Relial couldn¡¯t detect anything special about his mana usage. It was ordinary and nothing more. With such poor mana utilization, he¡¯d be unable to use his sword properly. His experience of watching countless mighty men from afar told him so. Relial decided to push the blind man harder and his advance continued. Relial¡¯s fistse at the blind man at breakneck speed. This time, however, the blind man swung his sword in response. ¡°You¡¯re a blind man who can¡¯t even handle mana¡­ and you¡¯re using a sword like that to¡­ cut my arm!¡± [Aah!] Relial¡¯s arm floats in the air, and then falls to the ground with a dull thud. ¡°Off¡­ Ack!!!¡± Relial stumbled back from the blind man, wincing at the pain of his severed arm. He couldn¡¯t understand. ¡®Why¡­? Why¡­?¡¯ It was a mediocre swordy, as mediocre as his mana usage. The blind man¡¯s swordsmanship was a far cry from the swordsmanship of a mighty man like¡­¡¯Sword Saint¡¯¡­whom Relial had once watched from behind a wall as a child. It would have been more akin to the swordy of a child, a wannabe knight in any vige but the blind man was still stronger than he was because strength was always rtive, not absolute. Relial managed to use his blood strings to staunch the severed arm. ¡°Huh¡­ This is why I hate people who use swords¡­¡± Relial hadn¡¯t fallen yet. He hadn¡¯t given up however, his posture waspletely disorganized, unlike his mental strength. ¡°Enough, I¡¯m done.¡± With that, the blind man charged at him and Relial threw his left arm out with all his might but his fist never made contact. The blind man, who had ducked to avoid Relial¡¯s punch just before it made contact, raised his sword and sliced off his remaining arm. ¡°AGH!!¡± Despite the pain that made him lose his mind, Relial moved his legs in desperation and attacked. [Aaah!] As predicted, the blind man¡¯s sword sliced through Relial¡¯s leg. With only one leg left intact, Relial lost his center of gravity and fell to the ground. The blind man was strong. Not as strong as Relial had expected, but simply stronger than him. Relial was weak. He had lived a life of weakness, but he had dreams. Today, his dreams woulde to an end, as would his unyielding determination. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to cause you pain, but I¡¯m not a very good fighter.¡± ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t given up yet.¡± ¡°I know, it¡¯s just¡­It¡¯s because you¡¯re a Relial the Unyielding.¡± The blind man continued to act as if he knew everything about him. ¡°Still, it¡¯s better than a weak Relial, isn¡¯t it?¡± Not bad, Relial thought. He had been a weakling all his life, a coward. As long as it wasn¡¯t one of those insulting names he¡¯d heard countless times, he thought it was okay to be called ¡®Relial the Unyielding.¡¯ ¡°¡­I see.¡± Even as Relial¡¯s consciousness faded he was not giving up. He didn¡¯t close his eyes and suddenly, his owl, hovering in the center of the room, swooped down on the mouse on the floor. The mouse squirmed in the owl¡¯s sharp talons, but it was no match for the owl¡¯s weight. The owl¡¯s sharp beak ripped through the flesh near the rat¡¯s neck as the blind man walked over to the fallen Relial andid him to rest. Chapter 15: At the same time, they Chapter 15: At the same time, they My de plunges into Relial¡¯s heart, and his focus quickly fades. Relial¡¯s bulging muscles gradually give way, transforming him into a fairly dwarfed figure. Relial was a character with a lot of history. He was known as ¡°Relial the yer¡± and was introduced as a powerful viin in the mid-game. He used a single strength-boosting blood spell called Blood Strength, which can be used to inflict great damage on the yer. One day, the gamingmunity was informed that it was possible to stop Relial the yer in advance. The information said that there was a bandit hideout in the town of Gustel, located near the Academy in the beginning of the game, where Relial could be found. If yers go there early in the game, they¡¯ll encounter the Relial, who is only level 13 instead of the ughterer. Relial the Undeterred was very weak. Several usersmented that it was intentionally designed to be killed early on to make the game easier. His story is also revealed through his journal, which you¡¯ll find somewhere in this hideout. ¡®The Vengeance of the Wicked¡¯ and his meticulous nning over five years. yers who had previously thought of him as a simple massacre-minded viin were given a new appreciation for the game¡¯s depth. With this information revealed many yers dealt with Relial in the early game and the reward for defeating Relial the Undeterred is a rare metal, Vampiric Iron. If you weren¡¯t a swordsman character, you could sell it on the ck market for a decent amount of money, but the downside was that it made the game¡¯s blood mages slightly stronger. Since I am a swordsman, I n to use the Vampiric Iron to craft the Spectral Sword that will help me far more than money. ¡®I meant to be here sooner rather thanter, but I¡¯m here sooner than expected.¡¯ Relial wouldn¡¯t be able to finish the bloodstone for at least another few months, so I only had toe before then. He was a wicked man and at the same time, he didn¡¯t know how to give up. In the game, he¡¯d made it clear through his dialog that he wouldn¡¯t give up, but in person, his tenacity was frightening. ¡®Anyway¡­¡¯ Time to im the loot. First, I checked the status window. Lv.16 Skills -Swordy Lv.8 -Superior Senses Lv.7 -Weakness Detection Lv.MAX ¨C [Blindfold that is Beyond Reason] is in effect Equipped items -Blindfold that is Beyond Reason [Legendary] ¨C Low-quality Eastern de [Normal] -Energetic Silver Ne [Rare] -Bracelet of Prayer [Epic] ¡®¡­Two levels.¡¯ I hadn¡¯t gained a lot of experience since it was before he became Relial the yer, but I had gained two levels, counting the bandits I had killed earlier. It wasn¡¯t a high number, but it wasn¡¯t low either, considering their level. I had previously invested the four skill points from Edward¡¯s first ss in ¡®Superior Senses¡¯. From a game perspective, it wasn¡¯t an efficient investment. But now that the game is real, it¡¯s a choice I had to make, as the skills have slightly different effects and meanings. Part of this is because I realized that ying a blind person is not easy. If I were to y a blind person who could really feel, I¡¯d have to be able to recognize people without turning my head, and I¡¯d have to know where I was when my vision went dark. ¡®Super Senses¡¯ was perfect for that kind of performance and I could feel the effects as I leveled up twice. Relial¡¯s men, who numbered more than ten, were deliberately lured into dark passages to fight. Simply having better senses didn¡¯t mean I could quickly apply them in the real world. However, I did get some hands-on experience, so it wasn¡¯t all for nothing. I decided to save my two skill points for another time because I realized one thing while fighting Relial. I was underpowered for my level, as my Eastern de was not performing as well as it should have. I was able to defeat him somehow by exploiting his weaknesses, but this was not a good sign for me. Fortunately, crafting the Spectral Sword was just around the corner and I needed to save my points to invest in the new skills I would gain from it. I gathered the petals and the Vampiric Iron. All that remained were the byproducts of monsters and an item with memories. The byproducts of the monsters can be dealt with as soon as I have time or money, and the item with memories is something I have a vague idea about. ¡®The problem is¡­A cksmith.¡¯ I could not entrust the creation of the Spectral Sword to an ordinary cksmith. A normal cksmith would not attempt to make such a sinister weapon as the Spectral Sword, nor would they have the skills to do so. There are only three cksmiths who can make it so I¡¯ll go to the one closest to me but I¡¯m not sure how well that¡¯s going to work out. It was still dark. I had plenty of time to get back to the Academy so I walked around the room familiarly. One bookcase slid back to reveal a space. It was Relial¡¯s secret safe. It contained various goods he¡¯d collected during his thieving exploits, as well as Vampiric Iron, a reddish-tinged metal that mesmerizes people. It wasrge enough to make the sword I wanted. ¡®You¡¯re going to eat a bloodstone of this size all by yourself¡­I hope you¡¯ll be strong.¡¯ As for the goods, unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t carry them all so I stuck to things that were lightweight but still valuable. I packed the goods and the heavy Vampiric Iron into the cloth I had brought with me, and then slowly made my way out of the cave. *** Pale moonlight streamed into the room through the open window. The owner of the room, Yuri Clementine, was sprawled out on the bed, unable to sleep at this hour. ¡°Zetto¡­¡± Zetto was the first friend she had ever made. To Yuri, he was a mystery and she couldn¡¯t stop being curious about him. She liked him for that. Yesterday, Yuri met Zetto when he showed up unexpectedly at the girls¡¯ dormitory. She felt embarrassed because her clothes were a little revealing, but he was blind so it was rather strange to feel embarrassed. Anyway, Yuri wondered what brought him here, but the conversation ended without an answer. [Zetto, what are you doing here?] [If everything¡¯s okay, let¡¯s go. I¡¯m hungry.] Aizel appeared, acting much friendlier to Zetto than she was. Yuri had a lot of questions like, ¡°Since when?¡± but she couldn¡¯t ask because she couldn¡¯t even speak. Aizel, who was pushing Zetto¡¯s back, was looking at her with cold eyes. Yuri didn¡¯t know why, but she found it infuriating. It wasn¡¯t so strange that Zetto had other friends besides her. There was nothing wrong with having multiple friends. It¡¯s just that Yuri thought she was Zetto¡¯s best friend. Yesterday, it had kept her awake at night, and today, it was even worse than yesterday. During Edward¡¯s first ss in the illusion Yuri had seen something terrible happen. In her vision, she saw Zetto dying, helpless. At the time, Yuri hadn¡¯t realized it was an illusion. She was in a state of intense anger and had no time to notice anything else around her. Yuri¡¯s mind was filled with thoughts of how she would burn everyst one of those scum who dared to kill Zetto. He was a tough opponent but Yuri seeded in burning the scum and then her vision quickly changed. When she came to her senses, she saw Zetto sitting at the table next to Edward, who she had just incinerated. Only then did Yuri realize that she had been under an illusionary spell. However, the sight of Zetto and Aizel drinking tea together in the corner of her eye made her ufortable. As she sat at the table, trying to calm her nerves, Edward asked her a strange question. [Who was the first person to die in the illusion?] Yuri didn¡¯t answer the question right away. There was no way she could say that she incinerated Edward in anger because Zetto had died, especially next to Aizel, who seemed closer to him than he was. But then Zetto answers Edward¡¯s unexpected question. [¡­Cadet Yuri.] [The second one was Cadet Aizel.] In Zetto¡¯s vision, she died before Aizel but in her vision, Zetto was the first to die¡­ Yuri¡¯s mind raced. Maybe Zetto felt closer to her than to Aizel. They had known each other since day one but she didn¡¯t know how to speak informally to Zetto¡­because she was not good at it. It was a rather childish thought, but to her, Zetto was her ¡®first¡¯ friend, so it meant a lot. ¡®I¡¯ve arranged the deaths in the order of closeness to each other.¡¯ Her prediction was correct. Edward¡¯s words meant that Zetto felt a greater kinship with her than with Aizel. Yuri couldn¡¯t help but smile but now Yuri had a different problem. ¡®The next time I meet Zetto, should I be as friendly as I was today¡­?¡¯ In a way, they had just openly confirmed their close friendship so Yuri felt a little embarrassed. Of course, Zetto didn¡¯t know that he had been killed first in Yuri¡¯s illusion, but it was still embarrassing. ¡®Is this how friends are supposed to be¡­?¡¯ The presence of the man named Zetto was gradually increasing in size in Yuri¡¯s mind. *** ¡°Help me¡­ Please¡­!!¡± I unleashed a st of magic on the man on the ground and he died without a single scream since it wasn¡¯t my first time killing people. He was thest, and that cleared the air around here. They were disgusting, worshiping demons and sacrificing other humans to them despite being human. They had a bad history with me. I wipe the dirty blood from my face and look up at the night sky in silence. ¡®Why?¡¯ Why wasn¡¯t I the first? The redhead had been a nuisance before. Intimacy¡­ No big deal. The instructor was different from before, but it was the first lesson, and Zetto would eventuallye to my side, just like he did before. ¡°¡­Right?¡± But there was no answer from Zetto. Apart from him, there was no one alive here anymore except me. I stood there for a long time, looking up at the sky. This was my Zetto. It had to be ¡®my¡¯ Zetto. Chapter 16: Gap Chapter 16: Gap It was dark enough at night, but the overgrown bushes made it even darker. I¡¯vee to find Snaps, a tradesman who is notoriously difficult to deal with in the game since I wanted to sell the goods I took from Relial. It was hard to sell them through normal channels, as it had been stolen by bandits. Snaps leaned against his wagon, watching me patiently, puffing stiffly on his cigarette. Now we were in the final stages of the transaction so I opened the pouch he¡¯d handed me and checked the amount. ¡°Mr. Snaps¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°This is¡­ It¡¯s not gold, it¡¯s coopers.¡± I pulled the coopers out of my pocket and held them in front of Mr. Snaps¡¯ eyes. ¡°I may be blind, but my sense of touch is thankfully intact, and gold has a smoother surface than this.¡± ¡°What the hell, that¡¯s gold, you blind man.¡± Mr. Snaps heard me, and he reached for the cigarette he was smoking. ¡°Mr. Snaps, if you keeping out like this, I¡¯m going to¡­¡± I reached for the sword at my waist. ¡°Hmph, you might as well try swinging it. It¡¯d be fun to be killed by a blind man¡¯s sword.¡± I drew my sword and raised it shallowly. The next moment, Snaps¡¯ cigarette was neatly sliced in half. ¡°¡­¡± I took the money pouch, pulled out the gold, felt it, and nodded. I tossed the pouch up, picked it up, and repeated. ¡°What about the other ten gold?¡± ¡°Ah,e on.¡± Snaps muttered, then pulled a smaller pouch from his arm and threw it at me. He stomped loudly against the wagon and climbed into it. After collecting the pouch of money, I watched Snaps drive away. ¡®He tried to take advantage of a poor blind man.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t the only one. When I stopped by a regr general store and tried to buy something by running my hands over it, they would charge me much more than the price tag. First impressions matter. ¡®Is it the clothes?¡¯ I looked down to check my appearance. Because I wore arge robe like a tramp every time I stepped outside the Academy it was understandable. I earned 70 gold this time, that¡¯s enough to pay for the monster materials. ¡®When I hire the cksmith to make the sword, I¡¯ll have to pay him 500 gold.¡¯ Assuming I buy the materials as nned, I¡¯ll have about 20 gold left¡­It wasn¡¯t enough. ¡®I¡¯ll have to think of a way to make some money.¡¯ Luckily, the trading ce was near the Academy, and I was able to return to the Academy quickly. Before entering the academy through a side street, I changed into the uniform I had hidden nearby. Then I crept along the path and headed for my dormitory. Night had already fallen at the Innocence Academy but the scene was not unfamiliar. I¡¯ve seen it many times before. The streets were deserted, but since I had already changed into my uniform, I wouldn¡¯t look too suspicious. On the way back to the dormitory, I crossed the familiar barrier and it seems that even the guards don¡¯te around much at this hour. ¡®What good is a wall?¡¯ I thought to myself, ¡®What good are walls when you can run over them with mana?¡¯ I was about to enter my dormitory through the back door when out of the darkness a nimble neer leapt at me. I didn¡¯t dodge because it was a human. When I looked down I saw her flying into my chest. Her tinum hair glistened in the moonlight, and I could just make out her face. ¡®Why is she here?¡¯ She had a smell I¡¯ve smelled before. ¡®Blood¡­?¡¯ I stammered out her name. ¡°Aizel¡­?¡± I shook her shoulders, but there was still no response. I shake her harder, but still no response. Still holding onto her shoulders, I lift her up slightly to check her face, but she¡¯s already unconscious. ¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯ *** My room is neatly organized, with a ssy interior worthy of a ss A room. She finally opened her eyes from under the neatly arranged nkets. ¡°My¡­ What¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°Where am I¡­?¡± ¡°This is my room.¡± ¡°Your room¡­?¡± Aizel hid under the covers, trying to sort things out in her head. Only a few strands of her hair peeked out from under the covers. Once she¡¯s back under the covers, she asks me in a shaky voice if she¡¯s embarrassed. ¡°Uh, but¡­ I, I¡­¡­ why don¡¯t I¡­ have¡­ any¡­ clothes¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± My pause is enough to make Aizel feel embarrassed. ¡°¡­¡± [Bam! Bang!] ¡°What¡­?¡± Aizel, still under the covers, pounded on my bed, demanding an answer. ¡°Nehee¡­¡­?¡± She sobbed, almost on the verge of tears. ¡­I better stop teasing her. ¡°Miss Aizel,¡± I said, ¡°You took off your clothes while you were sleeping, and because I was next to you, I got hit by them.¡± At my answer, Aizel suddenly quieted down under the covers. Then she poked her head out. ¡°¡­And what about my clothes?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­Here.¡± I held out her clothes, which I¡¯d been saving, to her under the covers. Of course, her clothes were covered in congealed blood. I tried to wash them, but blood is thicker than water, and I didn¡¯t bother to wash off the blood that had already congealed. ¡°¡­¡± Silence falls over Aizel as she takes the clothes from me. She must have seen the blood on her own clothes. ¡°¡­You¡¯re not asking¡­?¡± ¡°I thought you said everyone had secrets they wanted to keep hidden?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you another one, luckily I have a spare. They¡¯re men¡¯s clothes, so they¡¯re big, but¡­ you can try this one on.¡± I said, and held out my spare set of clothes to Aizel. She took my clothes and thumped around in the bed. Perhaps she was changing under the covers. Even though she knows I¡¯m blind, she doesn¡¯t want to show her naked body in front of a man. Well, I think I would do the same thing if I were in that situation. The noise from the bed stops, and Aizel¡¯s face pops out from under the covers. Her eyes are slightly red, as if she¡¯d actually cried earlier. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I don¡¯t remember much fromst night¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Aizel, who had pounced on me in the middle of the night in front of the boys¡¯ dormitory, was covered in blood. I realized that I couldn¡¯t carry her to her room, so I rushed her to my room. Luckily, when I turned on the light, I realized it wasn¡¯t her blood but blood was blood. I knew better than anyone what that blood meant. On top of that, her body was a ball of fire. Luckily, the fever went down quickly once I got her to bed, but I¡¯m sure she overexerted herself. I don¡¯t know why she pushed herself so hard. My head was full of questions, but I didn¡¯t dare ask her what she was doing. She¡¯s done it to me before and I knew it wasn¡¯t an answer she¡¯d give me. Aizel slid out of bed and swung her legs to the floor. My clothes were big on her. Not so much that they were big, but that they were flowing slightly. ¡°¡­Did the clothes fit you well?¡± ¡°Yeah, just about. Until I get back to the dorm¡­I should be fine.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Her arm looks like it¡¯s dripping¡­ Should I give her another set of clothes? Or should I rush outside and see if I can find some girls¡¯ clothes? I look at Aizel and think of all the things that could go wrong, but then she gets out of bed and looks around the room. ¡°¡­Your room is cleaner than I thought.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to be organized¡­It¡¯s easier to remember where things are.¡± I say in response to Aizel¡¯s question. It was just that I rarely entered the room. ¡°¡­Anyway, thanks.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± We didn¡¯t talk much more after that and when she was done looking around my room, she gathered her clothes and headed out the door. ¡°That¡­ Forget about it. Today is¡­¡± Aizel stuck her head through the crack in the door and said to me, ¡°I will.¡± I feel sorry for Aizel, but it¡¯s a memory I¡¯ll have a hard time forgetting. When Aizel finished, she closed the door and left. But it still doesn¡¯t resolve the question of why she¡¯s pushing herself so hard. In this case, the fact that she was not in her room raised even deeper suspicions. She was a far cry from the Aizel I¡¯d seen in the game, and she continued to make me feel nervous. When this happens, it¡¯s hard not to care about her. I know why she¡¯s covered in blood. It must have something to do with her death. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Even though I¡¯m trying to get stronger as fast as I can, I keep thinking that it¡¯s not enough. And¡­ ¡®If she was on the verge of passing out, why did shee to the boys¡¯ dormitory¡­?¡¯ Chapter 17: Acupuncture (1) Chapter 17: Acupuncture (1) The sound of a sword being returned to its scabbard echoes through the empty training hall. It¡¯ste, and I¡¯m the only one left in the training center. I had stayed upte practicing my mana management skills. I¡¯m finally feeling a little less ignorant about mana and I¡¯m now able to direct mana to specific areas although I¡¯m still not as good as others but I¡¯m satisfied with this stage. I think I¡¯ve been able to grow quickly because I¡¯ve experienced real-worldbat. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± I squatted in a corner of the training ground and looked up. Unlike the night sky in modern cities, many stars were shining in their own way. I could feel the bracelet slowly restoring my strength. The twitching muscles gradually calmed down. The resilience of the Origin Bracelet was amazing. As an Epic ranked item, it wasn¡¯t just an ordinary recovery. The good news was that I could feel the rewards of my nonstop training. I can see that most of my senses have been greatly enhanced since my Super Senses level increased. A gentle breeze ruffles my hair. It was barely perceptible, but I could faintly read its direction. The night air was unusually moist, with the slightest hint of dew. Even though I was doing all sorts of crazy things every night, I was attending the sses faithfully. I¡¯m tired, but I trust my bracelet to keep me going. I¡¯ve been to a few of Edward¡¯s sses, and as expected, they¡¯re a bit of a mixed bag. ¡®You could have given me experience points¡­¡¯ It¡¯s hard to say that these lessons werepletely unhelpful, but for me, there¡¯s nothing more effective than leveling up with the status bar. As for the only rtionship I¡¯ve built so far, Aizel and Yuri, not much has happened between us since the first lesson. Yuri would blush unnecessarily from time to time, but other than that, there wasn¡¯t much else going on, except that she was letting her guard down. Aizel was¡­Well, I¡¯m not sure, as usual. I still don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking, or what she¡¯s nning, or what her intentions are. I realize that a person¡¯s mind isn¡¯t always revealed in their face, but I feel like her face has thickened a bit since the events of the other day and that she intends to act more carefully. After the unexpected event, I realized that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if any character¡­any character¡­died, not just Aizel. For me, it¡¯s not good news. I¡¯ve seen enough of them get in trouble, if not killed. Maybe even Yuri, who looks at me so sweetly every time, is in danger. If I don¡¯t want that to happen, I need to nip the threat in the bud just like I did with Relial. However, Relial was a special case. The other viins toe are already more powerful than I am. ¡°Spectral Sword¡­¡± The word pops out of my mouth. If I had the Spectral Sword, I could be much stronger. The stronger I be, the more avenues will open up for me to be even stronger. With the gold I had earned earlier, I bought the monster materials and I think I got a decent price for a blind man. Is it because it was a market? It¡¯s a good thing that there were checks and bnces between the merchants, because if someone tried to scam me, they¡¯d say, ¡®Come here, not there.¡¯ ¡®They could have gotten together and ripped me off.¡¯ I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve been ying their own mind games. All that¡¯s left is the memorabilia and 500 gold to pay for the crafting. Five hundred gold it¡¯s a lot of money to get right from the start. In the game, gold is earned through quests within the Academy, as well as rewards for sses and tests. With Edward as my instructor, I didn¡¯t pay much attention to ss rewards. It¡¯s frustrating to have to wait for exams. Also, the internal quests and rewards in the Academy are not enough to earn 500 gold. I¡¯ve been scavenging for hidden money in the Academy before the cement test, and I¡¯ve already done all the easy quests that are worth money. I wanted to earn a lot of money right away, not gradually. There are many other ways to earn money, like monster ying. In other words, doing the work of an adventurer, but it¡¯s too slow. Monsters worth 500 gold are hard to catch with my current skill level, and since adventurers have a rank system, it takes time to reach the desired rank. In addition, there should be some sort of livelihood content such as gathering, fishing, and hunting, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s easy to get 500 gold right away. ¡®Illegal¡­¡¯ Everything I¡¯ve said so far is legal. That is, making money without breaking thews of thend. It¡¯s ironic that you can make a lot of money quickly and easily. That¡¯s how everyone makes money. Why would a beggar sit on the street begging? ¡®Gambling.¡¯ There was a gambling house in the basement of a big city nearby. ¡®I could go to a gambling house.¡¯ In a country with such developed facilities, I suppose it¡¯s not impossible to hear the sound of dice in a bowl and touch arge sum of money. But the people who run gambling establishments are not stupid. If a blind man walks in and wins 500 gold, they¡¯re bound to be suspicious, and even if they don¡¯t, they¡¯re bound to feel threatened by the loss. First of all, the guy who runs the gambling house is not easy to beat¡­and I recall that her men were quite skilled as well. The gambling house¡¯s credibility? Killing the first blind man who shows up without a sound is not a problem for them. ¡®There¡¯s no time to be a regr¡­and I can¡¯t wear a mask to avoid being identified¡­¡¯ Quests are the most appropriate. If the quest is outside of the academy, rather than inside, the scope is a bit broader. ¡®The most appropriate one for my current level¡­¡¯ A quest that doesn¡¯t require a great deal of power, but can be solved with certain conditions and a quest that has a reward of 500 gold or more. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± There was one. I decided that I had found the solution so I stood up and dusted myself. ¡®My enhanced senses wille in handy¡­It¡¯s a perfect match for a blind man.¡¯ *** After a few sses, the ss A cadets were finally allowed to enter their ss A ssroom. Actually, it was more like a practice field than a ssroom. The sides were lined with long chairs for the cadets to sit on in the form of stairs. Sitting in the chairs and looking straight ahead, there was arge space with a smooth, white floor with nothing on it. That¡¯s where the one-on-one training takes ce. There was no reason to take notes on theory at this academy, which could be considered abat academy. The academy was extremely hands-on so there were no desks anywhere. I think the ssroom was built in this way because there were a lot of lectures and experiences aboutbat even if there were basic sses. Considering that, it might be appropriate to call it a ssroom. Today¡¯s lesson is already over but for some reason, Edward called the cadets into the ssroom and began to lecture them on the concept of magic as usual, demonstrating some basic spells. The exnation included the weaknesses of wizards. This time, I got my experience points right, but unfortunately, I didn¡¯t level up. It¡¯s true that the experience requirement increased as I leveled up, but even taking that into ount, I only received a small amount of experience. When the ss ended, few cadets left their seats. They were all chatting with their friends, reading the pamphlet that Edward had handed out before leaving the ssroom. ¡°Is there an exchange program that Edward teaches?¡± ¡°Yes. Illusion and Magic.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll join the cooking club.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s the academy cafeteria chef, he¡¯s a good cook.¡± Of course, I had a pamphlet in my hand, but I just sat there in silence. I couldn¡¯t help but read the words in front of everyone. The pamphlet described various exchange programs. It¡¯s kind of like a club within a school. Except when you create a character, you learn skills by being taught by specific characters. The same would apply to me with a status bar. In the game, I could easily acquire skills by learning from certain people in the clubs. There are life skills that allow you to enjoy mainly life-rted content. Things like hunting and gathering. There were also various magic and weapon skills. This is where you can learn passive skills that increase your damage against certain spells or weapons. ¡°Zetto, do you want me to tell you what it says?¡± Yuri, who was sitting next to me, asks, holding up a pamphlet. When ites to ying a blind man, Yuri¡¯s presence is very helpful. She¡¯s not the most helpful person in the world, but being her ¡°friend¡± means a lot to me. In the game, it¡¯s hard to have such an intimate conversation with her. I smile at Yuri and reply. ¡°Can I ask you a favor, then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you slowly. nt gathering¡­Fishing¡­The Hunting Society¡­Ice Magic Society¡­¡± Yuri read down the pamphlet, reciting the names of each club. ¡°¡­Archaeology Club. Hmm¡­? Medical Technology¡­Club? That¡¯s it. What do you think? Do you like any of them?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± I already had a club in mind, but I rubbed my chin and pretended to think about it. ¡°The swordsmanship club? I have to join the fire magic club because of my family. My father insists.¡± As a member of the Clementine family, one of the four elemental ns, Yuri will definitely join the Fire Magic Club. One of the ways yers can be acquainted with her is by joining that organization. ¡°And Miss Aizel?¡± I asked Eisel, who was sitting on the other side of the ss. ¡°I don¡¯t really care.¡± Aizel gives me her trademark scowl. Unusually, she only lets up when I¡¯m with Yuri. ¡°Aha¡­¡± As far as I can remember, Aizel didn¡¯t join any clubs in the game since it wasn¡¯t mandatory to join a club. ¡®She¡¯s the same.¡¯ ¡°So, did you like any of them?¡± Yuri asks me. ¡°Well¡­ I guess the Medical Technology¡­Club, did you say, can you tell me more about that ce?¡± ¡°Yeah, where¡­ Ah, I found it. The Medical Technology Club, where you can learn all kinds of medical technology. The professor in charge is¡­ Medical Officer Prisci. I met herst time I was in the infirmary, and she seemed nice.¡± ¡°Various medical skills¡­¡± ¡°Medicine and¡­Acupuncture? That¡¯s unusual.¡± ¡°¡­I guess it¡¯s pretty good.¡± I listened to Yuri¡¯s exnation and nodded in affirmation. I n to learn ¡®acupuncture¡¯ there. There¡¯s a quest outside the academy that can only be solved with acupuncture. The conditions might be a bit tricky, but knowing that, it shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem for me. Normally, joining the Swordsmanship Club would be the answer, but things have changed. I¡¯m trading a passive that increases my swordy damage for 500 gold. It¡¯s a reasonable trade-off considering I chose the Ghost yer Technique, which starts out weak and gets stronger as I progress. Chapter 18: Acupuncture (2) Chapter 18: Acupuncture (2) In the Medical Technology Club, you could learn skills such as Medicine and Acupuncture or First Aid, which are skills that can be used by people without holy power to heal people, rather than holy magic that uses holy power such as Heal. Naturally, they are less effective than holy magic. However, they have the advantage that they can be used even if you don¡¯t have holy power, and they can have a greater effect than magic when the person being treated is in a state where holy power does not work. Thus, I sought out the infirmary to join the Medical Technology Club. Yuri, who kindly offered to show me the way to the infirmary herself, headed off to her club, while Aizel disappeared into the distance as soon as the ss was over. That¡¯s so Aizel. I knocked politely on the infirmary door. ¡°Come in~.¡± Permission was granted so I opened the door and entered. ¡°Are you hurt somewhere¡­¡­?¡± As she said that, she checked my face and trailed off, her eyes turning upward as if she was trying to recall something. She pped her hands once, as if remembering, and her face lit up. ¡°Ah! You¡¯re the blind man, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®the blind man¡¯?¡± I ask as I enter the infirmary. The infirmary had the feel of an ordinary health center. There were a few beds for patients to lie on, and a desk for the head nurse. Since it was early in the semester, there were no patients, so it was just me and her in the infirmary. ¡°I heard about this from Raina. She and I have been drinking buddies for a while. She said one of the new cadets was blind, and he used dispel with his sword.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Your bracelet, that¡¯s her favorite.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± I knew it was Reina¡¯s favorite bracelet. It¡¯s an Epic rank, so it¡¯s understandable but it still felt strange to borrow it, even as a reward. She stood up from her chair and ran her fingers across the desk. ¡°So, our blind man, who knows his way around, doesn¡¯t seem to be in any pain. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I want to join the Medical Technology Club.¡± Her eyes widened in surprise at my answer since the Medical Technology Club is not popr. After a short pause, she speaks. ¡­I¡¯m Prisci.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Zetto.¡± ¡°I see. It was Zetto¡­ Zetto¡­¡± Prisci squinted, repeating my name. ¡°May I ask why you want to join the club?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a skill I want to learn.¡± ¡°What skill?¡± ¡°You teach acupuncture, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I do teach¡­ Acupuncture, that¡¯s unique. I¡¯ve never had a guye in to learn acupuncture. Not that we have many people in the first ce.¡± Prisci nods and sits back down. Despite her unusual holy powers, Prisci has knowledge of other medical techniques. That¡¯s why she¡¯s the academy¡¯s medic. ¡°Interesting. Interesting.¡± Prisci looks at me with her chin twitching. ¡°As you can see, I am having trouble with my eyes, will it be hard for you to teach me?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be hard, the man who invented acupuncture was a blind man from the East, didn¡¯t you know? By the way, are you from the East, too? Your hair is ck.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m from¡­ My master took me in as a child, but I never asked him where I was from.¡± ¡°Heh¡­Master.¡± Prisci was pleased with me and invited me to sit on the bed next to her desk. She asked me a lot of questions after that. How do you walk so well, who taught you swordsmanship, these are questions I¡¯ve been asked countless times before, but as she¡¯s a medic, I¡¯m careful what I say. She nodded as if she understood my exnation of the feeling. I was d it went over well. As it turned out, Prisci believed me. I don¡¯t think she was suspicious in the first ce but it was simply her curiosity. That said, it¡¯s hard to get to the point where others think I can see when I have a blindfold on but there was no reason for that. She didn¡¯t even get as far as asking me to show her my eyes. There are so many different reasons for blindness that even if you ask them, people won¡¯t know what it is. ¡°Hmmm¡­ A blind man wants to learn acupuncture¡­ I suppose it¡¯s good that he¡¯s blind, so there¡¯s no pressure on the patient.¡± Prisci stops her questioning and takes stock of the situation. Then she smiles brightly and says ¡°I like it.¡± With that, she stands up and abruptly locks the door to the infirmary. ¡°Oh¡­? What are you doing?¡± I asked, taken aback by Prisci¡¯s sudden behavior. ¡°I thought you said you were going to learn acupuncture, but you need to learn the points first.¡± ¡°Acupuncture points¡­ I heard you lock the door, do you need to lock the door to teach me that, right here and now?¡± My questions were directed at Prisci. I knew that Prisci was a good actor, but I questioned her behavior. ¡°Why, are you busy? You¡¯re blind so you need to feel the points yourself to know where they are, and you can¡¯t put the needles through your clothes, can you?¡± With that, Prisci takes off her clothes. Piece by piece the clothes that had been covering her were off and even her skirt was soon down. ¡°¡­¡± Her exquisite body, d only in her underwear, is clearly visible. Slowly approaching me in her underwear, Prisciid down on the bed where I was sitting. ¡°Can we just go over this once and move on quickly? You said you have a good sensory memory.¡± ¡°Yes. One time is enough.¡± She took my hand and ced it on her stomach after hearing my answer. I remember that learning a skill in the game was just a matter of time and a sentence like, ¡°You¡¯ve learned the skill!¡± and that was it. Now that I¡¯m learning it myself, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d skip the process, but I do think this would be the easiest way to teach a blind person acupuncture. Her hand squeezes mine, and my fingers gently graze her flesh as she moves. Then my hand stops. ¡°Here¡¯s the point associated with mana, just to the right of your navel, as you are now. Call it the mana point. And a little further up¡­¡± Prisci¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, and she was still teaching. Gone was the joking tone from earlier, and in her ce was a serious expression. Even though I¡¯m blind, I¡¯m still a man so I should be a little embarrassed, but she was too professional. She was teaching a life-saving technique, so she didn¡¯t seem like the type to let personal feelings get in the way of important things. ¡­The problem was that I waspletely distracted by the stimting spectacle. ¡®Let¡¯s just get the skill.¡¯ It¡¯s just a matter of mastering it. Edward¡¯s lessons rewarded me for paying attention, and I hoped that skill acquisition would do the same. Prisci¡¯s hand continues to squeeze mine, her fingers moving over her body. The feel of her skin was silky smooth and soft, the result of my overly sensitive senses. ¡°Zetto, are you concentrating?¡± ¡°¡­Ah, yes.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t reach my back very well, so why don¡¯t you move by yourself, and I¡¯ll help you locate it.¡± With that, Prisciid down on the bed on her back and untied her bra. ¡°Come on.¡± She urges me on, and I ce my hands on her back. ¡°Just a little more up there.¡± As she said, my hand traveled up along her back. ¡°Stop. A little lower. Yeah, there. That¡¯s the point that¡¯s good for people who¡¯ve been paralyzed by poison or other things, the paralysis point.¡± Prisci¡¯s exnation of acupuncture points followed. Acupuncture was different from what I knew in modern times. I¡¯m not familiar with the acupuncture points, but I¡¯m guessing the location of the points is different as well. In the game, acupuncture works to remove stuns. In this context, stuns are negative conditions such as fainting, paralysis, etc. Rather than restoring health, it can be used on an ally who is suffering from a condition to remove the condition. It doesn¡¯t have the same dramatic effect as Holy Magic, and it takes longer to use in the middle of a battle than you might think, so it was just a handy skill to have. Beyond that, I¡¯ve gotten to know the blood points, which can remove stun, drain poison and more. After I had touched almost every part of her body that I could, I was done identifying the points. Prisci was putting her clothes back on. ¡°Did you remember everything?¡± I¡¯m sitting on the bed, looking at her getting dressed, and it feels weird. When I don¡¯t answer, she reaches over and roughly points to a spot on my back. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°¡­Paralyzing point.¡± I¡¯m d it¡¯s the only ce I remember. She makes a ¡°hmm.¡± sound, stops testing me, and sits back in her chair. ¡°That¡¯s it for today. I¡¯ve got to get back to work, too. Tomorrow is the weekend or something, can youe here tomorrow?¡± Prisci asks, twirling her pen. The weekend is my free time but it¡¯s all for the 500 gold. ¡°I have time.¡± I answered Prisci and rose from the bed. I¡¯m still working on my skills and it seems like I¡¯ll have to learn how to handle the needles before my mastery isplete. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow morning, then. It¡¯ll take a while, but we can have lunch together.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you. Oh, right. What about joining the club?¡± ¡°I almost forgot.¡± Prisci rummages through her papers and finds the application form, but when she sees the bandage over my eye, she picks up a pen. ¡°I¡¯ll write it down. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry to bother you in so many ways.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You haven¡¯t done anything wrong, and there¡¯s no need for you to be such a slob.¡± I smiled bitterly at Prisci¡¯s warm words and thanked her before walking out of the infirmary. *** The next day, I came to the infirmary in the morning to meet with Prisci and learn how to handle needles. After exining the different types of needles, Prisci handed me a few pieces of fake skin and a bunch of needles. She told me to practice by cing the needles on this skin because it was simr to human skin. The needles lose their sharpness after a couple of uses, so they don¡¯t dig into the skin as gently. I was able to concentrate better than yesterday, so I turned on the status window and kept cing the needles until the skill acquisition appeared in the status window. And finally. Lv.16 Current Skills -Ghost yer Technique Lv.8 -Superior Senses Lv.7 -Weakness Detection Lv.MAX ¨C [Blindfold That is Beyond Reason] in effect -Acupuncture Lv.1 Skill Points remaining: 2 Equipped Items -Blindfold That is Beyond Reason [Legendary] ¨C Low-quality Eastern de. [Normal] ¨C Energetic Silver Ne. [Rare] -Bracelet of Origin [Epic] [You have mastered Acupuncture] As soon as the Acupuncture level appeared in the status bar, the knowledge of acupuncture points and how to ce needles prated my brain and became second nature. I was surprised when my head suddenly clicked. ¡°Oh. You¡¯re getting better at this.¡± Prisci, who was watching me from the side,plimented me. The first preparation went well. Chapter 19: Acupuncture (3) Chapter 19: Acupuncture (3) Holy magic is magic that consumes ¡°holy power¡± rather than mana. You borrow the power of the gods to heal and purify people. It also defeats beings that emanate evil energy and protects the innocent from them. These marvelous miraculous acts, which are virtuous in their own right, lead onlookers to recognize a transcendent being called God. Technically, I didn¡¯t believe in God. Not in real life. But here, it¡¯s different. It¡¯s not a matter of personal belief, it¡¯s a self-evident truth. Gods and demons exist here. The Major God is a benevolent deity who provides divine power to priests who serve him steadfastly. Demons, on the other hand, are obvious. They are simply demonic deities. asionally, there are fanatical humans who worship and serve demons as if they were gods. Basically, humans serve the gods and demons serve the demons. You don¡¯t have to be a priest to follow the gods faithfully. The influence of the gods on earth is limited, so as long as you don¡¯t chant their names in the face of imminent death, you¡¯ll be fine. The Holy Land, however, is different. Most of the citizens of the Holy Land serve their gods faithfully. Holy power is a mysterious thing, and not all citizens can wield it, but the percentage of clergy from the Holy Land is very high. There is one man who was falsely used and exiled from this noble nation. His name is Anthony and he was a merchant with arge business in the Holy Land. He was a sessful businessman, and a man who was faithful to his God, as was his character. Though his wife had passed away, the fruit of their union remained. His daughter remained with him, and they lived happily in their own way. This story would have been much more peaceful if a high priest in the Holy Land had been like Anthony, content and grateful for what he had. As is often the case, being able to borrow and use the power of a god with a good disposition didn¡¯t mean that everyone had a good heart. Perhaps, at first, the high priest was purely praising and praying to the gods but human greed is not so benign. The high priest was greedy, very greedy. His cunning, snake-like eyes reflected the wealth of Anthony and his deep faith in God. Anthony the merchant had plenty of money so he demanded arge sum of money, or in other words, a bribe, for his offerings to the gods. Anthony had great faith in the gods. If it was truly an offering to the gods, he was ready to give it whenever the gods wanted it and however the gods wanted it but Anthony was a businessman. He was shrewd enough to recognize the tricks of the high-ranking cleric who suddenly barged in with his sly tongue. It would have been easy to pay and move on but Anthony was a very devout man. He refused to give in to a greedy high priest who had defied the will of God. As a result, Anthony was unable to ovee the power of the high priest. The venomous priest resented the lowly merchant who dared not listen to him. He eventually framed Anthony, seized his property, and banished him from the Holy Land. Anthony fled to another country with what little he had, but his business was not as sessful as it had been. The rumor of his expulsion from the Holy Land had spread like wildfire. The word of the high priest had reached far beyond the Holy Land. Still, he was always content and grateful for what he had, and he worked hard to see his daughter grow up. Until, s, his daughter fell ill. As he watched his daughter struggle with an unexined illness, he visited a local priest but the priests avoided him because they couldn¡¯t stand up to the high priest from the Holy Land. Bad rumors about him had already spread and even when he dered that he would give all of his remaining wealth, 2000 gold, no one woulde to his aid. Not even the clerics who wielded divine power or even the apothecary who lived nearby. All he could find were quacks and chatans who knew nothing about disease or medical technology. And so he lives, day in and day out, by his daughter¡¯s side, never knowing when she will wake up. This is the story of the faithful Anthony, who wouldter be saved by the saint. When the saint learns of the case, she uses internal politics to overthrow a high-ranking priest and immediately visits Anthony to cure his daughter. From that point on, Anthony¡¯s business is back on track, and he has be the saint¡¯s source of funding. It¡¯s an anecdote from an episode about a saint, and I saw it in the middle of the game and wondered, ¡°Could the yer try to solve it first?¡± It was a question I was able to ask because I knew the game had a lot of depth and a lot of freedom. If the yer went to his daughter and cured her, he would be rewarded. My thoughts were correct. As long as you had a character with divine powers, such as a cleric or pdin, and you were at a certain level, you could heal Anthony¡¯s daughter. The rewards were there for the taking. After posting my strategy in the gamemunity. [Can other sses except cleric and pdin work?] Faced with suchments, I was determined to find a way to cure her without resorting to holy powers. Eventually, after several attempts, I found the answer: acupuncture. His daughter was suffering from a rare disease called mana exhaustion. Mana exhaustion is a state of unconsciousness that urs when the body has used up all of its mana. While mana exhaustion is strictly an ¡°ailment,¡± his daughter was suffering from a ¡°disease,¡± with exhaustion followed by unconsciousness. Knowing that mana exhaustion can be treated in-game with acupuncture, I took up the challenge. No other medical skills worked. Acupuncture is acupuncture, but there was a level requirement. You had to be at least level 5 in the Acupuncture skill. There was even a mini-game when treating Anthony¡¯s daughter. yers had to listen to a monologue as their character treated Anthony¡¯s daughter, locate the acupuncture points, and ce the needles in the correct order. I still remember the process, but my acupuncture skill is level 1. ¡®If it doesn¡¯t work¡­I have no choice but to invest my remaining skill points.¡¯ As the skill level increases, my ability to perform acupuncture will increase steeply. There is still a difference of two skill levels, but if I remember the order and position of the needles, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have any problems. The night is already ripe so I slip into my familiar robes and, as usual, sneak out of the academy without anyone noticing. *** ¡®s, Lord Henerys. Why hast thou brought this trial upon me?¡¯ Anthony was despairing but he did not me God. He believed that everything was working out ording to God¡¯s will. He believed so strongly that it was all for the best, but he couldn¡¯t help the pain in his heart as he idly stroked his daughter¡¯s face beside him. A fine painting of his wife hung in the center of the room, turned upside down, out of sight as he couldn¡¯t bear to look at her face. ¡°¡­¡± His daughtery motionless in bed, unwilling to get up. He could still see the bright smile on her face, the way she¡¯de running to him, calling him ¡®daddy¡¯ when she¡¯d lost her mother. In the darkness of the room, a singlemp burns quietly. He watched her for a long time but then a knock at the door came from thest person to leave, the one who had refused his offer. Anthony knew he would repay her someday, if only she could be cured. ¡°Come in.¡± A woman opened the door and walked in. Once inside the room, she bowed slightly and got straight to the point. ¡°We have a visitor who ims to be able to heal you, Emilia, but¡­ He seems to be blind.¡± ¡°Blind?¡± ¡°There was a pure white bandage around his eyes.¡± ¡°How did the blind man get here?¡± ¡°He found his way here by asking people around him for directions. From what I¡¯ve heard, he seems to possess a mysterious power called ¡®irvoyance¡¯. He also doesn¡¯t appear to be carrying a cane.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Psychic¡­¡± ¡°Well, I suppose I¡¯ll take your word for it, Master, that whoever offers to cure Emilia wouldn¡¯t barge in, but¡­ What would you have me do?¡± Anthony cleared his throat at the woman¡¯s answer. Lately, the people who hade to him to heal his daughter had been quacks who didn¡¯t even know what they were doing. Some of them even tried to defraud him. They wouldn¡¯t tell him the name of the disease, they¡¯d say they needed money to cure it, or they¡¯d demand money outright, or they¡¯d say some other nonsense. But this new guest was blind. ¡°Is the guest¡­in the living room?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go greet him myself.¡± It urred to Anthony that perhaps the blind man had more special abilities than just his ¡®sixth sense¡¯. The woman bowed in response, moving slightly away from the door. Anthony left the room and made his way to the living room where his guest would be. The house wasn¡¯t asrge as it had been back in the Holy Land, so it was only a few steps from his room to the living room. As he entered the living room, he saw a blind man with dark hair and a bandage over his eyes sitting on the couch, waiting patiently. True to the servant word, there was not a cane in sight. The blind man, who wore only a small backpack, must have heard his footsteps and noticed him approaching, because he turned his head toward Anthony. ¡°You must have excellent hearing.¡± ¡°I suppose the Lord had pity on me for losing my sight, and spared me my other senses.¡± The blind man spoke in a voice that could only be described as beautiful, but it was slightly husky, and he didn¡¯t look his age. He looked quite young, even with the bandages covering his face. ¡°Haha. That¡¯s good to know¡­My name is Anthony, if you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± The blind man hesitated at Anthony¡¯s question, then spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t have a proper name to give someone, so you can just call me ¡®Acupuncturist¡¯ if that¡¯s morefortable.¡± ¡°Acupuncturist¡­? Do you practice acupuncture?¡± Anthony¡¯s eyes widened at the mention of acupuncture. It¡¯s not that he hadn¡¯t had anyonee to him before, but an advanced skill like acupuncture would give away a scam. It was a poor excuse for a scammer. ¡°Yes. I came to see if I could be of any use to you, even if it¡¯s only in a minor way.¡± The blind man scratched the back of his head and replied. Nevertheless, Anthony had seen too many impostors so it was hard to trust him right away. Acupuncture, as he knew it, is the art of treating patients by cing needles in the body. In a nutshell, needles go through a person¡¯s body. If done incorrectly, it can hurt and cause pain. So Anthony knew it was a rather rude thing to ask of someone who wanted to treat his daughter, but he couldn¡¯t help but say. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, could you show me your acupuncture first?¡± Anthony wanted to test this blind man in front of him to see if he was a fraud or not. Chapter 20: Acupuncture (4) Chapter 20: Acupuncture (4) ¡°Very well, then could you lie down here for a moment?¡± The blind man graciously epted Anthony¡¯s request and stood up from the couch. Anthony did as the blind man said andid down on the couch in afortable position. Fortunately, the couch was long enough for him to lie down. ¡°Uh¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡± Anthonyid down on the couch and looked up at the blind man beside him. ¡°First I need to know where it hurts, have you had any difort recently?¡± ¡°Recently¡­I haven¡¯t slept well, so my body and head are heavy with fatigue, but this¡­Is it possible?¡± ¡°Fatigue¡­ Fatigue¡­¡± The blind man knelt down beside Anthony, who was lying on the couch, and groped for his arm. ¡°Perhaps you could roll up your sleeves.¡± ¡°¡­I will.¡± Obediently, Anthony rolled up his sleeves as the blind man requested while the servant watched with bated breath from across the living room. As Anthony rolled up his sleeve, the blind man rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a needle. ¡°I want you to put your arms downfortably on the couch. You shouldn¡¯t strain your arms.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Purely to test his ability, Anthony did as he was asked. As Anthony rxed his arm, the blind man¡¯s hand slid along his arm, stopping at a point. The blind man¡¯s other hand, which was holding the needle, stabbed at that exact spot. The needle quickly burrows into the skin, but Anthony didn¡¯t feel a sting. ¡®I feel like something is clearing my head¡­¡¯ Soon after the blind man removed the needles, Anthony¡¯s throbbing head began to clear up. ¡°¡­What is this¡­? ¡­Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m new to acupuncture, so it¡¯s a bit of a surprise¡­¡± Anthony¡¯s eyes widened, and he gibbered to the blind man. ¡°It¡¯s an acupuncture point for headaches, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to touch your back to get rid of the rest of your body¡¯s fatigue, so I¡¯m just going to take care of your headache for now, but what do you think?¡± The blind man replied with a calm smile at Anthony. ¡®It might be you. Finally¡­¡¯ Anthony¡¯s mind was racing as he thought that an apology was in order. ¡°First of all¡­ I apologize. I understand that acupuncture involves needles going into the child¡¯s body so I was very worried.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, that¡¯s the kind of reaction you get when a stranger is going to put needles in you.¡± With that, the blind man packed his backpack and stood up. When the blind man had finished organizing his backpack, he spoke. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s your daughter¡¯s body, so I understand. If I can help someone who is sick, this is something I have to live with.¡± Anthony, lying on the couch and looking up at the blind man, thought he saw a glow behind him for a moment at his eloquent words. ¡°St¡­now¡­¡± A saint is an apostle of the Lord, and only one can exist at the same time. The word suddenly shed through Anthony¡¯s mind, even though there shouldn¡¯t be any saints recognized by the Lord in the Holy Land. Of course, due to the brilliance of amp hanging from the ceiling he was mistaken. Anthony quickly regained hisposure and pushed himself up from the couch. ¡°¡­Anyway, thank you. Why don¡¯t youe with me to check on my daughter?¡± Anthony kindly led the blind man to the room where his daughter was. ¡°You walk really well, by the way.¡± The blind man followed Anthony¡¯s footsteps to the room in a straight line. ¡°I was wondering, since I heard about it from a friend, what is this thing called precognition?¡± ¡°It¡¯s another sense that allows you to get a rough idea of where things are, from sounds and waves, or the flow of air. It¡¯s a skill taught to me by the Master who took me in, but it¡¯s not that great.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The blind man was quite modest. To Anthony, he seemed extraordinary, but he didn¡¯t treat it as anything special. ¡°This is the room where my daughter is.¡± With that, Anthony opened the door to the room. Once inside the room, the blind man noticed the chair next to the bed, groped for it, and asked. ¡°May I sit here?¡± ¡°You may do as you please. You have a strange ability to sense things.¡± ¡°But¡­ It¡¯s hard to know her exact condition with just my senses, so I¡¯ll have to touch her, do you mind?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Anthony stood behind the blind man, observing his behavior carefully. The blind man fumbled with the nket covering Emilia and pulled it off, then pulled off her top to reveal her stomach. Soon, the blind man was touching her stomach, squeezing it, and putting his ear close to her body to listen more closely. ¡®She is not a normal person.¡¯ It is said that first impressions are very important when ites to rtionships. For Anthony, the first impression of the blind man was impressive. His mysterious ability to feel things, his first-hand experience with acupuncture and the white bandages over his eyes, everything about him was mysterious. Anthony crossed his arms as he watched the blind man, slightly nervous as he sensed an unusual energy in Emilia. When the blind man was done using his senses to assess Emilia¡¯s condition, he spoke. ¡°¡­I was nervous when I heard about it through the rumors, but after examining her, my suspicions seem to be correct.¡± ¡°Do you know the name of the disease?¡± ¡°¡­Have you ever heard of something called ¡®mana exhaustion¡¯?¡± ¡°Mana exhaustion¡­?¡± Anthony¡¯s bewilderment at the unfamiliar name is palpable. ¡°Mana is what makes up the human body and is the source of life¡­A kind of life force.¡± ¡°I know that, but¡­¡± Anthony wasn¡¯t as familiar with mana as a knight or wizard, but he knew that everyone in the world lived with it in their bodies. ¡°But if you take it out of your body and use it up, it bes a burden. That¡¯s the case with mages, because their magic basically uses up the mana they have.¡± ¡°¡­But my daughter is an ordinary child who can barely handle mana, let alone magic, and yet she¡¯s exhausted?¡± Anthony, who was bing more and more curious as the blind man¡¯s exnation continued, asked him as he unsped his arms. ¡°In essence, mana exhaustion is a temporary condition, a phenomenon seen in those who have expended a great deal of mana. However, even though your daughter hasn¡¯t used up any mana, she¡¯s been leaking it out of her body since the moment she tried to restore it¡­She is in a constant state of mana depletion.¡± ¡°¡­She¡¯s losing mana¡­ Mana exhaustion¡­ Is it something that even an acupuncturist can¡¯t cure¡­?¡± At Anthony¡¯s desperate question, the blind man¡¯s head turned from Anthony to Emilia once more. ¡°It¡¯s a rare disease, but I understand that it can be cured by using ¡®Divine Clear¡¯, a divine magic that purifies harmful conditions¡­but from what I¡¯ve heard, you¡¯re not in a position to do so.¡± With that, the blind man opened his backpack and pulled out a number of needles, cing them next to the lying Emilia. ¡°So¡­I¡¯ll have to try.¡± ¡°And if you try to cure her, will you risk her life¡­?¡± Anthony asked as the blind man continued. Of course, Anthony was a firm believer in the acupuncture skills of the blind man in front of him, but he was still a little hesitant if there was a risk. ¡°There¡¯s no risk, it¡¯s just something that requires a lot of concentration.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Okay. Please, just let me know if you¡¯re ufortable with me being here.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. As long as you don¡¯t let it affect your mood, you¡¯re wee to watch.¡± With that, the blind man slowly ran his fingers over Emilia¡¯s stomach. The blind man then picked up a needle. Anthony swallowed hard, trying not to let it affect his mood, but it didn¡¯t ease his anxiety. ¡®Lord Henerys may this be the day that you decide to help your servant.¡¯ Anthony prayed deeply to the Lord in his heart. As he was about to ce the needle in Emilia¡¯s stomach, the blind man stopped his arm. Puzzled by his behavior, Anthony immediately asked him a question. ¡°Did something unexpected happen?¡± ¡°No, I think I need to be a little more certain,¡± said the blind man, ¡°this is a very important procedure, so I¡¯ll have to go over it again, if you¡¯ll just wait a moment.¡± Anthony was puzzled by the blind man¡¯s unintelligible words, but he realized that the blind man with his head down was really going over something in his head. ¡®The order of the needles is important¡­ I had expected that, but it¡¯s a tricky situation.¡¯ Some time passed, and the blind man finally looked up. ¡°Okay, then, let¡¯s get started.¡± The blind man¡¯s more assured tone was enough to inspire confidence in Anthony. A single needle of the blind mannded on Emilia¡¯s stomach. Emilia¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t seem to feel any pain. The blind man continued to stroke Emilia¡¯s stomach, searching for the right spot and cing the needle. ¡®Lord Henerys¡­Give strength to our poor Emilia¡­¡¯ Anthony prayed to the God he served. One by one, the blind man¡¯s needles were embedded and after a while the blind man¡¯s calm, swift movements stopped and he opened his mouth. ¡°Whoa¡­ It¡¯s done, now we just have to wait. In cases like this, it¡¯s not easy to see the effects of acupuncture right away.¡± The blind man packs his backpack and stands up, patting the chair he was sitting in just a moment ago. ¡°Please sit down, because if she does wake up, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll want to see her father¡¯s face first.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t know yet. We need to keep an eye on her.¡± Anthony shakily sat back in his chair and looked at Emilia and the twelve needles resting on her tiny stomach. His heart sank as he looked at his daughter and thought of his wife who had passed away. ¡®It¡¯s been hard¡­but watching her has kept me going¡­Emilia, if you¡¯re gone, how am I supposed to survive?¡¯ Anthony sped his hands together and ced them on the bed, praying desperately to his God. The blind man stood wordlessly behind him, watching his broad back. And so¡­some time passed. As Anthony bowed his head in prayer, a voice reached his ears. A voice he wanted to hear so badly. The one voice he craved. ¡°Oh¡­daddy¡­?¡± It was Emilia¡¯s voice as she opened her eyes. In her disoriented state, Emilia called Anthony daddy. Daddy. It was a word he hadn¡¯t heard in a long, long time. Ever since his wife had died, when she had called him, she had chosen the word father over daddy. ¡°Emilia¡­? You¡¯re awake¡­!¡± ¡°Uh¡­yeah¡­¡± ¡°Emilia¡­ You¡¯re back¡­. Hmph¡­¡± Emilia wondered why her precious father¡¯s eyes were streaming with tears¡­ She couldn¡¯t tell but she looked at him and smiled. For some reason, she felt like she had to. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Emilia¡¯s smile, so much like his wife¡¯s, only made Anthony¡¯s tears fall harder. ¡°I missed you so much¡­My lovely daughter¡­¡± *** ¡°Are you sure 700 gold is enough?! I have announced that I will give 2000 gold to whoever cures my daughter¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, this amount shouldn¡¯t trouble you too much, right?¡± ¡°Still¡­¡­ No, I willply with your wishes, Mr. Acupuncturist, thank you very much.¡± Anthony bowed to me. ¡®If I take all 2000 gold, it will dy you from bing the Saint¡¯s Patron¡­¡¯ I took as little as I could because I knew that when it came to the saint episode, things would start to get sneaky. I also refused the offer of 1000 gold and in the end at around 700 gold, Anthony was finally convinced and epted. ¡®He is a good man.¡¯ The girl holding onto one of Anthony¡¯s legs, his daughter Emilia, waves to me. She seems slightly shy because of my unfamiliarity. ¡°Emilia, he has trouble with his eyes, so it¡¯s better to greet him out loud.¡± Anthony crouches down to get eye level with Emilia, then pats her on the head. ¡®I¡¯ve used up two of my skill points, but I¡¯m not worried¡­I have the Blindfold for experience.¡¯ Before I tried acupuncture on Emilia, I realized that I couldn¡¯t heal her with the level 1 skill, so I used my two remaining skill points to get it to level 3 and luckily, it worked. As if on cue, the result speaks to me in a small, high-pitched voice. ¡°Mr. Acupuncturist¡­ Thank you¡­ See you next time¡­!¡± I smile at Emilia¡¯s shy greeting. ¡°I don¡¯t know if there will be a next time, but I will repay you in a bigger way someday, Mr. Acupuncturist.¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m grateful enough for the money I¡¯ve already received, so I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± ¡°Have a safe trip.¡± The woman standing next to them also bowed to me. I thanked them and went on my way. ¡®I feel like I¡¯m getting better at making excuses.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t take the blindfold off, and the future of the good people in my hands was too important to give up. Anthony will be the patron of the saint, so he¡¯ll have a close rtionship with her. ¡®In the game, I started off with a little bit of a boost in the saint¡¯s likability afterpleting this quest¡­¡¯ The saint¡¯s appearance at the Academy is a bit of a long shot. She¡¯s the type of person who is drawn to mysterious figures, so I thought it would work better if I didn¡¯t give her a name. When I left Anthony¡¯s house, the sun was slowly making its appearance. My backpack was full since I had just received 700 gold, so that was 500 gold down. All that¡¯s left is an object that holds the soul¡¯s memories but I know where it is, so this shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. It required an investment of 2 skill points and I can¡¯t leave the club I joined for a while. ¡®Still, this is the fastest way.¡¯ The Spectral Sword is not far away now. ¡®I¡¯ll have to move quickly to avoid beingte.¡¯ Chapter 21: Voyeurism and Bold Plans (1) Chapter 21: Voyeurism and Bold ns (1) ¡°Grandpa, why do we have to dress like this?¡± I once asked my grandfather that question as a child. The corners of his mouth turned up as he looked at me. ¡°There are many reasons, but first of all, it¡¯s cool, and if an old man is actually very strong in such a shabby look¡­¡± ¡®What the hell is cool about it? People stare at us everywhere we go¡­I, I want to wear pretty clothes too!¡± I was having this conversation with my grandfather. Suddenly, the bandits came at us, threatening him and trying to drag me away but without a word, my grandfather put his hand on the sword on his back. He drew his sword and sliced through the bandits at a speed I couldn¡¯t follow with my eyes. As he cut down thest bandit, who cursed in panic, he wiped the blood from his sword¡­ ¡°Ooh¡­ Wow.¡± He was very cool. From then on, I tried and tried to be as cool as him. I wanted to be a ¡®strong man who hides his strength¡¯. It was so exhrating to see other people ignore him, but when they heard his nickname, ¡°Sword Saint,¡± they would treat him with great respect. My whole body was thrilled and from that moment on, I was ¡®addicted¡¯ to that feeling. ¡°The Innocence Academy? What more can I learn there?¡± ¡°People say there is no end to learning.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I see. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to attend the academy and learn more about the world.¡± ¡°But can I get in quietly, Grandpa? I don¡¯t want you to ride on your coattails to fame without proving anything.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯re not wrong. I never expected you to think so deeply¡­. You¡¯ve grown up a lot, Kaen. It¡¯s no secret that you¡¯re my heir, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Just like that, I was able to enter the Innocence Academy quietly. I decided that this was a very appropriate ce for me to indulge myself, as it was a gathering of talented people my age. During the ss cement test, I purposely fell out of the proper rankings. ¡®The sword¡­ I missed¡­ Oops. This is a mistake!¡¯ In hindsight, the performance I put on when I was about to fail the exam was a masterpiece. I returned to my seat, happy that it had gone well, and watched the assignment test. After Cadet Aizel, who, unlike me, unleashed all of her power without any obstacles, ¡°he¡± came. The nameless blind man who appeared out of nowhere had defeated Amon Caligus of the Continent¡¯s Four Elemental Families. Naturally, the cadets were surprised. ¡°Amon lost? ¡°Wow. That Caligus lost?¡± ¡°How did he break the gauntlet?¡± The other cadets didn¡¯t know, but I saw it. The blind man used dispel with his sword. What was even more shocking was that I felt nothing from the blind man named Zetto swordy. His sword was empty and I suddenly realized. ¡®¡­Is he hiding his power too?¡¯ He hadn¡¯t hidden his powerpletely, but he had shown some of it, not all of it though. There¡¯s no way he could have used dispel so easily with such mediocre swordsmanship. I¡¯ve seen my grandfather break spells, so I know it can be done. People don¡¯t realize it, but my grandfather could use dispel with a sword. I tried to learn, but¡­ it wasn¡¯t that easy so I became nervous because a powerful rival emerged. ¡°Originally, I was going to move up from ss C to A during the exam, to get noticed¡­¡± The n went awry so after that, I decided to stay away from him and watch his every move. This was made easier by the fact that he was blind, with a white bandage covering his eyes. Upon closer inspection, I realized he was very bad. He was worse than me. When I went to the training center in the middle of the night and saw him practicing the same exercises I did when I was six years old, I stopped admiring him. I was like, ¡®How does he do that with such terrible mana control, and why is he still doing it when there¡¯s no one left in the training center?¡¯ At his level, his mana control should be more than that. Even I could draw sword energy so there¡¯s no way a guy who can use dispel with a sword couldn¡¯t draw sword energy. ¡®I don¡¯t understand.¡¯ After days of watching I finally had him figured out. ¡®You¡¯re going to get into ss A, showcase your talent, and then surprise people by stepping it up through hard work?¡¯ I chuckled. Goosebumps broke out all over my body as I recited my assessment of him. He would use his weaknesses and his deficiencies in his concept. He was ced in ss A with a hint of excellence in the ss cement test. That was the first impression of the cadets but he deliberately exposed his weaknesses, emphasizing that he was nothing special, and then said that he had gained strength through hard work, indicating that he could grow from here. ¡®¡­What a sneaky guy!¡¯ He even flirts with female cadets every day, giving off an inexplicable air of rxation. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± I watched him from afar again today. He¡¯s always hiding, trying not to be seen buttely, I¡¯ve been feeling like I¡¯m being spotted by a guy who shouldn¡¯t see me. He¡¯s chatting with Cadet Aizel, but every now and then he¡¯ll nce over to where I am. It looks like a casual nce, but knowing his skills, it¡¯s not so simple. ¡®Why¡­? My ¡®shadow erase¡¯ was perfect!¡¯ Shadow Erase was a technique I¡¯d developed on my own. I crouched down and hid myself as best I could. It sounds simple, but it¡¯s not ¡®easy¡¯ by any means. ¡®That¡¯s strange¡­ Does that mean his true skill is beyond mine¡­?¡¯ Well, that¡¯s a different story. If I¡¯m going to be in ss ¡°A¡± after the exam, and he¡¯s going to be in ss ¡°A¡± too¡­He could take all the attention away from me. The best way to show strength is to hide it and then reveal it. He chose to hide and then show that he was stronger through hard work. It might be considered nd, but since he was blind, it might elicit a stronger reaction. ¡®In that case, I¡¯ll use my grandfather¡¯s sword technique¡­¡¯ The moment I use my grandfather¡¯s sword technique, I¡¯m bound to get noticed. I¡¯m the sole heir to the Sword Saint and my name would be known throughout the world. ¡®¡­But.¡¯ No matter how much I think about it, I only use my grandfather¡¯s sword skills in times of danger. I watched him chatting with Cadet Aizel with a smug grin on his face, deep in thought. ¡®I wonder what I can do to get people¡¯s attention more strongly than he can¡­?¡¯ *** I was practicingte at the gym when I ran into Aizel. We walked down the street together and chatted for a while. Buttely, I¡¯ve been feeling like someone is watching me all the time. I thought, ¡°Is this the effect of my heightened senses?¡± So I spontaneously turned my head to see where someone might be watching me. ¡®Is that¡­¡¯ I hadn¡¯t spotted anyone before, but this time I did. I saw a person in the distance, hiding behind a tree, watching me. Her hair color was rather unusual, making her easy to spot from a distance, even at night. ¡®Pink hair? Speaking of pink hair¡­ It can only be Kaen¡­¡¯ Kaen was a major character in this game but it wasn¡¯t her time yet, so I wasn¡¯t really paying attention to her. Kaen was the one and only heir of the Sword Saint and she grew up under his tutge and learned his swordsmanship. She called him grandfather, so she assumed she was his granddaughter, but as it turned out, there was no blood connection. Still, she has a terrifying talent with the sword that the great Sword Saint himself took her in as his heir. If there¡¯s one problem with such a perfect Kaen, it¡¯s that she¡¯s fiercely concept-driven. It¡¯s not umon to see characters in various creative works who are strong but hide their strength. You know, the ones we call ¡°underdogs¡±. In the game, she was definitely that kind of character. Usually, these characters hide their powers for some reason, only to unleash them when they¡¯re forced to but she was a little different. Kaen was quite the¡­An attention seeker, so to speak. She hides her powers because she wants people to pay attention to her. I remember her particrly enjoying the peculiar thrill of reversing the situation when her powers were revealed. Moreover, Kaen is a very calcting person. She tries to manipte situations to make herself look good. During the ss cement test, she deliberately ced herself in ss C, a middle-of-the-road position, and then excelled in the main test, which could have changed her ss, andnded her in ss A. So why was she watching me and Aizel? ¡°¡­So, how was the club meeting?¡± Aizel asks me as we walk beside each other. ¡°Just¡­ Well, I¡¯m learning.¡± ¡°Learning what? ¡­Aren¡¯t you in the medical technology club?¡± ¡°I¡¯m learning about acupuncture, which seems to be a good fit for me.¡± As I was talking about the club, I remembered the image of Prisci in her underwear, and I blushed. ¡°Ah¡­ Acupuncture¡­ That¡¯s unusual. I wonder how you, a blind man, will learn it.¡± Aizel narrowed her eyes and spoke to me in a low voice. ¡°Uh¡­ that¡­ She was kind enough to teach me, haha¡­¡± I smirked and scratched the back of my head. It would be too weird for Aizel to think that I actually learned by groping her body. ¡°¡­Never mind, there¡¯s a cafe I know nearby, let¡¯s go.¡± I thought we were going to go our separate ways, but Aizel asked me to go to a cafe. ¡®A cafe? Did she have a favorite cafe?¡¯ I wondered, but it¡¯s not every day that Aizel suggests something. ¡°Sounds good.¡± I nodded in affirmation of her suggestion. The cafe I went to with Aizel was well decorated and had a nice atmosphere. I don¡¯t know all the shops in the city, so this was a new ce for me. Aizel and I walked into the cafe and sat down at a nice table with no other people around. ¡°I¡¯ll take the order since you decided the menust time. Coffee is fine, right?¡± Aizel stood up, referring to Herald¡¯s shop. ¡°Coffee¡­ Yeah, I¡¯m good.¡± I wondered what coffee meant sote at night, but I didn¡¯t really care since I was going to be out of the academy again soon. Now all I needed was an object with soul memories and I couldmission a cksmith. ¡®How long will it take?¡¯ After a few moments of thinking about the Spectral Sword, Aizel brings me two cups of coffee. She pushes a cup of coffee into my hand, which is still resting on the table. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Aizel said, taking a quick sip of her coffee. I wasn¡¯t sure if she liked coffee, but it was a treat anyway, so I drank it without a word. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± We continued to drink our coffee and didn¡¯t talk to each other. This was often the case with Aizel. We didn¡¯t talk much, but we were content to be together. Well, I didn¡¯t mind it. As I was finishing my coffee, I suddenly started to feel a heaviness in my body. ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong? My head, which was still, tilted slightly. When I sensed something was wrong and was about to ask Aizel a question, she spoke first. ¡°¡­Did the coffee taste weird?¡± ¡°The coffee tasted¡­?¡± The coffee tasted normal, it was just a little sweet and salty. ¡°It¡¯s because there¡¯s liquor in this coffee, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ve never had liquor in my coffee before, and I can¡¯t really taste it.¡± Aizel¡¯s answer made my head spin as I don¡¯t remember drinking alcohol at all in this body. ¡°Alcohol¡­? You should have told me that¡­¡± My head whips around quickly and I hit the table. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m weak¡­or¡­¡± I trailed off as my mind faded away. *** ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve been drinking too much¡­ Are you asleep already¡­?¡± I turned to Zetto and asked. Before my eyes, I could see his head whipping around and then copsing onto the table. I poke my finger into his shoulder. ¡°Hah¡­ I guess I¡¯ll be forced to walk you back to your dorm.¡± I can¡¯t help but chuckle at the sess of my n. ¡°Hmph.¡± You¡¯re still weak to alcohol Zetto. Chapter 22: Voyeurism and Bold Plans (2) Chapter 22: Voyeurism and Bold ns (2) I watched him enter a cafe with Cadet Aizel, and then, since the restaurant across the street sold chicken soup, I ate some and watched them. ¡°Miss, you really eat well!¡± ¡°Hurrrrr, here¡­ Hurrrr¡­ It¡¯s delicious! So good!¡± The shopkeeper looked at me ufortably as I ate, but that wasn¡¯t the point. I¡¯m thinking, ¡°What is it with you and flirting with girls every chance you get, just because you like them?¡± I¡¯d seen him hanging out with a girl from Clementine Family when we ran into each other at the Academy. ¡®So, are you hiding your powers purely to attract girls¡­?¡¯ It could be. My grandfather had said something like that once. ¡®Kaen¡­.Men are animals with nothing but women in their heads. Beasts.¡¯ ¡®And you?¡¯ ¡®I was like that in my prime. You see, I¡¯m an old man now, and in my younger days I was quite popr. I even had one persistent woman who thought I was good and followed me all the way.¡¯ ¡®Grandfather is pretty cool!¡¯ If he¡¯s right, it¡¯s not a very remote possibility. ¡®Zetto, you beast. You¡¯re hiding your powers for nothing, unlike me, who¡¯s enjoying the ¡®pure¡¯ pleasure of hiding them.¡¯ I finished my soup and stood there for a moment. ¡°Miss, may I offer you a drink?¡± I was about to respond to the owner¡¯s friendly mention of a drink, but I caught sight of theming out of the cafe. They looked strange. ¡°No, I¡¯lle back another time!¡± I rushed out of the store, trying to get a better look at them. ¡®Cadet Aizel is supporting Zetto?¡¯ I wondered if a fight had broken out in the cafe, but it didn¡¯t since the caf¨¦ was quiet. What in the world could be going on in a cafe that would cause people to copse like that? Whatever the reason, I followed them. Zetto still didn¡¯t move much, and Aizel was just walking down the street, silently supporting him. It waste, so there weren¡¯t many people on the street and they traveled in silence. ¡®Where is this¡­?¡¯ They make their way to the boys¡¯ dormitory. Aizel led Zetto to the front of the dormitory, where they were met by a dormitory guard. ¡°Cadet Aizel, girls are not allowed in the boys¡¯ dormitory!¡± the guard said. The guard and Aizel have a conversation, and something crazy happens. Aizel, still carrying Zetto, is allowed to enter the men¡¯s dormitory building. ¡®I can¡¯t believe this¡­ No, no, no, I don¡¯t know yet.¡¯ For a moment, I almost imagined something really weird, but I wasn¡¯t sure. ¡®¡­Maybe he¡¯s just going to take him to his room and then leave.¡¯ No matter how I thought about it, that didn¡¯t seem right. The dorm guards aren¡¯t stupid so of course she would have promised toe back. Just then, Aizel walks out of the building alone. ¡®Yes, that¡¯s right, I almost had the wrong idea, Cadet Aizel¡­I thought you were cold, but you¡¯re actually a nice, warm person.¡¯ I don¡¯t know what this has to do with the ¡®cool¡¯ Aizel, who had shown off her overwhelming strength during the ss cement test, but I was inwardly relieved to see her walking out of the dormitory. She walked out, spoke to the guard again, and left. ¡®That¡¯s it for today.¡¯ I don¡¯t watch him after he enters the dorm since there was nothing to be gained by waiting for him to go into his room and sleep peacefully. Besides, I¡¯m not a very good sleeper. ¡®Time to go home.¡¯ With that, my watch for the day was over, and I turned to leave. ¡®Cadet Aizel¡­?¡¯ Aizel, who was leaving suddenly turned around. She circled around the guard in front of the dormitory, approached the dormitory wall, and climbed over it. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± My mouth dropped open at the rather shocking scene. ¡®Cadet Aizel is sneaking into the boys¡¯ dormitory¡­could it be because of Zetto?¡¯ I rubbed my eyes at the bizarre situation that had just unfolded. ¡®What would a grown man and woman do in a room¡­What are they going to do¡­ and why are there guards¡­?¡¯ I knew the answers, but I tried to ignore them. ¡®An animal¡­ I can¡¯t have people¡¯s attention stolen by an animal like that.¡¯ It was at this moment that my suspicion that Zetto was hiding his power to attract women turned into certainty. *** ¡°Whoa¡­¡± After slipping past the guards, I scaled the walls that surrounded the dormitory and hurried to the room where Zetto would be waiting. The room was unlocked with a key from Zetto¡¯s pocket, and the door was jammed with a small object to keep it from mming shut. Luckily, it waste enough that I was able to get into Zetto¡¯s room without running into anyone in the men¡¯s dorm. I walked into the room and saw Zetto lying on his bed sound asleep. I did it on a whim because I had been distracted by the faint scent of him on his clothes since I received them. But that didn¡¯t stop me from epting his clothes. No, maybe it was all an excuse. Maybe I¡¯m just rationalizing with myself that it had to happen. I hadn¡¯t even realized the ¡®sin¡¯ I hadmitted. ¡®But¡­What¡¯s done is done¡­¡¯ Zetto from the previous timeline was also very weak on alcohol. Once he drank, he would fall into a deep sleep and not wake up for a while. Zetto hasn¡¯t changed. It¡¯s just that my behavior has changed, and it¡¯s taking longer for him to get to me. Iy down next to Zetto, who wouldn¡¯t wake up for a long time then I crawled closer to him and burrowed into his arms. Iy across his thick arms as I buried my face in his chest. ¡°Sssh¡­ Hah¡­¡± ¡­The scent of his body, which I hadn¡¯t smelled in a long time, still made me dizzy. ¡°Zetto¡­¡± I noticed the bandages that always covered his eyes and suddenly remembered my conversation with Zetto in the previous timeline. [Don¡¯t you feel ufortable wearing the bandage all the time?] [Haha¡­ At first, yes, but now I feel weird without it.] [I was wondering what Zetto¡¯s eyes look like.] His face stiffened sharply at my casual remark. [I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something Miss Aizel needs to know.] The same Zetto who had been so kind to me said something cold to me. I wondered if there were bad memories I didn¡¯t want to remember. And then, just before he died, when he was talking to me, letting go of words he hadn¡¯t said before I saw his eyes for the first andst time. They were blue, the color of the beautiful ocean that I love so much at the beach in Veleshanas. It felt like fate. But, as much as it was thest, it was the worst. I wanted so badly to unwrap the bandages around his eyes right in front of me, to open them, to see what he was looking at in his sleep¡­ but I couldn¡¯t because he would realize that I took them off even if I put them back on. I didn¡¯t want to be hated by him. If I was hated by Zetto, it would be hard to live and I would have to start the cycle all over again. So for now¡­ I would feel the warmth of Zetto¡¯s body. I can hear his ragged breathing in front of my nose. I, and only I, can see him like this. ¡­This was just right. I hug him tightly. ¡®A kiss¡­ wouldn¡¯t that be enough¡­¡¯ An erotic thought shed through my mind as I remembered my conversation with Zetto earlier. ¡®But¡­I, I¡­¡­why don¡¯t I have¡­clothes¡­?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± His words trailed off, and I wondered if I had crossed the line with Zetto. I was angry because I didn¡¯t remember anything and I hoped that my ¡®first time¡¯ hadn¡¯t been so unremarkable. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t. I wish I could erase it from my memory since thinking about it makes me feel embarrassed and my face heats up. ¡®This is¡­yes, revenge.¡¯ I kissed the sleeping Zetto lightly. Zetto¡¯s lips were sweet. Was it because of the coffee? I don¡¯t know since it¡¯s my first time. Iy like that for a while, face buried in his arms. *** ¡°¡­¡­¡± I woke up to a familiar ceiling, the ceiling of my dorm room, to be exact. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± My head ached like it was going to crack, so I put my hand to my head. ¡®What happened yesterday?¡¯ Obviously, I drank coffee with alcohol. ¡®I was drinking coffee¡­¡¯ About the time I started to remember a voice I shouldn¡¯t have heard came from across the room. ¡°You¡¯re up. I wonder why things have changed sincest time.¡± ¡°Aizel¡­?¡± I look over to where the voice came from and see Aizel leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, wearing the same uniform as yesterday. ¡®Why is Aizel here¡­Ah.¡¯ There could only be one reason. ¡°You brought me here.¡± ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t know where your keys were, so I fumbled around for a while.¡± Aizel gives me her trademark sour look. I cked out in the caf¨¦ and Aizel walked me back to my dorm. ¡®Isn¡¯t this a pretty dangerous situation?¡¯ I was used to hiding things from her. But I couldn¡¯t question her now, not when she had an irond shell around her. ¡°I was going to leave a note or something but it wouldn¡¯t do you any good, would it?¡± Aizel throws her hands up and shrugs. ¡°Well¡­¡± I scratch the back of my head deliberately, trying to organize my thoughts. The bandage around my eye feels fine when I touch the back of my head. It hadn¡¯te off, that¡¯s for sure. Even if my senses were foggy with alcohol, I could still remember the feel of the knot. ¡®So, what could Aizel, the regressor, have done in this room¡­?¡¯ ¡­There wasn¡¯t much. The materials for the Spectral Sword were stored elsewhere, of course, and I tend to keep my room tidy. ¡®My lips are slightly moist¡­Did I drool or something?¡¯ I naturally wiped my lips. Hopefully Aizel didn¡¯t see that ugly scene. ¡°Anyway, thank you. You must be tired. I¡¯m not a strong drinker. Next time, be sure to tell me if you¡¯re going to drink.¡± I said that to Aizel, who had a nonchnt expression. First of all, Zetto¡¯s body seems to be strangely weak to alcohol. I guess it doesn¡¯t matter if I level up or not. In the real world, I was also very weak on alcohol¡­I don¡¯t know what this has to do with anything. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind, and now that you¡¯re awake, I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± ¡°Okay, sorry to bother you.¡± Aizel unsped her arms and left the room. ¡°Ha¡­¡± I let out the sigh I¡¯d been holding in as she left. This time it was really dangerous. Why on earth would a cafe serve alcohol with coffee? Cadets are technically adults, so it¡¯s not a problem, but I didn¡¯t expect a cafe to sell alcohol. ¡®I should have been more careful since it was the first time I went there¡­¡¯ Still, I¡¯m d things didn¡¯t go too badly but I didn¡¯t think Aizel was expecting me to be so weak to alcohol. At least nothing special happened. ¡®Somehow I got put off. Something with memories¡­and what was that Kaen doing spying on me and Aizel yesterday¡­¡¯ Given her meticulous and calcting nature, she¡¯s not one to mess around. ¡®Please don¡¯t cause me any trouble.¡¯ Chapter 23: Master (1) Chapter 23: Master (1) ¡°I¡¯ve had all the experiences of the stars.¡± The coachman who drove the carriage wandered off. I¡¯d gotten to know the carriage driver well, having used him a few times outside the academy. ¡°Why do you want to go to a ce that¡¯s hard on the eyes and has no roads this time?¡± The coachman¡¯s incessant grumbling was so loud that I gave up trying to get some sleep and spoke softly to him. ¡°¡­My master house is there, and I need to pick up something.¡± ¡°Well, did you say your name was Zetto? I don¡¯t know who your master is, but why don¡¯t you tell him to move?¡± ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s not possible now.¡± ¡®Residence¡¯ wasn¡¯t wrong, but ¡®grave¡¯ was more correct, since it was also the ce where she died. ¡°Eing, eing.¡± The coachman clicked his tongue, then returned his attention to pulling the carriage in silence. ¡®¡­I wonder what Kaen is up to.¡¯ The Kaen I¡¯d seenst time hadn¡¯t been acting much differently since then. Sometimes I think I caught a glimpse of her pink hair through the bushes, but I¡¯d like to think it was just my imagination. I have no idea what Kaen is up to since this didn¡¯t happen in the game. ¡®Something that didn¡¯t happen in the game¡­.¡¯ As I watch characters like Aizel and Kaen take different paths, I realize that the future may have be twisted. ¡®Aizel was especially¡­¡¯ Different from the game but she wasn¡¯t apletely different person. ¡®What if¡­¡­¡¯ An ominous feeling of foreboding quickly shed through my mind. ¡°Ha¡­¡± I sighed heavily, trying to ignore it. Knowledge and past information don¡¯t change¡­ I could only takefort in that and move forward. If I stopped, that was it. *** The chattering coachman quieted for a moment, allowing me to catch a few minutes of sleep. [Thump.] Suddenly, a knock on the carriage jolted me out of my slumber. ¡°Get out. We¡¯re here.¡± The coachman¡¯s voice came from the front so I opened the carriage door and slowly got out. As soon as I step out of the carriage, I am greeted by the sight of countless bamboo trees standing tall. It¡¯s nighttime, and the scene is eerie. ¡°Is this a bamboo forest?¡± ¡°When have I ever taken you to the wrong ce?¡± In the midst of my idle conversation with the coachman, a gust of wind blew in, rustling the forest. ¡°¡­Judging by the sound of the wind, this is the right ce.¡± ¡°So¡­ Should I wait here like you asked earlier?¡± The coachman looked at me and confirmed my earlier request. Before boarding the carriage, I had asked the coachman to wait at the arrival point for an additional fee. The area is off the beaten path, and I¡¯d have to walk a long way to get another carriage. ¡°Sure. It shouldn¡¯t take too much time, and if I don¡¯t return for a long time, as I said, you¡¯re free to go.¡± ¡°How will you find the way then?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my master taught me those things.¡± ¡°Please be careful.¡± I gave the coachman a smile, reassuring him as much as I could. I just needed to get the goods anyway and I had a general idea of the location, so it shouldn¡¯t take long. I left the carriage behind and walked slowly into the bamboo forest. This vast bamboo grove, some distance from the Innocence Academy, had a veryplicated path. I looked around and saw bamboo everywhere. In fact, there was no path at all. ¡®But¡­¡¯ She, the spirit I would seal in my Spectral Sword and whom I would refer to as my teacher to others, had decided to do her closed-door training here since it¡¯s a ce where few peoplee and go. ¡®Somewhere in these bamboo groves is her cave.¡¯ I made my way through countless overhanging bamboo. In case I need to return, I tear a piece of white cloth from my pack and tie it in a conspicuous ce on the bamboo I often encounter. There are no people around here anyway, so there¡¯s no point in pretending to be blind. There was one hint in the game to find the cave. In thisrge bamboo forest, there is arge waterfall, and her cave is hidden behind it. The location of the cave was obvious, but finding the waterfall was the problem. I had a way to make finding the waterfall less time consuming so after walking in circles for a while, I decided to listen to my surroundings. I could hear the sound of the bamboo forest wind and the sound of bamboo leaves swaying along with the asional bamboo bumping against each other. I trusted my sensory skills and concentrated on my hearing, then after a while I could hear the faint sound of a waterfall in the distance. It was a huge waterfall, so I figured I¡¯d be able to detect it by now, and I was right. I walked in the direction of the sound and as I continued walking, the sound gradually got closer and finally I spotted the waterfall. I followed the ravine and got closer to the waterfall. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± There¡¯s no way around it, so I¡¯m going to get my clothes wet. I plunged into the raging waterfall and as expected, the cave was behind the waterfall but it was pitch ck with no light. ¡®I don¡¯t think I can feel anything in there¡­.¡¯ I pulled out a small, portablemp from my backpack. ¡®A blind man lights amp because it¡¯s dark¡­¡¯ I chuckled at the irony of the situation, but I didn¡¯t care because I wasn¡¯t going to be seen by anyone. As I wandered through the cave, her tracks gradually became apparent. ¡®How many years did she spend in this cave?¡¯ Her seclusion was quite long but why was it so long? ¡®Swordsmanship.¡¯ She wanted to create a sword technique to defeat a single opponent. She had been defeated countless times by Sword Saint, and that was why she chose to train in seclusion. As I traveled deeper into the cave, traces of her life here began to emerge as objects of unknown use and tattered pieces of cloth were scattered throughout the cave. ¡®How many years have passed since her death?¡¯ A rough calction told me it had been close to ten to twenty years. She trained in seclusion before she died so there was a gap in time where she could have taken me as her disciple. Her death was an unfortunate one, as she didn¡¯t tell anyone about her closed-door training, but I knew she was gone. In the game, there were a limited number of souls that could be sealed in the Spectral Sword, an essential tool for practicing the Ghost yer Technique. Each soul was different, but most of them were powerful sword-wielders in life. ¡®To die of a long-standing illness just before the end of her training¡­¡¯ Moreover, many of them had suffered unjust deaths like hers. As powerful as they were, their souls would be grudge-bound ghosts, unable to leave the earth and stay where they were. ¡®The question is, where is the soul bound?¡¯ In this world, as in the game, everyone¡¯s body contains mana. When a person dies, they leave behind a corpse, or at least a skeleton, even if their flesh dposes. Of course, after many years in the ground, even the bones can disappear¡­ Mana yed a unique role here. In this world, the mana remaining in the bodies of the dead dposes even their bones. In the game, it was said that after five years, the corpses would disappear without a trace. This was a tidbit of knowledge that I gained while ying as a Necromancer. Until then, I hadn¡¯t really paid attention to what happened to corpses in the game, and I didn¡¯t have much information. Of course, graves still existed. It¡¯s said that the body of the dead disappearspletely, but shouldn¡¯t it be honored? The question is where do these powerful spirits, the ones I¡¯ll be sealing away when I practice the Ghost yer Technique, reside since there are no bodies or skeletons left behind. The answer is the object most associated with the dead. In the game, it¡¯s called a ¡°memory item¡±. As I walked along, thinking about the object, I came to the end of the cave. There were misceneous objects with unrecognizable shapes and what looked like crude bamboo furniture. She had been a swordsman in life. Perhaps the object with deep connections would be a sword but in her case it wasn¡¯t instead it was the thing on the table. I picked it up. ¡®¡­It¡¯s got a soul in it, and it gives me a chill when I pick it up.¡¯ As soon as I picked it up, I immediately felt goosebumps all over my body, but I shrugged them off as it was a normal thing to do. I took a closer look at the object. It wasn¡¯t rusted or worn in any way that would suggest it was special despite its age. The ne with a gemstone still looked brand new. The gemstone aside, the chain of the ne was also rust-free. It was a pendant she¡¯d worn around her neck her entire life, a pendant that now held her soul. ¡®The Pendant of Sierra.¡¯ When this pendant is used to forge a sword, a sword containing her soul is created. From then on, the soul inside the sword would bepletely sealed and contracted, preventing it from wandering off at will, and the sword would be trulyplete. I searched the floor a bit more and found her journal, stuffing it into my backpack and tucking the pendant into my arm. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± As I walk out of the cave, I can¡¯t shake the eerie feeling that lingers with me. In the game, the sentence ¡°I felt creepily scared¡± was simply written and didn¡¯t feel real, but this was different. ¡®It¡¯s kind of scary¡­¡¯ I must be mistaken. I reached the waterfall at the entrance to the cave and put themp back in my backpack then I jumped over the waterfall. The ground is firm as before. ¡®Finally, this is over,¡¯ I thought. I looked up, thinking to myself¡­¡­but suddenly I saw a ¡®person¡¯ with her face right up to my nose. It was a woman with long, dark hair. Her strange, violet eyes stared back at me. The dress she wore was plunging down to her breastbone, and the design seemed Eastern but upon closer inspection, her body was half transparent. No, the lower half was almost transparent. After staring at me for a while, her mouth opened. [Why do you want to take the dead¡¯s¡­precious things¡­?] Her voice, sounding somewhat shy, was noting from the front where she was, but from inside my head. The white bandage covering my eyes, the Blindfold That is Beyond Reason¡­seems to have literally pierced a line that shouldn¡¯t have been crossed. Her name was Sierra and she looked exactly as when she was alive. She was my ¡®fake¡¯ teacher and the soul that would enter the Spectral Sword. Chapter 24: Master (2) Chapter 24: Master (2) ¡°Why are you trying to take the precious belongings of the deceased¡­?¡± Sierra¡¯s shy and pure voice echoes in my head. Let¡¯s stay calm for now. Even if I can see her, Sierra may not be aware of my presence. ¡°Alright¡­ let¡¯s go.¡± I mutter to myself as if telling Sierra to listen to me and try to pass by her, standing directly in front of me. After all, she¡¯s just a soul, so I thought it would be impossible to make contact with her. However, the moment I try to pass through Sierra¡¯s body¡­ Thunk. My head, which I was trying to pass through Sierra, hits her chest. She was floating in the air, so my face and her chest were at the same height. I was so taken aback that I couldn¡¯t even move my head, which was buried in her chest. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The silence continues. I made contact. I mean, I was able to make contact with a ghost. Something went terribly wrong. I¡¯ve never hugged a woman¡¯s chest before, but I could immediately tell that the sensation on my face was no different from that of a living person. ¡°What are you doing right now¡­? You¡¯re so disrespectful¡­!¡± Sierra¡¯s trembling voice, covering her chest with both arms, echoes loudly in my head. ¡°You noticed my presence, so I knew it was only a matter of time¡­Stop pretending.¡± I hear Sierra¡¯s response and finally snap out of it, taking a step back. ¡®This situation is getting out of hand.¡¯ I tried to take something that had memories of Sierra in it, without her permission and although I don¡¯t know how, she¡¯s in a state where she can contact me. Fighting is not an option. Even if I win, there will be problems when I try to make a contract with the seal. I need to handle the situation calmly. First, I had to find out what Sierra knows. ¡°It¡¯s really strange¡­a blind person crossing the boundary of life and death¡­¡± Sierra flew around in the air and looked around me before opening her mouth. Since there was no mention of an object, it seems that she didn¡¯t see what happened in the cave. ¡°Why is there no answer?¡­ Why did you touch my belongings?¡± Sierra, who was wandering around me, wrapped her cheek with a cold touch and spoke. Why did I touch the belongings of someone who died decades ago? How did a blind person who can¡¯t even find his way in this dead forest find his way here? I couldn¡¯t be hostile to her and start my rtionship with her as a mere tomb robber. I have to treat her well from now on. ¡°¡­It¡¯s surprising. I wondered if I was just hearing nonsense for a moment¡­¡± ¡°The reality of me is not a fantasy. I certainly exist in this ce, in thisnd.¡± Sierra¡¯s confident voice echoed in my head. I showed her the pendant in my arms and spoke. ¡°If it¡¯s an item¡­ are you talking about this?¡± ¡°Yes. It is my precious item, and the item that binds my soul. Why are you trying to take it away?¡± ¡°You must be Sierra.¡± ¡°How do you know the name of the person who is nothing more than a distant figure from the past since you¡¯re so young?¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s the past, your reputation was spread by word of mouth. I¡¯ve been looking for you all this time.¡± ¡°Looking for me¡­?¡± As the conversation progressed, Sierra¡¯s eyes were filled with nothing but doubt. It was surprising because such things didn¡¯t happen in the game, but it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to think that it was due to the effect of the blindfold. Since it¡¯s a legendary-grade item, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if there was something hidden; after all it¡¯s called Blindfold That is Beyond Reason¡­ But more importantly I know the future and the past along with information about countless people and countless events in this world. If her spirit were to enter my Spectral sword and continue to speak to me, and I were to converse with her¡­ Whenever she questioned my actions, it would be incredibly tiresome to exin and make excuses one by one to resolve them. It would be easier to make her think of me as a mysterious figure that she couldn¡¯t understand for the sake of convenience in the future. ¡°¡­Miss Sierra you hid your whereabouts after experiencing numerous defeats from Sword Saint. I knew you went into seclusion for training to create a martial art that could defeat Sword Saint.¡± ¡°That¡­ was something I never told anyone¡­¡± Sierra makes a surprised expression but I can¡¯t answer her question. It was easier for her to think as she pleased. And there were still many shocking things for her. ¡°However, no matter how much you say it was for training, it¡¯s unrealistic to hide your whereabouts for decades. I vaguely sensed Sierra¡¯s death but I didn¡¯t know I could talk to you like this.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t keep up with this conversation¡­ What is your identity, knowing my name and where I was¡­?¡± Sierra, with a bewildered face, asks me but I can only stutter in front of her. ¡°My name is Zetto. I came here because I wanted to be Miss Sierra¡¯s Disciple¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­Disciple¡­?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a martial art to defeat Sword Saint or to defeat the best swordsman on the continent¡­I thought that would be the strongest martial art.¡± Of course, when I captured Sierra¡¯s soul in the game, I didn¡¯t acquire such martial arts. The martial arts she was creating were almostplete, but notpleted. However, is there no difference between the game and reality? It was the same with Emilia. To cure Emilia, I needed a 5-level acupuncture skill, but because I had memories of the process of curing her, I was able to cure her sessfully with only level 3 so I bet on that. I came here to obtain the strongest martial art that Sierra couldn¡¯tplete, which didn¡¯t even exist in the game. I had to make her think that this mysterious man who suddenly appeared must be doing this to obtain the strongest martial art. I had to deceive her. ¡°You¡¯re a suspicious guy¡­ Then, what about the item that contains my soul¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nning to make a Spectral Sword that contains Miss Sierra soul. To learn the martial arts of Miss Sierra, who has already be a dead person, I need this¡­¡± ¡°Spectral Sword¡­Yeah, if you¡¯re referring to the one I know it¡¯ll be easier to pass on my sword skills¡­ I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll have a hard time maintaining my form in the pendant as it is now¡­¡± Sierra knew what a Spectral Sword was. Maybe Spectral Swords were moremon in the past than they are now¡­ ¡°But I don¡¯t recall offering to take you as my disciple.¡± Sierra crosses her arms as she says this, a sour look on her face and she¡¯s right but I know her story and I know what she wants so I casted the bait. It was originally meant to be a bargaining chip, but I figured it might as well be a pre-arranged deal now. ¡°¡­Ms. Sierra¡­Don¡¯t you want to see me defeat Sword Saint with your sword skills?¡± Defeat¡­Sword Saint¡­with my sword skills¡­?¡± Sierra¡¯s eyes narrowed at my meaningful words. She was obsessed with the title of Sword Saint and spent her entire life striving for it but she never achieved it. After suffering countless defeats at the hands of the Sword Saint, she entered into closed-door training to create a sword technique to defeat him, but her illness worsened and she died before she couldplete it. It¡¯s hard to imagine that she¡¯d turn down this offer so easily now that her spirit can¡¯t even leave this world. ¡°Of course, the most certain and best way to defeat the Sword Saint would be for Miss Sierra herself to defeat him. But¡­ how can you achieve that since you¡¯ve be a spirit?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sierra¡¯s words suddenly be scarce. She also knows that it has been decades since she died so she must have been angry and frustrated for a long time. ¡°¡®Swordsmanship,¡¯ used when handling a sword, is also a sword technique that honors the soul contained in the sword. I will honor your unfairness, Miss Sierra.¡± I approach her and dere my ambition. ¡°I will be your disciple and defeat the Sword Saint with your swordsmanship.¡± ¡°My disciple¡­defeating the Sword Saint with my swordsmanship¡­¡± Sierra slowly ponders my words since there is nothing sweeter to her than this proposal. ¡°So, is the Sword Saint the same ¡®Sword Saint¡¯ that I know of?¡± Sierra is asking if the Sword Saint has changed into someone else during the passage of time. ¡°He is still the same Sword Saint, even though he has aged.¡± Soon, Sierra¡¯s eyes change, and she scrutinizes me from every angle. ¡°I definitely wanted to defeat the Sword Saint. It was truly heartbreaking that I couldn¡¯t defeat him and had to die from illness¡­¡± Sierra looks back on her past with regret. Now everything depends on her. It is a situation where we unexpectedly exchange deals without even making the sword. ¡®If things go wrong here, sealing will also be difficult and I will have to give up on Sierra¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­What was your name again?¡± In the tense moment, Sierra stands in front of me and asks for my name again. ¡°My name is Zetto.¡± ¡°Zetto¡­ I¡¯ll remember that. But, do you have all the rare materials needed for the sword? I know that there are many rare materials needed for the Spectral Sword.¡± ¡°I have collected all the materials. All that is left is to entrust the creation to a cksmith.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ It seems like my first disciple has quite good abilities.¡± ¡°First disciple? Are you epting me?¡± I ask Sierra with a joyful voice. ¡°It is true that you are a suspicious person¡­and it is also true that I cannot have anyone elsee here to solve my problem except for someone like you¡­¡± Sierra quickly makes a calction. Indeed, if I had note to her, her death would have been long forgotten. ¡°I had hoped so. I will ept your offer¡­ if only for the day I can defeat the Sword Saint. You will defeat the Sword Saint for me, and I will defeat the Sword Saint for you¡­¡± With that, Sierra walked over to me and hugged me with a smile on her face. Then she whispered in my ear. ¡°¡­I will teach you the Sierra Style Reverse Heaven.¡± Her voice, echoing in my head, sounds a little more seductive. Sierra Style Reverse Heaven was the name of the sword technique she would teach me. ¡°However¡­! Unfortunately, the reversal technique has not beenpleted yet. So you¡¯ll have toplete it with me.¡± Sierra says this to me and smiles sweetly. It was the moment when my ¡®fake¡¯ teacher became a ¡®real¡¯ teacher. ¡°By the way¡­ my student, do you know how to handle a sword¡­?¡± Soon, Sierra, with a serious expression, asked me a question as she watched the bandage on my eyes closely. Iughed out loud, thinking that this question was toote. Chapter 25: Master (3) Chapter 25: Master (3) After decades, the water of conversation had opened for Sierra¡­ She was very talkative. Even on the way back in the carriage, we talked a lot. Sierra led the way to therge road where the carriage was, so I didn¡¯t have to follow the white cloths that I had tied up to go back. Fortunately, as I expected, Sierra didn¡¯t appear or touch anyone else. When we arrived at the ce where the carriage was, the carriage driver who met us didn¡¯t even notice Sierra, whose lower body was transparent. That¡¯s how we headed back to the academy. Inside the carriage, Sierra talked to me brightly, while outside, the carriage driver chattered on and on. It was enough to drive me crazy. [¡­That¡¯s why it¡¯s called ¡®Reverse Heaven¡¯. It starts with holding the sword in reverse.] Sierra held onto my shoulder and said to me brightly. Even moving things like carriages could pass through her body and if she didn¡¯t hold onto me, she had to keep moving, which was a hassle. ¡°Did you have a good time meeting your teacher?¡± The carriage driver asked me. ¡°Yes¡­ she was doing well, haha¡­¡± I had talked to Sierra about it beforehand but I couldn¡¯t respond to her in public. [Hmm¡­? My disciple¡¯s cheekiness knows no bounds. To just go and see your teacher without permission¡­] She held onto me tightly, pressing her chest against my back, as she listened to our conversation. She had told me to just listen to her words without answering, but she couldn¡¯t stop talking. I dryly responded while listening to the voices of the carriage driver and Sierra for a long time. Even the mental fatigue wasn¡¯t solved by Reina¡¯s bracelet. ¡°Haah¡­¡± I let out a deep sigh while swaying in the carriage. *** [Were you a cadet at the Academy¡­?] Sierra asks in surprise as we step out of the carriage and into the Academy grounds. [I thought you looked older¡­ but you were younger than I realized¡­] Sierra follows me, calcting the age difference that no longer means anything to her now that she¡¯s dead. ¡°So¡­ When are you going into the pendant¡­?¡± I blurted out to Sierra, not even turning my head to make sure no one was around. Maybe I should learn ventriloquism or something so we can talk more easily in the future¡­ [It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m still rxing. It¡¯s nice to get out of the stuffy bamboo forest.] Sierra puts her hands on her hips, straightens her chest, and takes a deep breath. She¡¯s not sure if she needs to breathe as a spirit, but¡­ [I¡¯ve always wanted to visit the Innocence Academy sometime¡­disciple why don¡¯t you give me a tour?] Sierra¡¯s eyes narrowed as she leaned in close, beckoning me. ¡°There must have been an academy back then, why didn¡¯t you join?¡± [When I was younger, it was fashionable not to go to the academy¡­.] ¡°Aha¡­¡± I suddenly realized the generation gap between me and Sierra. Generation gap is a worldview be it in a fantasy world or otherwise. [Actually, I wanted to go to the academy¡­ but there were powerful people outside the academy that I wanted to defeat, so I couldn¡¯t go¡­] Sierra, who had been following me, suddenly stopped. The sun was just beginning to rise in the morning, and there was still plenty of time before sses began. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll show you around then, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll enjoy it, it¡¯s so much more advanced than it was back then.¡± With that, I decided to give Sierra a tour of the academy. Entering the academy through a side street, I didn¡¯t head for the dormitories, but instead went straight to the streets of the inner city. The streets were not yet active since most of the shops were just getting ready to open for business. [How did you¡­ memorize all the streets?] ¡°It¡¯s like I have a map in my head.¡± I wasn¡¯t wrong, as the map of the Academy I saw in the game was still fresh in my mind. [You said it¡¯s a feeling or an unusual ability. To tell others that I taught you makes me feel like a teacher being yed by her student¡­] Sierra, who had gotten a little ahead of herself, stumbles toward me, eyes wide. [Take this!] Sierra snapped at me and shed at the top of my head with her hand but it didn¡¯t hurt, and it didn¡¯t feel bad. [I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to hide, but¡­ Since you are my first student and don¡¯t seem to have a bad heart, I think I¡¯ll stick around and help you as a ¡®real¡¯ teacher from now on.] Sierra smiles at me, as if to cheer me up. [¡­So you don¡¯t have to try and carry it all on your shoulders, I just hope that one day you¡¯ll be able to confide in me.] Sierra stroked my hair with her free hand as she spoke. Her voice, echoing from the top of my head, was soothing and warm. She doesn¡¯t know me, and neither does anyone else. I¡¯m sure the events of the night were embarrassing enough for Sierra. To be honest I was just taking advantage of her situation and her story. I¡¯m d things worked out the way it did before she entered the Spectral Sword, but¡­ I felt bad for Sierra. No one is a ¡°character¡± in the game anymore. She was a person with a real life, a dead person from the past with a story to tell. I looked at Sierra¡¯s vibrant smile and reminded myself of that. ¡°¡­Thank you. Master.¡± I meant it. Sierra must have realized that in some vague way, but I felt deeply grateful for her willingness to understand me. ¡®I¡¯ll just have to do my best¡­¡¯ I¡¯ll defeat the Sword Saint with her one day. As we walked down the street, people began to roam the streets so naturally, I couldn¡¯t respond to Sierra¡¯s words but she still spoke. [What is that¡­? A general store? There are things like this inside the academy. Let¡¯s go in, student, this way. Come on!] I followed Sierra into the general store that had opened earlier. ¡°Oh, blind saint, you¡¯re back¡­ It¡¯s been a while¡­ You were so kind to mest time¡­¡± As I entered the general store, the owner, an old woman I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, thanked me. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m telling you every time, but even so, being a saint is too much for me¡­ Haha¡­¡± In the game, she was an NPC named ¡°Coughing Grandma,¡± and she was averse to medicine¡­ I had to buy her a sweet candy-like medicine to solve the quest. Luckily, she doesn¡¯t cough anymore. [ Blind Saint¡­? My disciple seems to have a good reputation.] Sierra, who was watching, spoke up. ¡°So, what did youe here for this morning, just to talk¡­?¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡± I drooled at the owner¡¯s question and waited for Sierra. [¡­This! This is a strange item, a mesmerizing potion¡­? What a great gift for a loved one¡­] Sierra picked up a ¡®misceneous item¡¯ called an mesmerizing potion. It was really a meaningless item as I don¡¯t recall it ever increasing the likability of a character in the game. ¡®Well, I guess I¡¯ll have to buy it just because she is curious¡­ But how do I exin to her that I want it?¡¯ I pondered, then opened my mouth. ¡°¡­My friend said she wanted to y a little prank, and that there¡¯s this thing called mesmerizing potion for sale here¡­ Is there really such a thing?¡± ¡°Oh, there is¡­¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take that then.¡± I was about to take the money pouch when the old woman grabbed my arm and shoved the potion at me. ¡°Ai, what is this¡­ just take it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you.¡± I thanked the old woman and walked out of the general store. I tucked the potion roughly into my backpack as Sierra might want me to try itter, just to be sure. ¡®It won¡¯t do anything, so there¡¯s no point¡­¡¯ And so we wander around, looking at whatever Sierra wants. We still had some time before ss but I was getting hungry so Sierra and I came to a deserted alleyway and talked for a while. I leaned against the wall of the alleyway, trying to hide my hunger from others. [I thought her apprentice was a golem who never ate or slept.] ¡°My eating won¡¯t make you taste or do anything¡­?¡± [That¡¯s true, but it will be satisfying to watch you eat. How did I survive without real food during my training? I miss the vorful food so much¡­] Well, I¡¯ve heard that there are people in real life who are satisfied just by watching others eat¡­ ¡°Delicious food¡­¡± I wondered what I should eat at Sierra¡¯s words. ¡°Do you have any favorite foods?¡± I don¡¯t know what Sierra likes to eat. Although we¡¯ve been walking around and talking I think she might have some unusual tastes. [Hmm¡­Something that¡¯s not too heavy for the first meal. Yes, soup would be a good idea, I used to eat soup for breakfast.] ¡°Soup¡­ I¡¯ve never been to that restaurant, but I know where it is.¡± I¡¯ve never had a craving for soup, so I¡¯ve never been to the restaurant but there was one ce that I knew had good soup. ¡®They used to sell chicken soup, didn¡¯t they?¡¯ I walked out of the alley and remembered the location. As I approached the shop, I saw a familiar cafe. ¡®¡­That cafe.¡¯ It was the ce where Aizel had gotten me drunk with alcoholic coffee. Coffee with alcohol¡­ It was delicious, but I don¡¯t want to try it again. In retrospect, it was stronger than I expected. I stood in front of the soup shop across the street from the caf¨¦ but Sierra had already gone inside and was looking around. I opened the door and poked my nose in. ¡°This ce¡­what kind of food do you sell?¡± ¡°Uh, ah¡­! Our cranberry soup is our best-selling chicken soup!¡± The owner paused when he saw the bandage around my eye, but then spontaneously answered me. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ While listening to the owner I look closely at the customer and recognize the pink hair I¡¯ve seen before. It was Kaen but the problem was that Sierra, who had entered the store earlier, was standing next to her, watching her intently. Kaen is a disciple of Sword Saint. In other words, she was also a disciple of Sierra¡¯s nemesis. ¡®Did she notice¡­?¡¯ Chapter 26: Master (4) Chapter 26: Master (4) The cranberry soup shop had a long table in front of the owner¡¯s kitchen. A bar table, if you will. ¡°You¡¯ve had a rough morning! You¡¯re in the same grade, why don¡¯t we sit together?¡± I didn¡¯t see any reason to refuse the owner¡¯s offer, so I sat down next to Kaen. I asked for chicken soup. When you go to a restaurant for the first time, it¡¯s only right to try the best menu items first. As I sat down next to her, I felt her shoulders lift for a moment. My ¡®super senses¡¯ were giving me a lot of information without me having to look directly at anything. ¡®Is this the first time I¡¯ve seen Kaen this close?¡¯ We hadn¡¯t had a chance to meet yet, as we were still half a world apart. From Kaen¡¯s point of view, I¡¯m hiding my identity and power, and it¡¯s difficult to approach me. Anyway, for now, Kaen is ying the part of a normal ss C cadet. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you! I¡¯ve had my eye on you ever since the cement test¡­!¡± Kaen says to me in a cheerful tone. Her ¡®real¡¯ tone was much more serious than this. It was a lot clumsier than Aizel¡¯s acting, but hey, acting is acting, so I¡¯ll take it. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m Zetto.¡± I bowed my head slightly to Kaen, who was sitting next to me. ¡°I¡¯m Kaen!¡± Kaen greeted back, her pink hair bouncing in response. Her emerald eyes were a striking contrast to her hair color. Meanwhile, Sierra, who was next to Kaen, was iling her arms through Kaen¡¯s body and staring at Kaen¡¯s head. The whole ce was in a frenzy of bizarre behavior. It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m the only one who can see it. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Being scrutinized by Sierra, Kaen stopped eating her soup and put an arm around her shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± It was a pure question so I wondered how Sierra¡¯s presence affected the others. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I just got this unexined chill¡­ Ahaha¡­! There¡¯s no reason for that¡­¡± Kaen scratched the back of her head. ¡®Chill¡­?¡¯ More like goosebumps. I¡¯ll have to tell Sierra to keep her distanceter. Before the chicken soup I ordered is served, Sierra, who has stopped looking at Kaen, says to me in a low voice. [ Disciple, this woman is not an ordinary person, but she seems to be pretending to be¡­ unusually ordinary ]. I can¡¯t respond to Sierra¡¯s words in front of people, so I let it go. Sierra seems to have noticed. I hadn¡¯t gotten to the part about her being the Sword Saint¡¯s disciple yet, but I¡¯m sure I will one day. Each character had their own story, and I had to intervene to change the oue for the better, so it was inevitable that I would eventually run into them. ¡°Here¡¯s the chicken soup you ordered!¡± The owner said as he finished making the soup and shoved it in front of me. ¡®That came out pretty quick.¡¯ I scooped up a mouthful of soup with my spoon. ¡°Oh, Uncle, I want another bowl too!¡± Kaen, who had been watching me, eximed. ¡°I thought you were eating well fromst time!¡± The owner, excited by the extra order, also eximed. ¡®Another bowl¡­?¡¯ The Kaen I know doesn¡¯t eat much. If she was a glutton, Yuri would eat much more. So the calcting Kaen wanted to stay by my side a little longer, but I don¡¯t know why. It wasn¡¯t long before I realized she was secretly watching me, so I had no information. The Kaen of the game should have been ying a normal ss C cadet by now, keeping her face out of the game. She was acting as if she didn¡¯t exist, and even when I found her early in the game and tried to talk to her, she didn¡¯t respond well. She¡¯s quick to say something and then walks away. ¡°Cadet Zetto, you¡¯re so good with the sword even though you¡¯re blind¡­ That must be the result of ¡®hard work¡¯¡­?¡± Kaen says to me, scraping her spoon across the empty bowl as she waits for her soup. ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s the result of having a good teacher.¡± At my next words, Sierra, who was sitting next to me, leaned in close enough to obscure my soup and whispers. [A good teacher¡­ This teacher hasn¡¯t even taught her student how to swing a sword yet. An unknown master¡­ What a convenient excuse. ] Anguid voice echoed in my head that tickled my entire body, though it wasn¡¯t really audible. Sierra seemed to be amused by my excuses. ¡°Your master¡­must be a good person!¡± Kaen giggled brightly as she repeated the word master. I nodded at her and took another mouthful of soup. [ Pause¡­ I feel like I¡¯m watching a y to kill time with you both talking through thick masks. ] Sierra was only vaguely aware of Kaen¡¯s acting but I looked at her and wondered what the hell she was doing. Kaen and I ate the soup in silence after that. The soup was moderately seasoned, nd in vor, warming to the stomach, and easy to eat again and again. ¡°Yuck¡­¡­¡± As I was scooping up the soup, I saw Kaen struggling next to me. She looked very full. ¡®If you¡¯re not going to talk to me, why did you eat more¡­?¡¯ I had just finished my meal and was about to leave the table to make room for Kaen, who was struggling to eat more. ¡°I¡¯lle again next time~!¡± I said to the energetic owner and left the restaurant. From behind me, someone rushed out after me. ¡°That¡­ Cadet Zetto¡­!¡± I turned around at the sound of urgent footsteps and saw Kaen gasping for breath. ¡°Perhaps you could have a duel with me next time, I¡¯m a swordsman myself¡­ I¡¯m not good, but I¡¯d love to learn!¡± Kaen requested a duel but I was unsure of her intentions. She is Sword Saint student and like Aizel is not necessary for her to attend the Academy. Sierra was watching Kaen¡¯s mysterious request for a duel. [ Hmph. Interesting, apprentice. What are you doing? ept it. ] I mulled over Sierra¡¯s words. ¡®Kaen is a disciple of Sierra¡¯s goal, the Sword Saint, but¡­¡¯ As long as Kaen doesn¡¯t use a sword technique of any kind, I think we can get along just fine. I don¡¯t think Kaen asked for this duel to defeat me anyway. There¡¯s no way she¡¯d reveal her sword art in a mundane duel like this. ¡°¡­Very well, let¡¯s cross swords sometime.¡± I epted Kaen¡¯s offer but I couldn¡¯t tell if Kaen was pleased or surprised. ¡°I¡¯lle find you when I can!¡± Kaen smiled and waved at me. Maybe I should take this as an opportunity to find out what Kaen¡¯s intentions are. *** I noticed that he had moved away and stopped putting on my bright face. He was blind anyway, so a cheerful expression would be meaningless to him. It was just a nasty habit of mine. I lowered the corner of my mouth and opened my eyes calmly. ¡®He¡¯s been watching me, too. Since when?¡¯ How did he know I¡¯d be a regr at that soup shop every morning? Judging by his behavior, he was new to the shop. ¡®Is it just a coincidence¡­?¡¯ But he had noticed my surveince. After that, I tried to be stealthier with my shadow erasing and just when I thought I was safe, he came looking for me. He sat down next to me and exuded a shameless air. ¡®You¡¯re hiding your power. I¡¯m sure of it.¡¯ The vibe I felt after he sat down was indescribably creepy. I didn¡¯t like the timing of his appearance in the store. It came just as I was finishing my soup, and I ended up forcing myself to eat another bowl. ¡®I¡¯m full¡­¡¯ It was disgraceful but I had no choice but to challenge him to a duel. ¡®But you¡¯re still epting my duel request so easily¡­Despicable.¡¯ A duel between cadets is a purepetition, but it¡¯s different for those who are in the spotlight. I¡¯ll be spreading the word before the duel so that many cadets wille to watch. ¡®Make him show his strength in front of the cadets.¡¯ He can¡¯t be a cadet in ss A and lose to a cadet in ss C. I have to match him just right and force him to reveal his strength then I¡¯ll reveal my hidden power, and I¡¯ll steal their attention at once. It was a devious n, even for me. ¡®How dare you hide your power in front of me?¡¯ I¡¯ve done everything in my power to hide it and I¡¯vee all the way to the Innocence Academy to get a more exhrating feeling. I have months of hard work ahead of me, and I have no intention of sitting idly by and letting him get away with it. ¡®However, it also seems that he has epted the duel too easily¡­¡¯ That didn¡¯t seem like the choice of a man who wanted to hide his strength and that¡¯s a problem. For now, I think he¡¯s hiding his strength to attract girls. A few days ago, I remember seeing Cadet Aizel enter the men¡¯s dormitory for him. I waited for her to show up, but she didn¡¯t leave the dorm until morning but I couldn¡¯t figure out what that meant and I still blush when I think about that day. ¡®What an unscrupulous¡­¡¯ I stayed up all night, dozed off in ss, and was scolded by Instructor Kaliman. Cadet Aizel wasn¡¯t the only one. Maybe Cadet Yuri, who was close to him, was also in danger. ¡®No way¡­ Is he targeting me¡­?!¡¯ I sensed the creature¡¯s power reaching out to me. After all, I was a girl, too. ¡®A cool girl, a cute girl, a strong girl, they¡¯re all the same to you.¡¯ I vowed to kick his ass in the duel. ¡®But I¡¯ll have to make sure I don¡¯t use my grandfather¡¯s swordsmanship against Zetto.¡¯ Chapter 27: Short Break Chapter 27: Short Break The instructors gathered in the conference room. It was a morning ritual, but today they had a little more to talk about, and their meeting was dragging on. ¡°The boring theories areing to an end¡­ The Labyrinth will be open as usual this year, and Headmaster Juliut has asked me if we could ¡®specially¡¯ allow the first-year cadets to enter at the same time as the others.¡± Edward said, the corners of his mouth turning up in anticipation. ¡°The Labyrinth? I think it¡¯s a little early for first year cadets¡­¡± Kaliman replied with concern as he stroked his rough beard. ¡°What do the other instructors think?¡± Edward asked, undeterred, ncing at the others. ¡°Well, Prisci¡¯s going to have her hands full when the Labyrinth opens, and if the first year cadets starting in around the same time¡­ I don¡¯t think Prisci¡¯s going to be able to handle it, and the number of injuries is bound to increase.¡± Raina worried about her old friend, Prisci. In her mind¡¯s eye, she had a clear picture of her drinking with Prisci and how she would lose her temper. Edward stared at the old instructor without speaking. He had been an instructor at the Innocence Academy for many years, a great leader, and had been Edward, Kaliman, Raina, and Prisci¡¯s instructor in the past. Currently, due to Edward¡¯s unexpected arrival, he has given up his position as ss C instructor to Kaliman but had noints about it, as he was thrilled that his students would be teaching. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea for the cadets to gain experience a little sooner. There¡¯s a lot riding on this one¡­ I will speak to Prisci.¡± Edward pped at the old instructor¡¯s next words. Very well. We have some time before the Labyrinth opens, so we¡¯ll have plenty of time for the necessary training.¡± Edward walks out of the meeting, not sure why he was so excited but the other instructors were ustomed to it since it wasn¡¯t the first time they saw him acting this way. ¡°I wish I could have some fun at work¡­¡± Edwards¡¯ departure was met with a collective sigh from the remaining instructors. *** Calling the cadets into the ssroom, Edward tells them that the Labyrinth will soon open. This time, unusually, it would be open to first-year cadets at the same time. Edward exins that there will be mandatory training to enter the Labyrinth in the future, but today he gives the cadets a basic exnation of the Labyrinth. ¡°Thebyrinth¡­ I thought it opened a littleter for first years, haha.¡± After Edward¡¯s lesson, Yuri sat next to me, running a hand through her red hair as if to ease her nerves, concentrating on braiding each strand. Yuri wasn¡¯t the only one, the other cadets had their own stories to tell about the Labyrinth. ¡°It was supposed to be¡­¡± The Labyrinth is an unusual dungeon located inside the Innocence Academy. It is often said that the academy was built here because of thisbyrinth. Every year, the structure of thebyrinth changes and the rewards change. The dungeon was one of the few ces in the game where you could earn experience outside of ss, with the difficulty increasing as you descend. Originally, first-year cadets were not allowed to experience thebyrinth until the older cadets were well into their exploration of thebyrinth. In the game, the yer doesn¡¯t have to wait for that, and unusually, the first-year cadets start at the same time. ¡®This looks exactly like the game.¡¯ Well, it¡¯s not like the academy faculty didn¡¯t understand. The quality of the cadets was so high that this first-year ss was called the Golden ss¡­ There was nothing wrong with sending them a little faster. In the end, it¡¯s all about skill and to sparkpetition with the senior cadets. Of course, from the yer¡¯s point of view, it¡¯s just a new ce to get experience. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s because there¡¯s a lot of expectation for our year.¡± I replied to Yuri, who was staring at me intently. On a side note, Sierra decided she had had enough and disappeared into the pendant before ss started. I¡¯m not sure when she¡¯lle out again, but I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯ll spend a lot more time wandering around after I make the Spectral Sword. So far, no one has noticed Sierra¡¯s presence. She¡¯s a spirit, after all¡­and it would be difficult for anyone other than a high ranking cleric ormand mage to recognize her presence. ¡®Edward¡¯s ss gave me little experience today, so¡­¡¯ The opening of the Labyrinth was a wee sight. Labyrinths are specially enchanted dungeons, so it¡¯s impossible to die in them. Of course, you can get injured, but I¡¯ve leveled up enough to take that risk, and there are things like Hidden Pieces, so it¡¯s a win-win situation. At this point, I¡¯m going to try to build The Spectral Sword before the Labyrinth opens. This will allow me to level faster and get to Hidden Pieces more easily. Most importantly¡­A tricky enemy lurks within thisbyrinth. ¡®He exists¡­ I¡¯m sure Aizel, the Regressor, knows of his existence.¡¯ She probably doesn¡¯t care, though. Whether it¡¯s because she doesn¡¯t think he¡¯s a nuisance or because he¡¯s not associated with the demons she despises, the in-game Aizel hasn¡¯t intervened in this case. I can see Aizel¡¯s face in my mind¡¯s eye, her eyes seemingly unconcerned. I know there¡¯s a reward for defeating him, and there are quests rted to him, so I¡¯d rather he didn¡¯t get involved. There will be fewer variables that way. ¡®There will be quests for the Medical Technology Club¡­¡¯ I¡¯ll be able to heal cadets who¡¯ve been injured by him, earning experience and a small reward. Money aside¡­ It¡¯s always good to have experience but the thought of being busy again makes me cringe. There¡¯s still time before the Labyrinth opens, so I need to visit the cksmith. ¡®But first¡­ Let¡¯s rest today. Just one day¡­¡¯ I haven¡¯t slept in days, and while my body is fine thanks to the bracelet, I can feel the mental exhaustion. The chatter between Sierra and the coachman might have had an effect on me too. Deciding that I needed a good night¡¯s rest, I stood up. When the instructor¡¯s ss ends early, the cadets have free time to literally do whatever they want to do, called independent practice time. This is a good time to visit an instructor who has a skill you want to learn, and if the Labyrinth was open, this is a good time to visit the Labyrinth. I¡¯d be busy making the Spectral Sword, or I¡¯d be up all night practicing mana maniption in the performance hall. ¡°They said there¡¯s an exploration ranking, so I wonder if we, first years, will be able to make it¡­¡± Yuri muttered as she stood up after me. ¡°We can, right? The rewards are good.¡± I think I¡¯ll try for the rankings since the monthly exploration rankings are for the entire school year, and the rewards are generous. ¡®I¡¯ll be busy once thebyrinth opens.¡¯ *** After trainingte into the night, I finally made it back to my dorm. I was stillcking in many ways when it came to mana maniption since the sensation of mana was unfamiliar to me and wondered when I would finally be able to infuse my weapons with mana. I was stuck. Even though I had a day off, I couldn¡¯t neglect my training but my day off was enough to keep me from leaving the academy at night. ¡®I¡¯ll visit the cksmith tomorrow¡­¡¯ I n to sleep well this time. Sierra didn¡¯te out of the pendant since ss. Well, from the carriage to the academy grounds, she¡¯d held her form for quite a while. As I opened the door and entered the room, I began to feel Sierra¡¯s energy radiating from the pendant. Smoke billows out of the pendant, and it begins to take shape. [ I thought I was going to die of boredom inside the pendant. ¡­but I¡¯m already dead. ] As if on cue, the fully formed Sierra stretches out and throws a jab at me. ¡®Youe out at night and go in during the day¡­¡¯ Somehow, Sierra had be nocturnal. Today, however, there was no need to go outside. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a good night¡¯s sleep, so you might as well go back to your pendant¡­¡± I said in a firm tone to Sierra, who was looking around the room for something interesting. [ Hmm? What about the Spectral Sword, weren¡¯t you supposed to visit the cksmith today? ] ¡°I can¡¯t do this anymore so I¡¯m just going to take a day off. Since the tricky stuff was resolved so quickly I thought it might be a good idea to rest.¡± I replied to Sierra as I unpacked my backpack. Sierra floats around the room andes close to me, her soothing voice echoing in my head. [ The ingredients for the Spectral Sword must have been hard toe by¡­ so you¡¯ve been on the move all night without a break ]. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right¡­? There was something that happened and I couldn¡¯t wait to see Master.¡± I blurted out to Sierra, who was worried about me. Sierra, who was worried about me, shudders and heads towards the bed. [ Phew, you¡¯re good at ttery ]. Sierraid down on the bed while saying. ¡®You lie down as naturally as water flows.¡¯ Well, maybe not exactly lying down. Sierra passed through objects so now she was floating in the air, pretending to be in contact with the bed. ¡°You¡¯re not going to be watching your apprentice sleep for a long time, are you?¡± [ I wasn¡¯t nning on watching¡­ ] Sierra¡¯snguid voice rings out. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be bored?¡± I say, changing into morefortable clothes out of her sight. Turning back to the bed, I see Sierra still sprawled out on it. ¡°And¡­ You¡¯re ufortable when you pretend to lie down.¡± [ I mean, it¡¯s boring in the pendant¡­ ] I hit the nail on the head, and Sierra grumbled about her difort and moved away from the bed. Iy back down, I couldn¡¯t remember thest time I¡¯d stretched out after a night of drinking, so the feel of the fluffy bed somehow felt like a long time ago. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to keep youpany today.¡± I said to Sierra, who was watching me nervously from the side. Sierra paused at my words, then spoke up. [ ¡­I was wondering if you could lend me your shoulder for a moment.] After saying that, Sierra moved closer to me on the bed. Her voice was a little shaky. Then, without waiting for my response, she leaned against my shoulder. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Her body lightly touches my arm. [After decades of not being able to touch people, it¡¯s a strange relief to be able to do so¡­ ] Sierra, who was leaning against my shoulder, spoke in anguid voice. ¡°That¡­ Yeah¡­¡± [ It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t understand what I mean, I just want to stay like this for now. ] I let Sierra be as she was and didn¡¯t touch her in any way. Sierra¡¯s eyes were closed. I don¡¯t know if she could sleep, but she looked¡­ so peaceful. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to get much sleep tonight either. But that didn¡¯t make me feel bad. Chapter 28: The Blacksmith and the Affectionate Priestess (1) Chapter 28: The cksmith and the Affectionate Priestess (1) I didn¡¯t sleep well that night, but Sierra seemed a little more energized afterward. [ I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s a cksmith in a town like this who can make a Spectral Sword. ] Sierra, circling around me, says. ¡°It¡¯s a tricky ce to get to, since a town that exists in the middle of nowhere. I¡¯m prepared, though, so we¡¯ll have to try.¡± I say, patting my chunky backpack. We had traveled to a vige near the academy to meet with the cksmith who would make the Spectral Sword. After disembarking from the carriage and entering the vige, I set out to find the cksmith. It waste at night and the town was small, so there were no people out and about. [ What kind of cksmith could make a Spectral Sword¡­ a dwarf? No, dwarves don¡¯t live in ces like this.] Sierra¡¯s curiosity about the cksmith¡¯s identity is piqued. ¡°I don¡¯t know what he looks like either, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll recognize him when you see him.¡± I answered her question with a smile. At my answer, Sierra tilted her head, still unsure. As we walked along the vige road, I spotted a house that was subtly set back from the road. It was a fairlyrge mansion for a small town. ¡°This must be it.¡± I said, stopping in front of the mansion. As I approach the mansion to knock on the door, I feel something run through my body. [ I think you¡¯ve struck something¡­ ] ¡°It¡¯s probably just a light cordon to see if anyone ising in, he doesn¡¯t like to be disturbed.¡± Approaching the mansion¡¯s door, I knock politely. ¡°¡­¡± I knocked on the door, but there was no sign of life inside the mansion. ¡®He wouldn¡¯t have gone out¡­¡¯ He¡¯s living under a false identity, so I should be cautious in my approach, but I do have a gift to stifle this rudeness. I put my hand on the door, ready to knock again, and it opened. ¡°What brings you here? If you¡¯re looking for the vige chief, you¡¯vee to the right ce¡­¡± The man who opened the door and introduced himself as the vige headman was a young man with a clean-cut appearance for a cksmith who can make a Spectral Sword. His unusually light blond hair stood out so I knew he was the cksmith I was looking for. [He¡¯s just an ordinary human by all appearances, is he really a cksmith?] Sierra, beside me, asks. However, I do see the young chief¡¯s eyes drift to Sierra as she floats through the air. ¡°This¡­ I don¡¯t know what to call you, Mr. Chief¡­ Or should I call you Mr. Deidros, am I in the right ce?¡± When I say the name Deidros, the chief¡¯s eyes be very serious since Deidros was his name as a cksmith. ¡°¡­We¡¯ll talk about it inside,e in.¡± The young chief suddenly changes his tone and demeanor. He opens the door and invites us inside his mansion and we follow him into the mansion, which is very luxurious. There is no shortage of expensive-looking things decorating the mansion and the artwork that was on disy revealed a lot about his temperament. Sierra flew around the mansion, marveling at the luxury that seemed out of ce for a vige chief. I followed him into arge room with couches lined up around a table. The young chief plops down on one of the couches then patted the couch next to him and invited me to sit down. ¡°I hope I wasn¡¯t being rude foring thiste at night. Thanks for letting me in.¡± I told him, sitting down on the couch to match him. ¡°It¡¯s one thing for a blind man toe all the way here, but when you¡¯re emitting such powerful spirit energy, it¡¯s obvious what you¡¯vee for.¡± The young chief nced at me, then downed the liquor on the table. He didn¡¯t show it, but I could tell he was ufortable. I looked at him and pulled out a bottle of alcohol from my backpack. I took out something that would help improve our rtionship. ¡°I can smell the alcohol on you¡­ I have something for you, but I don¡¯t think you need it.¡± His eyes locked on the bottle I held out. ¡°Just a moment¡­ Give me that bottle.¡± I obediently hand him the bottle. He takes the bottle, reads thebel slowly, and then turns to me. ¡°This¡­ Where did you get this?¡± The wine he was holding wasbeled as a ¡°very old wine¡± in the game. While wine tends to be more vorful and valuable the longer it is aged, while this liquor is more like a cheap distilled spirit so it¡¯s not a very valuable item in the game. However, it is an item that increases the likability of the man in front of me. It¡¯s a drink he used to drink, a drink that has since been discontinued and is now hard to find. It¡¯s a nostalgic drink for him. ¡°I helped a man clean out his warehouse on the way here, and he gave me this in return, because I don¡¯t drink¡­¡± The game¡¯s structure wasn¡¯t too difficult. There were countless instances where you could visit a specific person and pick up items rted to a certain person along the way. ¡°On the way to town¡­ Hahaha! You said it was dark under thentern¡­ You must have been close¡­ This drink holds many memories¡­ I don¡¯t know if you meant to, but it means a lot to me.¡± Staring wistfully at the bottle he picked up, his fingers traced thebel. Judging by his reaction, I can see the intended effect. [This man¡­ I can tell the years have taken their toll on his young face.] Sierra seemed to have gotten some idea of his identity. ¡°Deidros¡­ now that¡¯s a name I don¡¯t recognize, though I don¡¯t wonder how you found me¡­ At least you knew who I was.¡± I nodded at him. Deidros is a dragon who has lived on this earth for hundreds of years and is now a polymorph in human form. In fantasy, dragons are said to change their personality and temperament based on the color of their scales but I don¡¯t know for sure because I never saw him transform into a dragon in the game. However, his blond hair in his human form suggests that he is a golden dragon. In any case, he was having a lot of fun as a human right now. He was the mayor of a small vige and for a modern human, it was simr to ying a vige management game. ¡°¡­You want to make a Spectral Sword, don¡¯t you?¡± With a satisfied smirk on his face, Deidros sets the bottle down on the table and gets straight to the point. You might ask what kind of cksmith a dragon is, but he forges the Spectral Sword with his dragon breath, which has enough heat to melt Vampiric Iron. As a dragon, his purpose in making a Spectral Sword for a mere mortal is a bit of a joke because when a Spectral Sword is not properly sealed and not handled properly, the user will be devoured by the spirit sealed inside. It was a pleasant pastime for him to see such foolish humans being eaten by spirits, so he would make them. He was also an artist in his own right, even setting up a workshop and treating the swords as his own magnificent creations so I¡¯m hoping his unique artistic ir will trante well into my own sword. ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t be swallowed by the power of the Spectral Sword¡­? ¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve spoken as a cksmith.¡± Deidros runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. It must be the effects of years of living in various human guises. ¡°That¡¯s all right, so you can befortable speaking to me as a vige chief.¡± ¡°Yes, that would be fine¡­ So, have you prepared all the ingredients?¡± His voice and mannerisms were a little hard to get used to, but it¡¯s okay, as long as he makes a good Spectral Sword. Judging by his enthusiastic demeanor, the items I had brought with me must have paid off. I tried to unzip my backpack for Deidros, who was looking for materials but he blocked my arm and said. ¡°Hmm¡­ This isn¡¯t a good ce, let¡¯s go underground.¡± With that, he grabbed one of the candlesticks lying around and led the way while I followed him through a secret passage and down a dark staircase. The rounded staircase led us deep underground. ¡°You walk quite well, despite your condition. I¡¯ve seen the likes of you before.¡± Deidros said as he slowly descended the stairs, holding onto a candlestick. ¡°What do you mean, someone like me?¡± ¡°He had his eyes covered with bandages, just like you. He walked well¡­ Fought well, well, he was a martial artist¡­ Not like you with a sword.¡± Deidros nced back at me as he continued down the stairs. ¡°It was hundreds of years ago, so I don¡¯t remember much about him, but I do remember him going on and on about ¡®sound waves¡¯ and ¡®resonance¡¯¡­ Anyway, do you have simr skills?¡± ¡°Aha¡­ I¡¯ve heard of ¡®resonance¡¯ as well¡­ I suppose it¡¯s a simr feeling.¡± In hundreds of years, there should have been at least one such person so perhaps my existence doesn¡¯t seem so strange to Deidros. ¡°The funniest thing is that the deadly technique he¡¯s spent a lifetime perfecting is called Dragon¡¯s Wrath, and he doesn¡¯t even know there¡¯s a real dragon in front of him¡­¡± Deidros swallows back a smirk, ending the small talk and opening the door at the end of the stairs. [ ¡­So he is a dragon? ] Sierra realizes who it is after hearing me and Deidros talking. ¡°Wee to the Workshop of Breath.¡± Following his introduction, we entered the room and were greeted by a sight that was hard to believe was underground. It looked like a professional workshop and although I didn¡¯t recognize any of it, there was a lot of equipment that could be found in a cksmith shop in the game. The first time I walked into the Workshop of Breath in the game, it didn¡¯t quite feel real, but when I walked down the long staircase, it felt even more mysterious. ¡°I had a little trouble connecting with the chimney, but¡­ You may not realize it, but it¡¯s a pretty cool ce.¡± Deidros stands in the center of the workshop, arms raised in a swagger. Whether it¡¯s his mansion¡¯s interior or his current gesture, he seems to have a penchant for showing off. ¡°Let¡¯s see the ingredients.¡± I unzip my backpack and show the ingredients to Deidros, who rushes over to me. ¡°Hmph, Vampiric Iron of pretty good quality¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ these petals¡­ I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be a great help in warding off the spirits.¡± Deidros nces at the ingredients I¡¯ve prepared. ¡°The others are sufficient but I saw chunks of spirit energy flying around in clumps from earlier¡­ Where¡¯s the ¡®stuff¡¯?¡± He was referring to the object that holds the soul. Based on his reaction at the door, I don¡¯t think I could see all of Sierra¡¯s form, but he could see a lot of spirit energy flying around. I took Sierra¡¯s pendant out of my arms and handed it to him. ¡°You mean to tell me that you¡¯ve been carrying this around with you all this time, while it¡¯s emitting so much spirit energy¡­?¡± After taking the pendant, Deidros¡¯ face turned serious and he asked me. ¡°¡­Is there something wrong with it?¡± ¡°A spirit of this caliber¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if your health is strained, but judging by your reaction, there¡¯s nothing wrong with you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± In the game, the yer had a storehouse called an inventory, so¡­ There might not have been much to it, but from the way he said it, it sounded like this wasn¡¯t unusual. [ ¡­ How dare you treat me as if I were some sort of curse? I would never harm my disciple. ] Sierra grumbled unnecessarily at Deidros, who couldn¡¯t hear her, and disappeared into the pendant. ¡°Do you happen to be able to talk to spirits¡­?¡± Deidros, who had been watching me closely from earlier, spoke to me in a meaningful tone, as if this was a matter of great importance. He¡¯d been making Spectral Swords for so long that he could recognize it. As soon as I heard his question, embarrassment washed over me. ¡°¡­A little?¡± Chapter 29: The Blacksmith and the Affectionate Priestess (2) Chapter 29: The cksmith and the Affectionate Priestess (2) ¡°¡­A little?¡± My panicked words echo through the workshop. Deidros¡¯ eyes widen, and he grabs me by the shoulders. ¡°A little¡­ Why is your answer so vague¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I can talk to every spirit¡­ Only Master, ever since I touched the pendant¡­¡± I mumbled, distracted by Deidros shaking my shoulder. ¡°Master?¡± Deidros stops shaking his shoulder at my answer. ¡°¡­Master.¡± ¡°Who is your master, I mean, who owns this pendant?¡± ¡°¡­Her name is Sierra.¡± ¡°Sierra¡­ Sierra¡­ Ah, you mean Purple Moon. You were her disciple¡­¡± Deidros paused, trying to remember Sierra¡¯s name, and then muttered her nickname, Purple Moon. [ Shame on you for calling me by that shameful nickname¡­ ] Sierra grumbled as she popped back out of the pendant. Deidros checks Sierra¡¯s form, then points to her and asks me. ¡°Do you happen to know what she¡¯s saying now?¡± [ Don¡¯t tell him, apprentice! I don¡¯t want to talk to him! ] Sierra shouts in response to Deidros¡¯ question then pauses for a moment, her head pounding. ¡°¡­Uh, she said not to tell you.¡± ¡°Ha, Miss Sierra must be shy, now that I think about it, I didn¡¯t ask your name¡­¡± ¡°My name is Zetto. I¡¯m Ms. Sierra¡¯s first student, andst student.¡± I held out my hand to him, introducing myself. ¡°Zetto¡­ I have many names, Deidros, Gregor, Yserval¡­ but since you¡¯vee to me, Deidros will have to suffice, right?¡± It was the kind of introduction that only a centuries-old dragon could make, one who had lived through the lives of so many people. With that, I shook his hand. ¡°Thest apprentice¡­ yes, hering here¡­ her condition must have worsened after all.¡± Deidros has lived a long life. His memory must hold many characters¡­ Sierra was once famous, so he remembered her and recited every detail. [ ¡­ ] When Deidros brought up the subject of Sierra¡¯s illness, a shadow began to fall over her face. She hated the disease that was the reason for her death. ¡°¡­But I think it¡¯s a good thing we can talk about it.¡± I responded to Deidros, but alsoforted Sierra. ¡°She was so active and then just disappeared¡­ I thought she was training in seclusion, but she was teaching a student.¡± She did go into seclusion but when she came out; she met me and picked me up.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d have a disciple or anything, but she¡¯s been hiding it¡­Hahaha, I guess that¡¯s something to live for.¡± Deidros muttered something along the lines of ¡°interesting news,¡± and carried the materials to a corner of his workshop. Pulling a fountain pen out of nowhere, he looks at me and opens his mouth. ¡°¡­Why you can speak to spirits is beyond me. It¡¯s not like you possess divine powers or have learned the art ofmand, is it?¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t have a clue either¡­¡± There was only one problem. Even though I had the blindfold, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to confess it to this dragon. ¡°Talking to spirits¡­ Even the most divine of beings shouldn¡¯t be able to do that. Unless you¡¯re one of those noble ¡®saints¡¯¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Could a saint even talk to spirits?¡± I asked, trying to pry information out of Deidros. There was a certain amount of groundwork I¡¯d alreadyid with Anthony and Emilia about the rtionship between saints and spirits, and I needed to make sure I understood it. ¡°A saint¡­ I haven¡¯t met any recent saints¡­ Gosh, I can¡¯t remember who thest saint I met was¡­¡± Deidros stares up at the ceiling of his quarters, recalling the library of countless books in his mind. ¡°¡­It was a long time ago, back in the days of Spectral Sword and other vile things. I was making stuff up like crazy, too, because I was just a kid and it was so much fun to watch the world go to shit.¡± Deidros has never been one for the good guys, but he¡¯s grown up¡­ or should I say, matured. He seems to be living a rtively quiet life. ¡°One day, a saint came to me with her own knights in tow. She walked straight up to me and pped me across the cheek and said, ¡®Isn¡¯t it a pity that souls that are bound together can¡¯t even leave the world?¡¯ ¡­I¡¯m pretty sure she said that.¡± Deidros continues to recite a story from his past. It¡¯s a story I¡¯ve never heard before, even in the game, and it¡¯s fascinating. ¡°The saint pped my cheeks a few more times, and finally burst into tears. I still feel the sting of the p sometimes. She had an uncharacteristically sharp hand.¡± Deidrosughs as he recounts the story. It¡¯s as if he¡¯s reliving the memory and feeling the emotions. ¡°I said to the sobbing saint, ¡®Do you speak for these souls,¡¯ and she said, ¡®As soon as I came here, the cries of the souls pierced my ears. Please stop¡­¡¯¡± A single tear slipped over the corner of Deidros¡¯ upturned mouth but he was not crying. ¡°After that I didn¡¯t make a Spectral Sword until she died¡­.¡± As I listened to him, I had a question. ¡°That¡­ I know it¡¯s not my question, but¡­ if you had a story like that, why are you making it again?¡± I ask, and Deidros wipes away the tear. ¡°Haha, I thought maybe one day she¡¯de back and p me again¡­.¡± Deidros stopped reminiscing after that raucousugh. He shakes his head, and I see him scribbling on a piece of paper with his fountain pen. Something about Deidros had changed since he told the story. Maybe he was honoring her in some way. Or maybe he was hoping for a miracle, for her toe back to life and visit him. I couldn¡¯t tell but I knew he had a story. I always thought of Deidros as just a character, a mad dragon masquerading as an artist but I didn¡¯t know the whole story either. It seems that thanks to Deidros, I have gained enough information to know that the Saint canmunicate with spirits. ¡°So¡­ was it your idea to create a Spectral Sword?¡± Deidros looked up from his notes and asked me. ¡°Yes. Ever since I touched the pendant after Master left, I¡¯ve been able to sense her spirit, and our conversations have been¡­¡± I answered Deidros question moderately. Sierra knew what was going on, but she didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I had hoped it was just human madness, a vain desire to be stronger. It¡¯s called¡­¡¯Love¡¯¡­¡± ¡°Love?¡± I asked, taken aback by Deidros¡¯s casual mention of love. ¡°There are many kinds of love. Isn¡¯t it love when a pupil cherishes a master, and a master allows himself to be made into a Spectral Sword for his pupil? Am I misinterpreting this story?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Listening to Deidros, I realize that¡¯s the only thing anyone else could think of. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s love, it¡¯s love.¡± I responded, thinking of Deidros¡¯ romanticized artist¡¯s temperament. I figured a good story would make the Spectral Sword better. Deidros nodded and moved on, but apparently the person next to me did not. [ Hmph¡­ Disciple¡­ Even though it¡¯s a lie, I¡¯m a little embarrassed¡­ ] Sierra covers her face with her palm, twisting just one finger to look at me through the gap. Her face is strangely red. I don¡¯t know why her face, which is nothing more than a soul, could be red. ¡°This, this¡­ This is going to be a masterpiece. I love this story. The tender love between a disciple and a master. Do you dare me to write this story, Zetto?¡± Deidros finishes writing, spreads his arms from side to side in a theatrical gesture, and turns to me. ¡°If you make it good, I¡¯ll probably like it.¡± ¡°Whatever. Anything goes in a masterpiece like this. I¡¯ll even open my warehouse toplete this masterpiece.¡± Deidros said he would open his warehouse¡­ the Gold Dragon¡¯s warehouse¡­ and he did. ¡®I¡¯m so lucky¡­?¡¯ This was the kind of thing that would have happened in a game where the word ¡°jackpot!¡± popped up in the middle of a weapon crafting session. ¡°Good for you, Master.¡± Deidros knew I couldmunicate with spirits anyway, so I turned to Sierra. ¡°The more I look at it, the more I wonder. This strange power that cannot be exined in words¡­The power of love.¡± Deidros watched as I spoke to Sierra, and then he started speaking bullshit. [ ¡­That¡¯s right, it¡¯s the power of love, ,my first andst pupil, you¡¯re starting to understand!] Sierra had been so distracted by Deidros¡¯ ramblings that she had actually believed the excuse I had made up and her focus blurred slightly as she spoke. ¡°Hah¡­ so how long will this take?¡± I asked Deidros as I cleaned up the mess. ¡°The Spectral Sword is special, so is the process of making it¡­ but a week should be enough.¡± Luckily, the Spectral Sword crafting time is exactly as it is in the game. The Spectral Sword, as well as other specially crafted weapons, took a month at most. I nodded to Deidros in affirmation and walked over to him, holding out the pouch of money in my hand. ¡°Five hundred gold.¡± It was the cost of production although it wasn¡¯t worth much to Deidros, who was overflowing with money. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to make sure you don¡¯t regreting to me.¡± Deidros took the 500 gold I offered but he didn¡¯t bother to check the amount. Maybe he doesn¡¯t want to work for free, after all, he¡¯s creating a work of art. It was time to part ways with Sierra. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in time, Master.¡± I bowed to Sierra. [Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m used to waiting, a week is nothing to me.] Sierra¡¯s stern voice echoed in my head as she crossed her arms proudly. It was enough to make me trust her. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a week, then. I¡¯m more motivated than I¡¯ve been in a long time, so maybe it¡¯ll be faster.¡± With Deidros¡¯ words behind me, I walked out of the studio. A week seems like a long time. ¡®Finally, the Spectral Sword will be finished.¡¯ *** The week flew by. With only a few days left before the Labyrinth opened, the ss was in full swing with training about the Labyrinth but for those of us who knew the Labyrinth¡¯s system, it was boring. Not much else happened during the week and I would asionally eat rice with Gary. Time passed, and I found myself back at Deidros¡¯ mansion again. The path to the mansion was the same as it had been thest time I¡¯d visited, except now Sierra wasn¡¯t floating next to me. I knocked on the mansion¡¯s door. But this time, I heard footsteps stomping up to the door from a distance, and then the door burst open. ¡°You finally came!¡± Deidros opened the door and greeted me with a beaming face. I hadn¡¯t seen him in a week, and he was very excited. ¡°¡­It¡¯s been a while.¡± I followed him into the house. ¡°s, I finished the Spectral Sword a day ago. I swear¡­ I¡¯ve made many Spectral Swords in my life, but this is the best.¡± Deidros raved in ecstasy. ¡®It¡¯s that well made¡­?¡¯ I scratched my head as I walked after him. ¡°Well, you¡¯d better see for yourself. Oh, I know, you don¡¯t really see¡­ I guess you¡¯d have to touch it.¡± Deidros couldn¡¯t contain his excitement. And so we arrived at a door that was unusually fine for a mansion. ¡°This room is usually reserved for honored guests, but you are barely an honored guest to me. I almost feel sorry for you. Of course, you¡¯re wee to be there, but you¡¯ll have to forgive me for being nervous.¡± ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Deidros finished and opened the door. The room was more luxuriously decorated than one would expect for a guest of honor. Among the fine furnishings and beautiful paintings, there she was. Sierra standing in this room was like a painting. Her long, luscious auburn locks and mesmerizing violet eyes were still the same, but¡­ Her attire had changed, as had the object that held her soul. The reddish-colored clothing of the East suited her strangely, it was a little more elegant, perhaps but it was still revealing. Her cleavage and shoulders were still clearly visible. [ Disciple. ] ¡°¡­¡± Sierra says in a shy voice,ing up to me and hugging me. Deidros watches us, one corner of his mouth quivering in a smirk, and he shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Ha, a hug upon meeting¡­Can you even touch her?¡± Despite what Deidros thinks, I can touch her. Sierra hugged me so tightly that her overwhelminglyrge, puffy breasts werepletely pressing against me. [ A week might have been a little¡­ long¡­ ] I don¡¯t know why but my breath caught in my throat. Chapter 30: Seal Chapter 30: Seal I choked on my breath and somehow managed to shake Sierra off. If you can call it getting her off my back, that is. Sierra had developed separation anxiety in the past week, and she wouldn¡¯t let go of me. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s some bonding. I can¡¯t believe a spirit is attached to a human body. Were you able to make contact¡­?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Well, I guess so.¡± At my answer, Deidros coughed once, muttered something along the lines of ¡®I guess there¡¯s nothing more to it¡¯, and started to walk away. ¡°Anyway¡­The object is here.¡± Deidros said, standing next to the finished Spectral Sword that was wrapped in a fine cloth. I stepped in front of the Spectral Sword with Sierra hanging off my back. ¡°You may not be able to see it, but¡­ I was very particr about her aesthetics. I designed it to fit her Eastern origins, and this is my masterpiece, the Spectral Sword Sierra.¡± Spectral Swords are usually named after the spirit that is sealed in them. As Deidros spoke, I slowly removed the cloth covering Sierra, piece by piece. For some reason, I felt nervous, maybe because of all the hard work. Finally, the Spectral Sword was revealed. The sheath is ck, darker than a winter night and the handle was embroidered with flower petals. Finally, a jewel from the pendant was embedded in the head of the de. Even to the casual observer, it was of the highest quality. ¡®The gold dragon¡¯s stash¡­¡¯ Gingerly, I ran my fingers from the tip of the scabbard to the handle and Sierra¡¯s body trembled behind me. [ That¡­ disciple, don¡¯t touch it with such ascivious touch¡­ the de is now linked to me¡­ ] ¡°Are you trying to prevent me from handling it, Master?¡± I replied gruffly to her and gingerly lifted the Spectral Sword. Grasping the sheath and handle, I check the de. The de was red and the sheath was ck, a well-matched color scheme. I pull out the sword and hold it in ce, and I can feel the raw, unrefined spirit energy spewing out. ¡°Just hearing the sound of the de, I can feel the auspiciousness. The spirit energy is also¡­ powerful.¡± I say to Deidros as I slide the sword back into its sheath. ¡°To face spirit energy of that caliber head-on and not be harmed¡­Is it the warmth of the Master¡¯s touch¡­? Are you going to do the sealing right away, or do you have a better idea of how to do it?¡± ¡°Sure. The sealing¡­ I¡¯d like to do it right away, but is there a suitable ce nearby?¡± ¡°Hmm. Where would be good¡­?¡± While I and Deidros were talking about sealing, Sierra, who was behind me, said. [I have no intention of harming my apprentice if you handle it unsealed.] ¡°If you handle the Spectral Sword without sealing it, it will slowly be eroded by the spirit energy thates out of it. The spirit energy will build up in your body, and you will be¡­a demon.¡± [Demon¡­ was that what the Spectral Sword caused¡­] Sierra¡¯s voice trails off as she listens to my exnation. Apparently, she¡¯s dealt with demons before. ¡°Demons, I miss them. I haven¡¯t seen too many of you rushing to make Spectral Swords since then, must be the effect of the Vampiric Iron. Damned blood mages¡­ I can¡¯t wait to chew through the materials of such a beautiful creation.¡± Deidros, who has somehow managed to catch me and Sierra talking, lets out harsh words. Possession of Vampiric Iron is a taboo, thanks to the blood mages. However, the main ingredient of the Spectral Sword is also Vampiric Iron so I suppose it¡¯s against thew to make one. I don¡¯t have a very detailed understanding of thews of each country on the continent but since I didn¡¯t get arrested for carrying a Spectral Sword in the game, so¡­ I skimmed the surface. At least as long as I don¡¯t announce that I have a Spectral Sword, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get in trouble. Since the game was fantasy, there was no shortage of swords with unusual de colors. I remember Spectral Swordsing in a variety of colors. If they were properly sealed, they wouldn¡¯t emit any spirit energy, so it would be hard for anyone to identify them as Spectral Swords. As I was tapping my fingers against the wall, Deidros approached me. ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea for a ce to do the sealing, somewhere around here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go there.¡± We walked away from the manor just like that. I followed Deidros to arge field near the vige and across the field. In the center of the field, a huge tree had taken root. ¡°If it¡¯s this old, it must contain some spirit energy. It could help with the seal.¡± Deidros, who was stroking the tree, looked at me and said. [ I don¡¯t know what the ¡®seal¡¯ is, but I suppose being in front of this tree helps me rx a bit. ] I nodded at Sierra¡¯s words. Deidros notices and moves away. Now it was just me and Sierra around the old tree. The sun was beginning to rise, casting a bright light on the starry night. I knelt down in front of the old tree and pulled the Spectral Sword Sierra out of its sheath. Immediately, a powerful st of spirit energy erupted. I shed my palm across the de as blood dripped down my palm from the deep cut. I let the droplets soak into the sword since the blood-soaked iron was still intact. [Why can I feel the blood¡­? My body is getting hot¡­] The sword gurgled in response and Sierra closed her eyes. I slide down my palm and straighten my bloodied index and middle fingers to sweep across the shaft of the sword. I smeared it with blood, marking myself as the master of the Spectral Sword. Then I recited a line I knew from the game. ¡°I ask for a contract.¡± The de glows red as a vast amount of spirit energy pulsates. ¡°In your honor, I will fulfill your wishes, and may you be the strength of my body.¡± [ My wish is¡­ ] Sierra¡¯s voice rings out, now solemn, the knowledge and process of the seal flowing through her mind. ¡°Your desire¡­ is to defeat Sword Saint with your sword skills.¡± The high-pitched voice carried with the wind that blew across the field. It was a spectral seal, a pact with a spirit. I had expected this process to be easy, given my previous discussions with Sierra until I heard Sierra¡¯s reply. [ Wrong ]. Floating in front of me, Sierra crossed her arms in denial. Her blunt denial threw me for a loop. ¡°Well, then¡­¡± But the sealing was still in progress so she couldn¡¯t possibly be lying in this state. The spirit energy was all over me, and the sooner I finished, the easier it was on my body. I swallowed my embarrassment quickly and continued. ¡°¡­What is your desire then? I will fulfill it with all my being.¡± Sierra was silent for a moment at my question. She must have been concentrating hard. [ ¡­to not leave. ] After a short pause, Sierra told me what she wanted. Her wish was an easy one. ¡®To not leave.¡¯ For me, there was no abandoning the Spectral Sword, no abandoning her but it was bizarre that she wanted it so badly. ¡°To never leave you. Is that enough?¡± [ It is enough. ] I felt a bead of sweat trickle from my forehead down my cheek. I didn¡¯t know why she would want that, but I had to finish the seal. ¡°This brings us to the end.¡± I could feel the mana in my body mixing with Sierra¡¯s spirit energy. The Spectral contract was a force simr to a mana oath. As her spirit energy slowly merged with mine her seal and contract with me was being finalized. ¡°¡­¡± Time passed, and I sensed that the roaring spirit energy had subsided. The sealing wasplete so I slid the Spectral Sword back into its sheath. The sound of the Spectral Sword being retracted echoes across the field, and Sierra steps in front of me. [ Must, must you? ] Sierra was back to her usual self. Haha¡­ You didn¡¯t say anything about that, did you?¡± [I can¡¯t help but realize that your true intentions were wrong, I can only reply. Apparently, lying was not a part of this process. ] Sierra smiles bitterly. ¡°Why did you change¡­?¡± I say, trying to push myself up from my knees, but I stumble. The seal took longer than I expected, and it had taken a toll on my stamina. Sierra supports my staggering body. [ It hasn¡¯t changed. I still want to defeat the Sword Saint¡­.But the short time I spent with you may have awakened a terrible thirst. ] ¡°Thirst¡­¡± I leaned back against Sierra and shivered, even though it wasn¡¯t even cold. [ I¡¯ve made it through decades, but this short week¡­ It¡¯s been especially hard to hold on, and even if the cksmith is aware of my presence, it doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s talking to me¡­ ] I leaned against Sierra for a moment, listening to herment. Her body, which had been so cold in the pendant, was now radiating warmth. [¡­When I was once again faced with a void that knew no bounds, with no ce to turn¡­ I became uncharacteristically afraid. I apologize for being such a bad teacher.] Sierra¡¯s voice trembled as it echoed in my head. Loneliness it¡¯s a terrifying emotion, sometimesparable to fear. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The contract will be honored, and we¡¯ll defeat the Sword Saint.¡± I said in an affectionate voice while holding Sierra¡¯s hand. I didn¡¯t think it would have a good effect if her mental state became unstable. Her trembling, which was transmitted from my hand, gradually subsided. Suddenly, Deidros, who had been watching from a distance, walked toward us. ¡°How did the sealing go? It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen a Spectral seal, and it was a good one.¡± Deidros says to me, crossing his arms. I immediately checked the status window at his question. There¡¯s nothing like seeing your sess. Lv.18 Skills -Ghost yer Technique Lv.8 -Sierra Reverse Heaven (Iplete) Lv.2 ¨C [Ghost yer Technique] in effect -Superior Senses Lv.7 -Weakness Detection lv.MAX ¨C [Blindfold That is Beyond Reason] in effect -Acupuncture Lv.3 Skill Points remaining: 2 Equipped Items ¨C Blindfold That is Beyond Reason. [Legendary] ¨C Energetic Silver Ne. [Rare] ¡ª Bracelet of Origin [Epic] ¨C Spectral Sword Sierra [Inheritance] I¡¯m not sure if I gained any experience with this seal, but I gained 2 levels in no time. ¡®Edward¡¯s ss is¡­¡¯ It was a shame, but I was d that the Labyrinth was about to open. Beneath the Ghost yer Technique, I see Sierra¡¯s newly created sword skill, Reverse Heaven. The word ¡°iplete¡± next to it seemed to indicate that it was an unfinished sword skill. ¡®Doesn¡¯t it mean that the skill will increase by one level for every four levels of Ghost yer Technique¡­?¡¯ Proficiency in Ghost yer Technique could not be gained by directly investing Skill Points. If I invested skill points in the Ghost yer Technique, the level of that skill would also increase. However, the level increase varied depending on the power of the skill. In the previous game, Sierra¡¯s Purple Moon was only worth one level for every two levels of Ghost yer Technique but Reverse Heaven was double that. It must mean that it was more powerful. I read along the status bar, noting the word inheritance next to ¡°Spectral Sword Sierra.¡± ¡°¡­The sealing seems to have gone well.¡± I replied, my lips curling up in a smile as I dismissed the status window. I¡¯ve finally gotten the Spectral Sword I always wanted. ¡°But¡­ That¡­ That¡¯s a weird position, to say the least.¡± Deidros said, cupping his chin as he watched me lean over Sierra. ¡°Is it?¡± [No. My apprentice must rest a little longer.] I agreed to rest a little longer, following Sierra¡¯s lead. A cool breeze from beyond the fields tickles my hair. I look up at the sky and see that the stars, soon to be eclipsed by the sun, are giving theirst effort to shine. ¡®Things are going well, I¡¯m at peace.¡¯ The world seemed peaceful today. Chapter 31: Reversal and Regression Chapter 31: Reversal and Regression Destiny. All this time, I thought my death was preordained. Something I couldn¡¯t escape by regressing¡­inevitable. Until I met Zetto. The wind whipped my hair around. I breathe in as hard as I can and exhale. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s sword has changed. In the previous episode, Zetto said it was his teacher¡¯s sword. I already know who Zetto¡¯s teacher is. A female swordswoman who had made a name for herself in the past, Purple Moon Sierra. Her skill was said to beparable to that of the Sword Saint. She was a great person who had taught Zetto many things. Unfortunately, to Zetto, she seemed to have already passed away. ¡®Why is he so much faster than before?¡¯ It had been after the Labyrinth incident that Zetto had obtained his master¡¯s sword but now, it was a little timelier. ¡°¡­Maybe it¡¯s because my behavior has changed.¡± I muttered to myself that no one could hear. Talking to myself was a stupid habit I developed after my regression. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Zetto.¡± I don¡¯t know how my behavior might have affected him. I¡¯m not the same person I was before. So much had changed that I couldn¡¯t tell. I¡¯ve experienced countless times that my actions have changed other people¡¯s behavior and futures, but Zetto¡¯s was the one that bothered me the most. I wondered if he knew he would die at this rate. If he approached me, would I push him away? To keep him out of my life and let him live his life normally. I knew very well that it was the easiest and best thing for him. I knew it, but I couldn¡¯t. There had been too many failures and deaths. Enough to make me mentally exhausted. It was Zetto who prevented me from dying. When ¡®the day¡¯ came, I deliberately avoided Zetto. I didn¡¯t want to drag him, who had be so important to me, into this tragic story with a predictable ending. However, on that day, Zetto appeared like a hero and rescued me from danger. He saved me and then died in my ce. Is it fate that someone must die after all? If it really was such a crappy fate, I wanted to defy it, just as Zetto had defied it by preventing my death. ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay.¡± I spoke the words I¡¯d been repeating thousands and thousands of times since the regression had begun, barely able to keep myself together. It¡¯s okay. Nothing had happened yet. But what if my actions had changed him? And if he didn¡¯te to my side this time. If he doesn¡¯te to my rescue¡­ ¡­I don¡¯t think that would be okay, even if it was the only way to save him. I was even thinking of ¡®taking¡¯ him first, if I had to. I was being selfish and disgusting but I couldn¡¯t live without him. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The wind was unnecessarily cold as the ugly thoughts raced through my head. I wrapped my arms tightly around my withered knees. I¡¯ve never lived for happiness. My life has always been about survival, survival, and more survival. I just wanted to live but after I met Zetto, everything changed. I felt newness in my routine, and I felt at peace whenever I was with him. I guess that¡¯s what I can hope for. I slowly stood up from the roof where I was squatting. ¡°Zetto, what are you doing now?¡± Probably training. He was a great striver. From the roof of the towering clock tower, everything seemed small. The world was at my feet and I felt empowered to defy fate. It was my favorite ce to go whenever I felt frustrated or anxious. The unobstructed view was one of the things I wanted to introduce to Zetto one day. I¡¯m sure he would find it refreshing to breathe in the open air. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do my best.¡± I had to go see Zetto and the ocean. I had to fulfill a wish he didn¡¯t know he had. With those thoughts, I slowly descended from the roof. The tinum-haired girl sitting on the roof of the clock tower at the center of the city left a crackling spark and vanished in an instant. *** ¡°Reverse the flow of mana?!¡± I eximed, my voice rising at Sierra¡¯s absurd exnation. [ Yes, that is the beginning of Reverse Heaven, Reverse Hand, and Reverse Flow. ] Sierra recited the exnation again in a blunt voice, as if it were no big deal. Outside the academy, deep in the woods where no one else was traveling there was no sign of Kaen, so I could talk to Sierra in peace. The reason I came here, instead of the old training grounds, was to test Reverse Heaven. Now that I have the skill, I should use it. The status window told me that I had knowledge of the skill, but Sierra, who had be a Spectral Sword, was here so as a natural progression, I was learning the skill from her. ¡°It¡¯s shallow knowledge, but generally speaking, if you twist the flow of mana¡­ Won¡¯t it cause internal injuries¡­?¡± [ I don¡¯t know how ordinary you are, don¡¯t be so scared, at least try it once. ] Sierra gave me a sour look. I sprawled on the floor, concentrating on the flow of my mana. I already knew how to reverse the flow of mana, since I already had the knowledge of Reverse Heaven in my head. I could feel the mana slowly flowing through my body and if I twist it backwards¡­ ¡°¡­Gulp!¡± Blood poured out of my mouth with a sharp pain. No surprise. Sierra sneaks up on me and pats me on the back, as if she knew it wasing. ¡°How did this happen¡­ Were you trying to make a crazy sword technique?¡± At my question, Sierra ponders, then opens her mouth. [ ¡­Do you know how many times I¡¯ve been defeated by the Sword Saint? ] ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know the exact number.¡± [ Seventy-six times. ] Sierra stops patting my back and stands in front of me. She has the eyes of a fierce beast, with only the feral instinct to bite at any moment. [That was the number of times I had been defeated by the Sword Saint. It hadn¡¯t been life or death, but I managed to escape with my life. I thought it was fate, that I was bound to lose to him¡­.] ¡°¡­But you didn¡¯t give up.¡± [Yes. I never gave up. But when it came to swordsmanship, if I was earth, he was heaven. His swordsmanship and mine were far apart.] Sierra continues, raising her palm to the sky. Earth and sky. [ If he is the sky¡­ if it is my fate to be defeated by him¡­ ] Then, in time with her words, she turns her palm downward. [ I will defy him, and that is the Sierra Reverse Heaven. ] Sierra¡¯s words echoed in my head, sending shivers down my spine and raising goosebumps. The words defying fate resonated with me. Fate and Aizel¡¯s death. ¡®And the looming sense of¡­ my failure.¡¯ I, too, was trying to defy fate. [¡­Clumsy mana maniption is not a bad thing, it¡¯s a good thing. Don¡¯t try to be delicate and fine-tuned. Try to channel arger, broader flow.] After Sierra¡¯s more straightforward exnation, I tried mana backflow once more but this time, I didn¡¯t bother to micromanage it. I reversed a wider flow of mana at once. Instantly, the flow of mana in my body is reversed. My body loses its strength and bes loose and my movements be noticeably slower but I wasn¡¯t slow by any means. Soon, I was on my feet. Reverse grip is the basis of Reverse Heaven so with my right hand, I reverse-grasped the Spectral Sword. Next, I performed the first of the techniques that Sierra had taught me and that I knew from skill acquisition. It wasn¡¯t the stance of the attack or the strength of the sh that mattered. It was all about going against the flow. The technique was organized by pages, like a book, with chapters like Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Each chapter had a different thing to defy and what I was about to attempt is Chapter 1. ¡®The thing I want to defy is¡­¡¯ I shed diagonally with the Spectral Sword then I fluidly turned and shed through the air a couple more times. I finished the flowing motion with a final sh and a few trees were cut down as I made the sh. Even though I¡¯m sure I¡¯m looking into thin air, I can hear the leaves raining down in the distance and the severed branches tumbling to the ground. Some of the deeply cut trees fell with a thud but no sword energy emanated from them, nor were they cut by the sword steel. ¡®¡­Space.¡¯ It disturbed space. The Spectral Sword chopped down a tree that shouldn¡¯t have even touched the concept of space. This was Sierra Style Reverse Heaven, Chapter 1, Space. Judging from the rtively clean sess, it seems that the Reverse Heavenly Skill obtained through the Ghost yer Technique is working well. [ Disciple, did you just reach a trance-like state¡­? ] Sierra, who was watching carefully from the side, asked me in a low voice. Judging by her expression, she didn¡¯t expect me to seed on the first try. I had a status window, which was extremely abnormal for her. It was not unreasonable to think that she must have spent decades practicing this sword technique. ¡®Trance state¡­¡¯ Trance, a state of extreme concentration in which one forgets one¡¯s own existence. Since I couldn¡¯t announce the existence of the status window, it seems like a good excuse in this situation. ¡°I¡¯m a little freaked out¡­ My sword touched a tree that was far away¡­ I could definitely feel the cut.¡± I scratched my head and shuddered. [Luckily, it¡¯s within the range of your senses. My apprentice¡­you might be a genius. I can¡¯t believe how fast you learn¡­.The transformation just now was wless.] Sierra continues to admire me. ¡®This¡­ I should probably pace myself¡­¡¯ I find Sierra¡¯s admiration overwhelming, so I change the subject. ¡°Didn¡¯t it hurt, since you¡¯re connected to the sword?¡± [The de didn¡¯t feel any different no matter how much impact was applied to it; the rest of it is just a matter of getting used to it, and that was only because it was a sensation I hadn¡¯t felt in a long time¡­I try to forget that memory¡­] I thought to myself as I listened to Sierra blush and I wonder which part of the Spectral Sword is connected to which sensation. I don¡¯t know, but maybe I¡¯ll find out when it¡¯ll be time to clean it. [By the way¡­ what do you think of the Reverse Heaven I created? I¡¯d love to hear what you think of it.] Sierra¡¯s eyes narrowed and she asked me. ¡°I¡¯m surprised it¡¯s a sword technique created by a human.¡± This was not ttery for her. It was a pure expression of what she had experienced, without any additions. [Defying space, defying time. I defy space, I defy time. In the end, I will even defy the heavens, for that is the mystery of the Reverse Heaven.] ¡°Then the final chapter¡­¡± Reverse Heaven was still unfinished since Sierra died just before it waspleted. [The final chapter¡­ as you can see, I never finished it.] Sierra paused for a moment, then cupped my cheek and said. [Reverse God. That is the final chapter of Reverse Heaven that you willplete.] ¡°Reverse¡­God¡­?¡± [ Yes, it means to defy the gods who gave you your fate. ] ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re going to get in trouble if the priests hear you, haha¡­¡± [ It¡¯s okay, they wouldn¡¯t hear me anyway. ] Sierra snorts at my joke. Listening to Sierra¡¯s exnation, I can¡¯t even begin to fathom the full power of Reverse Heaven. ¡®She says it¡¯s a sword technique designed to defeat Sword Saint¡­Was she thinking of defeating gods¡­?¡¯ Even in the game, I had heard that her understanding of swordsmanship surpassed that of a Sword Saint¡­but I didn¡¯t dare to think it would be this good. I looked back at the first chapter of Reverse Heaven I just used. While I was using Chapter 1 my mana was constantly depleted. When I use it, I can travel through space and leap over distances, allowing my strikes to reach much further. As such, it seemed like this skill is more of a passive skill than an active skill, more like a mode. ¡®¡±Chapter 1 Space¡± is a mode that allows you to attack from a distance without using sword energy.¡¯ Considering the effects of my Weakness Detection and Blindfold, its power will be multiplied and since I didn¡¯t use any sword energy, it would be easy to catch my opponents off guard. If Chapter 1 is this good, what will Chapter 2, Time, be like? I had no idea what the final chapter, Reverse God, would be like. Unfortunately, I was only able to use Chapter 1 so far. I guess that¡¯s the limit for level 2. For Chapter 2, I only had a vague idea of what it was, thanks to Sierra¡¯s description and skill level. Chapter 1 defied space, and Chapter 2 defied time. ¡®I wonder how many chapters there are¡­?¡¯ I didn¡¯t have much information on the skill, so I¡¯ll have to ask Sierra about it in the future. Anyway, I only had one chapter to work with, but that was enough for now. The rest is just a matter of leveling up the Ghost yer Technique. For every 4 levels of Ghost yer Technique, I¡¯ll get 1 level of Reverse Heaven. Considering the performance, it was definitely not a bad investment. I was pleased with the results and in the short time I¡¯ve been using it, I¡¯ve found its performance to be monstrous. If there was a problem¡­ ¡°But it¡¯s using up quite a bit of mana¡­¡± I said, hesitantly sitting down against the tree behind me. I needed the bracelet to restore my mana for a while. Sierra came up beside me and spoke in a friendly voice. [ Given the gap in skill between you and me, I think it¡¯s best to use it only when it¡¯s moderately important, for now. ] ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± [You¡¯ll have to get used to the reverse grip, too. You¡¯re still clumsy.] Sierra continued to train me for a while after that, a proud look on her face. ¡®This must be her first time teaching someone.¡¯ She was already quite the ¡®teacher¡¯. Chapter 32: The Labyrinth (1) Chapter 32: The Labyrinth (1) Today, Edward¡¯s ss rewarded me with a magic tent. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve gotten a ss reward. I¡¯d be more excited if it weren¡¯t for the fact that it¡¯s a required Labyrinth item that every other cadet gets. A day before entering the Labyrinth ss ended early. There were enemies to defeat in thebyrinth, so it wasn¡¯t as exciting as the night before the field trip. Edward wanted me to be well rested for my first time in the Labyrinth. ¡®My wife and I are traveling for a while.¡¯ I remember Edward¡¯sst words. Perhaps it was more of an excuse than a consideration. For the time being, the instructors were not teaching, andbyrinth activities were recing them, so it could be considered a vacation for the instructors. However, not everyone got a vacation, and they seemed to take it in turns. Reina, whom I had passed on the road earlier, had a dark expression on her face. Perhaps she hadn¡¯t gotten a vacation this time or maybe she lost a bet. She didn¡¯t have much luck. After ss, I prepared myself for the enemy in thebyrinth. Thebyrinth was full of monsters and traps. However, the enemy I had to face this time wasn¡¯t a monster spawned in thebyrinth. Rather, they were ¡°impurities¡± that were identally mixed into thebyrinth. Naturally, the academy doesn¡¯t realize this untilter, as the game is supposed to be about advancing the story. They¡¯re slow to react, thinking it¡¯s just a strong monster. That was to give the yer time to y. However, it was too much like a monster. The enemy I have to face this time is the Lycanthrope. It¡¯s what people call a werewolf. He is part man, part beast, and can easily be mistaken for a monster. It¡¯s partly because lycanthropes are so rare. Many wounded students would suddenly emerge from thebyrinth, and when they saw their wounds, they would assume it was a wolf-like monster. Of course, this creates a sense of dissonance for the yer, letting them know that this is not a normal urrence. I already know this, so I don¡¯t need the dissonance. This lycanthrope is probably the first ¡°boss¡± the yer encounters. Werewolves have a highly developed sense of smell and while this is a strength it can also be a weakness. Due to his habitual sniffing, the paralyzing mushroom powder is deadly to him. Herong Mushrooms are used for medicinal purposes and monster hunting, but they are also sometimes used for criminal purposes. Because of its versatility, it¡¯s not always easy to find, however, I have a quest. I happened to have the Herbalist quest, and there was an easy route to get the mushrooms. [My apprentice seems to be well-prepared.] Sierra, who was floating beside me, spoke to me. She didn¡¯t question my actions and trusted mepletely. She said her student would at least not do something stupid and he couldn¡¯t be bothered to question me now. As I walk past Sierra, I see Rumbo¡¯s son, Ram, the only other active herbalist in the academy, walking beside me. When I visit Rumbo¡¯s house at this time of year, I am greeted not by Rumbo, but by his son Ram. Rumbo, an aplished herbalist, had fallen ill and had been incapacitated for some time. I agreed to talk to the bedridden Rumbo and escort Ram as he went out to gather herbs to help him heal. It was a forest inside the academy, so there wasn¡¯t much danger, but that¡¯s what a father¡¯s heart is for. Rumbo would need something to reassure him and as a reward, I get a free herb of my choice. Ram¡¯s escort and a herb of my choice as a reward, this was how Rumbo and Ram¡¯s quest was organized. As I was walking along with Ram, he turned around to look at me and opened his mouth. ¡°Brother Zetto, how do you walk around so well? Hehe, do you think it¡¯s rude to ask¡­?¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s okay, I get asked that a lot.¡± As we walked through the forest, I exined the senses to Ram, who was ahead of me. Ram¡¯s eyes light up as he listens to my exnation. ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­¡± To Ram, the idea of senses was a wonderful one. He was still a child, even if he took after his father in his knowledge of herbs. There weren¡¯t many children in Academy City, so his innocence was rare. ¡°When you grow up, will you follow Mr. Rumbo and be an herbalist?¡± I asked Ram because the forest was so quiet that it was the perfect setting. Most kids this age have at least one big dream. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯d like to be a cool academy cadet like Zetto, but being a cadet isn¡¯t a career, is it? Right now I¡¯m learning a lot about herbs, and from what I¡¯ve seen of my father, he doesn¡¯t have a problem making a living.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I was left speechless by Ram¡¯s down-to-earth answer, which was hardly expected from a nine years old child. [Ho-ho¡­The kid¡¯s got a pretty good answer.] Sierra, who was listening to the conversation, muttered. Ram certainly seemed filial. Maybe it was because he lost his mother so young. ¡°What are you going to do after you graduate, Zetto?¡± Ram asks me as he jumps over a protruding tree root. ¡°Graduate?¡± In the game¡¯s happy ending, the epilogue shows the yer¡¯s character graduating. I wonder if I can go back to the real world or do I have to live here forever? I¡¯m not sure. I had a lot of work to do before the ending but I was in such a hurry that I hadn¡¯t had time to think about it. ¡°Graduation¡­ I don¡¯t know, maybe I¡¯ll join some rich family and be a knight or something?¡± I took Ram¡¯s difficult question as a joke. ¡°Puh-huh, money is the best.¡± Ram¡¯sughter echoed through the forest. I wondered if this was really a conversation with a nine-year-old boy. We were walking through the forest when suddenly, Ram takes off running like a beekeeper trying to catch a wasp that might harm his precious bees. I¡¯m his escort, so I run after him. When I caught up to him, I found him squatting in a corner of the forest, gathering some nearby grass. ¡°¡­Why do you run without telling me?¡± ¡°We¡¯re inside the academy anyway, so what¡¯s the danger? It¡¯s just that I¡¯m worried about my father¡­ I found it.¡± ¡°Herbs to cure Mr. Rumbo?¡± ¡°Yes! ¡­This should be enough. I was just about to run out of them when my dad got sick¡­¡± Ram muttered as he picked himself up off the ground and put the gathered herbs into a basket. ¡°Phew¡­ I guess I¡¯m done looking then¡­ What did big brother Zetto say he needed?¡± ¡°¡­Herong mushrooms. Do you think we can get them around here?¡± ¡°Herong? It¡¯s hard to find, but fortunately, I can get them around here.¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take too long, right?¡± ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m Ram, son of the legendary herbalist Rumbo!¡± Ram said in a confident voice as he held up his forearm to me. ¡°Let¡¯s see, if it¡¯s a Herong¡­¡± Muttering his own unique name for the Herong mushroom, Ram looked around. Ram and I wandered a bit further into the forest in search of Herong mushrooms. ¡°So, why are you looking for Herong?¡± Ram asked me as we searched for the odd mushroom. ¡°Hmm¡­ I have an enemy I need to defeat, and I want to use less energy in the process?¡± ¡°Hehe~ Well, the Herong has a great effect on monsters, so¡­ Oh, by the way, the Labyrinth opens tomorrow, right?¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°My father told me that when you¡¯re trading inside the academy, it¡¯s better to know what¡¯s going on at different times of the year.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± It felt like the stationery shop owners in front of the school knew what sses were being taught at the academy. I couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say to Ram¡¯s overly realistic response and a long silence followed. It was more like a walk than an escort, as there was nothing particrly dangerous. Birds chirped and the fragrant smell of grass that refreshes my nose. The greenery everywhere made me feel rxed, it was the first time in a long time that I felt rxed. ¡°Ugh!¡± As I slowly followed Ram, he spotted something and eximed. Soon after, Ram takes off running again. Having gotten used to his sudden movements, I calmly followed him. Ram and I arrived at a fairlyrge boulder and underneath the boulder was a narrow space. ¡°Herong grows well under rocks like this. We have to be careful because there might be poisonous creatures around.¡± ¡± Poisonous?¡± ¡°Herong is a mushroom that retains a little bit of the poison from those creatures. Isn¡¯t that interesting?¡± Ram exined to me. As Ram was smiling so brightly, I noticed something near his legs, noiselessly approaching him. I quickly pulled out my sword and mmed it down on the creature¡¯s head. ¡°Whoa¡­!¡± The sudden movement startles Ram and he falls backwards. I take a closer look at the creature and realize it resembles a snake. But it had a lot of legs that shouldn¡¯t be there. His legs wriggled around, it was quite a gruesome sight. ¡°This is one of those venomous creatures I was talking about earlier¡­ When it dies, it stops spilling poison¡­ but you can¡¯t eat it.¡± Ram exined again, trying to calm his frightened heart. They spread their poison¡­ The flora and fauna were so alien to me that everything seemed so strange. I sttered the creature¡¯s blood from my Spectral Sword. ¡°Thank you¡­ I didn¡¯t even feel iting¡­ Your senses are great, but could you please not tell my father about this¡­? I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll give me a hard time.¡± Ram bent down to thank me, then gave me a bitter smile. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal, it was my job so I¡¯ll just be more careful next time.¡± He¡¯s still a kid, though, so I¡¯m not sure he was too careful. I¡¯d have to ask his father to teach him better. ¡°Still, it being here¡­¡± Ram looks around a bit more cautiously, then ducks his head to peer under the rocks and murmurs. ¡°¡­I guess I¡¯d better cover my nose from now on.¡± Ram grabbed something like a pair of tongs from his waistband, covered his nose with one hand, and poked around under the rock. I did as he said and covered my nose. He must have found a Herong mushroom. Ram then pulled himself up. At the end of his pincers was a yellow, oddly patterned mushroom. With his mouth shut, Ram reached into a small pouch on his arm and ced the mushroom in it. He then pulled the string of the pouch tight to seal it. ¡°Huh¡­ That¡¯s it. This is the Herong you wanted, and it won¡¯t leak out if you carry it like this.¡± Ram let out the breath he¡¯d been holding and handed me the pouch. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Then please bring me more herbs in the future!¡± ¡°Haha, I will.¡± Iughed out loud with Ram. Ram was a good-natured, sticky little guy. When he grows up, he might be a better businessman than Rumbo, since Rumbo was a bit on the blunt side. With all our work done, we set off for Rumbo¡¯s house. ¡°Oh, by the way. If you¡¯re going to use it on a monster, you might want to bring a cloth to cover your nose and mouth¡­ I have one at home. Do you want one? For what you did earlier¡­ But I won¡¯t tell father.¡± ¡°That sounds good.¡± As luck would have it, there was an additional reward. I was just about to prepare the cloth for such a mask. Lycanthrope¡¯s developed sense of smell made him vulnerable to the Herong mushrooms, but I had developed my senses to the point where I had ¡°superior senses.¡± From what he told me, the cloth is used professionally by herbalists¡­ so it should be much more effective. Ram and I were walking through the city, chatting about this and that. From here, it was just a short walk to Rumbo¡¯s house. Then I saw someone I recognized on the street. She tilted her head and her pink, bobbed hair moved with it. It was Kaen. ¡®I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a coincidence that we¡¯re here now or if she intended it¡­¡¯ I wonder when I¡¯m going to be able to take off that stupid mask, because one day she¡¯s going to show her true colors. Kaen casually walks over to me and greets me, as if she¡¯s just now recognized me. ¡°Uh, Cadet Zetto?¡± ¡°¡­You must be Ms. Kaen, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Hehe, you recognize me just by the sound of my voice. Who¡¯s the boy next to you¡­?¡± ¡°This is Ram, son of Mr. Rumbo, the herbalist.¡± ¡°Hehe, Mr. Rumbo had a son?¡± Kaen covers her mouth with her hand and looks surprised. She seemed to know Rumbo, too. Well, since Rumbo is the only herbalist in the academy, I suppose it¡¯s only natural. ¡°Brother Zetto seems to be popr, judging by the way the female cadet was staring at him earlier¡­ Ram, who was under Kaen¡¯s gaze, backs away and looks at me with envy. [I agree with the boy, you¡¯re quite thedies man, my apprentice¡­] Sierra, who had been silent, narrows her eyes at Ram¡¯sment. ¡°We¡¯re just normal friends.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ just friends.¡± Kaen matches my answer. I wouldn¡¯t exactly call her a friend, but she seemed to recognize my intention. ¡°More than that, your sword has changed¡­?¡± Kaen asked me, keeping her head straight ahead and ncing at my Spectral Sword. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the sword my master left me¡­ I¡¯ve finally gotten good enough to use it.¡± ¡°Aha¡­ Master¡­¡± As I¡¯ve noticed every time, Kaen¡¯s acting is a little on the clumsy side. She doesn¡¯t know the full extent of my transformation, but she¡¯s already seen the sword change from afar. She has a lot of other questions for me, and she begins to pry. ¡°What¡¯s that pouch on your waist?¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°I got that for him! Zetto said he needed a Herong!¡± Suddenly, Ram, who had been quiet, threw his hands up in the air and shouted. ¡°Herong¡­? You mean the Herong mushroom? The one with the paralyzing effect¡­¡± Ram¡¯s exmation made Kaen question. She knew what a Herong mushroom was. ¡°Yes! He has an enemy that he needs to defeat, and he heard that it would be easier if he used the Herong.¡± Ram replies innocently. ¡­He wasn¡¯t wrong. Herong mushrooms are hard toe by, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m breaking anyws by having them. However, Kaen¡¯s focus begins to waver at Ram¡¯s answer. [Hmph? That woman, Kaen, is looking at you with a lot of suspicion, and she¡¯s been watching my apprentice from afartely¡­ it¡¯s very suspicious.] Sierra observes, trying to read Kaen¡¯s intentions. I don¡¯t know what Sierra will demand of me if she realizes that Kaen is already The Sword Saint apprentice. ¡°An enemy to be defeated¡­ Ahaha, you mean the Labyrinth that will open tomorrow¡­?¡± Finally, Kaen scratched the back of his head as if she understood. ¡°Yeah.¡± I replied with a shrug and judging by the look in Sierra¡¯s eyes, I should probably get the hell out of here. There was nothing more to talk about with Kaen. We weren¡¯t in the same ss, and we hadn¡¯t talked much. ¡°Well, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have some errands to run.¡± I said, and we went our separate ways. As I hurried away, I heard Sierra¡¯s muffled voice in my head. [She wants to ask you a question¡­] Suddenly, Sierra turned in the direction I had been walking, where Kaen was. ¡®What is she going to do¡­?¡¯ Sierra¡¯s intentions were unknown but on this crowded street, I couldn¡¯t stop her. She couldn¡¯t get very far away from my side, so I walked as fast as I could and before I knew it, Sierra was back by my side again. [I can¡¯t figure out what that woman, Kaen, is thinking.] As if she¡¯s been watching Kaen, Sierra says something meaningful in a low voice but I can¡¯t answer her right away. She¡¯s well aware of that, so she continues without a response. [¡­She has a serious look on her face, muttering something about being overrun, losing her purity, and her grandfather¡¯s sword techniques. Do you have any idea what she¡¯s talking about?] Sierra¡¯s next words left me with a big question. ¡®Purity? Taken? By who?¡¯ Something¡­strange is going on here. Chapter 33: The Labyrinth (2) Chapter 33: The Labyrinth (2) Located on the outskirts of the Academy city, the Labyrinth is one of the most unique dungeons in the world. Its structure changes every year and because of this, it¡¯s often referred to as a living dungeon. At the very center of the Labyrinth lives the Labyrinth Manager. But that¡¯s not all that¡¯s unusual about the Labyrinth. Only one person can enter the Labyrinth, and upon entering, a protective spell is cast. This magic, which is believed to be ancient, negates lethal damage and causes you to be thrown out of the Labyrinth. Those who were thrown out would have to start over on the first floor. Of course, they could take any number of injuries. With the Labyrinth open, the infirmary would be in full swing. How did this simple system of the Labyrinthe to be, a perfect fit for the training of cadets at the Academy? The truth is, it was created by one man, a man who founded the Innocence Academy long ago. The world called him the Wizard or Sage of the Hero¡¯s Party. It was an obvious story. He was centuries old, and while people thought he was dead, the Sage was still alive and well. This Sage was the Labyrinth Manager, living at the very center of the Labyrinth. There¡¯s no danger of death, theyout changes every year, and the difficulty increases exponentially as you descend. It¡¯s the perfect ce to challenge yourself and gain practical experience. The Labyrinth is an ¡°artificial dungeon¡± the Sage created for the Academy. Of course, in Edward¡¯s ss, the Labyrinth is presented to the cadets as an ancient dungeon. Few in the academy know the truth about the Labyrinth. As a yer of the game, I had stumbled upon this information while running through the Labyrinth to gain experience points. I¡¯d never really gotten to the bottom of it. After all, in game, time passes and you have to progress through the story. Thebyrinth gets harder and harder, and you never know where it¡¯s going to end¡­I decided that the deepest part of the game didn¡¯t even exist. ¡®I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s real now, but¡­¡¯ If you think about it, there was no shortage of suspicious things about the Labyrinth. Time passes slowly in the Labyrinth. Twenty-four hours in the Labyrinth is about eight hours outside and it was carefully managed to prevent non-cadets from taking advantage of this. You could only enter by carrying a stone of unknown magic, called a ¡°pass,¡± that proved you were a cadet of the Academy. The pass is imprinted with the cadet¡¯s information. Because of this, the maximum number of cadets in the academy at any given time was limited to the number of passes. Even if someone left the academy in the middle of the year, the number of cadets would never exceed that number. asionally, characters who appeared as special admissions would be epted because there were cadets who had left the Academy. There were all sorts of other strict conditions. Because of those conditions, people thought that it was a dungeon for the Academy¡­ The dungeon was here, so the Academy was built next to it¡­ There was a lot of talk. Well, from my perspective as a cadet, I don¡¯t care. I just need to work hard to level up in the Labyrinth and experience content created by the Sage. I will take care of the ¡®impurities¡¯ and find the hidden items. Even though the structure changes every year, I¡¯ve already experienced the Labyrinth in the game and know what items are hidden on which floors. I n to take all the hidden pieces that are prepared for the yers. ¡®The same goes for Aizel.¡¯ Aizel is a regressor, so she¡¯ll be taking the Hidden Pieces that only she knows. Aizel¡¯s growth has been rapid since she entered the Labyrinth and in the game, the Hidden Pieces that Aizel needed to get could not be intercepted by the yer. I don¡¯t want or need to steal Aizel¡¯s Hidden Pieces. ¡®I know where the Hidden Pieces are, so it¡¯s not a problem¡­¡¯ The lycanthrope was the problem. In the game, he randomly appeared on floors 2 through 10. If you¡¯re on the 10th floor, he¡¯ll appear rtivelyte, but if you¡¯re on the 2nd floor, he¡¯ll appear quickly. To make things easier, I prefer to meet him around the 5th floor when I¡¯ve leveled up enough, but I don¡¯t know when it will happen. However I definitely had a n to catch him, a n that I could execute thanks to my membership in the Medical Technology Club. ¡°Cadet Zetto, ss A, first floor. Your credentials have been verified.¡± The Academy employee who controlled ess to the Labyrinth handed me my pass. It records what floor I am on and it is also used for the exploration ranking. I arrive at thebyrinth early in the morning, so there aren¡¯t many people there yet and I¡¯m able to get in quickly. Judging by the signs of people behind me, the line is slowly forming. This year¡¯s Labyrinth was open to all grades at the same time, so the line was going to be long for the first day. I took the pass from the staff and stood at the entrance of the Labyrinth. The entrance to the Labyrinth looked like the entrance to a temple or shrine, with arge portal open. I immediately stepped through the portal. *** [So this is the Labyrinth, the darkness here is eerie.] Sierra¡¯s voice rang out as soon as I came to my senses. I focus on the sound to get my bearings. The first time you enter, you spawn in a randomized location, so if you¡¯re unlucky, you¡¯ll encounter a battle at the same time you enter. Luckily, I don¡¯t hear anything. Only the asional drop of water could be heard in the distance. There don¡¯t seem to be any monsters nearby. The appearance of the Labyrinth still gave off the same feeling of a cursed cave. The cavern was huge, with wide passageways and there was plenty of room to swing a sword, with the asional green torch lit. Despite Sierra¡¯s words, I didn¡¯t feel spooked. It was a familiar sight, one I¡¯d encountered countless times in the game. Although I didn¡¯t feel any signs of human presence, I couldn¡¯t talk to Sierra so I left her to her own devices and continued on my way, knowing that the first floor was amon ce to encounter spawned cadets. As I walked through the cave, my memories of the Labyrinth came flooding back. ¡®I even looked up the walkthrough for the Hidden Piece location¡­¡¯ I still don¡¯t have the entire map of this vastbyrinth memorized but all that matters now is that as I wander through the Labyrinth, there is an asional staircase that takes me downstairs. There are no hidden puzzles on the first floor since it¡¯s used to get used to the Labyrinth and head down as soon as you see a staircase. Where¡¯s the lycanthrope? I hope it won¡¯t appear until at least the fourth floor. ¡®I wonder how the others will manage¡­?¡¯ Aizel¡¯s a regressor, so she¡¯ll go get her own Hidden Piece. Yuri doesn¡¯t like mazes, so she might get lost and wander around. ¡®Kaen¡­¡¯ Kaen will y along and pace herself. ¡®Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have epted her request for a duel¡­¡¯ I don¡¯t know the details, but I¡¯m uneasy that she¡¯s firmly mistaken about something about me. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± It was not the time to worry about others as I sense a monster up ahead. [Ack¡­ Kerrrrr¡­] Their breathing echoed off the walls and reached here. ¡®It must be kobolds on the first floor.¡¯ They didn¡¯t seem to have noticed my presence yet as there were no traps along the way. The first floor was easy enough and I could easily avoid them by watching the floor and walls. ¡®I¡¯m finally facing a monster.¡¯ Maybe it was just a normal enemy, my first sinceing to this world. I kept my hand on the Spectral Sword Sierra at my waist and infused my legs with mana then sprinted to where I sensed the kobolds. ¡®Only two.¡¯ Within moments, I was right under their noses, and the kobolds¡¯ arms shot up in surprise. ¡°Kerrrrrrr?!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle a bit at the fact that their movements were exactly the same as the ones I¡¯d seen in the game. I didn¡¯t need to use Reverse Heaven on kobolds so I pulled out the sword I was holding in reverse grip and shed at one of the kobolds. Weakness detection was working well on the monsters and before it could utter a single scream I snapped it in half. ¡°Keruk!!!¡± The remaining kobold screams as itspanion falls and rushes toward me. The kobold wasn¡¯t very big, only slightlyrger than Ram, who was nine years old. The crude dagger he holds is aimed at me but his attack doesn¡¯t reach me. Long before the kobold¡¯s dagger could reach me, my sword was within striking distance, and I decapitated him. As if to signal the end of the battle, the kobolds¡¯ bodies crumble to dust and disappear as a small ck stone drops with a tter where they fell. It was a gemstone that all monsters have in their bodies. The more powerful the monster, therger the gemstone, or the better its quality. Originally, the gems in monsters¡¯ bodies had to be extracted by rummaging through their corpses. However, these monsters were created by the Labyrinth. Therefore, the bodies disappear, leaving only the gems. You can sell them for money, as they have a variety of uses. Lycanthrope, the boss at the beginning of the Labyrinth, doesn¡¯t disappear because he was not a creature of the Labyrinth. He¡¯s not a monster, so he doesn¡¯t have a gem in his body, but there are rewards to be had from his corpse. He was an anomaly so I should probably cut off its head and show it to your instructors. That¡¯s how it worked in the game. [Wielding a sword in reverse grip will be a challenge¡­but you¡¯ll get used to it as soon as you can in this Labyrinth.] As I pick up the gems that have fallen to the ground, Sierra tells me her observations of my battle. Holding the sword in reverse grip is still an unfamiliar sensation, to be honest. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve somehow mastered the power of the status window, but I can¡¯t seem to get used to wielding a sword in reverse grip. I pushed myself to my feet and began to move once more. The kobold I had just defeated must have been around level 7 but I had already reached level 18. Adding to that the fact that I have the Weakness Detection skill, and it seems like I can just sh at their weak spots and cut them down in an instant since the kobolds were poorly armored. The first floor was no help, either in terms of leveling or practical experience. ¡®Let¡¯s get down to the second floor quickly.¡¯ There was no Lycanthrope on the first floor anyway, and there was a Hidden Piece to retrieve on the second floor. The Labyrinth sends the cadets out when the time is up s because the time-slowing magic of the entire Labyrinth was affecting their bodies. Ten hours a day was the maximum. If you counted the time in the Labyrinth, you would have about 30 hours. ¡®The Sage is so kind¡­¡¯ It seems like he put a lot of effort into the Labyrinth, calcting every detail. For the sake of the Academy¡¯s cadets¡¯ education¡­It¡¯s a strange amount of work, but whatever. With no chance to talk to the Sage, and with Edward as my instructor, leveling was a pain. ¡®If only I could get good items and level up,¡¯ I thought. I might have to scour the second floor, but there was still plenty of time. Chapter 34: The Labyrinth (3) Chapter 34: The Labyrinth (3) After a quick scan of the first floor, I made my way down to the second floor, looking for a statue. It was a statue of a warrior, and I could get a Hidden Piece from it. ¡®I can¡¯t see it¡­¡¯ I thought I¡¯d find it right away, but that didn¡¯t happen so I wandered around the second floor for a while. Along the way, I encountered a few other cadets whose names I didn¡¯t recognize, but there was no reason for them to fight each other, as there was no point in attacking each other in the Labyrinth if you had a pass. The onlypetition between cadets was to see who could go the fastest and the deepest so we didn¡¯t talk much, just went our separate ways. As a result of all the monsters I killed along the way, I gained a level and am now level 19. Although I have a 500% increase in experience, the monsters were still much lower in level than me. On the second floor, I encountered a group of goblins along with the kobolds from the first floor. These are monsters you¡¯d expect to encounter outside of this game. Goblins could speak and Just like in the game, they spouted lines like ¡°No women!¡± and ¡°Kill the men!¡± [How boring¡­There¡¯s a staircase and you don¡¯t even go down.] Sierray in the air and yawned. It would have been nice to see a tense battle, but there wasn¡¯t much to see since I¡¯d just ughtered them all in one fell swoop. Now that we¡¯re on the second floor, I find myself talking to Sierra in small bursts, at least when I¡¯m not sensing anything around me. ¡°The Labyrinth is a ¡®dungeon¡¯ after all, I thought there might be something in there¡­ gold, silver, treasures¡­special items¡­¡± I whispered to Sierra as I walked away, avoiding the traps. [By the way, you¡¯re really good at avoiding traps. Do you have a knack for it?] Sierra asked, since she must have seen some of the traps in thebyrinth. ¡°Things like tforms are easy to detect because they stick out like a sore thumb. Arrow traps, for example, you can feel the wind blowing through the hole where the arrowes out, because it¡¯s unnatural.¡± Stepping on any of the traps in the game caused me to take some damage and feel dirty, so I had a pretty good handle on the easier ones. After dodging a few traps and slicing through the hordes of goblins I encountered, I finally saw what I was looking for. ¡®Statue of a Hero.¡¯ I trudged toward the statue. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a statue of a warrior standing in a stern pose with his holy sword mmed into the ground. [Ho-ho¡­ A statue? Let me see¡­¡­ It¡¯s a statue of a hero.] Sierra looked at the inscription below the statue and informed me. Originally, yers could pray to the statue and receive a buff called the Hero¡¯s Blessing. This blessing would also apply to other cadets. Well, not that many people would pray to the statue¡­ It was already widely known to the older cadets that the statue would continue to appear even if the structure of the Labyrinth changed. However, I have no intention of praying to it as usual. ¡°A gap¡­¡± I touched the base of the statue¡¯s front and found a small gap. It was just big enough to fit a sword through so I pulled out my Spectral Sword and stuck it into the gap in the floor. In an instant, I was in the same pose as the hero statue in front of me. [Crack.] As soon as I inserted my Spectral Sword into the gap, I heard the sound of machinery around me. [Hmmm¡­?] Sierra watches my bizarre maneuverings and questions the sound. Just then, something small falls from the ceiling toward me but I catch it without missing a beat. [A ne¡­You were right, this is a dungeon, and I can¡¯t believe something like this was hidden here.] I nod to Sierra in confirmation. ¡®The Ne of the Hero¡¯s Favor.¡¯ This Epic-ranked ne can be worn once a day for three minutes, converting all of the wearer¡¯s attacks to light for the duration. Often referred to as the ¡°dragon¡¯s neck¡± by yers, this ne allowed yers to unleash light-based attacks that were quite effective against demons and undead. This was helpful since there were quite a few demons and undead to deal with in the game. The next boss I had to face after Lycanthrope was an undead. I took off my Energetic Silver Ne and immediately put on the Hero¡¯s Favor Ne. [It looks good on you.] Sierra, who was looking at me, smiled wryly. ¡®I wonder if I need to infuse mana into the ne to activate its effects¡­¡¯ Maybe I should test it out next time. By the way, it¡¯s almost time for the other cadets to set up their magic tents and take a break. Those who were lucky enough to run into other cadets at this time tended to keep watch over each other and rest. Time may pass slowly in the Labyrinth, but so does your stamina. You can¡¯t take on monsters when your stamina is depleted, so it¡¯s important to take proper breaks. I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s because the gamepany wanted to add a camping part. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I got the ne, but I haven¡¯t met Lycanthrope yet. ¡®By the looks of it, he¡¯s further downstairs¡­¡¯ The next Hidden Piece is on the 12th floor and the Lycanthrope should be on the 10th floor. Unlike the other cadets, I wasn¡¯t too tired thanks to Reina¡¯s bracelet. ¡®Let¡¯s go down to the third floor.¡¯ With that thought, I headed down the stairs I had seen before. In the distance, I sensed a figure approaching and judging by the sound of the footsteps, it was a cadet, not a monster. ¡°Ah¡­ What a difficult path, really.¡± But the grumbling voice from the other side was familiar. It could have been Aizel or Kaen, but if it was her, it was definitely a coincidence. ¡°Miss Yuri?¡± I called out to her from my side of the wall. ¡°Zetto?¡± Soon, Yuri looks up and calls my name. She recognizes me and runs straight to me. ¡®What if there¡¯s a trap on the way¡­¡¯ Yuri¡¯s eyes light up as she arrives safely in front of me. ¡°Zetto was still on the second floor?¡± ¡°Yes, I guess Yuri was also looking for hidden treasures?¡± ¡°Hmph, well¡­? I haven¡¯t found it yet.¡± Yuri shuddered and ruffled her hair. I knew she wasn¡¯t really looking for treasure but had a weakness forplicated things likebyrinths. When the yer first enters thebyrinth, there¡¯s a scene that shows the other characters¡¯ reactions to thebyrinth and it shows Yuri casting fire magic on a wall. This is apanied by the line, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to burn the walls down?¡± ¡­Of course, the wall didn¡¯t burn down. ¡°¡­Still, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here. How about we form a party? I¡¯ve seen some of the other cadets going around together¡­I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll want to rest in your tent soon enough, and you¡¯ll need a guard.¡± Yuri leaned a little closer to me, suggesting a party. The Labyrinth didn¡¯t mind cadets joining forces, in fact it was highly encouraged. The older cadets had been organizing parties since the beginning while the first years were just getting the hang of it. I didn¡¯t really need to rest in a tent since I had plenty of stamina. But when Yuri asked me to organize a party with that look on her face, I couldn¡¯t think of a reason to say no to her. ¡°I¡¯ll do it, but are you tired?¡± I checked Yuri¡¯s condition first. Judging by how tattered she looked, it was clear that she had struggled through the first floor and barely made it down to the second. ¡°Yeah, can I take a break right now? I¡¯m tired from running around. I¡¯ve heard that you lose stamina easily¡­How¡¯s Zetto?¡± Yuri sends me a pleading nce. ¡°I¡¯m fine, then I¡¯ll go ahead and stand guard.¡± ¡°Thanks, Zetto. I¡¯ll stand guard next.¡± Yuri says to me. ¡®I don¡¯t want to spend so much time on the second floor that she has to stand guard next.¡¯ I¡¯ll just have to fake it then so we set up the tent in a suitable spot. ¡°This is a hero¡­Is this what he looks like?¡± Yuri mumbles as he stares at the statue of the hero. We decided to set up in front of the statue. It was a good spot, with plenty of room. It was time to unfold the magic tent so Yuri took the tent out of her backpack. She ced the small, shrinking magic tent on the ground, and it quickly unfolded itself to reveal arge tent. ¡°I¡¯ve seen this before in ss, but it¡¯s really cool.¡± Yuri looks back and forth between the tent and me and smiles sheepishly. Inside the tent, Yuri and I find it quite cozy. There are no beds, but there are a few cozy looking futons. The magic tent was an item owned by the academy and lent to the cadets, so they couldn¡¯t sell it, but it must be quite expensive. ¡°I¡¯ll go stand guard then.¡± I said to Yuri, who was examining the tent. I had already cleaned up this area, but the monsters in the Labyrinth would spawn again, so someone had to stand guard. ¡°¡­Thank you. I¡¯ll be able to rest in peace thanks to you.¡± ¡°Then get some rest.¡± Yuri looked quite exhausted. Not just physically, but mentally as well. ¡®Even with the bracelet, if I don¡¯t rest at all, will I have much stamina?¡¯ I left my backpack inside the tent, stepped out and squatted nearby to wait. [I see now why my disciple is twisted, you¡¯re unnecessarily sweet¡­] Sierra walks up beside me and speaks. From the look on her face, she¡¯s grumpy for some reason but now that I¡¯m with Yuri, I can¡¯t answer her. Still, I won¡¯t be bored if Sierra keeps talking. ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to meet Lycanthrope today.¡¯ Still, I¡¯ve found the Hidden Piece, so things are going ording to n. *** ¡®I never thought I¡¯d run into Zetto.¡¯ The Labyrinth was veryplicated. I tried using fire magic to see if I could break through the walls, but of course I couldn¡¯t. It was hard enough to get down from the first floor to the second. Dealing with traps and monsters was easy, but finding the way down took forever. I also got to vent my anger for the first time in a long time. The goblins I encountered on the second floor stuck their tongues out at me while shouting, ¡°It¡¯s a girl!¡± and I couldn¡¯t help but feel angry. I wanted to get some rest since I was physically and mentally exhausted. Edward was an asshole. He hadn¡¯t let the cadets know that they could form a party. ¡®It¡¯s funny,¡¯ I thought, ¡®all the older cadets I¡¯ve passed have been sticking together.¡¯ As I entered the Labyrinth, thought about it, and realized that something terrible would happen to me if I were to encounter a goblin while resting in my tent alone. I had never been in a dungeon like this before and Icked the knowledge. I had to meet a cadet anyway but it was gettingte, and the other cadets had already gone downstairs, so it was hard to see anyone. That¡¯s when I met Zetto. He didn¡¯t seem to be struggling to find his way down like I was but looked quite rxed. Edward had told me there might be some Hidden Pieces in the Labyrinth, but I hadn¡¯t expected to start looking for it on the second floor. I was hoping to find them further down but this is where Zetto¡¯s meticulous naturees into y. He¡¯s out there watching over me and I knew he was a friend I could lean on forfort. I also realized that I had done a good job of getting to know him. ¡®I¡¯m thirsty¡­¡¯ I fumbled in my backpack for the water bottle I packed. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± I shook the bottle, but it was already empty. I had run out of water so I stuck my face out of the tent and saw Zetto sitting outside the tent so I cautiously asked him. ¡°Zetto, do you have any water left? I¡¯ve run out¡­¡± He¡¯s standing guard for me, and I¡¯m nervous because he might not share his water with me but Zetto just smirked. ¡°It¡¯s in my backpack, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s still plenty left.¡± ¡°Thanks, I feel like I owe you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I quickly tuck my head in after hearing Zetto¡¯s words. I must be friends with him, but I don¡¯t know why I feel strangely shy whenever I see his smile like this. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± With Zetto¡¯s permission, I rummaged through his backpack. Zetto¡¯s backpack was full of misceneous items. It seems he was thoroughly prepared. There were needles for the acupuncture he was studying, and a bunch of herbs. ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t see the water bottle, so I rummaged around in his backpack and found a sk. ¡®Bewitching Potion¡­?¡¯ That¡¯s what thebel on the sk said. ¡®Why would Zetto want this?¡¯ I had never heard of this potion before but from the name alone, it seemed to be a potion that could mesmerize the person who drank it. ¡®Who are you trying to bewitch¡­?¡¯ I wondered deeply but I couldn¡¯t picture Zetto buying something like this. ¡®So there is a woman he wants to bewitch¡­ Who is she?¡¯ Who did he buy it for? Is it a potion that works? Many thoughts raced through my head. ¡®No way.¡¯ I remember Edward¡¯s first lesson. He said I was the one with the closest connection to Zetto. ¡®I¡¯m not the one he wants to use the mesmerizing potion on, am I? I don¡¯t think so¡­?¡¯ I¡¯ve been eating with Zetto a lottely. That¡¯s how I got to know him better. Zetto and I were ¡®friends¡¯. ¡­It was Zetto¡¯s stuff anyway so I tucked the potion back into his backpack and reached for his water bottle. ¡®Never mind. It might not be me.¡¯ But if it wasn¡¯t me, then who was it? I opened the bottle and drank just enough water to quench my thirst. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I froze in my tracks. I hadn¡¯t been paying attention to the mesmerizing potion, but I put the bottle to my mouth and drank from it. It was Zetto¡¯s water bottle, so he must have drunk from it with his mouth and I put my mouth to it and drank it. ¡°This, this¡­ Indirect¡­¡± My face burned and I couldn¡¯t even get thest word out since Zetto had good ears, so he might hear everything. The mouth of the water bottle in my hand felt wet for some reason. I put the water bottle in Zetto¡¯s bag and hurried back to bed, pulling up the covers. ¡®Even if we¡¯re friends, I¡¯m always conscious of the opposite sex¡­¡¯ Zetto hadn¡¯te to the tent, and I wanted to hide my current state of mind so I should get some rest while Zetto was staying guard¡­ I wonder if it¡¯s because I used a lot of fire magic but my body continues to heat up. Chapter 35: The Labyrinth (4) Chapter 35: The Labyrinth (4) In a small room at the very center of the Labyrinth a man sat at a wide desk cluttered with misceneous scrolls and magical tools of unknown use. Once a wizard in the heroic party that defeated the Demon King, he has been called a sage over the years. As he lies slumped over his desk, a golem of his own creation approaches him. It may be a golem, but it looks like an ordinary man. The golem, dressed in the sage¡¯s favorite maid¡¯s outfit, speaks. ¡°Master, someone has taken the ¡®ne¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­What, the ne?¡± The sage asked, ring at his golem, Itea. ¡°Yes, some first-year cadet has taken the ne that contains the Hero¡¯s Favor.¡± As the sage listened, he remembered how he hade to create the ne. It was hundreds of years ago, but the memory was still vivid to him. The hero¡¯s party was on their way to the Demon City to defeat the Demon King. ¡°Hero, can you put some of your power into this ne?¡± The sage was very interested in crafting magic items. The hero gave him his usual toothy grin, told him to leave it to him, and promptly enchanted the ne. Each of the other members of the party had also made their own favor or blessed item. It was a way tomemorate the hero¡¯s party. He went on to y the Demon King in battle and died a glorious death while the rest of the party owed their survival to him. The same was true for the Sage and each member of the party honored him in their own way. The saint in particr wept profusely. The Sage¡¯s way of honoring the hero was to create the Innocence Academy. Whenever the party nned a mission, it was always a precautionary one or something he could do to prepare for the future. The Sage nned for the eventuality that the Hero would not show up, and for the eventuality that the Demon King would reappear. The other members of the party died in battle with the Demon King, or died of old age in peace. The Sage, however, has managed to defy aging and maintain the academy using the ancient magic that he eventually discovered. Even the Labyrinth he lives in was his creation. He hid items in it that he had found or created throughout his life as gifts for the cadets. The better the item, the harder he made it to find. Hiding items had been the Sage pastime for centuries. The Hero¡¯s Ne was a gift for a hero who would one day appear. It was done with the hero¡¯s ¡°reincarnation¡± in mind. It was a device the Sage hoped would make the Hero he knewugh out loud when he saw his statue in the same pose. ¡°Bring me the second floor transmitter.¡± The transmitter was an object that would ry the events of the Labyrinth on a screen. It, too, had been created by the Sage. ¡°Here it is, my lord.¡± Itea held out the transmitter to him, as if she knew he would say that. She knew the Sage very well, and rightly so, given the years she had lived with him. The Sage sat still and studied the transmitter¡¯s screen. He wondered if the cadet who had obtained the ne was the reincarnated hero. ¡°Blind¡­?¡± The cadet on the screen had a white bandage over his eyes. The Sage, who had been looking into the transmitter for a while, covered it. ¡°He is not the Hero.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°The one I know isn¡¯t this attentive.¡± The Sage shook his head from side to side. ¡°And he talks to himself so much, does he have a disease or something, and if not¡­ I¡¯d say he¡¯s having a conversation with something we can¡¯t see on the screen.¡± Itea nodded her head in affirmation of the Sage¡¯s words. ¡°It does concern me, though¡­Can you get me some information on this cadet?¡± He talked to himself or to a spirit but it was too much detail. ¡®It¡¯s one thing to be perceptive enough to spot a gap in the front of a statue¡­ but to think of plunging a sword straight through it? That¡¯s not normal.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll have it ready.¡± Itea bowed her head to the Sage and headed off into the distance. It was his academy, so there was no information he couldn¡¯t reach, at least as far as the academy was concerned. The Sage picked up the fifth floor transmitter he had tossed in the corner next to his desk. The fifth floor was where the ¡®impurities¡¯ that had been identally mixed in when the Labyrinth regenerated this year were located. He looked at the screen and saw that the cadets were being attacked by the impurity. Fortunately, by the Sage¡¯s calctions, the protective enchantments on the cadets were still working and there would be no casualties. His academy was not weak. ¡°This too is fate, adversity to be ovee.¡± The Sage muttered across the cluttered room. It was not something the cadets could not defeat if they worked together, or if they were skilled enough. Thanks to the impurity species the shallow wounds healed quickly. Who would defeat him? What hero would emerge? The Sage decided to wait and see. ¡®Good thing I gave the instructors the day off, as usual. Hopefully I¡¯ll see the cadets in action.¡¯ With that thought, the Sage rested his chin on his desk and waited patiently for Itea to arrive. ¡®What¡¯s taking so long¡­?¡¯ Itea arrivedter than expected. *** I stood guard and fought off a few more goblins that approached the tent. The time passed quickly as I listened to Sierra¡¯s stories and my pouch of gems was getting fuller and fuller, when I heard a rustling in the tent. Yuri poked his head out of the tent. ¡°Ahaha, did I sleep too much¡­?¡± Yuri smirks. Judging by the bloodshot look in her eyes, she hadn¡¯t rested at all. I heard her squeak in surprise shortly after we first entered the tent, but after that she was quiet, so I thought she had fallen asleep. Was it ufortable to sleep? Some people could only sleep in their own bed. Besides, Yuri was the scion of a noble family, so she might be more sensitive. ¡°Did you get a good night¡¯s rest?¡± I asked Yuri, who was obviously exhausted. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m well rested, thanks, Zetto.¡± Yuri lies with a bright smile. [¡­She looks like she hasn¡¯t slept at all, let alone rested.] Sierra, next to me, nces at Yuri slyly. Soon enough, Yuri is fully out of the tent, approaching where I¡¯m sitting, and speaking. ¡°What do you think, should we switch?¡± ¡°I still have some stamina left, so I was thinking of going down to the third floor¡­¡± Yuri¡¯s eyes widened at my answer. Her finely braided hair is slightly disheveled since she never untied it when she slept. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need to rest?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m really fine.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Alright, we¡¯d better get moving, we¡¯re running out of time.¡± With those words, Yuri goes to the tent andes out with our backpacks. Then, as I learned in Edward¡¯s ss, I grabbed the bottom of the magic tent and lifted it up to make it smaller. ¡°I¡¯m done organizing, let¡¯s go!¡± Yuri exims,ing up beside me. ¡°The stairs are where I passed by.¡± Yuri looks at me in disbelief, wondering if I actually passed the stairs, but I tell her that I found a treasure, so she agrees. Yuri and I walked down the stairs I memorized. ¡°So, about the goblins¡­¡± ¡°Ugh, boring. I don¡¯t know how many times I¡¯ve heard that.¡± ¡°Anything else, like hidden treasure or something¡­¡± When we reach the third floor, we see several magical tents and their guards chatting amongst themselves. ¡°Looks like everyone is already forming a party.¡± Watching them, Yuri says to me. ¡°I¡¯m used to traveling alone, so I didn¡¯t think of parties.¡± The lycanthrope doesn¡¯t seem to be on the third floor. ¡®We probably don¡¯t have much time left, so I don¡¯t think we should go straight to the fourth floor.¡¯ Yuri and I slowly walked around the third floor. She looked tired, so we didn¡¯t push ourselves too hard. The monsters that appear on the third floor are still the same: goblins and kobolds. The only change was that there were more of them. Well, they were still goblins and kobolds, but¡­ [Boom!] I blew thest goblin¡¯s head off and wiped the blood off my sword. My body gradually filled with strength, and I felt like I had leveled up. ¡®I¡¯ve been leveling well since entering the Labyrinth.¡¯ Considering the effect of the blindfold, I was finally leveling properly. A quick check of the status window showed that I had reached level 20 and had four skill points left. If I invested them in Ghost yer Technique, I would be able to level up my Reverse Heaven once. However, I don¡¯t intend to invest in it right now. It¡¯s better to have extra skill points to cope with an unexpected situation. ¡°By the way, Zetto, you¡¯re holding your sword in a reverse grip now, aren¡¯t you?¡± Yuri, who was picking up the gems, turned to me. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how this sword is supposed to be used.¡± ¡°You said it was your master¡¯s sword, and it looks like it¡¯s of good quality, but I can¡¯t believe you still have such a sword and are using it¡­¡± ¡°Haha, Master said something to me when he left it behind.¡± I chatted with Yuri and helped her pick up the gems. When I finished picking up the gems and stood up, I realized that part of my finger had disappeared. ¡°Zetto¡­Your finger¡­Uh, so am I?¡± ¡°We must have run out of time.¡± The transfer of the remaining cadets in the Labyrinth was beginning. Our thirty hours in the Labyrinth were over. Of course, the cadets could still use the pass to escape at any time if they wished. As long as the cadets didn¡¯t take fatal damage in the Labyrinth and get knocked out, theirst position was saved, so they could pick up where they left off when they returned. It was kind of like a ¡°save point¡± for the Labyrinth. Other than that, there were actual save points, like the first, tenth, and twentieth floors, where if you died every ten floors, you would start there. This was for the yer¡¯s convenience. As my body fades away, I open my mouth to make small talk. ¡°¡®This is not a good location,¡± I say, ¡°It¡¯s where the goblins used to appear, so we¡¯re likely to encounter them right from the start.¡± ¡°I see, so this is what Instructor Edward meant when he said to pick your spots before leaving.¡± Yuri nods, mentioning Edward. Edward was not one to give answers. He wanted the cadets to find their own answers. Thanks to his educational philosophy, the cadets in ss A will have a hard time. My and Yuri¡¯s bodies gradually fade away and my vision goes ck. *** I woke up to find myself at the entrance to the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth, and even the Sage, has an agenda. When they let the remaining cadets out, they didn¡¯t do it all at once. I look around, but I can¡¯t see Yuri. If I had gotten out before Yuri, they might have sent me out in the order I entered the Labyrinth. But there was a mess in front of the doorway. ¡°Aaaahhh¡­!¡± ¡°Get him to the infirmary!¡± ¡°What did he do to you?¡± I see injured and bleeding cadets and instructors and staff carrying them away. It was a precursor to the Lycanthrope episode. ¡®To see this mess from day one¡­ It¡¯s the fourth or fifth floor¡­¡¯ As I walk toward them, arge male cadet who was helping the wounded approaches me. ¡°Hey, are you Cadet Zetto by any chance?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Zetto. Can I help you?¡± Apparently, he was a senior cadet. [The call of an unknown senior cadet.] It was the same scenario as the beginning of the Medical Technology Club quest. ¡°Medical Officer Prisci asked for you. She¡¯s short-handed and wants you toe to the infirmary as soon as possible as part of the club.¡± ¡°¡­Okay, well, it sounds like it¡¯s urgent, so I¡¯ll go first.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Can you go by yourself?¡± The senior cadet looked me in the eye and scratched his eyebrows. ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± ¡°Okay, well, seeing as you came out of the Labyrinth¡­ I¡¯m also a member of the Medical Technology Club, but I didn¡¯t expect our first greeting to be like this. Anyway, see youter!¡± The senior cadet gave me a serious look and went back to helping the wounded. How did this queste about? First of all, there aren¡¯t many people with divine powers in the academy. Even if there were, they¡¯d be more pdins than clerics. Moreover, divine powers are not something that one encounters very often. Finally, Prisci possessed more divine power than most people realize. That¡¯s why she was in charge of the Academy¡¯s infirmary single-handedly. She just needs my help to make things easier since there weren¡¯t that many people at the Medical Technology Club. I could see everyone moving in unison. ¡°Yuri¡­ Is she going to make it back¡­?¡± Somehow, I kepting across situations where Yuri was left alone. Still, it was an urgent situation so I couldn¡¯t just stand here and rx. I made a decision in my head and sped off to the infirmary. ¡®I didn¡¯t think it would appear on the first day. If I hadn¡¯t met Yuri, I would have run into Lycanthrope.¡¯ It was early, but it was still the n. As I was running with mana flowing through my legs, Sierra spoke to me. [The Medical Technology Club? I assume you know your way around medicine?] I didn¡¯t have time to answer her as I was running, but it would be better for her to see it than to exin it. I nce over at Sierra, who is following me at a leisurely pace. ¡®So, this is the first time I¡¯ll meet Prisci since I made the Spectral Sword¡­¡¯ Prisci possesses a great deal of divine power, so I doubt she¡¯ll notice the Spectral Sword but if she does, I¡¯ll have to find a way to make it work. I won¡¯t be able to hide the Spectral Sword every time I run into her at the Academy. To do so, I¡¯ll need to use this incident to make myself appear morepetent. I entered the academy¡¯s main building and headed straight for the infirmary. The door to the infirmary was already wide open. ¡°Hmm¡­ That looks like a w mark¡­¡± Prisci was continuing to heal the cadets with holy magic. Hearing my footsteps, she turned her head in my direction. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, good, I¡¯m in the middle of something.¡± I walked over to Prisci. As I enter the infirmary, I hear the sounds of the wounded. The Lycanthrope¡¯s attack had left them in a state of ¡®confusion¡¯. ¡°I heard you called for me.¡± ¡°I told them you had a bandage over your eyes, but Butler found you quickly enough.¡± Apparently the senior cadet who had given me the quest was named Butler. Prisci turned her attention back to her treatment, then turned to me. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened. I think they were attacked by a monster, but I don¡¯t know what kind. Anyway, thanks to it, a lot of people are injured.¡± Prisci clicked her tongue, annoyed that the number of injuries had increased. In the Labyrinth, death meant being thrown out of the Labyrinth. A single blow would have left them unscathed, but Lycanthropes were characterized by their rapid fire, so there were many wounded. ¡°¡­What can I do?¡± Prisci finishes treating one of the cadets, then stands up and approaches me. Even in the midst of all this chaos, her eyes remained calm, giving off a serene glow. ¡°Acupuncture¡­you¡¯ve had a lot of practice, haven¡¯t you?¡± Chapter 36: The Labyrinth (5) Chapter 36: The Labyrinth (5) ¡°Acupuncture¡­ you must have practiced a lot, right?¡± Prisci asks, tilting her head. ¡°Of course, don¡¯t worry.¡± I give Prisci a reassuring smile and in response her eyesnd on my waistline. ¡®I¡¯m sure she feels it, too, to some extent.¡¯ But Prisci couldn¡¯t care less. For now, the care of the wounded came first. This quest, a tie-in to the Lycanthrope episode, is a perk of choosing the Medical Technology Club. Having learned acupuncture in the Club, I was able to clear the ¡°confusion¡± of their ailments. I followed Prisci into the infirmary. ¡°The monster¡¯s ws were poisonous, and the injured cadets are experiencing confusion.¡± As Prisci continues to exin, I hear groans from the cadets. ¡°Ugh¡­ Mmm¡­¡± I look over at the wounded lying in their beds and see them struggling. ¡°Well, that makes it difficult to infuse them with Heal. I can do it myself with acupuncture needles or Divine Clear, but it takes a long time. Speaking of which, Zetto¡­ do you remember the location of the ¡®Confused Blood¡¯?¡± ¡­This spot on the wrist of my left arm.¡± I replied, pointing Prisci to the Confused Blood on my arm. ¡°Exactly, but it¡¯s not always easy to ce needles when the wounded are struggling with confusion, so if you think it might be difficult, can you tell me now?¡± Prisci asked. At this point in the game, unless you¡¯re at least level 2 in acupuncture, you have to choose the option of not being able to do it. I was already level 3 in acupuncture, and I was confident that I could handle it so I nodded to Prisci and set my backpack down in the corner of the infirmary. ¡°I think I can do it.¡± And so it fell to me to clear the ¡®confusion¡¯ by cing acupuncture needles on the wounded before Prisci healed them. At least that would cut down on the time. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± I sat down next to Prisci and grabbed the struggling cadet¡¯s left arm. I needed to capitalize on the moment of weakness. It was a mini-game in the game, like a rhythm game. At that moment, I felt her left arm cken and lose strength so in a split second I ced the needle in the right ce. A few seconds passed and the cadet¡¯s grimace rxes as the violent struggle subsides. ¡°Hmmm. You¡¯ve improved quite a bit..?¡± Prisci, who was heeling the cadet where I left the acupuncture needle,pliments and questions at the same time. ¡°Ahaha¡­ I¡¯ve been practicing a lot.¡± I scratched my head and moved on to another cadet. Prisci nces at me, then focuses on healing the cadet. [My student is quite the handyman. Acupuncture¡­] Meanwhile, Sierra floats by, watching my acupuncture with interest. From then on, it¡¯s repetition. I hold the injured person¡¯s arm, wait for the moment of weakness, and ce the needle. I can feel the fatigue creeping into my body and after spending 30 hours in thebyrinth, I could use a break. ¡®Just a little more.¡¯ Soon enough, the ¡®confusion¡¯ of the wounded cadets was being cleared away, and Prisci¡¯s healing was speeding up. ¡°Thest of the wounded!¡± Butler, the senior cadet who had told me the news, entered the infirmary, carrying the wounded and behind him was Yuri. ¡°Whoa, Zetto!¡± Yuri eximed when she spotted me. She, too, was helping the wounded. ¡°Haha, we meet again.¡± But Yuri and I didn¡¯t have time for a leisurely chat. Butler moved the wounded cadets under Prisci¡¯s guidance, checking the injured cadets¡¯ condition. Yuri stepped away from the infirmary for a moment, blending in with the group of cadets who had been watching from afar. After a while, the urgent cases in the infirmary were taken care of and the others were left to Butler and Prisci. Butler could use a little ¡®heal¡¯ too. A look outside the infirmary revealed a few cadets with minor injuries leaning against the wall. They were the ones who remained moderately conscious. I walked over to the nearest female cadet. ¡°Are you in any difort?¡± ¡°Uh, uh¡­I have a little headache¡­¡± ¡°Can you ease the tension in your arm?¡± Now it was my turn to get information. I let go of the acupuncture needles and ask questions in a friendly, natural voice. ¡°What was he like?¡± ¡°Well, he was so fast, I didn¡¯t get a good look¡­I think he was much bigger than a man¡­¡± ¡°¡­That must have been a terrifying experience, do you remember which floor it was?¡± ¡°The fifth floor¡­ It was the fifth floor¡­¡± The female cadet replied, looking up and trying to remember. I let go of the needle as she remained still, smacking her lips, and after a moment she opened her mouth. ¡°¡­Do you think your headache has cleared up a bit?¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­! My head is clear¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, considering your eyes must be bothering you¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal, I¡¯m d I could help.¡± With those words, I walked past the blushing female cadet and pried information out of the others. [Disciple, did you really have to touch her arm like that¡­? I guess it¡¯s the only way since you can¡¯t see¡­] When I was done, I ignored Sierra¡¯s pouty-faced grumblings and sat down on a corner of the wall outside the infirmary to gather the information in my head. A big guy with dark gray fur and very long and sharp ws. It felt like a beast of prey. This was a lycanthrope that was for sure. He was on the fifth floor. ¡®I should be thankful¡­¡¯ Today was over on the third floor, so by the time I got to the fifth floor I¡¯d gain a few more levels. The group of cadets in the infirmary seemed to be mostly waiting for their friends or out of curiosity. Among the group, the female cadets seem to be the busiest. Yuri¡¯s face was also visible among them, but she was tired and her expression was not very happy. [¡­It seems that my disciple is overly affectionate, especially with the girls.] Sierra, who had been wandering back and forth among the group of cadets, approached me and muttered something unintelligible. Then she turns to them, eyes narrowed, a murderous grin on her face. ¡®She¡¯s like that sometimes¡­¡¯ After that, the group of cadets gradually thinned out as a few cadets who had finished their treatment made their way out of the infirmary. Yuri slowly approaches me and taps me on the shoulder. ¡°Zetto, I assume you¡¯re almost done?¡± ¡°I guess so. As soon as we got out of the Labyrinth, I realized what was going on, haha¡­It¡¯s been a crazy day.¡± Yuri also realized what was going on as soon as she came out of thebyrinth and immediately helped Butler. ¡°She didn¡¯t say anything, she just helped¡­ She¡¯s a wizard from the Clementine n, so she¡¯s a good person!¡± Butler in the infirmary exims when he sees Yuri. Yuri mumbles, ¡°I¡¯m not a good person¡±¡­and turns away from Butler. ¡°Are you done?¡± I ask Yuri. I was hoping to grab a bite to eat when she was done. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m heading back now.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll finish up and head back.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll see youter. I¡¯ve had a long day.¡± With that, I said goodbye to Yuri, who was smiling brightly. She was smiling again, but I realized she was just tired. Not long after Yuri left, Prisci came out of the infirmary. ¡°Hah¡­ Finally, it¡¯s over.¡± Prisci stands in the doorway of the infirmary, stretches, and turns to look at me, my sword, to be exact. The quest reward hasn¡¯t arrived yet so that means the quest isn¡¯t over. ¡°Zetto, do you have a moment? I need to talk to you about something.¡± Prisci asked me. ¡®It¡¯sing¡­¡¯ Prisci looks like she¡¯s about to mention the Spectral Sword. ¡°I see.¡± I followed her to the rooftop of the academy. It waste at night, so there was no one else on the roof. The cool air rushed into my lungs. ¡°You¡¯ve had a long day.¡± Prisci, leaning against the railing, spoke up. She didn¡¯t cut to the chase. ¡°Haha, you had a hard time today.¡± ¡°Sometimes it happens when there¡¯s a monster on a lower level that¡¯s hard to defeat, so¡­ Your acupuncture skills have improved quite a bit, you must have been practicing hard, I¡¯m proud of you.¡± Prisciughs softly, praising me. Iugh along with her, but that¡¯s not the point. Prisci¡¯s eyes had been on the Spectral Sword from earlier. Judging by the fact that she wasn¡¯t looking at Sierra, who was hovering by my side, she didn¡¯t seem to see the spirit energy that Deidros mentioned earlier but she didn¡¯t bring it up. ¡°How did you practice your acupuncture?¡± ¡°On the skin of the bore, in moderation, likest time¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯re not that good, are you?¡± Hearing my excuse, Prisci snorted and her eyes were a vivid emerald in the moonlight. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t dislike a guy with a lot of secrets since I have quite a few of my own¡­ I guess I can rte.¡± Prisci said, leaning back against the railing. ¡®Secrets¡­¡¯ Prisci had secrets, too. It was tied to her past. In the game, if you interacted with Prisci often enough, you could delve into her past. The fact that she was now treating cadets as a medic was her ¡®penance¡¯. Usually, learning about her past is a bad ending. When Prisci realizes you¡¯ve dug into her past, she locks you away. The yer can¡¯t do anything about it, and it¡¯s a lockdown ending. As a result, it¡¯s best to keep your distance from Prisci. Prisci stares at the moon in silence for a while, then lowers her head. ¡°¡­Anyway, thanks for making the treatment easier. Here, take this.¡± With that, Prisci tossed me a squeaky pouch. I naturally snatch it up and turn to her. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the money the cadets gave me earlier as a thank you and I already gave Butler his part. Consider it an honorarium.¡± ¡°Aha¡­¡± I slipped the pouch into my arms, feeling a surge of energy through my body. ¡®Level up.¡¯ The quest wasplete. With those words, Prisci strolled off the rooftop. She never asked me about the sword. ¡®I thought you were going to ask me something when you brought me up here. Is this how it ends?¡¯ I stayed on the roof and looked around, but it was already dark and a full, round moon stood high in the sky, casting a glow. [¡­There are quite a few shady characters in this academy, instructors, cadets, and even medics¡­?] I can¡¯t help but chuckle at Sierra¡¯s next statement, as it hits the nail on the head. ¡°Ha¡­ yeah.¡± I couldn¡¯t agree more. *** I got a good night¡¯s rest and returned to the Labyrinth early in the morning. I split the orcs on the fourth floor and made my way down to the fifth since I wanted to meet Lycanthrope. I finally found the stairs leading down and as I slowly descended the stairs I checked my status. Lv.23 Skills -Ghost yer Technique Lv.12 ¨C Sierra Reverse Heaven (Iplete) Lv.3 ¨C [Ghost yer Technique] in effect -Superior Senses Lv.7 -Weakness Detection Lv.MAX ¨C [Blindfold That is Beyond Reason] in effect -Acupuncture Lv.3 Skill Points remaining: 3 Equipped Items ¨C Blindfold That is Beyond Reason. [Legendary] ¨C Bracelet of Origin [Epic] -Spectral Sword Sierra [Inheritance] -The Hero¡¯s Favor Ne [Epic] Yesterday¡¯s Medical Technology Club quest gave me two levels. I also quickly skimmed through floors 3 and 4, gained another level, and am now level 23. I had 3 points left and invested them all in Ghost yer Technique. I¡¯ve leveled up the skill quite a bit but I can¡¯t use Chapter 2 yet. At a rough guess, I¡¯ll need to level up the skill once more before I can use Chapter 2. The scent of blood thickens as I descend the staircase. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s on the fifth floor. He would be tearing apart everything in sight, cadets and monsters alike. I made it all the way down the stairs, and when I first stepped onto the fifth floor, I saw arge man. It was a recognizable face, if not a very familiar one. ¡°You¡­¡± As soon as he spotted me, he lowered his voice like a ferocious dog growling. ¡®Amon Caligus?¡¯ He red at me, his arms armed with his usual stone gauntlets. ¡°The ¡®prey¡¯ on the fifth floor is mine. Get the hell out of my way.¡± Amon snarled at me. He had heard the rumors and hade to the fifth floor to capture Lycanthrope. Just then, I had an idea. ¡°¡­Oh, well, I guess I¡¯ll have to give in.¡± I smiled at Amon and replied. Thanks to Amon¡¯s kindness, I can get a good idea of the power of the Lycanthrope. Chapter 37: The Labyrinth (6) Chapter 37: The Labyrinth (6) ¡°The ¡®prey¡¯ on the fifth floor is mine. Get the hell out of my way.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, well, I guess I¡¯ll have to give in then.¡± Amon strode down the passageway with a brisk stride. ¡®As if¡­¡¯ Amon had been avoiding Zetto all this time and hated the sound of his footsteps behind him. ¡°Get lost¡­?¡± Amon swallowed the curse word that rose in his throat and spun around, eyes wide, but Zetto was farther away than he thought. Shrugging his shoulders with a wicked grin, he had a strong feeling that Zetto was telling him, ¡®What do you want me to do?¡¯ ¡°Oh¡­¡± Amon thought, turning his head away. ¡®If it weren¡¯t for the Labyrinth¡­¡¯ That was it. Amon stopped thinking. If only it weren¡¯t for the Labyrinth, he would have been able to smash that stupid face into the ground. Amon¡¯s mind suddenly shed back to the ss cement test. He hadn¡¯t been caught off guard by his opponent¡¯s blindness. ¡®He definitely used Dispel, and with a sword.¡¯ Amon might be a rough person, but a Caligus was still a Caligus. He hadn¡¯t learned magic for nothing. He didn¡¯t dismiss Zetto¡¯s dispel as a mere fluke. ¡®He¡¯ll be hard to beat, even if we fight again.¡¯ Amon had seen Dispel before and knew how much of an advantage it could give a mage. After all, dispelling requires a deep understanding of the magic to be negated. His father had dispelled his magic with ease and Amon had learned his magic from his father. The one named Zetto dispelled his Earth Gauntlet but he was a swordsman, not a mage. Even for Amon, the idea of dispelling with a sword was unheard of. It meant that there was a staggering level of difference between him and Zetto. Many cadets were killed by an unidentified powerful monster on the fifth floor. He was going to defeat it in style and prove to the cadets of the Academy the greatness of House Caligus and who Amon Caligus was but then he met Zetto. ¡®He must be here for the monsters, too.¡¯ Amon¡¯s impatience made him quicken his pace. He didn¡¯t want Zetto to follow him and take away his achievement. Suddenly, Amon looked back and shouted. ¡°Get the fuck out of here!¡± Luckily, this was the Labyrinth and even if Amon was being a little harsh, Zetto couldn¡¯t retaliate. The whole reason he hadn¡¯t challenged him before was to avoid retribution since it would be embarrassing to challenge someone who was stronger than you. Amon was a strong against weak and weak against strong person but even in the Labyrinth when he cursed at Zetto, he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. Zetto¡¯s expression hardened slightly as he heard Amon¡¯s curses. ¡®So, what if I offend you?¡¯ Amon smirked at Zetto. Finally, Zetto¡¯s mouth opened. But the words that came out of his mouth were nothing like Amon had imagined. ¡°¡­It¡¯sing.¡± Zetto said in a very serious voice but Amon jerked his head forward at the implications of Zetto¡¯s words. The darkened passageway was still eerily quiet and the smell of blood pervaded the floor, but nothing was different than before. ¡®No, it¡¯sing¡­¡¯ Amon didn¡¯t even have time to marvel at Zetto¡¯s ridiculous sensory abilities before he immediately assumed abat stance. [Bam, bam, bam!] The sound of his footsteps reached Amon¡¯s ears. They were getting closer and closer, and the speed was incredible. Amon couldn¡¯t even see him, but he had to be prepared. ¡°Earth Wall!!!¡± Amon hit the ground and created a thick wall of rocks in front of him. ¡®Of course he¡¯ll break the wall.¡¯ Footsteps soon reached the front of the wall, and Amon realized that the wall was crumbling. [Boom!] Just as Amon thought, the wall shattered, sending shards of stone flying everywhere, revealing the creature. ¡®A mane?¡¯ The grayish mane of the creature snaps but Amon doesn¡¯t panic, swinging his gauntlet in time to strike. [Whoosh!] Amon¡¯s gauntlet is about to hit the creature in the face, but the creature dodges it. ¡°No way¡­!¡± The creature¡¯s long nails then swung at Amon but Amon quickly blocked it with his gauntlet. Luckily, the gauntlet didn¡¯t break. Amon Caligus was the son of Maxim Caligus, the Shield of the Empire and one of the finest earth magicians in the world. ¡°Earth Spear!¡± Amon summoned a spear of stone from thin air and hurled it at the creature, sending it flying with the force of the impact. Even if he had dodged the gauntlet at close range, the speed of the Earth Spear was quite high. [Kagang!] He couldn¡¯t dodge it, so he moved his arm to block the Earth Spear as Amon confirmed the creature¡¯s identity. ¡®Lycanthrope¡­?¡¯ A human with a wolf¡¯s head but the only thing that made him human was that he walked bipedally¡­ It wasn¡¯t a monster or a creature from the Labyrinth. Amon thought so, but the battle came first. Suddenly the Lycanthrope¡¯s body twisted. ¡®It¡¯sing¡­!¡¯ The lycanthrope¡¯s ws m into Amon¡¯s gauntlets as it approaches him faster than he can react. [Kakak! Kaang! Kagang!] Amon was blocking with his gauntlets, but he didn¡¯t think he could hold out forever. The lycanthrope¡¯s menacing ws were aimed at Amon¡¯s lower body, where his gauntlets had failed to protect him. ¡°Earth Wall!¡± In a sh, Amon summoned a wall of earth beneath his feet, narrowly avoiding Lycanthrope¡¯s ws. [Boom!!!] The lycanthrope smashed through the wall once more but Amon cast another spell. ¡°Stone Shower!¡± At the sound of Amon¡¯s voice, a shower ofrge, sharp stones crashes down on the creature¡¯s head. It was Amon¡¯s specialty, an earth mage who favored meleebat. The lycanthrope hastily throws his arms up to block the shards, but he can¡¯t stop them all. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Amon¡¯s eyes fell upon the Lycanthrope with shards of stone piercing his body. He realized that this might be worth a shot. [A!] The creature looks up at the ceiling and roars ferociously then the stones that had been embedded in his body tter to the floor with a loud thud. The lycanthrope is healing its wounds as the torn skin sticks together, the blood stops flowing. [Krrrr¡­] Hot breath escapes from the lycanthrope¡¯s mouth and his red eyes take on a more sinister glint. Amon thought he had done damage, but he had only enraged the creature. The next moment, Lycanthrope¡¯s legs are dragged behind him. [Boom!] The creature ms into the ground, charging even harder than before and in the blink of an eye, he¡¯s in front of Amon¡¯s nose, and his razor-sharp ws are digging into Amon¡¯s face. Amon quickly raises his gauntlet to block¡­ [Aaah!] The tattered gauntlet cracks, sending Amon flying sideways. [Thud!] Amon is mmed into the wall and blood gushes from his mouth. ¡®My ribs¡­¡¯ Amon¡¯s body feels like it¡¯s about to crumble and he can¡¯t stand up. ¡®I thought they said it was a monster¡­¡¯ This was no easy opponent. It wasn¡¯t just because he was a mage and his movements were swift since Amon was confident in closebat but the lycanthrope was that powerful. At this point, Amon had to admit it. ¡®I¡¯ve overstepped my bounds.¡¯ He¡¯d always been one to figure things out after tasting bitterness. Zetto in the cement test and the lycanthrope now. The lycanthrope approached Amon, drooling. ¡®¡­I think I should go to the infirmary for treatment.¡¯ Amon thought, and was about to give up. ¡°¡­It¡¯s my turn now, isn¡¯t it?¡± Amon¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by an unpleasant voice from the other side, a voice he didn¡¯t want to hear, at least for now. The lycanthrope responds to the voice too as if he¡¯d only just noticed Zetto¡¯s presence. Amon rolled his eyes from where he was lying on the ground and looked in Zetto¡¯s direction but Zetto¡¯s appearance was strange. ¡®The usual bandages around his eyes¡­ Now they¡¯re covering his mouth as well¡­?¡¯ With bandages and cloth wrapped around his face, Zetto looked like a faceless assassin. The lycanthrope approached the new challenger. ¡°Perhaps¡­You¡¯d better cover your nose.¡± Zetto leaves those unintelligible words to Amon and throws a pouch from his waist at the lycanthrope. Then, just before the pouch reaches the lycanthrope, Zetto draws his sword and shes at it. [Crunch!] The sound of the pouch bursting open was heard, and the yellow powder from the pouch scattered everywhere. ¡®Powder¡­?¡¯ The powder quickly spreads around and enters Amon¡¯s nose, which he hasn¡¯t covered because he can¡¯t move his body. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t move. Whatever it was, it had a paralyzing effect. ¡®Lycanthropes don¡¯t use magic. That means he cannot dispel it.¡¯ Zetto¡¯s swordsmanship that Amon had faced before was, to put it bluntly, ordinary. It didn¡¯t evene close to the venerable ice swordsmanship of the Aisin family, who were the masters of water magic among the Four Elemental Families. ¡®What are you going to do, Zetto¡­?¡¯ Amon decided toy back and watch Zetto fight. The lycanthrope sniffed at the powder, distracted, and his body temporarily stiffened but Zetto seized the moment. ¡®What¡¯s he doing holding the sword in, reverse grip¡­?¡¯ Zetto, who is holding his sword in an unusual way, immediately charges at the lycanthrope and his red sword is aimed at the creature¡¯s head. But somehow, the lycanthrope¡¯s superior physical abilities override his paralysis and he reacts. [Aaaah!] His wrist is sliced off in ce of his head. Zetto¡¯s sword slices through the seemingly solid mass of muscle as if it were water. Having lost a hand, the lycanthrope quickly leaps backwards, putting distance between him and Zetto. Reverse grip and a red sword that could be called a masterpiece even from a distance. Something about Zetto had changed. ¡®He only just entered the school, and he already grew so much?¡¯ Amon realizes that the gap between him and Zetto has widened even more. The lycanthrope, meanwhile, has put some distance between himself and Zetto, and is waiting for something. His severed wrist is dripping with blood and even he could not recover from a severed wrist but as far as Amon could see, he wasn¡¯t waiting to heal. He was waiting for the strange powder that stopped his body to dissipate. Whether it was instinct, intelligence¡­ Amon couldn¡¯t tell. Zetto removed the cloth covering his mouth and nose, and waited for the creature. The confrontation didn¡¯tst long as the lycanthrope snorted, then lunged at Zetto. [Aaahhh!!!] He roared, leaving his severed right hand behind, and swung with his left. Even though it was a one-handed attack, it was much faster than the one he had used against Amon but Zetto deflects it off with a light flick. ¡®Surely¡­ He can¡¯t see¡­ How¡­?¡¯ As if he could see, he was dodging all of the lycanthrope¡¯s sharp ws attacks with an amazing array of movements. The lycanthrope¡¯s attacks grew faster and faster as each sweep of his arm was followed by a fierce crashing sound. The barrage was too much for Zetto to dodge, so he parried the ws with his sword. [Aaah!] Zetto¡¯s body, unable to withstand the impact of the blow even if he had blocked it with his sword, flies backwards but Zetto stops his body by putting his sword in the ground. Despite this, he still maintained a rxed demeanor. Zetto brushes his sword off once and smiles wryly. ¡®You can¡¯t win by dodging. What are you hiding that you can make that expression?¡¯ Amon swallows hard and stares at Zetto who raised his index and middle fingers and swept them across the de. It was a meaningless gesture but Amon¡¯s eyes saw Zetto¡¯s mana flow change for an instant. It was so eerie that Amon wondered if his eyes were deceiving him. Zetto¡¯s maniption of mana was beyond Amon¡¯sprehension. Soon enough, Zetto was positioned to swing his sword. [Krrr¡­.] The lycanthrope was panting, he was exhausted from all the fighting. Now there was a distance between Zetto and the lycanthrope, a distance where their attacks would never reach each other. Zetto ignored this and struck again and again with the sword he held in his reverse hand, drawing fluid curves. The red trajectory of his sword as it cut through the air was beautiful but the problem was that it cut through thin air. It was bizarre. How could he swing his sword through the air without releasing any sword Aura? Sword Aura was not something that could be simply drawn out. It was something that only swordsmen who had reached a certain level could control. Amon thought to himself. ¡®I heard that the lycanthrope attacks make people confused¡­He must have gotten caught in the crossfire.¡¯ Amon would have clicked his tongue if he hadn¡¯t been struck paralyzed by the sight. But right after Zetto swung his sword, a loud noise pierced Amon¡¯s ears. [CRACK!!!] With a loud crash, giant sword marks are carved into the passageway. As if defying space, the walls and ceiling of the passageway are shed. Amon rolled his eyes in surprise and checked himself first. Luckily, none of the des had passed through his body. Amon was so surprised that had forgotten that attacks between cadets were not allowed in the Labyrinth. ¡®So¡­ this mysterious ¡®sword aura¡¯ shed through¡­¡¯ Amon¡¯s trembling eyes caught sight of the lycanthrope. He stood still but only for a moment, as Zetto¡¯s de shone through his body, and then his body slowly disintegrated into pieces. [Tuduk.] First the head. [Thud.] Then the arms and torso. [Thud¡­] And the final half of his lower body was sliced in half. The lycanthrope waspletely torn to shreds, and only his ankles remained where he stood. Zetto flicked his sword diagonally, sending blood sttering all over the ce. The blood he shook off was definitely the lycanthrope. Amon stopped thinking about it as too much had happened in one moment. Zetto is much stronger than me. That was all Amon could think about. The next moment, Zetto lurched forward and shouted with a smirk on his face. ¡°Amon, are you still alive?!¡± ¡®That son of a bitch¡­He deliberately shed everywhere¡­¡¯ Amon wanted to curse, but his paralysis kept him from doing so. Chapter 38: The Regressor’s Mischief Chapter 38: The Regressor¡¯s Mischief ¡°Amon, are you still alive?¡± I scrambled over the lycanthrope and approached Amon who was slumped at the foot of the wall. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Amon was lying on his stomach, rolling his eyes, unable to answer whether he had been paralyzed by his fall against the wall. [He must have inhaled the powder. I thought paralysis could be treated with acupuncture?] Sierra asks me from the side. She was right, it was a simple matter of cing acupuncture needles on the paralyzed blood. But I turned my back on her, fiercely. ¡®I don¡¯t want to see the back of a grown man.¡¯ The paralyzing point was on his back. If I let go of the paralysis, he¡¯d just waddle around, and even if I didn¡¯t, the paralysis would dissipate on its own after a while. Turning away from Amon, I strode over to the lycanthrope¡¯s body, which had been neatly dismembered. It was my first time using Chapter One, Space in a battle. [Excellent, I wonder if your skill level has increased as you¡¯ve gotten used to it¡­] Sierra questions my progress, which she doesn¡¯t understand. My skill level has increased, and my reverse grip moves are smoother than the ones I¡¯ve shown before. I¡¯ve gained another level by capturing the creature so I have four skill points left. If I spend them all on Ghost yer Technique, I should be able to use the second chapter of the Reverse Heaven but of course, I¡¯ll save them. I picked up the Lycanthrope¡¯s head from the ground. Even in the game, there wasn¡¯t much information about lycanthropes. How it came to be in the Labyrinth, how it blended in, why it attacks everything in sight¡­I don¡¯t know. So many questions, but there was no way to find out because he couldn¡¯t speak. However, I knew what I had to do now. I ripped his eyeballs out of his head. [Uh¡­what are you going to do with his eyeballs?] Sierra swallowed her confusion but I couldn¡¯t answer Sierra now or Amon would hear me. What I¡¯m about to do, I¡¯m sure, is something I don¡¯t want to do. I had to eat his eyeballs. That was the reward I could get from the lycanthrope. ¡®In the game, it just says I ate his eyeball, so I don¡¯t really know¡­¡¯ There were many dark ces in the Labyrinth and eating a lycanthrope¡¯s eyeball has one benefit. It gives you night vision, a skill that makes dark ces seem brighter. Since it was the first boss and appeared in the Labyrinth, it was like a shlight for yers who would be frequenting the Labyrinth in the future. However, when it came time to put it into action, I was very hesitant. ¡®Maybe I should ask a chef I know how to cook eyeballs¡­¡¯ By the way, I have an ¡®blindfold¡¯ covering my eyes, but I don¡¯t know if it will work. ¡®Let¡¯s save the eating forter.¡¯ He had one more eyeball left, but I didn¡¯t bother to take it. The night vision skill was maxed out at level 1 so eating another one wouldn¡¯t do any good. I wrapped the plucked eyeball in a cloth and stuffed it into my backpack. Then, holding the lycanthrope¡¯s head in one hand, I reached for my pass. I could see Amon¡¯s pupils fluttering in the distance, but I tried to ignore him since he¡¯d crawl out on his own. It was time to leave. *** When I exited the Labyrinth, the sun had already set. I thought I had descended to the fifth floor in one fell swoop, but the time had flown by so I picked up the lycanthrope¡¯s head, which was dripping with blood, and headed straight ahead. The staff member who controlled ess to the Labyrinth spotted me and came running in a panic. ¡°Cadet¡­! What is that¡­? What¡¯s that in your hand¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the one from the fifth floor, but the body didn¡¯t disappear. I thought it was strange, so I picked it up.¡± ¡°The fifth floor¡­ I think I need to go see the instructors right away, but can you follow me?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Then this way¡­!¡± Given the situation, the staff member offers to lead the way. Naturally, the attention of the cadets around us is drawn at the lycanthrope¡¯s head. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Lycanthrope¡­? Did that guy on the fifth floor¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not even a monster, how could it be in the Labyrinth?¡± ¡°He just came out of the Labyrinth.¡± The cadets who had just exited the Labyrinth could be heard chattering nearby. ¡°Was that Zetto?¡± ¡°Did you see his acupuncture yesterday?¡± ¡°Acupuncture?¡± ¡°He was so sweet¡­¡± Some of the chatter wasing from female cadets, who chattered for slightly different reasons. I didn¡¯t pay much attention to them and quickly walked out with the staff, leaving the chattering cadets behind. No wonder my reputation was growing. This is when yers start to get noticed by the other cadets. I follow the staff into the academy¡¯s main building and find the instructors¡¯ conference room. The room was empty. There was no way they were having a meeting at this hour. ¡°I¡¯ll call the instructors, you can have a seat and wait.¡± With those words, the employee stormed out of the room. I sat down in the nearest chair, ced the lycanthrope¡¯s head on the desk, and waited for the instructors to arrive. This was my first boss, although I saw this scene countless times in the game. I thought to myself, ¡®The process is a little annoying when you¡¯re trying to do it in real life¡¯ and ¡®I wish I had a skip,¡¯ while I waited patiently for the instructors to arrive. Within minutes, the instructors who hadn¡¯t been able to take a vacation and stayed at the academy arrived at the conference room and among them was Reina. I began my exnation. An impurity that entered the Labyrinth, that was something unusual in the history of the Academy. Because of its uniqueness, the topic of conversation was not how it was defeated, but how it came to be in the Labyrinth. The instructors discussed it vigorously, and finally settled on a conclusion. ¡­The conclusion was ¡®we don¡¯t know¡¯ so the case was closed as an anomaly in the Labyrinth. There was some discussion about the need to pay closer attention to the management of the Labyrinth in the future, but this will not happen again, at least not in the Labyrinth. In fact, the instructors and academy staff had nothing to do with it. I was more curious as to why the Sage in the depths of the Labyrinth would allow this impurity to remain. ¡®Was the Sage and the Depths really ¡°unimplemented¡± in the game?¡¯ It¡¯s hard to predict the behavior of characters that have lived for hundreds of years. In that case, I can only proceed as I have in the game. After the instructors¡¯ meeting, I catch sight of Reina, who is still in the room. She looks at the lycanthrope¡¯s head and then turns to me. ¡°By the way, Cadet Zetto, what happened to¡­one of his eyeballs?¡± ¡°Oh, that was my loot¡­¡± ¡°Loot¡­ That¡¯s nice. Anyway, you did a good job this time and kept the casualties down. I¡¯m d I lent you the bracelet.¡± Reina nces at her bracelet on my wrist and smiles wryly. She seems to like this one quite a bit. ¡°Haha, I was just wandering around the Labyrinth.¡± The foul-mouthed Reina scratched her head, feeling a bit awkward giving praise. ¡°I heard you helped Prisci this time, and sheplimented you on your acupuncture skills.¡± ¡°Oh, I hear you two are close.¡± ¡°Well, since we went to the academy together, we¡¯ve been running into each other at the bar a lot, so we¡¯re naturally close.¡± Reina loved to drink. Oddly enough, she liked it even though she was a terrible drinker. On any given night, you could find her in a bar inside the academy, drunk. ¡®Prisci has trouble sleeping because of her past memories, so she drinks a lot¡­¡¯ After tapping her fingers on the desk, Reina stood up and continued. ¡°Anyway, the Academy is going to give you a decent reward, and since you took care of this issue and proven yourself¡­¡± Meritocracy, it was the kind of reward that Innocence Academy was known for. ¡®Originally, I was going to take that reward and save the money to make the Spectral Sword.¡¯ I¡¯ll have a lot of money so I have to think hard about what to spend it onter. The more money I have, the more things I can do, especially outside the academy. As she leaves the conference room, Reina has onest word for me. ¡°I guess I can dy getting my bracelet back a little longer. I¡¯ll just have to pick on Edwardter for being the one who made me let you borrow it. Hahaha!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the corners of my mouth as Reina¡¯s words were apanied by a boisterousugh. ¡®I was getting worried when she wouldn¡¯t leave the conference room.¡¯ Even if she lent it to me, it was still an Epic-grade item. She must be ufortable without it. The bracelet, a reward, fame and the eyeball, I made a lot from dealing with the lycanthrope. The extra level I gained in the Labyrinth was a bonus. [¡­It¡¯s not a bad feeling to see my student recognized by others.] As I sit in the empty conference room, Sierraes over and strokes my cheek. ¡®I didn¡¯t get to talk to Sierra much today¡­¡¯ I can¡¯t wait to get back to my dorm and catch up with Sierra. *** I was on my way back to my dorm after everything was done. ¡®The first boss was easy¡­ I still have time for the next one¡­¡¯ As it turns out, I still have a duel with Kaen. I don¡¯t know when she¡¯ll ask for a duel, but it won¡¯t be anytime soon. ¡®Yuri should be wandering thebyrinth for a while¡­¡¯ Prisci, I need to keep my distance from her. It¡¯s troubling that she noticed the Spectral Sword and didn¡¯t say anything. I don¡¯t know what her intentions are, but I¡¯m notfortable with her being interested in me. ¡®Aizel is¡­¡¯ I stopped in my tracks as a familiar tinum-haired girl walked up ahead. I hadn¡¯t seen her in a few days, but her eyes were still the same. She approached me and opened her mouth. ¡°¡­It seems like we haven¡¯t seen each other in a long time.¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right, we haven¡¯t seen each other since the Labyrinth training started¡­ It¡¯s been a while.¡± It had only been a few days, but considering the slow pace of time in the Labyrinth, a long time might be a good way to describe it. There was an unrecognizable aura about Aizel that was different than before, and she had already grown. When she asked if we could talk for a while, I followed her to a roadside bench. The gemstone streetmp shone brightly on her tinum hair as she sat on the bench and Aizel swung her legs across the bench and began to speak. ¡°¡­From what I¡¯ve heard, you¡¯ve been doing a lot of work around here.¡± ¡°Rumors?¡± I asked, staring at Aizel who opened her mouth to answer the question. ¡°Well¡­ That you captured a lycanthrope in the Labyrinth?¡± ¡°¡­It happened today, and word travels fast.¡± It was strange that the rumor didn¡¯t spread. ¡°They say you¡¯re good at acupuncture, and that you¡¯re so sweet and kind¡­ You¡¯ve be quite popr.¡± Aizel frowned, as if she felt ufortable. ¡°Haha, I was in a hurry, so I treated them as kindly as I could.¡± Aizel¡¯s expression rxed a bit at my answer. Afterward, we talked about small things. What she ate, how thebyrinth was, how stupid the goblins we met on the third floor were. ¡­We didn¡¯t have a deep conversation because she was a regressor and I was a possessor so we couldn¡¯t confide in anyone. Neither of us said anything deep, as if we understood the other¡¯s position. It was certainly a casual conversation. However, even in such a casual conversation, I felt like I was getting more and morefortable. Just as the conversation wasing to an end, Aizel made an ufortable face. We¡¯ve been talking for a while, and I¡¯m thirsty.¡± Aizel¡¯s thirst reminds me of the water I packed in my backpack when I entered the Labyrinth. I rummage through my backpack and find my water bottle, but it¡¯s empty. I drank a lot of water while running from the third to the fifth floor. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m out of water, is there a cafe nearby¡­?¡± As I rummage through my backpack and pull out an empty water bottle, Aizel interrupts me and sticks her head in to look inside my backpack. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± She reaches into my backpack and pulls out a sk of pink liquid. ¡®Oh, right.¡¯ I bought this the other day when Sierra wanted to buy it at the general store, but I forgot to remove it from my backpack. ¡°An enchantment potion?¡± Eisel, holding the sk, slowly reads thebel. If this continues I¡¯ll bebeled as the guy with the ¡°enchantment potion¡± in his backpack. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this just a normal drink that doesn¡¯t do anything?¡± Aizel, who interrupted my attempt to defuse the situation, said with a slight tilt of her head. A regressor was a regressor. She knew this was a potion, not just a drink. ¡°The owner gave it to me when I stopped by the general store, but I put it in my backpack and forgot about it. I had no idea it was a potion with a name like that¡­¡± I casually excused myself. [Was that just a normal drink¡­?] Sierra¡¯s voice rings with regret as she realizes the truth about the Enchantment Potion. I wonder why she¡¯s disappointed. Aizel hears my answer and unscrews the lid of the sk. ¡°I¡¯m thirsty, do you mind if I drink this?¡± Aizel asks me in a nd tone and I nod. With my permission, Aizel gulps down the enchantment potion. She must have been very thirsty to down it so quickly. It was just a tasty drink anyway, nothing would happen. [Bam!] ¡­Aizel suddenly drops the sk on the floor. The potion was finished and no drink flowed from the broken sk. ¡°Zetto¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t feel right¡­¡± Aizel mumbles in a weak voice and suddenly leans in close to me, her cheeks flushed. Her eyes seem to be mesmerized by something and she stares at me with her mouth firmly closed. I couldn¡¯t tell if she was acting, as she was an aplished actress, or if I had actually bought a mesmerizing potion. [I, apprentice¡­ I thought you said it didn¡¯t work¡­?] Sierra stammered, covering her eyes with her hands in a panic. No matter how much I thought about it, there was no way it would work. But why would Aizel do this? Suddenly, Aizel¡¯s hand reaches out and grabs mine. She slowly brings my hand to her left breast. Through my fingertips, I can feel the fabric of her uniform shirt over her chest and her heartbeat. ¡°Uh¡­¡± My mind goes nk at the suddenness of what has happened and the next thing I know, Aizel¡¯s face is close to mine and her moist lips glisten in the streetlight. ¡®What if the enchantment potion was real¡­? What would happen?¡¯ I didn¡¯t know what to think but regardless, Aizel¡¯s face was getting closer and closer. Now her breath was close enough to touch my mouth. I had to push her away, but my body wouldn¡¯t budge. I think I¡¯m about to kiss her, but just before I do, her head snaps up. Then she presses her lips to my ear. ¡°¡­¡­Just kidding, hehe.¡± I could hear her lecherousughter in my ear, and then she pulled away from me again. The corners of her mouth turned up in amusement. ¡°It was just a normal, delicious drink. Your reaction is funny.¡± ¡°Then why the hand¡­?¡± I barely managed to get the question out to Aizel, who was still smiling despite the dizziness in my head. ¡°The sound of the heart. I thought it might be easier for you to remember if you could touch it and feel it, rather than hear it.¡± Aizel nudges me with a questioning nce. Sierra, who has been watching this in silence, says something inaudible to Aizel. [What does she want¡­?] Chapter 39: Master’s Prank Chapter 39: Master¡¯s Prank I staggered back to my dorm, feeling as if my soul had been stolen from me since I met Aizel. On my desk, an eyeball with a red pupil sat on a cloth. It was time for the long-awaited eyeball tasting. ¡®How many more times do I have to eat something this grotesque?¡¯ The eyeball was hard to get into my mouth so I kept picking it up and putting it down. [I am frustrated¡­] I¡¯m about to eat the eyeball when Sierra sighs and stops me. ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong, Master?¡± I ask her politely. [Even though I say I¡¯m upset¡­my apprentice is trying to eat an eyeball¡­ and why do you keep trying to eat that damn eyeball?] Sierra grumbles, ncing over at me. I couldn¡¯t wait to eat it so one the way back, I stopped at Herald, who was making a spicy curry, and asked him about the eyeballs¡­ [Heh, I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know about that. Why would you eat eyeballs in the first ce?] ¡­and returned to my dorm without any results. I was deep in thought. Can I swallow an eyeball? If I can¡¯t swallow it, I¡¯ll have to chew it. Would it work? Meanwhile, Sierra was acting like this. When I don¡¯t answer, she continues to talk to herself, like an unfortunate heroine in a y. [I can¡¯t get out of my head the way my apprentice grinned at the blonde, desirable woman¡­] ¡°When did I ever grin like that?¡± My head was spinning at the time, and I couldn¡¯t remember what I looked like but Sierra was visibly shocked by Aizel¡¯s rather unassuming ¡®prank¡¯. ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯ For a moment, I picked up the eyeball with my fingers and popped it into my mouth. [There, look at that, even though I said I¡¯m upset¡­! Did you really eat it, ah, go for it, ah.] Sierra cupped my cheek, wanting me to open my mouth and I also realized at the same moment that Sierra was cupping my cheek. ¡®This¡­ I can¡¯t swallow it. If I swallow it, it¡¯ll get stuck in my throat.¡¯ At one point, I opened my mouth to show Sierra, who was squeezing my face and urging me on. It must have been a strange sight for anyone else to see so Sierra¡¯s eyes widen when she sees my mouth. [You actually put it in your mouth¡­ Hah¡­ I may regret having a disciple in the first ce. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re eating eyeballs at this point¡­] I chewed on the eyeball, ignoring Sierra¡¯s grumbling. ¡®Ah.¡¯ An unidentifiable liquid spreads in my mouth but I gritted my teeth, thinking only of the skill I would gain. [You¡¯re chewing like that¡­Why¡­?] I swallowed hard to answer Sierra¡¯s question. ¡°I was just wondering if my eyes might feel a little better¡­ you never know, right?¡± I blurted out since I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say, ¡°I ate an eyeball to get a skill.¡± Sierra¡¯s face shaded at my answer. Others also did this often. They wear their emotions on their faces, assuming I can¡¯t see past their expressions. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good thing or not. After a while, my darkened vision gradually brightens. I can see clearly into the unlit room. [You have gained the skill Night Vision.] The blindfold was covering my eyes, so I ate it half-heartedly, but I don¡¯t know if I should call itpatible¡­ ¡®I would have felt bad if I ate the eyeball and the skill didn¡¯t work.¡¯ I rinsed my mouth with the water I¡¯d kept on my desk beforehand and approached Sierra, who looked depressed. ¡°Of course, eating an eyeball isn¡¯t going to make me see, and actually being able to touch and feel my Master like this is enough, just chalk it up to the foolishness of a stupid disciple.¡± I grasped Sierra¡¯s hand and smiled bitterly. [ ¡­Yes, I can understand how you feel. ] Sierra nced away from my grasp and nodded. Judging by her reaction, it seemed to go well but suddenly, Sierra¡¯s violet eyes sparkled. [But touching and feeling is enough¡­] With those words, Sierra gradually approaches me. Feeling somehow ufortable with her upturned lips, I couldn¡¯t help but bite back my foot. ¡°¡­Master?¡± I hesitate and stumble backwards, my foot hitting the bed behind me. [Thud.] My body naturally tumbled onto the bed but Sierra was still approaching. ¡°Master, what are you doing¡­?¡± [You had just had a conversation with her about listening to the heart.] Sierra, who had interrupted me, recounted my encounter with Aizel earlier. ¡°¡­I did.¡± [So, you can hear my heartbeat as well.] ¡°Master¡¯s heart beats¡­¡± At that moment, Sierra cuts me off again and climbs on top of me. She squeezes my hand and brings it to her chest. It was very simr to the antics of Aizel, whom I had just met. Aizel was wearing an Academy uniform so I couldn¡¯t even feel her flesh but Sierra¡¯s clothes¡­were a revealing outfit that covered only the most important parts of her body. So, in other words, I was touching bare breasts that I couldn¡¯t even grasp with my hands. Her hands trembled slightly from the nervousness but Sierra¡¯s chest was warmer than her hands. [If I do this¡­ can you feel my heart beating?] Sierra¡¯snguid voice echoed in my head as she leaned close to my ear. But contrary to her wishes, I felt no heartbeat in her chest. Wondering what was going on, I answered her honestly. ¡°¡­No, I can¡¯t feel it, it¡¯s just that Master¡¯s flesh feels too soft¡­¡± [It can¡¯t be, then listen to the sound.] Sierra whined like a child, then grabbed me from the bed and pulled me halfway up then pressed my face to her chest and held me tightly so I couldn¡¯t get away. For some reason, I seem to end up on Sierra¡¯s chest a lot. Her soft breasts roll against my face but she¡¯s a spirit, so I can¡¯t hear her heart beating. ¡°¡­Uh, I can¡¯t hear it.¡± [Then¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to stay like this until you can hear the sound of my heart¡­] Sierra, apparently embarrassed, hangs her head low over my head, her shy voice echoing in my head. I wonder how much time passed but Sierra seems intent on staying like this until she hears an answer she likes. Her breasts were so cozy, I could almost sleep on them but I couldn¡¯t move at all. My whole body was tingling, and I finally spoke up. ¡°¡­¡­I think I heard something.¡± [Are you sure?] ¡°Yep. Thump, thump, thump¡­¡± And then Sierra lets go of me. I exhale heavily, flopping back onto the bed. [ Phew¡­The sound of a heartbeat rises up from the dead woman, and it¡¯s not as silly as it seems, my apprentice¡­ it was just a ¡®prank¡¯ of mine.] Sierra, with her eyes narrowed, covers her mouth andughs. I don¡¯t know if I can call what Aizel and Sierra did a prank. ¡®Well, at least it was embarrassing.¡¯ Before I can say anything else, Sierra¡¯s voice rings out. [ Hmph, your ears are bright red¡­ ] But Sierra, who was smiling as she said it, was also blushing. I touched my ear at her words and I realized that my ears might have been red because they were a little hot. My eyes were used to seeing her breasts after being with her all day, but being squeezed by them was another story. Sierra res at me and continues. [So¡­did you like my prank more, or the prank of the girl named Aizel?] ¡°Do I have to like the prank¡­?¡± Sierra smiles, unperturbed by my ambiguous answer, she seems to be saying a lot of strange things today. I turned my head and tried to go straight to sleep but my body felt heavy. It wasn¡¯t from the Labyrinth, but from the two women¡¯s antics. [Huh? Are you sleeping? Disciple, give me an answer and go to sleep¡­] Sierra¡¯s voice rang in my ears, but I thought it was a luby and decided to go back to sleep. Soon, Sierra was leaning over my body, urging me to answer and her voice was soothing and pleasant to listen to so I dozed off. *** ¡®Labyrinth¡­ It¡¯s a pain in the ass.¡¯ It was doubly frustrating to have to fake it all the time, in addition to dealing with the party members. ¡°Uh, Zetto.¡± One of the party members beside me on the way out of the Labyrinth mentions his name. ¡®Zetto?¡¯ My eyes darted around, catching sight of him. The cadets¡¯ attention is drawn to him, but he continues on his way, seemingly unperturbed. ¡°I heard he took down a Lycanthrope on the fifth floor by himself ¡°What? Amon Caligus was with him, but he really did it alone?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m having a bit of a headache, so why don¡¯t I ask him to use some acupuncture?¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± He could hear the female cadets watching him. In the past few days, Zetto has be a celebrity at the academy. ¡®This is the attention I deserve¡­¡¯ I took a deep breath and tried to keep myposure. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Kaen?¡± The party member who had been watching me from the side asks. Her eyes narrow, and she nudges me with his elbow. ¡°No way¡­ You¡¯ve be interested in Zetto too?¡± ¡°¡­Ahaha, if it¡¯s an interest, it¡¯s always been there, he¡¯s cool, hehe¡­¡± I replied to my party member with a silly look on my face. It was for apletely different reason than the one she was talking about, but I wasn¡¯t lying. Zetto¡¯s fame was extremely annoying, but it didn¡¯t disrupt my ns. If anything, his fame would make it easier for me to gather people for our duel. If I could then reveal my hidden power and defeat him¡­ ¡°Hah¡­ Ha ha¡­¡± ¡­I couldn¡¯t help but get excited just thinking about it. ¡®However, Cadet Aizel¡¯s work, the Herong Mushroom¡­He¡¯s still dangerous.¡¯ I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d lose, but if I did¡­ something terrible might happen afterward. Still, I had no intention of letting him take my virginity without a fight. ¡®I¡¯ll use my grandfather¡¯s swordsmanship if I have to.¡¯ I will not let that happen. *** Kaen had no idea that Sierra, who was supposed to be at Zetto¡¯s side, was in front of her, head tilted, watching it all. Chapter 40: Question Chapter 40: Question The depths of the Labyrinth, quiet for decades and centuries, were suddenly abuzz. ¡°¡­I mean, considering your age, it could be.¡± The golem Itea, who always wore the same maid¡¯s outfit, shook her head and spoke firmly to the Sage. Standing beside him, Itea was arguing that the sage was old and senile. ¡°That can¡¯t be true.¡± The sage was a ¡®Sage.¡¯ How ridiculous would it be for a sage to grow old? ¡°Then how could you forget the cadets you admitted?¡± Itea said with a cold face. In the Sage¡¯s hand was a document that contained information about a cadet named Zetto. The cadet who obtained the ne with the Hero¡¯s Favor and defeated Lycanthrope in the Labyrinth with a sword skill that even the Sage had never seen before. The Sage used his powers to look at the information on Zetto, who had been traveling all over the ce. He wanted to know how he had gotten in, who had gotten him in, and what his history was. The Sage was surprised to find that Zetto¡¯s dossier was fake. Zetto¡¯s papers said that he had been admitted by Hubert Graham, the Academy¡¯s president, who was also the Sage¡¯s fake identity. But the Sage had no recollection of admitting a cadet named Zetto, or of ever meeting him. He had been searching his memory for days. It didn¡¯t make sense. No one but himself could have tampered with the papers. The Sage was not finding it easy to ept that he was old and that he had forgotten the existence of the cadet named Zetto. The Sage rubbed at his temples, where they had been itching. ¡°The ghosts will be singing¡­¡± ¡°Master. Speaking of ghosts, I can confirm that the sword Cadet Zetto was carrying is a Spectral Sword.¡± Itea hands the Sage a piece of paper containing the results of her analysis of Zetto¡¯s sword. The Sage looks over the paper and bursts intoughter. ¡°Hehe, where did a 20-year-old kid get Vampiric Iron?¡± The Vampiric Iron and the Spectral Sword didn¡¯t make sense but that didn¡¯t matter to the Sage. He had no intention of harming Zetto over it. Instead, the Sage had an interesting hypothesis. ¡°Perhaps he was talking to himself¡­He was instead having a conversation with the sword spirit¡­?¡± cing the paper back on the desk, the Sage muttered to himself. ¡®Conversation with a spirit?¡¯ The Sage¡¯s mind shed back to how the Saint, who was part of the heroic party with him, often spoke to the spirits they encountered along the way. But he wasn¡¯t sure yet. It could be that the word senility clouded his judgment. However no matter how much he dug into Zetto he couldn¡¯t see the end, like the Labyrinth he had created. That intrigued the centuries-old Sage. ¡°Perhaps I should speak to him in person.¡± ¡°You mean in this form?¡± Itea tilted her head and pointed to the Sage¡¯s bushy beard and tattered robes. ¡°Huh¡­ Of course I¡¯ll have to approach him as Hubert, though there won¡¯t be anyone left who remembers me if I go around with this face¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, as long as you¡¯re going to blend in. If you¡¯re going to be a penniless, homeless tramp, I think you can go out as you are.¡± The Sage res at her, then gives up. Itea was a golem created by the Sage and her personality was set by him. When he created her, he had thought that if she was going to be with him for a long time, she might as well be able to contradict him. ¡°Hmph¡­ yeah, maybe I¡¯m getting old.¡± This was too big to be the work of a single cadet, and there seemed to be no good reason for it to be the n of anyrge organization. ¡°I¡¯ve been telling you this for days, but to see you finally admit it¡­ I think it makes you feel a lot morefortable.¡± Only the corners of her mouth twitched up from her expressionless face. ¡°That¡¯s enough¡­ Make an appointment. It has been a long time since I have been out as Hubert.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Itea bowed her head and walked away as if nothing had happened while the sage slowly read through Zetto¡¯s papers once more. Most of the information has been filled by the admission director. ¡°Hehe, I don¡¯t remember that¡­¡± The sage tried to figure out why his past self had done this. *** [¡­There are too many of them to keep them in check.] Sierra, who had suddenly left my side and watched Kaen, narrowed her eyes. She had quickly recognized Kaen¡¯s act and that she was not an ordinary person, but she had not yet realized that she was the disciple of the Sword Saint. Perhaps she would never know until Kaen herself revealed her sword skills. More importantly, why did Kaen request a duel with me? What was the purpose of Kaen, the so-called ¡®power-hiding brat,¡¯ to request for a duel with me? ording to her original n, she would reveal her power in the test. Besides, Kaen had been spying on me for some time. ¡®And now a duel request¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a bad idea to take advantage of the situation to get to know her better if it weren¡¯t for Sierra¡¯s presence. Sierra floated beside me, her expression pensive. Kaen¡¯s muttered words from the day I found the Herong mushrooms echo through my head. ¡®¡­If I stay like this, I¡¯ll be overrun, I¡¯ll lose my virginity¡­¡¯ It seemed like there was a big misunderstanding between Kaen and me. But I can¡¯t imagine what kind of misunderstanding that would be. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s better to avoid her, as long as it¡¯s in moderation¡­¡¯ As I reyed the events with Kaen, I soon arrived at my dorm. After opening the door and entering the room, I immediately prepared to leave again. The staff member managing ess to the Labyrinth informed me that Reina had paged me. It was probably about the reward money. ¡°Is something wrong? You haven¡¯t said a word since earlier.¡± I asked Sierra, who didn¡¯t look happy the whole way back to the dorm. She clenches her jaw at my question, but then she speaks. [Do you remember Kaen, the kid who requested a duel with you before?] ¡°I remember, Master, you asked me to duel her.¡± [¡­That duel. Would you mind canceling it¡­?] Sierra¡¯s next words stopped me in my tracks. ¡°Do you mind if I ask why?¡± It was an uncharacteristic request for Sierra, who dueled countless swordsmen in her life. [Eh, it was a casual duel anyway, I saw her skill the other day and didn¡¯t think it was necessary to challenge you to a duel. Besides, she¡¯s only in ss C¡­ Hmm, hmm. ] Sierra stammers. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She¡¯s hiding her true feelings but from what I¡¯ve seen so far, Sierra¡¯s lies are always obvious. [Why are you troubled when I speak, I¡¯m your teacher¡­!] ¡°¡­¡­Alright, I¡¯ll try to cancel the duel.¡± I shrugged my shoulders in response to Sierra¡¯s rather cute plea. After hearing my answer, Sierra let out a deep breath as if she was relieved. Then she pulls away from me, muttering something unintelligible to herself, ¡°I don¡¯t want it to get any bigger than it already is.¡± Of course, I can hear the little muttering because it¡¯s echoing in my head. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with Sierra, but if I can cancel the duel, it might be a good thing for me. ¡®I didn¡¯t feelfortable letting Kaen have her way.¡¯ Without knowing what Kaen¡¯s purpose was, letting her do as she pleased could have been a huge variable. ¡®The problem is¡­the calcting Kaen was unlikely toply with my request to end the duel. It¡¯splicated.¡¯ I shook off my thoughts of Kaen and turned to leave the room. Reina had summoned me to a bar she frequented. It had the same vibe as the game. The instructors who went on vacation during the Labyrinth training were random, but I remembered that Reina¡¯s favorite bar was the one where she was rewarded for staying at the academy. The academy staff member who informed me of this nervously asked, ¡°Would you like me to go with you?¡± but I politely declined the staff member¡¯s favor, saying that I knew where it was. I hadn¡¯t been here since I joined the academy, but I knew the general location. [So, are you supposed to go to the bar now?] Sierra asked me, just as I was about to leave the room. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be out of there as soon as I can.¡± [I see my apprentice does not enjoy drinking.] Sierra said, sounding somewhat uprehending. Judging from Sierra¡¯s reaction, she had enjoyed drinking in her life. ¡°¡­I have a severe weakness for alcohol.¡± I replied to Sierra and opened the door. I was still giddy when I remembered what happened at the cafe with Aizel. ¡®I wonder if Prisci will be there¡­¡¯ It seems like a good idea to stay away from alcohol but I was curious about Prisci. ¡®I know it¡¯s an extremely unlikely scenario, but¡­If I were to get drunk and unwittingly spill the beans about her past in front of Prisci¡­¡¯ The thought was horrifying and it might not end in simple imprisonment. As I walked down the street, trying to shake off the goosebumps, I saw a group of cadets who had juste out of the Labyrinth, stopping at a shop for dinner. The Labyrinth training period is over and the cadets are now transitioning to free-flowing Labyrinth visits with their instructors. I got a lot out of the Labyrinth during the training period. Today I also went in the Labyrinth and I was already on the seventh floor. However, my level didn¡¯t rise as steadily as it did when I was at a lower level. I gained 1 level today, and I¡¯m now at level 25¡­but¡­ Based on my memory of the game, I calcted that I should be on the 15th floor at level 25. I had already leveled up quite steeply, so the experience requirement had increased. It wasn¡¯t too difficult to reach the bar, as I hurriedly moved my feet before the cadets started to stare. ¡®Don¡¯t drink, no matter how many times she offers.¡¯ I reminded myself, took a deep breath, and pushed open the bar door. As soon as I open the door, the smell of alcohol wafts in and assaults my nostrils. ¡°Get me a drink!¡± ¡°Hey, get me a drink.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s drink!¡± As I enter the bar, I hear a cacophony of voices. It was more of a free-for-all than an old-fashioned bar. As I stand there dumbfounded, I hear a strange voice from the other side. ¡°Zetto, I¡¯ve been waiting for you, you¡¯re so good at finding your way around,e here!¡± I turned my head to look in the direction of the voice, and there was Edward, with his white bushy hair, waving at me. ¡®Practice is over, so Edward must be back from vacation.¡¯ I hadn¡¯t seen him in a long time, but the suspicious look in his eyes was still there. At Edward¡¯s table, I could see Prisci, Raina, and his wife. Kaliman was already stretched out with his head on the table. Edward¡¯s wife wasn¡¯t a major character, but I recognized her face from her asional appearances. The time between the end of the Labyrinth and the defeat of Lycanthrope must have coincided with the first-year instructors¡¯ dinner. This wasn¡¯t a game but was real life¡­It could have happened. But then I saw the back of someone else¡¯s head at one of the tables. I can¡¯t get over her hair, which looks as white as snow but has a hint of gold in it. [ Why is she here¡­? ] Sierra, who spotted her afterward, questioned and I was thinking the same thing as her. ¡®Why is she here?¡¯ I really don¡¯t know why Aizel is here. Chapter 41: Drinking Chapter 41: Drinking ¡°Cadet Zetto, I¡¯ve been waiting for you, you sure know how to find your way around,e here!¡± As I approached, Edward mmed his hand down on the table and threw Kaliman, who was stretched out, into a corner of the bar. Kaliman was as limp and unresponsive as Amon was when he inhaled the paralyzing powder. As he slumped against the wall, Kaliman¡¯s head drooped and he began to snore in earnest. ¡°¡­Here, sit down.¡± Edward turned his head away from Kaliman and looked at me, smirking. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. He¡¯ll sleep anywhere.¡± Prisci, who was sitting to my left, nudged me and put her arm around my shoulder. To my right, Aizel was nibbling on a long pastry that looked like a snack. Once I was properly seated, Edward was the first to speak. ¡°Cadet Zetto is here, so I suppose we should introduce ourselves. My wife and I are stopping by on our way back from a trip.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Vanessa us.¡± Vanessa, Edward¡¯s wife, introduced herself in an elegant voice as she ced her hand on her chest. ¡°I¡¯m Zetto, a cadet in ss A.¡± I bowed my head to Vanessa and introduced myself as well. Next, Aizel offers me the same snack she was eating. ¡°¡­Do you want some?¡± ¡°How did Miss Aizel end up here¡­?¡± I took the snack from her and immediately asked her a question. ¡°Miss Aizel just happened toe to the bar by herself, so I asked her to join us so we could have a conversation, and since Zetto was going toe anyway, I thought it would make a good picture, hahaha.¡± Edward, who was sitting across from Aizel, replied. The corners of his mouth turned up as if he wanted me to praise him but I had no intention of doing so. I wanted to get out of the ce quickly, but it looks like I won¡¯t be able to. ¡°¡®Aizel, you¡¯re a pretty good drinker, aren¡¯t you?¡± Prisci said, nudging my shoulder with the hand she had draped over mine. ¡°¡­¡± Aizel¡¯s face was slightly flushed as she continued to munch on her sweets. It looked like she had already had a few drinks. ¡®Anyway, let¡¯s get this done quickly and get out of here.¡¯ I just needed to collect my reward so I nced at Reina, who was sitting across from me, next to Vanessa. But Reina, the one who was supposed to give me the reward, was already drunk. ¡®¡­She¡¯s gone.¡¯ I checked on Reina, who was drunk, and felt a headache creeping up on me. ¡°Drink! Drink!¡± ¡°If it¡¯s alcohol¡­¡­I¡¯m not losing¡­!¡± ¡°Well, stop babbling and drink it!¡± ¡°Drink! Drink!¡± I turned my head slightly at the boisterous soundsing from behind me and saw that the men seemed to be having a contest to see who could drink the most alcohol. [Drink up, drink up, drink up!] Sierra was with them, waving her arms enthusiastically and urging them on. She seemed to be having a good time in her own right. The unfortunate thing is that her cheers were echoing in my head. ¡®What can I say¡­?¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be so bad to stay in a ce like this with people once in a while. ¡°You¡¯re going to have some Zetto, right?¡± Prisci says, looking at me. ¡®I have to keep my distance from Prisci, but when we¡¯re this close physically¡­¡¯ I¡¯m standing shoulder to shoulder with her, so the distance is pretty close. ¡°Do you happen to have anything to drink besides alcohol?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No.¡± My question was met with a firm response from Prisci and Edward. ¡®I¡¯m in trouble.¡¯ I wanted to jump out of my seat, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to remove Prisci¡¯s arm. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯d like it as light as possible, please.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Cadet Zetto, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re thinking of my ss tomorrow.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a model cadet, Zetto¡­Hmph.¡± Vanessa and Edward look like a married couple. ¡°Here, one butterbeer.¡± Prisci waved her hand and ordered a drink. ¡°I heard the story on the way here. Apparently, Zetto has been working diligently in and out of the Labyrinth during your training¡­ Thanks to you, I¡¯m on my way to give the headmaster a run for his money. Hahaha.¡± Edward ps his hands andughs loudly. ¡°Eddie¡­ What did you tell your dad?¡± Vanessa¡¯s remark cuts him off. ¡°Um¡­ I told him that I was able to give the cadets a good education because you stood by me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been sniveling at your father for as long as you can remember.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Edward clears his throat after taking a direct hit from Vanessa. When you meet Vanessa, you¡¯ll see Edward frozen by her like this. This is why I didn¡¯t skip the scene when I met Vanessa in the game. I can¡¯t miss such a fresh scene. ¡°Good education be damned¡­ It¡¯s my bracelet, pooh-pooh!¡± Reina, who had been listening to Edward¡¯s conversation with her head cocked, flicks her wrist andughs out loud. ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s because I taught him acupuncture so ¡®hard¡¯?¡± Prisci interrupts and res at me. ¡®Hard¡­¡¯ I can¡¯t help but think of Prisci in her underwear, teaching me acupuncture with all her heart and soul. Judging by her smile, she didn¡¯t seem to mind, but I couldn¡¯t help but notice and my gaze wandered to her unbuttoned breastbone. [What are these people talking about? My disciple has been raised by me since he was a child, and that is why he is so strong¡­!] At this point, Sierra, who had arrived unannounced, interrupted their conversation. It was an argument they would not hear. Besides, the fact that she had taken my childhood self as her apprentice was just a set-up. With that, Sierra goes back to watching the drinking contest. She seems to enjoy the drinking contest. ¡°Uh¡­Instructor Reina?¡± I called out to Reina before the sake arrived, just in case. ¡°¡­Uhm, Cadet Zetto¡­¡± Reina¡¯s eyes narrowed at my call. ¡°You called for me¡­¡± ¡°¡­Did I?¡± Reina frowns and I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to collect the reward. Prisci sees this and exins to me on her behalf. ¡°I called you here because of the reward for the Lycanthrope case.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve saved the reward money for you, and I¡¯ll make sure you get themter. For now, enjoy yourself. I¡¯m a hard drinker.¡± I swallowed hard as the words, ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m worried about,¡± almost came out of my mouth at Prisci¡¯s sweet voice. ¡°This may be a rude question, but¡­ Cadet Zetto, do you have any trouble recognizing people, or are you used to it?¡± Vanessa, who had been watching me and Prisci¡¯s conversation, narrowed her eyes at me. And so¡­I was about to continue my exnation, as is customary for people who I meet for the first time, when Aizel spoke up. ¡°Waves, voices, and heartbeats¡­right?¡± Aizel answers for me and takes a sip of her drink. ¡°Wow, heart sounds¡­ Hmph, that¡¯s so romantic.¡± Vanessa said, pping her hands together to show she was satisfied with Aizel¡¯s answer. Soon, Vanessa is whispering to Edward. I wonder if they¡¯re having an intimate conversation. Reina was slumped over at the table, counting stars in the sky, and Prisci was sipping her drink without saying a word. ¡­Aizel was slumped over the table, staring at me. The sound of heartbeat reminded me of the ¡°prank¡± Aizel and Sierra had yed on me. I took a small gulp of my drink to clear my head. As I gulped down my drink, I looked over at Aizel and saw that her ears were red. ¡®Are you really drunk?¡¯ Her ears were red, but she kept a straight face. She took a small sip, just enough to keep from getting drunk, and then put the ss down. The drink Prisci had ordered was indeed a low-alcohol version, and I didn¡¯t feel drunk after just one sip. Rather, I wondered about the strength of the alcohol in the coffee at the caf¨¦ I¡¯ve been to with Aizel. There was no way I was going to pass out here. ¡®Even if Reina and Kaliman are already drunk¡­¡¯ Aizel, the Regressor and Prisci with a hidden past, aside from these two, the only other people left were Mr. and Mrs. us. ¡®Edward is the only one who¡¯s actually awake¡­¡¯ Edward drains his ss and sets it down on the table and begins to lead the conversation. ¡°Watching the two cadets reminds me of old times, doesn¡¯t it, Miss Prisci?¡± ¡°When we were at the Academy?¡± ¡°Yes, me, Mrs. Kaliman, Miss Reina, and Miss Prisci. It was a pretty good time, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Edward smiles at Prisci. ¡°Good times¡­ If we hadn¡¯t gotten into a war with the demons in the middle of it¡­ yeah, it would have been good times.¡± At Prisci¡¯s mention of the word demons, Aizel reacts, though only briefly. She¡¯s always been sensitive about demons. The others don¡¯t notice, so she lets it slide. Suddenly, Reina, who was drooling, stands up, raises her arms, and shouts. ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong with you? Hmph!¡± Reina¡¯s tongue is twisted from being so drunk. The ck-blooded trio was the name given to Reina, Kaliman, and Edward when they fought in the war as cadets. I don¡¯t know about the others, but I remember Reina always liked it. She thought it was cool. Of course, it¡¯s a taste she only reveals in her drunken state. ¡°I don¡¯t miss being drenched in ck blood¡­.Demon blood stinks.¡± Edward adds to Reina¡¯s exmation. ¡°¡­¡± Prisci, still with her arm around my shoulders, trails off and takes a sip of her drink. She obtained a nickname in the war as a medic [Prisci, the red-blooded]. A nickname that came from being on the front lines, soaking in the blood of her allies and healing them, but she doesn¡¯t like it. Even when she was an assassin for the Order in her youth, she always had red, thick human blood on her hands. Others here have a long history with Prisci. They didn¡¯t know her past, but they knew she didn¡¯t like the name, so no one talked about it, not even Aizel. She¡¯s a regressor, so she should already know the extent of Prisci¡¯s aversion to her nickname. By the time the smell of alcohol in the restaurant reached my nostrils, Sierra¡¯s impassioned shouts were still ringing in my head from the back, where the drinking contest was still going on. As we sat at the table, we swapped stories about our experiences but mostly about the instructors¡¯ academy days. ¡°Jeez, we¡¯ve only had a few words and it¡¯s already this time of night. We should probably get up.¡± Edward said, rising from his seat. ¡°It¡¯s been a short time, but it¡¯s been fun. Cadets Zetto and Aizel, you¡¯re wee toe over to my ce sometime, I¡¯ll have some good food ready for you.¡± Vanessa said with as much grace as she could muster as she rose to follow him. I smiled and stood to see them off. I couldn¡¯t have asked for better news so I sobered up a bit and stood up, waving them off. Aizel followed suit and saw them off. As I bowed to Edward and Vanessa at the bar entrance, I thought to myself. ¡®Now I just have to make myself scarce.¡¯ That¡¯s the way it is at a bar. One person leaves, another follows, and then the group dwindles and scatters. When I got back to the table, I tried to talk to Prisci. But Reina, who was supposed to be passed out on the table, had woken up and was waiting for me and Aizel with her eyes wide open. ¡°Cadet Zetto, Cadet Aizel, pick up your drink¡­!¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± I questioned, looking at Reina¡¯s suddenly normal appearance. ¡°¡­I just used Divine Clear on you.¡± Prisci said, sipping her drink like it was no big deal. ¡°Hahaha, this is why I loveing to the bar with Prisci.¡± Reinaughs, holding her stomach as I stand there dumbfounded. Divine Clear, which purifies one¡¯s state, was a high-level magic among divine magic. ¡®Is it okay to overuse a high-level magic just to sober up¡­?¡¯ Finally, the mystery that had kept Reina in the bar for so long was solved. ¡°Round two! Cadet Zetto, you take a shot this time!¡± Reina shouted. ¡°What are you doing, sit down.¡± Prisci followed, ncing at me and speaking in an impatient voice. ¡°Are you going to drink more?¡± Aizel whispers next to me, grabbing my arm and turning her big eyes to me while Kaliman was still in the corner, snoring. Unable to ovee the overwhelming stares from the three women, I squirm in my seat and think to myself. ¡®Maybe I should ask Prisci to use Divine Clear on me when I get drunk.¡¯ Chapter 42: Drunk Chapter 42: Drunk ¡°¡­If it¡¯s Divine Clear, isn¡¯t it a high level magic? I wonder if it¡¯s okay to use something like that on a mere drunk¡­¡± Aizel, who had taken a seat, looked at Prisci with one eyebrow raised. I nodded my head in agreement, as I had the same question. Prisci looks back and forth between me and Aizel, then exins the situation. ¡°Only once a day, and only enough to not strain my holy power. That¡¯s the deal, because I need someone to talk to when I drink.¡± ¡°¡­And I¡¯m a lifesaver! I saved your life during the war, didn¡¯t I, Prisci?¡± Reina pours herself another drink and continues to proim herself Prisci¡¯s lifesaver. Given Prisci¡¯s hidden powers, it¡¯s unlikely that she would have been in any danger, but Prisci gives a small nod, as if to say that she¡¯s willing to let it slide. ¡°Well, well, well, poor Edward must have gone too¡­ It¡¯s a shame Vanessa¡¯s gone too, but we¡¯ll just have to keep drinking!¡± The power of the Divine Clear was incredible. Reina, who had been rubbing her eyes for a long time, waspletely restored to a clean state. ¡®What a headache¡­¡¯ I nced at her, and thought about taking a sip. That is, until Reina pointed me out. ¡°Cadet Zetto, I¡¯ve been watching you since earlier, and I don¡¯t like the way you¡¯re sipping on something that¡¯s not even tea! Let¡¯s make it spicy, Master! Right here, four bombers!¡± ¡°Four bombers, please!¡± The barkeep exims one corner of his mouth, quivering in amusement at Reina¡¯s extravagant order. ¡°Uh¡­ Pardon my ignorance, but what¡¯s a bomber?¡± In the game, alcohol was an item that had a number of benefits depending on the type, but it also had a strong penalty of ¡°drunkenness,¡± so there was no need to consume it. I didn¡¯t really know what kind of alcohol I was drinking because I was drinking just enough to get in the mood with the characters. ¡°The one that Kaliman drank, the one that¡¯s sleeping in the corner over there.¡± Prisci answered my question. Kaliman was curled up on the floor, sleeping. ¡°How many drinks did he have?¡± ¡°Two? A little on the strong side.¡± ¡°Ahaha, two drinks¡­¡± Two drinks should be enough to make a grown man pass out and based on Prisci¡¯s exnation, it would be asking a lot to ask her to use Divine Clear on me. I might even pass on it, thinking there¡¯s no reason to. ¡°How long has he been in there? Puhhhhhhh!¡± I catch a glimpse of Reina giggling at Kaliman. She¡¯s the one who¡¯s been aggressively pushing the drinks, so at least she¡¯ll get drunk before I do. ¡°¡­¡± At that moment, my head shakes slightly against my will. Even though I¡¯ve only been sipping lightly so far, my body seems to be getting a little drunk. ¡®It¡¯s dangerous¡­¡¯ I shake my head to clear it, and I see Sierra staring at me from the spot where Edward was. [Hmm, you¡¯re in trouble¡­ Why¡­ For once, you need her help¡­] Sierra thenzily walks over to me and opens her mouth. [You want to get out of this den of fierce, bared-toothed beasts alive and well?] I don¡¯t know what Sierra would suggest, but figuring it would be better than getting drunk on the spot, I nod, ever so slightly, only visible to her. [Good, I don¡¯t want my apprentice to be defenseless in a ce like this¡­.especially with that kid, Aizel.] Sierra nces at Aizel, then coughs once, before continuing. [Hmmm. This, this is something I stumbled upon and used to use in drinking contests¡­It¡¯s a trick. Try focusing on the flow of mana.] I did as Sierra said and focused on the flow of mana in my body. I could feel its every movement, where it went, where it flowed and where it took root for a moment. Then I felt the drunkenness that had been circling me like a ghost slowly dissipate. [You¡¯ve gotten the hang of it, but it¡¯s only temporary, and the moment your concentration is broken, it will return. Remember this. Never break your concentration.] Sierra¡¯s tip appears to be a trick she used in drinking contests. It was an idental discovery. Who would focus on mana flow when drinking? It was simple but ingenious. ¡®Will this be enough to keep me going?¡¯ I had a clear head and after a few tens of seconds, I was able to somewhat use it without losing my focus. [Disciple, what is this food? I¡¯m curious about the taste, so go ahead and try it.] Sierra grabbed my hand holding the fork and held it in front of a te of food, the motion so natural. I dipped my fork straight into the food and popped it into my mouth. ¡®Fish? Seafood?¡¯ It was a rather in-tasting seafood. I didn¡¯t know the name of the food either, so I pointed to it and asked. What¡¯s the name of this food? It smells and tastes like seafood.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a kraken¡¯s eyeball.¡± ¡°¡­When you say kraken, you mean the famous sea monster?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why they¡¯re so expensive.¡± Reina smirked at my question and pushed four sses of bomber in front of each of us. [I guess they eat kraken these days, too, huh? You¡¯ve already had eyeballs before, if not eyeball dishes¡­] Sierra sounded intrigued, and I immediately put my fork down. My mouth watered as I remembered the vor of the lycanthrope eyeball. [Yesterday was good, but¡­] Sierra looked at me, clicked her tongue, and went back to watching the drinking contest. The drinking contest wasing to an end, and few people survived. Now, thest two people were left to fight it out. The bar owner is watching the scene with a smile on his face, knowing that his business has been boosted by the drinking contest. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t drink?¡± Aizel, who was next to me, tapped my ss encouragingly. ¡°Cadet Zetto, drink it,e on!¡± At Reina¡¯s urging, I gulped down the bomber. The bomber tasted tangy and refreshing on my tongue and burned as it went down my throat. ¡®Focus on the flow of mana¡­¡¯ As long as I drink moderately from now on and stay focused, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. As I gulp down the bomber and set the ss down, Reina leaps to her feet, pping and cheering. ¡°Hooray, Cadet Zetto, you may keep the bracelet!¡± ¡°¡­Are you sure?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m just saying, hahaha. How much does it cost¡­¡± At Reina¡¯s reply, everyone at the table giggles in response. ¡­The drinking was moderately enjoyable. The reward is a reward, but I decided to enjoy the moment as a reward for my hard work. As I listened to Reina¡¯s bluffing saga of getting drunk, the atmosphere grew ripe. ¡°You¡¯re drinking really slowly, aren¡¯t you?¡± Aizel, who was slumped over the table, looked up at me. ¡°You know, in case I can¡¯t hold myself down likest time¡­Haha.¡± I tried not to lose focus as I chatted with Aizel. Sierra¡¯s ¡°trick¡± was working. I hadn¡¯t even finished my drink, but Raina was too drunk to notice but Aizel was already on her third bomber. ¡°I thought I¡¯d prank you one more time, maybe that¡¯ll sober you up. Hmph¡­¡± Aizel whispered as she leaned over and stared at me. Her lips twitched as she moved slowly just like back then. I suddenly remember the prank she yed on me. Her breath, her touch, all the sensations I felt in that moment were swirling around in my head. At this rate, I was going to lose my focus. ¡°¡­¡± I quickly turned my head away from Aizel without answering and I gobbled up the kraken¡¯s remaining eyeball but my head tilted. I had already lost my concentration. [Disciple, you must not lose focus.] Sierra, who hade to me a moment before, saw my head spinning and cried out. ¡®Master¡­¡¯ I mutter thest words I know she won¡¯t hear and the next thing I know, my head hits the table while my consciousness fades away. [Zetto, Zetto¡­!] *** Zetto¡¯s head hits the table. ¡°I thought he could hold out for a while, but¡­¡± I took a sip of my drink while watching the scene. Aizel, who was next to Zetto, was lying down on the table, looking at Zetto¡¯s face as if she was admiring it. ¡°Puh-ha-hat¡­! Zetto, you¡¯ve earned it¡­? Yakada, yakada¡­¡± Reina, already drunk and with a twisted tongue, sneers at Zetto. [Thud!] The next thing you know, Reina¡¯s head is smashed into the table after Zetto¡¯s and I couldn¡¯t help butugh at the scene. ¡®I look like I haven¡¯tughed in a long time.¡¯ It was a fuller, more joyful feeling than when I used to drink with Reina at the right time. Aizel scrambled out of her seat, her body staggering slightly. For some reason, Aizel kept checking on Zetto and secretly gulped down a lot of alcohol to keep her throat from burning¡­and for good reason. ¡°Hmph, Medical Officer Prisci¡­ Zetto¡­ I¡¯ll take him home¡­¡± ¡°You will~, but how are you going to get Zetto to the boys¡¯ dormitory?¡± Aizel¡¯s disheveled face was cute, so I spoke to her as if she were a child. ¡°I, I, I have the strength¡­ Hup¡­¡­¡± With that, Aizel tugged on the hem of Zetto¡¯s shirt to help him up, and fell backwards. ¡°¡­You¡¯re very drunk, Aizel.¡± It looks like this is the end of the day. Zetto¡¯s face is pressed against the table, and I can see his sword in his waistband. I can see a faint, strange energy emanating from his sword. ¡®What kind of past does he have¡­¡¯ I can only hope that whatever it is, it¡¯s not as ugly as mine. His desire to learn acupuncture, his swordsmanship and his skills were interesting. I heard he took the eyeball of a lycanthrope he captured once as a trophy. It wasn¡¯t well known, but the eyeballs of lycanthropes were known to be ¡®medicine¡¯. ¡®I wonder if he wants to cure his eyes¡­¡¯ His sight, already taken by the Lord, would not return no matter what he did. ¡°He¡¯s an enigma¡­¡± Prisci muttered to herself as she stared at Zetto at the silent table. Of course, I had no intention of prying into Zetto¡¯s secrets. I had my own secrets that I didn¡¯t want uncovered. In retrospect, Zetto didn¡¯t have a lot of questions about me, maybe that¡¯s why I felt morefortable around him. ¡®I¡¯m d he learned acupuncture so well¡­¡¯ ¡­The growth in his acupuncture skills didn¡¯t make sense, but I didn¡¯t dwell on it and spilled all my thoughts about Zetto into my ss. I drained the rest of my drink and set the ss down on the table. As I stood up, I saw Aizel lying on the ground, holding onto the hem of Zetto¡¯s shirt. ¡°Hmph, when I¡¯m drunk¡­ I shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± Rubbing her eyes, Aizel was hupping and muttering to herself. ¡®I don¡¯t mind leaving Reina and Kaliman wherever they are, but I have to take care of the cadets¡­¡¯ After all, she was the Academy¡¯s medical officer. As she approached the shopkeeper to make the payment, she remembered the image of Reina, who had told Zetto to take a shot as a reward. ¡®Reina¡­¡¯ She was a good friend, but sometimes she could be mean. Even as she grew older, her mischievous nature remained. She walked up to the barkeep, paid for drinks, and dragged Zetto out of the tavern with an Aizel slung over her back. The Academy¡¯s uniforms are sturdy enough that they shouldn¡¯t scratch on the floor. I left Reina and Kaliman at the tavern and stepped outside, my breath stinging in the chilly early morning air. The corners of my mouth twitched upward at the thought of how much fun I¡¯d had. *** [Wake up, apprentice¡­] The words echoed through my dizzy head. [¡­Wake up, apprentice!] It was Sierra¡¯s voice. I jumped to my feet, startled by her insistence and I touched the bandages over my eyes. ¡®No sign of anyone tampering.¡¯ Fortunately, I had some recollection of what happened. ¡®I must have passed out yesterday¡­¡¯ Up ahead, Sierra, the woman who woke me up, doesn¡¯t look happy. I wake up, my senses straining to make sense of the situation. An unfamiliar ceiling, an unfamiliar room and a strange bed. If there was a problem here, it was that I could feel a stirring in the bed next to me. I froze as soon as I felt the rustle then panicked and groped for my neighbor. And then I realized it was a woman. I lowered my head slightly and looked at myself. I was wearing only my uniform shirt and pants, but my shirt waspletely undone. ¡®Oh no¡­¡¯ As I stared in confusion, the rustling next to me grew louder so I pushed my anxiety aside and turned to see who it was. A tinum-haired head pops out from under the covers. ¡°¡­Did you sleep well¡­?¡± She said in a somewhat sleepy voice, having just woken up as well. I couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief that it was Aizel. Her eyes were half-open, and a thin blush was visible on both cheeks. What did it all mean? Ahaha¡­¡± I smirked and scratched my head. Surely, it¡¯s a prank. She must be trying to mess with me again. ¡°Yesterday¡­¡± Aizel¡¯s shy voice trailed off and she lowered her head in shame. ¡­It had to be. Chapter 43: Comfort Chapter 43: Comfort ckout. Or as they say, the movie stops. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because I cked out or because I lost my memory afterwards. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not a pleasant experience when your body is moving on its own and you¡¯re wandering around somewhere. ¡®I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to crash the instructors¡¯ party¡­¡¯ Reina¡¯s personality is as unruly as her fighting style. Plus, she¡¯s been drinking¡­ She was not a teacher to be trifled with. I pushed aside Aizel and Sierra, who red at me, and continued to button the shirt. About the time I finished buttoning the shirt I heard footsteps approaching the room. She stepped through the open doorway and spoke. ¡°You¡¯re up?¡± The voice was Prisci¡¯s. ¡°So this is¡­ Prisci¡¯s house. The interior is typical of her: clean and uncluttered, with no brightly colored furniture. Prisci was getting ready for work, so she was in her underwear and had only just put on her shirt. She wasn¡¯t embarrassed by her attire at all, probably because she thought I was blind. Just like when she was teaching me acupuncture. Prisci¡¯s naked body was enough to remind me of the sensations I had when she was teaching me acupuncture. ¡®¡­Looking back, it¡¯s a good thing there were no acupuncture points in critical areas.¡¯ My face heats up as I remember Prisci teaching me acupuncture since my sensory memory has actually improved quite a bit since my Superior Senses level increased. I¡¯m sitting up in bed, and Prisci walks towards me with an enchanting gait. She stood at the side of the bed, silently assessing my condition. Then she reaches out and touches my forehead. ¡°¡­I thought you had a fever because you were flushed, but thankfully you don¡¯t.¡± Prisci seemed confused as to whether I was sick or not. ¡°I don¡¯t remember, but what happened, my shirt is unbuttoned and Miss Aizel is sleeping next to me¡­¡± I told her, trying to clear my head of the throbbing headache of my hangover and the tingling sensations of Prisci¡¯s flesh against mine. ¡°You passed out, and then Aizel passed out¡­ I couldn¡¯t leave you two there, let alone Kaliman or Raina, so I brought you home. I live alone and only have one bed so I¡¯ve been sleeping on the couch, and I¡¯ve got a knot in my throat.¡± Prisci then grabbed her throat and turned her head away, opening the closet next to the bed to grab some clothes. ¡°¡­¡± Aizel, who was sitting next to her, looked at Prisci, and without saying anything, she tucked the quilt in tightly. ¡°Normally, for something like this, it would have been better to put me, a man, on the couch separately, haha¡­¡± ¡°Still, it¡¯s been a long time since you¡¯ve been here, so you should give me a bed. Otherwise, I¡¯ll feel ufortable. Besides, you¡¯re both so drunk you can barely move.¡± ¡°Thank you for your concern. ¡­Did anything else happen during the night?¡± I smiled at Prisci, thanked her, and then asked the most important question of all. Had I, in my drunken stupor, mumbled something I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned, or crossed a line between the sexes that shouldn¡¯t have been crossed? Either way, it shouldn¡¯t have happened. The muttering, in particr, was important enough that I had to ask Sierra about itter, just to be sure. ¡°¡­Something else, like Aizel keeping back to you at night? Nothing like what you¡¯re worried about, I can assure you. As for your shirt, I don¡¯t know.¡± Prisci nced at my shirt. I was worried about getting involved with two secretive people, but this was a relief. Unless Prisci was putting on an act, nothing really happened. ¡°What were you so worried about?¡± Aizel, who was listening to Prisci with me, said with a chuckle but I tried my best to ignore her question. This confirmed that what had just happened was a prank on her part. But¡­ ¡°¡­Stuck?¡± I said, turning my head toward Aizel. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten into the habit of sleeping with somethingtely, so¡­¡± At the sound of my questioning voice, Aizel, who was still wrapped in the quilt with only her face peeking out, lowered her head and muttered in a small voice. ¡­The reason is cute, so let¡¯s move on. It wasn¡¯t Kaliman with his graying beard, and there was no reason to dislike how Aizel was sleeping. However, Sierra, who was behind Aizel, had a different opinion. [Disciple, that was quite a sight to behold¡­] I couldn¡¯t tell if she wasughing or angry since there was a certain eerie quality to hernguid voice. With those words, Sierra plunged into the Spectral Sword. She had taught me some tricks to keep my wits about me, and I wondered if I had let her down. As I watched, I ran a hand through my hair, trying to figure out what to do next. ¡°So you guys aren¡¯t going to go to school?¡± As she gathered her clothes and left the room, Prisci spoke to those of us who hadn¡¯t gotten out of bed. On second thought, if Prisci, the Academy¡¯s medical officer, was getting ready for work, we, the cadets, were most likelyte. First things first. *** Sierra had entered the Spectral Sword and was still noting out. She hadn¡¯t been in the Spectral Sword since she transferred her soul to it. ¡®It looks like she¡¯s stuck in there¡­¡¯ I¡¯ll have to wait until I get back to the dorm to talk to her. I didn¡¯t collect the reward until after I left Prisci¡¯s house but I had to put off the pleasant thought of what to do with the money¡­and as expected, I waste. When Edward saw that we werete to school together, he eximed something along the lines of ¡°¡®Ho-ho?¡± and told us to hurry back to our seats. I rushed back to my seat to avoid the stares of the ss A cadets, but Yuri was waiting for me with a question mark on his face. She hesitated for a while after that, and then asked me a question in a small voice in the middle of ss. ¡°Well, you two arete together, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­¡± I start to exin, trying to clear up Yuri¡¯s question. ¡°Because Zetto and I drank together and slept together.¡± Aizel, who was on the other side of Yuri, interrupted me with a misunderstanding, then tilted her head to look at me. ¡°Huh¡­? You slept with¡­?¡± Yuri mumbled something like that after hearing Aizel¡¯s words, and then jerked her head toward me. ¡°If that¡¯s not a lie, I wonder what happened.¡± Yuri¡¯s eyes were dead as she spoke to me in a cold voice. She hadn¡¯t lied, but she¡¯d said something that could have been misinterpreted, and it was going to be a very long exnation. Luckily, when the topic of the instructors¡¯ dinner came up, especially that of the medic, Prisci, Yuri¡¯s face returned to its normal color as if the misunderstanding had been cleared up. ¡°Hmm¡­ Zetto was a weak drinker, so he should have been drinking in moderation, and Aizel has a knack for misleading people.¡± After listening to my exnation, Yuri spoke up, tilting her head to look beyond me to Aizel. ¡°¡­¡± Aizel remained silent in response to Yuri¡¯s words. I was embarrassed to be caught between them, so I changed the subject and answered Yuri¡¯s question. ¡°Instructor Reina¡¯s personality makes it difficult for me to refuse, and since she was drunk¡­¡± ¡°¡­Well, if it¡¯s Instructor Reina, it¡¯s understandable.¡± Yuri nodded as she remembered Reina, whom she must have met a few times in passing. Soon after, Yuri nces over at Edward, who is teaching the ss, to see if he still has any questions for her, and then, avoiding his gaze, Yuri whispers to me again. ¡°¡­By the way, Zetto, I heard you¡¯re going to have a duel with a cadet from ss C. Is that true?¡± ¡°Duel?¡± ¡°Yes. Her name was Kaen¡­? I think she was also a swordsman.¡± ¡°And how does Ms. Yuri know that?¡± ¡°The rumors have been circting among the cadets since this morning, but I think they¡¯re more interested in the fact that ss A and ss C cadets are involved.¡± Yuri¡¯s next words made it clear that my n had gone awry. ¡®I¡¯m going to assume this is a rumor that Kaen started on purpose¡­¡¯ Only me, Kaen, and Sierra knew about the duel¡­ Kaen was the only one who had a reason to start a rumor. Normally, a duel between cadets wouldn¡¯t generate such a heated response so I think it wasrgely due to the fame I gained from the Lycanthrope incident. ¡®I wonder if she still likes attention¡­¡¯ It seems that she spread rumors without exining to me. Considering Kaen¡¯s character and purpose, the fact that she intentionally spread the rumor means that this duel was not just a duel. This may have been her purpose from the beginning. She had requested a duel to gain fame. But the important thing is that I can see Kaen¡¯s purpose now. She wants to defeat me, whose reputation has been enhanced and draw attention to herself once and for all. I had nned to lose the duel at Sierra¡¯s request, but now it seems like it won¡¯t be so easy. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of all the events that have happened or my hangover, but my head is throbbing. Perhaps I should have a face-to-face talk with Kaen. *** ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t mind if I eat it by myself?!¡± The pink, bobbed-haired girl sitting across from me brightens up and looks at the slice of cake on the table. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°It¡¯s expensive, so I couldn¡¯t eat it, but thank you, ehehe¡­¡± Kaen grins like a fool without taking her eyes off the slice cake. ¡°Come to think of it, Kaen, you used to work part-time in the city¡­¡± As for why she doesn¡¯t have any money even though she¡¯s the disciple of the Sword Saint, it¡¯s because he doesn¡¯t have much money in the first ce. However, considering his position, it¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t have money, but rather that he doesn¡¯t care much about money. He was very simple. Right after ss, I brought Kaen, who was in ss C, to visit the cafe. I already knew from the game that Kaen would love the desserts at this cafe. Excitedly, Kaen pops a finely cut piece of cake into her mouth and her face immediately melts. ¡®That¡¯s pretty good¡­¡¯ If nothing else, this reaction suggests she¡¯s not acting. ¡°¡­Ms. Kaen, I heard a rumor about our duel.¡± As I cut straight to the chase, Kaen stops messing with her cake and wipes the corner of her mouth. ¡°I was going to tell you anyway, but¡­ hehe¡­ a friend I go to school with brought up the subject of Cadet Zetto, and we got to talking about you¡­¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s why there are so many eyes watching the duel.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s just an ordinary duel¡­ It seems that Cadet Zetto has be much more famous than I thought¡­ Oh, and I thought what happened in the Labyrinth was cool too!¡± I barely suppressed a sigh that threatened to burst out of me as I watched Kaen¡¯s dismal performance. ¡®She¡¯s like level 30 by now.¡¯ As a special character, Kaen¡¯s level is incredibly high to begin with. My own level was only level 25, so she was five levels higher by simple math. Kaen is very aware of her strength. That¡¯s why she¡¯s looking down on me. However, I have Reverse Heaven, so as long as she doesn¡¯t unleash her Sword Art, I have a good chance of winning. I had no intention of hiding it, nor did I have any reason to. In fact, given Sierra¡¯s fundamental reason for creating it, I might be able to win even if Kaen unleashed the Sword Saint Art. However, to avoidplicating things, it would be best to defeat her before she could use Sword Saint Art. Luckily for me, the first chapter of the Reverse Heaven is perfect for dealing a fatal blow to an unwary opponent. Looking at Kaen¡¯s clumsy performance, I realized that her objective was in line with what I had in mind. What I needed to do then was simple. ¡°¡­So the duel is tomorrow?¡± I tapped the table and turned to Kaen. ¡°Is that okay?! If you can¡¯t make it¡­¡± ¡°No, we¡¯ll do it tomorrow, I¡¯m sure the other cadets will remember that, and the duel will be fun with a big crowd.¡± I said, cutting off Kaen¡¯s excited voice. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kaen was momentarily flustered, not expecting me to say yes so easily. ¡°¡­Yes!¡± She replied after a few seconds, as if she had finished the math in her head. I looked at her with a faint smile on my face. I don¡¯t know how or when my rtionship with Kaen began to take such a twisted turn, but as much as she¡¯s yed me for a fool, I¡¯m going to y her for a fool. Kaen was using me as a tool to get the pleasure she wanted but I have no intention of letting her use me for long. After we finished talking, Kaen went back to eating her cake. Meanwhile, I was thinking about Sierra, who didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of going out of the Spectral Sword, and casually fiddled with the handle of the sword at my waist. ¡®I wonder how to make Sierra feel better¡­¡¯ Chapter 44: Grooming Chapter 44: Grooming No matter how much I tried to talk to her after returning to the dorm, she didn¡¯t respond so I searched for a way to make her feel better. She was ignoring me because she was in the sword¡­ The solution I came up with was to groom the sword. Grooming the sword is a true duty of a disciple in this situation where the master has be the sword. With that thought in mind, I began to groom my sword. I kept Sierra on my bed and prepared a bottle of oil and several clean cloths that I had gotten from cksmith Deidros. And so the work began. First, I separated the scabbard from the sword. A closer look at the de showed no signs of dirt or rust, despite the many monsters I shed in the Labyrinth. This is because Sierra¡¯s sword was well-honed. It didn¡¯t look like it needed any maintenance. Still, I had to do it. I hoped it would make Sierra feel better. I dabbed the hilt of the sword with a bottle of oil, letting the oil drip down then I flipped it over and repeated the process. True to Deidros¡¯ word, the oil didn¡¯t drip off easily. The sword had gotten quite wet and I decided I had enough oil, so I cut my palm to make it bleed and let the blood drip onto a clean cloth. It was a trick that Deidros himself had devised. Apparently, it was due to the peculiar nature of Vampiric Iron to absorb blood. I picked up a cloth that had been soaked in enough blood and wiped the sword clean from top to bottom. I worked my way up from the handle to the tip, stroking slowly and gently. I didn¡¯t know how many times I had to do this, so I did it over and over again and as I wiped the sword clean, I felt a strange sense of calm. Every now and then I would feel a shallow vibration in the sword as I ran my hand across the de, which was disconcerting, but despite this, there was no sign of Sierraing out of it. Sierra, soaked in blood and grease, was glistening in the moonlight streaming through the window. I spread a clean cloth on the bed, feeling dizzy from all the blood, and ced Sierra on it. ¡®Let¡¯s get some rest.¡¯ I dragged my tired body to the side of the sword and rested for a while, and purple spirit energy began to flow from it. Soon Sierra¡¯s entire body was out of the sword. [Why aren¡¯t you grooming me more¡­?] Sierra said her first words in a long time. Her face was flushed red and she could barely look at me. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± I replied to Sierra and stroked the sword with my finger. A little red, oily liquid was dripping from my fingers. [Hmph¡­ That¡¯s right¡­] ¡°Ah, by the way, Master said that she¡¯s sensitive because she¡¯s connected to the sword, so did you feel any difort when I was grooming it?¡± [¡­Oddly enough, it wasn¡¯t ufortable at all, it¡¯s a good thing I have a disciple with good hands.] Sierra¡¯s amused voice echoes in my head, a blush filling my cheeks. I¡¯ve never had the chance to groom a sword before, so I¡¯ve just roughly followed the instructions Deidros gave me but it seems to have been quite satisfactory. ¡°What did it feel like?¡± I asked Sierra, not quite realizing what it was like to have a sensory connection to the sword. [Hmmm¡­ um¡­¡­ Yeah, if I had to guess, I¡¯d say it felt a lot like a ¡®massage¡¯¡­] Sierra paused for a moment, then answered cautiously. ¡°¡­A massage?¡± The questioning in my voice made her answer slip back. ¡®Oil¡­ Massage¡­¡¯ I couldn¡¯t imagine how the act of dipping a sword in a generous amount of oil and wiping it off with a clean cloth could be simr to a massage. ¡®Oil¡­ Massage¡­?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t until I changed my words that I realized why she was blushing. ¡°Hmmm, well, I¡¯m d you seem to be feeling better.¡± I coughed unnecessarily and continued. ¡°More than that, Master, I was wondering if anything else really happenedst night?¡± At my question, Sierra swipes the back of her hand across her forehead as if she doesn¡¯t even want to remember. [Not much else, haha¡­ nothing too major happened, just as the medic said, that Aizel fellow snuggled up to you in your sleep.] ¡°Did I, by any chance, mutter anything strange?¡± [I know of no such thing; you slept as if dead.] Only after hearing Sierra¡¯s words did I let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Whoa, so the shirt¡­¡± [I thought you were awake because you suddenly got up in the middle of the night and unbuttoned your shirt. But after that, you didn¡¯t answer when I called out to you a few times, so I thought you were making fun of me¡­Apparently you weren¡¯t.] ¡°Aha¡­so that¡¯s what happened¡­¡± I listened quietly to Sierra¡¯s grumbling. From her point of view, it was understandable. ¡®Maybe she¡¯s just frustrated and needs to vent.¡¯ It was fortunate that the incident between Aizel and Prisci had passed without further drama. It¡¯s Aizel¡¯s behavior that bothers me. I¡¯ve been seeing her a lottely, but there was something about her behavior that didn¡¯t sit right with me. She offered me a drink, even though she knew I was weak. For what? Just to make fun of me? ¡®After our small talk on the bench, I felt like I had closed the distance between me and Aizel.¡¯ If it was a joke, I could live with it, but if she crossed the line, it was a problem. Everyone had secrets they wanted to hide so it was a special situation. Maybe now was the time for a little distance. Aizel is a regressor so she was bad at getting to know people and making connections. Maybe it¡¯s better to keep my foot on the pedal that controls the speed of the rtionship. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± [¡­I was listening to Kaen talk about the duel¡­.Apparently, it¡¯s hard to avoid it.] As I stared at the ceiling and drooled, Sierra, who hade to my side, spoke softly. I wanted to talk to her about the duel with Kaen tomorrow, but it was easier if she already knew the situation. ¡°Master said that Kaen is not an ordinary person.¡± [Yes, in my eyes, she was no ordinary C-ss cadet.] ¡°What do you think would happen if I was to duel her, and I would use the first chapter?¡± [You mean chapter one¡­] Sierra turned her head for a moment to see if she understood what I was saying. Then her voice rang out. [You said there were many eyes.] ¡°Yes, I¡¯m expecting a bit of a crowd of cadets.¡± [The Reverse Heaven was created from the ground up to deal with swordsmen who are extremely skilled in the art of swordy¡­ you should see for yourself.] Sierra¡¯s eyes were filled with conviction as she spoke. ¡®I will win.¡¯ I feel a little lighter now that I know it was Sierra, the Purple Moon, and not someone else. ¡°I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s still some blood on you. Shall I clean it up a bit more, Master?¡± I opened my mouth to speak, looking at Sierra with a smile on my face and felt like I had to repay her for making everything so much easier. [Gee, you can¡¯t do that now¡­!] I said I would do something good, but Sierra stuttered and ran away from me. [I said it¡¯s okay¡­!] But the sword was still lying on the bed. ¡°I won¡¯t take no for an answer, I¡¯m all healed up thanks to the bracelet.¡± I said as I approached the sword. It looks like the night is going to be even longer. *** Eventually, I couldn¡¯t groom her anymore. Sierra grabbed my arm and stopped me, so I argued with her, and then I fell asleep. I don¡¯t know why, but grooming Sierra puts me at ease, and I feel like I¡¯m healing in a big way. I went straight to the training center after Edward¡¯s ss. ss A finished a littleter than the other sses. However, it was good that Edward¡¯s ss gave me half of the required experience after a long time. As soon as I entered the training center, I saw arge crowd of people waiting. The sound of the crowd filling the spacious arena made it seem small. ¡°How did so many people gather?¡± I said to Yuri, who had entered the arena with me. Aizel had disappeared as soon as ss ended, as if she had something urgent to do, so Yuri came with me. ¡°Well¡­ I see a lot of seniors here.¡± True to her word, Yuri looked around the training center and saw not only first-year cadets, but also many seniors. ¡®There¡¯s no special event going on.¡¯ It was still early in the semester, so it was pretty much free. In the meantime, a rookie who had made an impressive performance in the Labyrinth wanted to duel, so it was only natural that many cadets who had nothing better to do would gather. ¡°He¡¯s really blindfolded.¡± ¡°I told you he is blind.¡± ¡°How is he supposed to handle a sword like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen cadets fighting each other with swords.¡± Through the crowd, I could hear the conversations of the seniors nearby. Most of the people here would be just as intrigued, if not more so. ¡°There are instructors here?¡± Yuri said as she spotted the three first-year instructors amongst the rest of the cadets. Not sure why they¡¯re here, especially Edward, who came straight from ss. Reina was scooping up some soup I don¡¯t recognize but as I look more closely, I recognize the owner of Cranberries Soup, who sells the soup. ¡®How far did she spread the rumor¡­?¡¯ Just then, I see Kaen, who has been spreading rumors like a fish out of water, standing in the middle of the arena. Next to her is the staff member who will be hosting the duel. I walked up to Kaen with a confident stride. [The crowd seems to berge enough for the first reveal of Reverse Heaven, so¡­ this should be good.] Sierra¡¯s satisfied voice rang out as she floated around the arena, watching the people. ¡®There are a lot of people here, and the duel doesn¡¯t have to end so quickly.¡¯ They weren¡¯t paying to get in, so it didn¡¯t really matter, but it still bothered me a little. Still I had no intention of dragging this out. As I stepped in front of Kaen, the duel referee in the middle began to exin. ¡°This duel will be held within an illusionary magic circle. You must not have anything in your possession that could interfere with the magic, and since this is not an official match, there are no penalties or rewards for winning or losing.¡± Allpetitions within the Innocence Academy were held within the realm of illusionary magic. It was a skill of Juliut. In the past, before Juliut became the headmaster the cadets used to have protective enchantments ced on their bodies. Julius¡¯s illusory magic was overwhelmingly practical, and it was a simple way for a staff member to infuse mana into a prepared magic circle without having to cast a protective spell on each cadet. ¡°¡­Any objections?¡± The staff member who had recited the basic exnation of the duel, which was mandatory before the duel, looked back and forth between me and Kaen. I decided to make a suggestion in response to his question. ¡°Since you said there would be no penalties or rewards, do you think it would be okay to make a verbal ¡®promise¡¯, just for fun?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t mind, but it won¡¯t have any effect or enforceability.¡± The referee says, and looks at Kaen. ¡°¡­Is there anything else you¡¯d like, Cadet Zetto? The cake you bought me yesterday was delicious, so let¡¯s hear it.¡± Kaen¡¯s tone changed slightly, as if she¡¯d already decided to drop the act. ¡°Again, what you¡¯re about to say has no force or effect, and I hope you realize that.¡± The serious-faced referee reiterated that it was non-binding. I was in ss A, and Kaen was in ss C so from the referee point of view, I might havee across as a bit of an evil elitist. ¡®But I doubt it.¡¯ Despite the instructor¡¯s words, the promise would be binding on Kaen. I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be able to break it so easily, especially since she¡¯s been taught by the Sword Saint that promises must be kept. Now that I have Kaen¡¯s agreement, I tell her what I want. ¡°How about you grant me a wish?¡± ¡°¡­A wish?¡± Kaen frowns at my words and repeats herself. ¡°A moderately mild wish?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, although my wish may be harsh on you.¡± Kaen replied, keeping her eyes cold. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t bother to ask what my wish was. The crowd booed, demanding to know when Kaen and I were going to fight, since we weren¡¯t having a duel and were talking about things they couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°¡­I think we¡¯ve had enough of this, so I¡¯m going to call it a day. Oh, and I have a request from the instructors to change the broadcast screen to the biggest one, do you mind?¡± Unable to ovee the booing, the referee proceeded. With a crowd thisrge, it was probably not surprising. ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°No problem for me either.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After hearing my and Kaen¡¯s answers, the referee ced his hand on the magic circle on the floor. Kaen¡¯s head was turned toward me, but I could tell she wasn¡¯t looking at me, instead she was feeling the eyes of the crowd around her. She was flushed, and I could tell she was very excited. ¡®Considering the nature of Kaen¡­¡¯ At first, she would act as if she was being pushed around a bit by using the skills of a ss C cadet. Then, with good timing and strength, she would turn the tables. This is when her pleasure will peak, and she¡¯ll finish by shing me with a move she thinks is cool. Without realizing my intentions, Kaen, now a normal ¡°power-hiding chick,¡± was already in the palm of my hand. I smiled as I looked at Kaen in front of me, just before I fell into the illusion spell. Life doesn¡¯t always go ording to one¡¯s will and it would be the same for Kaen. Chapter 45: Duel Chapter 45: Duel Chapter 5/5 for the week. ¡®Why isn¡¯t heing?¡¯ Arge crowd had gathered, but Zetto was noting. ¡°How did I gather this crowd¡­?¡¯ It was a rumor I¡¯d been whispering to the cadets for days, investigating the senior, first-year, soft-spoken cadets. Everything was in my favor. The Labyrinth practice must be over. Naturally, conversations among the cadets could be lively once again, and the seniors in particr needed something more stimting to look forward to than the usual training. But if Zetto didn¡¯te, it would be a lost cause. He would be tarnishing his growing reputation, but I had nothing to gain if he didn¡¯te. ¡°When is heing?¡± ¡°Are you sure he caught the lycanthrope?¡± ¡°He came out with his head in his hands.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not looking forward to it since she¡¯s in ss C¡­¡± Everyone was getting tired of waiting and my throat was burning as I waited for him to show up. Suddenly, I heard the cadets near the entrance shouting. I looked toward the entrance of the training center and saw him walking with Yuri. Zetto is in the arena and all eyes are on him, not me. Even that gives me a little thrill, and my body shakes slightly. I could already feel the stares and attention that would be showered on me if I beat him. ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± The academy staff member who was in charge of organizing this duel asked me with concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I straightened up and replied to the staff member. ¡°Well, what a crowd of people¡­ I hear you¡¯re in ss C, and I¡¯m rooting for you. I was in ss C when I was in the academy, so even if he¡¯s in ss A, I don¡¯t know the big the difference is. Sometimes, there are cadets who blossom in talent during duels¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you.¡± Listening to the staff member¡¯s exnation, the excitement I¡¯d been trying to suppress red up again. ¡®Awakening during a duel and overwhelming weakness¡­¡¯ Such a scenario wouldn¡¯t be so bad. Before I know it, Zetto is standing in front of me with a cheeky grin on his face. ¡°This duel will take ce within an illusionary realm. You must not carry anything that might interfere with the magic, and since this is not an official match, there are no penalties or rewards for winning or losing. ¡­Any objections?¡± The staff member who checked Zetto and me alternately asked. I couldn¡¯t wait to get started. My body tingled and shivered as the atmosphere in the arena intensified. ¡°Since you said there are no penalties or rewards, do you think it would be okay if we talked and made a verbal ¡®promise¡¯?¡± Zetto blurted out, caught off guard by the employee¡¯s question. ¡°Just for fun.¡± I tilt my head in question, and Zetto adds, ¡°It¡¯s just for fun.¡± This wasn¡¯t mentioned when I met him yesterday. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t mind, but it won¡¯t have any effect or enforceability.¡± The employee looks at me with a worried nce and stammers. I didn¡¯t know what he was up to, but it didn¡¯t hurt to be friendly. ¡°¡­Is there anything you¡¯d like, Cadet Zetto? The cake you bought me yesterday was delicious, so let¡¯s hear it.¡± I didn¡¯t have to y the fool to him anymore. I¡¯d been waiting for this moment to show my true colors. ¡°Again, what I¡¯m about to say has no force or effect, and I want you to know that.¡± The employee¡¯s urgent instructions followed, but there was no stopping the two of us from talking. ¡°How about you grant me a wish?¡± Zetto continued to speak, even after hearing the employee¡¯s emphasis. ¡°¡­A wish?¡± What he wanted was a wish. However, there was one thing that was predictable about his wish. ¡®My body¡­?¡¯ I grimaced at the absurdity of it all but as if sensing my frown, Zetto spoke up. ¡°A moderately mild wish?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, although my wish might be harsh on you.¡± Then I¡¯d better return the favor. My wish is that he never touches women. I don¡¯t expect him to honor it. I¡¯m going to follow my grandfather¡¯s advice to keep my word and grant him whatever wish he asks for, but it¡¯s not going to happen. The crowd is booing because the duel hasn¡¯t started yet. These boos would turn to cheerster and were all the more reason for me to win. ¡°¡­I think we¡¯ve had enough of this, so I¡¯m going to start the duel. Oh, and I have a request from the instructors to change the broadcast screen to the biggest one, do you mind?¡± ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°No problem for me either.¡± I and Zetto replied firmly to the employee. ¡°Of course.¡± The staff member then ced his hand on the magic circle on the floor and the booing died down and the crowd began to swell with anticipation. Or, more urately, anticipation for Zetto¡¯s performance. ¡®C ss should be good enough to check his swordsmanship¡­ What kind of reaction is this?¡¯ I was curious about the reaction of the crowd, who would not only see his swordsmanship, but also his miserable end. As I concentrate on the sound of the crowd¡¯s voices pounding in my ears, my body begins to heat up. Soon, the magic circle begins to glow and my vision bes blurry. The next thing I know, the scene ispletely reversed. I slowly turn my head and look around. ¡®A field of reeds.¡¯ Reeds as tall as my waistline covered the area around me. The wind blew at just the right time, and the reeds bumped against each other, making a soothing sound. Call it bad luck¡­Zetto was blind. He would be sensitive to sound, and the reeds would make it harder for him to pick up on my movements. Still, it wouldn¡¯t make a difference between victory and defeat. Soon, I caught sight of him, not far away. His head was already pointed precisely at me. ¡®Yes. Well, it¡¯s not a good time to start talking about it when you realize you¡¯re being followed.¡¯ It doesn¡¯t have to be a confrontation from the start. There¡¯s a fine line between showing off the skills of an average ss C cadet at the beginning, but not breaking down. Contrary to what he thinks, I¡¯m not going to break down anytime soon. Sooner orter, he¡¯s going to get flustered and start to unleash his power to take me down because I¡¯m only a ss C cadet. That would be my time to show my strength. The scenario was perfect and soon enough, I drew my sword and pointed it at him. ¡®Bnced, but a little unsteady.¡¯ It was like building a staircase, a staircase to the pleasure of being in a higher position when I unleashed my power. ¡°Ha¡­¡± A ragged breath escapes my mouth. I shouldn¡¯t be doing this, but I keep getting overly excited. I control my excitement for the sake of the spectators who will be watching thepetition and focus on Zetto¡¯s movements. Ideally, I wanted Zetto, a ss A cadet, toe at me, a ss C athlete, full of confidence. ¡®I think a decapitation would be a nice way to end this.¡¯ As I waited for him to charge, I pondered which finish would be coolest. [Ssssssss.] Azy breeze swept across the reeds once more as Zetto drew the sword from his belt. It was the first time I had ever seen him draw a sword. The exposed de was blood-red, and the ck hilt shone so brilliantly it could have been ck crystal. ¡®I thought the handle was at least as fine.¡¯ His sword was irritatingly ¡®fancy¡¯ but my grandfather told me that a fine sword is only as good as the man who wields it. Through the reeds, Zetto held the sword in a reverse grip. Anyone who knows anything about swords knows what a fatal weakness and how impractical it is. ¡®Are you ignoring me, or are you taking your time?¡¯ I suppose he meant that he could defeat me with reverse grip. My hands tightened around the sword. I had once asked my grandfather about reverse grip. ¡®Listen, Kaen,¡¯ he said, ¡®there are two kinds of people who wield swords in reverse grip. First, there are those who are just showing off. This is the mostmon type of swordsman, and they¡¯re the funny ones. They¡¯re the ones who lose their stance and il about at the slightest hint of a counterattack.¡¯ ¡®And the second?¡¯ ¡®The second one is¡­¡¯ The old man stroked his beard in response to my question. ¡°¡­the ones who don¡¯t mind being beaten, because they¡¯re so much better. So be a little careful. Of course, I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d fall into the second category. But his smirk, looming in the distance, made me unnecessarily wary. ¡®Get a grip, Kaen. It can¡¯t be.¡¯ Even for someone who hides his power as well as I do or even for someone who can use dispel with a sword. There is no way he can defeat me with a sword held in reverse grip. I am Kaen, a disciple of the greatest swordsman on the continent, Sword Saint. I¡¯ll finish him off with a sword blow to the head. I wondered what the crowd would think if a cadet of the academy, a first-year, and even a C-ss student, revealed his sword skills. I took a deep breath as I felt it was time for him to strike. ¡®If he hits me hard from the first move, I¡¯ll try to make it look like I¡¯m a little overwhelmed.¡¯ Thanks to illusion magic, the duel was a real battle so a single blow would be crucial. I had done all the calctions in my head, but Zetto still hadn¡¯t charged at me so I decided to make the first move due to the frustration of the crowd. My leg snaps through the reeds and I take a step but just then his arm moves, however it wasn¡¯t the right arm that held the sword. Zetto suddenly raised left hand and swept across the hilt. ¡®What is that?¡¯ He was preparing something. ¡®Let¡¯s not let our guard down.¡¯ If I let my guard down, it wouldn¡¯t be as dramatic as I wanted it to be. The moment his left hand skimmed over the edge of the hilt, I could sense a change in his aura from the distance. I couldn¡¯t really tell from the distance, but I knew something had changed. Next, Zetto¡¯s arm that was holding his sword moved and a split second passed in slow motion as Zetto¡¯s sword slices through the air in a diagonal line. A lot of thoughts were going on in my head. ¡®Is he a swordsman?¡¯ But there was no mana emanating from his sword at all. Not only his sword, but his body didn¡¯t seem to be emitting any mana. ¡®Then what¡¯s with all the pointless swordy¡­?¡¯ Maybe I was overestimating him. He could have swung his sword without meaning to. The moment my thinking reached that point. [Ssshhhh!] Out of nowhere, I heard the sound of reeds being cut down in front of me. Then I saw the reeds floating in the air. I didn¡¯t understand why the reeds were being cut off? Even though I watched it with my own eyes, I couldn¡¯t exin it. It didn¡¯t matter if it was a sword or something else his invisible sword strike was already right under my nose. My body, trained by my grandfather since childhood, was able to react to it but then the unthinkable happened. ¡®Which way did he sh¡­?¡¯ My head spun then my vision tilted. ¡®Oh¡­?¡¯ I tried to voice my question, but it didn¡¯te out as my vision spins in midair. My head was literally spinning and my vision sank lower and lower until I saw my body, headless and gurgling blood. ¡®My throat was cut¡­?¡¯ My vision went ck. I don¡¯t know how many seconds passed but when the darkness lifted and I could see light again, I was standing in an arena full of people. I stagger out of the illusion and fall to the ground. My throat was shed but not by a sword. The sword I knew should have cut through the reeds in front of him. I was out of his reach. Still, Zetto swung his sword, and my throat was cut cleanly. Contrary to my expectations, Zetto showed his strength from the start. Instead of hiding his power and sleeping on it, he casually swung his sword and destroyed all the scenarios I had prepared. From the dispel in the cement test to the unexined swordy in the duel my head was spinning from all the confusion. There was no cheering from the crowd, only questions about his swordsmanship. They weren¡¯t looking at me, instead their eyes were glued to Zetto, who had a white bandage over his eye. The crowd looked at him in horror. ¡®I lost¡­?¡¯ Getting people¡¯s attention is one thing but I waspletely defeated. What¡¯s the point in asking him to fight me again, so I can use my grandfather¡¯s sword techniques to beat him? My defeat as a ¡®sword disciple¡¯ only made it uglier. I had to admit that it was my fault for cutting, judging, and predicting him. That was the main cause of my defeat. ¡°It¡¯s not like this¡­¡± Against my will, tears formed in my eyes, blurring my vision. I was furious but most of all, I was angry that¡­¡­that in that split-second before my throat was cut, I thought his attack was cool. That fact made me feel even more miserable. *** ¡°What did he just¡­?¡± ¡°Did she die in one hit?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ss C.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a sword¡­¡± ¡°What did he just do¡­?¡± The questioning voices of the cadets around him pounded into his ears. Edward turned his head from the screen to look at Kaliman, who was stunned, and spoke to him. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what I just saw¡­ What do you think, Instructor Kaliman?¡± Edward was a mage, after all, and Kaliman, a martial artist, would know more about swords. Without taking his eyes off the screen, Kaliman answers Edward¡¯s question. The screen showed Zetto lingering in the reeds. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a sword, it wasn¡¯t swordy.¡± ¡°Nor was it magic.¡± Reina, with her soup in hand and no longer holding a spoon, echoed Kaliman¡¯s words. Zetto was a magic swordsman, who studied both magic and sword techniques, but what he showed wasn¡¯t a sword technique nor was it magic. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ve never seen swordy like that in my life.¡± ¡°I hate to disagree with Instructor Kaliman, but that goes for me as well.¡± Edward said in a condescending tone, then pped his chin. His already thin eyes narrowed even further. ¡°He made overwhelming progress¡­his sword has changed, and so has his swordy. Edwards looked at Zetto¡¯s mana, which was increasing strangely with each passing day. As an instructor, there was no point in questioning a cadet¡¯s progress. But this time was different. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Cadet Zetto reversed the flow of mana at one point.¡± A serious-faced Reina said solemnly. ¡°Yes, but as you can see, he¡¯s walking around just fine.¡± In response to Reina¡¯s words, Edward looked at Zetto, who hade out of the illusionary spell and was approaching Kaen. Distorting the flow of mana could cause a person to bleed to death, or worse. That was the basic mon sense¡¯ of the instructors. ¡°¡­What¡¯s strange is that Kaen clearly reacted to cadet Zetto¡¯s attack with some kind of sword technique or something. She¡¯s only a cadet in ss C, but I didn¡¯t think she was that good¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps you should take a little interest in your students, Instructor Kaliman.¡± Edward said, scratching his beard and ncing at Kaliman, who had been praising Kaen and Kaliman red back at him. ¡®Well, it¡¯s not my ce to say.¡¯ Edward thought to himself with a wry smile. ¡°Now that you mention it, I¡¯m curious as to who cadet Zetto¡¯s teacher is. Maybe I should have gotten his name during the cement test, haha.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure his master taught him the strange way he handles his sword with his reverse grip.¡± Edward pped loudly at this conversation with Kaliman. ¡°Interesting, interesting.¡± Edward was intrigued, and wondered what kind of story Zetto would write in the future. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have bought the soup.¡± Meanwhile, Reina, who had eaten less than half of the soup, looked at it and said in a low voice. ¡­The soup was 20 coopers more than the original price, a whopping 50 coopers. *** The duel ended as cleanly as I expected. As soon as I saw the ¡®weaknesses¡¯ in Kaen¡¯s body, which was in a clumsy position after entering the illusion spell, I knew I had won. ¡®¡­At least she reacted.¡¯ The reeds allowed Kaen to recognize the sword strike a little faster. However, I was relieved to see her head immediately fall off. Kaen was still Kaen. She was capable of such a reaction. ¡®If it had been the Sword Saint standing there¡­it would have been a different story.¡¯ Thanks to my confrontation with Kaen, I was able to find a small w in the first chapter of the Reverse Heaven. As soon as I broke free of the illusionary spell, I pondered. ¡®I wonder what else I could use Kaen for.¡¯ It was a bit of a spur-of-the-moment thing, and I didn¡¯t have anything nned. Still, it gave me the opportunity to have a level 30 swordsman at my disposal. And she was a girl. In the game, the gender of the yer character often dictates what quests they can receive and what they can do. For example, it wasn¡¯t a quest, but getting the petals for the Spectral Sword was overwhelmingly easier as a girl because it was in the girls¡¯ dorm. I think it¡¯s better to take this opportunity to save the rewards for quests and tasks that require women. ¡®A woman¡­ was there such a thing¡­¡¯ This was something I hadn¡¯t considered, but it didn¡¯t take long to think about it. The n called for exactly that: a young maiden. And there she was, right in front of me. Right in front of me was Kaen, cowering on the ground. With cautious steps, I approached her. Sierra, who had reached Kaen before me and saw her face, spoke up. [She looks like she had her heart broken¡­I thought it was great that she was able to react to my Reverse Heaven¡­] Sierra didn¡¯t realize that she was the Sword Saint disciple, so she had every right to make that assessment. This would be Kaen¡¯s first defeat, her first failure. As I approached Kaen, she lifted her heavy head from the ground. Her eyes were red, and tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. I held out my hand to her and spoke. ¡°It was a good duel.¡± It was a very formal greeting. ¡°¡­¡± But Kaen stared at my outstretched hand and sobbed, but didn¡¯t answer. ¡°¡­Since I won the duel, may I tell you my wish, as promised?¡± I embarrassedly took my outstretched hand back and continued. She had to keep her promise since it was the teaching of the Sword Saint, not anyone else and to Kaen it held an enormous amount of force. ¡°¡­¡± Still not answering, Kaen felt like she was about to burst into tears she had been holding back but I ignored her and continued. ¡°I was wondering if we could meet tonight, just the two of us, because I need Miss Kaen¡¯s body for something.¡± I said this in a voice barely audible to anyone else in the arena since it was a statement that could easily be misunderstood but it wasn¡¯t a lie. We were to meet at night and leave the academy together. All misunderstandings would be cleared up when the day came. ¡°¡­¡± Kaen bowed her head deeply as if she was expecting something after hearing my wish. I waited patiently for her to say something as Sierra stared at me with a puzzled look in her eyes. She must have misunderstood, too. But right now, I had a stronger desire to torment Kaen. It just bothered me that she thought of me as a mere tool for her pleasure. Kaen wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up again. The faint glimmer of light in her eyes was gone. After a moment of blurred focus, Kaen stammers back to me in a rather grave voice. ¡°Hey, a promise¡­ a promise is a promise¡­do as you please¡­¡± Chapter 46: Bait Chapter 46: Bait It¡¯s the night I¡¯ve arranged a meeting with Kaen. In the forest where I was supposed to meet Kaen, I was leaning against a nearby tree, waiting for her. [ Hmmm¡­ ] Sierra is staring at me with a pouty face. I think I¡¯ve exined enough to Sierra, but she scolds me, asking if I really had to say that. I decided to take it into consideration. The sound of Kaen¡¯s footsteps,ing from the other side of the room, was full of anguish. She spotted me a few feet away and hesitated, noting any closer. ¡°You¡¯rete.¡± I said to Kaen, who hadn¡¯t even turned her head to look at me. Only then did she hesitate and approach me. She was wearing in clothes, not a uniform, as I had requested. ¡°Ki, I can understand if it¡¯s a dormitory or something, but to summon me to a forest like this¡­¡± ¡°How are we going to meet at the dorm?¡± ¡°Sneaking in or something¡­¡± I ignored Kaen¡¯s mutterings and stood up. She seemed to have a lot to say, but she didn¡¯t bother to say it. Now that Kaen had arrived, I turned to walk out of the academy. Without further exnation, Kaen mumbled something along the lines of, ¡°After all, the outdoors is a bit¡­¡± and then began to obediently follow. And just like that, we were strolling through the forest. [A.] I heard Kaen stumble and fall. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I turned my head to look and saw Kaen lying face down on a tree root, looking very upset. ¡°¡­Is it dark now?¡± I asked as I helped Kaen to her feet. I couldn¡¯t tell how dark it was because I was using my Night Vision skill and could only see my surroundings in brightness. ¡°¡­¡± Holding onto my hand, Kaen stood up and brushed off her clothes. Fortunately, she doesn¡¯t seem to be hurt. I¡¯ve been reminding her to be careful of anything that might catch her foot ever since. The forest remained as silent as ever. On the way, Kaen suddenly became mesmerized, and I stopped in my tracks. ¡°Fireflies?¡± Fireflies were flying and glowing in a small stream in the forest. I waited for Kaen for a moment, and she came to her senses and looked at me. ¡°¡­¡± Kaen¡¯s gaze fell to the bandage over my eye, and she started walking again without another word. She continues to walk without any exnation, and I can hear the frustration in her voice. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you at least tell me where we¡¯re going, do you really need to go this deep¡­? I mean, just anywhere¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± I said nonchntly, cutting Kaen off. At this, Kaen¡¯s face fills with question marks. ¡°This way.¡± I approached a hole in the massive fence that surrounded the forest, just big enough for a single person. It was a path I often took whenever I left the academy. I slipped out through the hole and waited for Kaen to follow. On the other side of the fence, Kaen hesitated to cross. ¡°You promised¡­ Didn¡¯t you?¡± At the mention of a promise, Kaen sighs heavily, then climbs out of the hole. ¡°The reason you asked me toe out in in clothes was to get out of the academy¡­ What¡¯s around here¡­? Oh, there¡¯s nothing¡­?¡± Kaen stammered as she emerged from the hole, trying to clear her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go get the carriage.¡± I said to Kaen as I pulled my robes around me. Kaen stared at my robes, then spoke up. ¡°¡­Why are you wearing a robe?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stand out because of ¡®this¡¯.¡± I said, pointing to the ¡®blindfold¡¯ over my eyes. Kaen, who had been watching me, didn¡¯t know what else to say, so she began to follow me in silence. We walked to where the carriage would be. ¡°There can¡¯t be a carriage in such a remote ce¡­¡± Just as Kaen was saying that, the usual carriage came into view. ¡°Yay! You brought a girl with you this time.¡± The coachman on the carriage spotted me and eximed. I approached the carriage, paid the driver, and told him where I was going. ¡°¡­Not for the first time, Cadet Zetto?¡± Kaen asked as she climbed into the carriage, noticing the somewhat familiarity between me and the coachman. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been out a bit. I shrugged in response to Kaen¡¯s question. And with that, we headed toward our destination, listening to the coachman¡¯s chatter in the swaying carriage. *** This wasn¡¯t really a quest. It was more like getting into an ident. Still, I could get a decent item for solving it. In my destination city, there is a criminal organization that serves a high rank vampire. They kidnap young virgins in the city and give them to the vampire, who in turn pays them¡­ It was almost like they were being subcontracted. Being loyal, they had prepared an armor as a gift for the vampire, and that was the item I was after. Unusually for an armor to be presented to a vampire, it had an optional Holy Magic Resistance. I didn¡¯t find this to be a useful option for the battles ahead since there weren¡¯t many enemies with holy powers. However, it was usually a pretty good piece of armor, with a high Physical Armor rating. One problem is that I don¡¯t know the exact location of their home base. As the yer wanders around the city, they may hear rumors of virgins disappearing. This creates a sense of urgency that something is about to happen, but then nothing happens as the yer wanders around the city. To resolve this, the yer would have to be intentionally disarmed and then kidnapped while walking through the streets at night in order to reach their home base. Someone in the game stumbled upon this information by ident. They were offering a ¡°young maiden,¡± which of course only works if the yer is female. Anyway, if you sessfully get kidnapped, you¡¯ll wake up in their home base after the ck screen. However, I remember that the part where you leave the base after you¡¯ve safely eliminated them was skipped, so there was no way for a male yer to solve it. I don¡¯t know where their home base is. I think the developers intentionally made it so that only female characters could solve this problem. Of course, now that the game has be a reality, there are a lot of options. But I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d want to wait around for someone to kidnap someone. I have no way of knowing if a girl walking alone at night is a virgin, but they have a way of knowing if she is because they have certain characteristics. I couldn¡¯t wait around in the city forever. So, without even thinking about it, I decided to try and use Kaen, who owns me a wish. Kaen and I had already reached our destination, the city but I had to disarm Kaen in order for her to be kidnapped. After entering the city and wandering the streets, I asked Kaen to leave her sword for a while, but her patience finally ran out, and I entered a deserted alleyway to talk to her. ¡°Now you want me to give you my sword?! Even if there are no people on the street¡­What do you think you¡¯re doing here after taking the sword from me, I¡¯ve never heard of such unusual tastes before¡­?¡± Kaen, who had been speaking with her arms crossed, suddenly snapped at me. Her finger pointing at me was trembling, albeit slightly. I scratched my head as I listened to Kaen¡¯s words, then decided it was time to clear up the misunderstanding. ¡°I think there¡¯s a misunderstanding¡­ I didn¡¯t call Ms. Kaen with ¡®those¡¯ intentions.¡± ¡°What kind of thing is that?! Then why do you need my body¡­?¡± As I exined the misunderstanding, Kaen¡¯s voice grew quieter and quieter as if she didn¡¯t understand. I leaned back against the wall, turning my head in the direction of the main road, and continued. ¡°There was a rumor going around the city that young women were disappearing at night, and I thought it was strange, so I did some research, and it turns out the rumor was true, and women were indeed disappearing at night, and I¡¯m guessing it had something to do with vampires.¡± Kaen was obviously having a hard time keeping up. ¡°Gah, vampires all of a sudden, this is moving so fast, how does Cadet Zetto know that¡­and even if it is true, it doesn¡¯t seem like something an academy cadet should be doing¡­¡± Kaen, who couldn¡¯t make sense of my ramblings, blurted out a question. ¡°I am merely carrying on the will of my master. That¡¯s why I¡¯m finally able to use the sword he passed down to me. As for the information¡­ let¡¯s just say I have an excellent source.¡± At this, I pointed at the carriage. It was enough to ay Kaen¡¯s doubts that I would eventually fulfill my promise. [Master¡¯s will¡­You¡¯re going to make her do something I didn¡¯t do? ¡­Well, that sounds like fun.] Sierra¡¯s snort echoed in my head as she listened from the side. Looking down at the floor, Kaen mumbles incoherently. ¡°Master¡­¡± She was thinking of her master, Sword Saint. She was once his student, so she knows all too well how much a teacher can mean to a student. ¡°¡­Okay, let¡¯s say that¡¯s true, but is that a reason for me to leave the sword in your care?¡± Kaen, who had epted my made-up setup without much thought, asked me. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that there was something I needed Miss Kaen¡¯s body for?¡± I approached Kaen, who was leaning against the wall, as I spoke the rather implied words. As the word ¡®body¡¯ left my mouth, Kaen¡¯s face instantly flushed red. ¡°Even my best informant hasn¡¯t been able to figure out where their home base is, so I¡¯ve decided to change tactics.¡± I continued, ring at Kaen, who couldn¡¯t hide the blush on her cheeks. ¡°Tactics¡­?¡± Kaen tilted her head, not quite understanding what I was trying to say. ¡°I¡¯m going to release a bait, find out where they are, and then attack them¡­.this ¡®bait¡¯ will be Ms. Kaen.¡± ¡°So¡­are you saying¡­that you need my body¡­?¡± Kaen, who had just be the bait, stammered as she understood the situation. ¡°At this very moment, innocent young women are being drained by vampires.¡± I said as I slowly approached Kaen, who was backing away from me. Then I put my face in front of her nose and opened my mouth. ¡°¡­So why don¡¯t you leave the sword with me and submit to the kidnapping, Miss Kaen.¡± As I say this, I give Kaen a reassuring smile to put her mind at ease. *** Kaen eventually agrees with me. ¡°A promise is a promise, but if it¡¯s true, we can save people!¡± Kaen¡¯s determination was evident in her words. It was the kind of thing you¡¯d expect from a disciple of the Sword Saint. I climbed onto the roof of a nearby building and followed Kaen, hopping from rooftop to rooftop, trying to stay out of sight. I look down and see a pink headed girl walking nervously down a deserted street. [Are you sure she will be alright¡­?] Sierra, who was floating next to me, asked in a cautious voice if I was worried about Kaen. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine.¡± There¡¯s no way she¡¯ll be in danger. If I lost sight of her, she might be in danger, but with my night vision enhanced, I didn¡¯t think I could miss her pink head popping into view. I recall that they were around level 20, so a level 30 Kaen should be able to take them on with her bare fists. After I followed Kaen for a few minutes I saw a guy in a silk hat sneaking up behind Kaen. ¡®There he is.¡¯ I recognize him from the game. Beneath his high hat, the vampire¡¯s imnted ¡°unicorn horn¡± is hidden. Unicorns have always been associated with ¡°virgins¡± in all media. In this game, unicorns are monsters, but they don¡¯t attack virgins¡­ They had the ability to recognize virgins and the vampire¡¯s favorite food was virgin blood. This vicious vampire nted a unicorn horn in a human¡¯s skull to drink the blood of virgins. He used the unicorn¡¯s horn to recognize virgins since the horn was a kind of radar that detected virgins. ¡°Gee, it¡¯s so nice to see no one on the street¡­?¡± Kaen said with a hint of awkwardness in her voice as she realized the suspect was approaching. ¡®Did you really have to say that.¡¯ It looked like she was trying to act like she didn¡¯t realize she was about to be kidnapped, but Kaen thought she was good at acting, so she broke it off. [I wonder if she¡¯s faking it¡­?] Sierra seems to be thinking the same thing. However, contrary to what we think, the guy in the hat sneaks up on Kaen without any suspicion and immediately covers her mouth and nose with a cloth. ¡°Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­¡± Kaen struggles moderately in response, but soon passes out and copses. ¡°Mmph¡­ easy, easy.¡± He smirks, then removes his hat and the unicorn horn on his head is revealed. He then points his horn at Kaen on the ground and shouts. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s a virgin¡­!¡± Sierra¡¯s muffled voice rings out as she watches in disbelief. [I can see why that flimsy act worked¡­] ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Chapter 47: Chimeras Chapter 47: Chimeras ¡°Ugh¡­¡± My head is throbbing. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ A cold chill radiated from the stone floor against my cheek. I reached out to grab hold of the floor, but my arm refused to budge. Then I turned my head to see that my arms were behind my back, tied tightly together with rope. I immediately looked up from the floor and took in my surroundings. ¡®Zetto was right.¡¯ All around me, young women were huddled in a corner, shivering as they were bound with ropes. I heard footsteps descending a rickety staircase and soon saw two men descending into the room. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you notice the horns got bigger?¡± ¡°Uh, really?¡± The men approached while talking. One had an unnaturally green-skinned right arm, and on the crown of the other¡¯s head was some sort of horn. ¡®Chimera¡­?¡¯ I thought human chimeras were against thew. ¡®That¡¯s an orc arm, judging by the green skin and bulging muscles¡­ What is that horn¡­?¡¯ Either way, they were haphazardly attaching non-human body parts to themselves. ¡°When I stepped up to kidnap the bitch you brought in earlier, it stood up! I¡¯ve never seen a horn react like that before!¡± The man with the horn on his head stroked the horn with both hands. When he realizes I¡¯m awake, heughs in a mean voice. ¡°Bitch, you¡¯re awake already¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s still a virgin with a body like that¡­? You bastard, you caught a noble?¡± The orc-armed man¡¯s gazended on my chest and he freaked out. ¡°Dude, I know all the nobles around here by heart, even if they¡¯re traveling nobles, do you think they¡¯d go out at night without a single knight?¡± The horned man said as he patted the orc-armed man on the shoulder and the orc-armed man nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Hey¡­ look at this, look at this. I¡¯m still getting a reaction. Hmph¡­¡± ¡°Ouch¡­!¡± The horned man took a seat in front of the fallen man and bent down to his knees, pointing to his own horns with two fingers, and the orc-armed man looked at them and let out an exmation. ¡°How I wish I was a fucking unicorn or something¡­ What¡¯s an orc¡­?¡± The man with the orc¡¯s arm grumbled as he twirled his right arm, the orc¡¯s arm. ¡®Was that a unicorn¡¯s horn¡­?¡¯ The unicorn horn was used to find virgins, that vampire¡¯s favorite food. ¡°Hey, but I thought the boss said never to touch women.¡± ¡°Yeah. At best, it defeats the purpose of my selecting and bringing in virgins. If Mr. Varsum tastes the blood and realizes she¡¯s not a virgin, we¡¯re all doomed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I say¡­¡± The man on the orc¡¯s arm turned to me, the corners of his mouth quirking up in a sneer. ¡°¡­We can touch her breasts, can¡¯t we, just look at the size of them¡­ Hmph¡­¡± Suddenly, the orc-armed man was drooling and trying to reach for my breasts. ¡®You¡¯re out of your mind.¡¯ I had no intention of letting that dirty, ugly hand stay on my chest and just before his hand touched my chest and just as I was about to break the rope, ready to deliver a blow but suddenly the man with a unicorn horn grabbed his arm and stopped him. ¡°Hey, you crazy bastard, don¡¯t you see the way my horn reacts? She¡¯s an overwhelming virgin! If you touch her breasts and defile her in the slightest, her blood will be tasteless, and it¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve had my horn weakened by assholes like you touching them¡­¡± The man with the orc¡¯s arm snatches it away and whips his head around to re at the horned man. ¡°Fuck¡­ I just wanted a little touch¡­!¡± At that moment, the orc¡¯s armored man throws a punch to the horned man¡¯s face. [Thud!!!] The orc¡¯s arm, which was on the man¡¯s right side, is still an orc¡¯s arm, and the horned man¡¯s body goes flying and ms into the wall. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The man with the orc¡¯s arm turns his head to look at me. ¡°Heeheehee¡­!¡± Drooling andughing maniacally, his gaze is fixed on my chest. ¡®I¡¯m going to break the ropes now.¡¯ My bare fists were enough to deal with them. My grandfather had taught me some martial arts, saying that a swordsman must consider all circumstances. His green arm is about to reach for me, and I¡¯m about to break the rope when I hear the sound of something being cut, and then a crimson line appears on the neck of the orc-armed man who let out a stupid yelp. Drops of blood form on the red line and the man¡¯s head drops. As his head falls, I can feel the women behind me shudder in horror. But none of them screamed. ¡®It¡¯s¡­ Zetto¡­¡¯ Soon after, I hear the sound of urgent footstepsing from the direction of the stairs as a man with the white bandages around his eyes rushes to me and cuts the rope that binds my wrists. Zetto¡¯s sword is smeared with blood. If it was a katana, there would be no blood on it. The more I think about it, the more I can¡¯t figure out how it works. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯te in fast enough¡­¡­.I¡¯m sorry.¡± Zetto apologized in a sincere voice as he handed me my sword from his waistband. ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay, nothing happened.¡± Maybe I¡¯ve been feeling it in the back of my mind, ever since the hollow words he told me became the truth¡­.So maybe it was all a misunderstanding. Handed the sword by Zetto, I drew it and approached the horned man slumped against the wall. From the look in his eyes, he had already epted his death. *** I was able to follow Kaen to their home base then I infiltrated the base and showed up at the prison to give Kaen the sword. Strangely enough, the door to the prison was open, so I quickly descended the stairs, only to see a man approaching Kaen, drooling, and I instantly realized that this was not good. I remembered that he was supposed to be guarding the entrance to the prison, not going inside. It was still too mana-consuming. Besides, it wasn¡¯t good to rely on it too much. ¡®Today, I shouldn¡¯t use Reverse Heaven anymore.¡¯ This practical experience was important to me. ¡°To die at the hands of a wless virgin¡­ Hmph¡­¡± Kaen¡¯s sword pierced the heart of the unicorn horned one. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Blood gurgled from the creature¡¯s left chest. ¡®He¡¯s bing a chimera, and his mind is bing simr to that monster.¡¯ As I stare at the scene and ponder this, Kaen, who is now approaching me with blood on her sword, opens her mouth with a reddened face. ¡°It¡¯s useless, don¡¯t bother!¡± I nodded to Kaen and calmly ryed the situation to the people in the cell. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take too much time¡­ I¡¯ll be right back.¡± There were quite a few of them, and it would take more than two of us to get them to safety all at once. It seemed prudent to clear the ce outpletely and let them go. I chatted with Kaen as we walked out of the building. The area around it had already been cleared. The passageways were littered with the bodies of those who had been cut down without a single scream. ¡°Could it be that all of them here are chimeras¡­?¡± Kaen asked me as we walked down the aisle, ncing at the corpses. ¡°¡­At least they don¡¯t seem to be normal humans.¡± ¡°¡­I got the name of the vampire with a connection to them.¡± With a serious look in her eyes as Kaen stopped walking and suddenly grabbed my arm. She was suddenly very eager to cooperate, perhaps because she realized I was telling the truth. ¡°What¡¯s the vampire¡¯s name?¡± ¡°¡­Varsum. I know it sounds obvious, but it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard it.¡± ¡°Varsum¡­¡± I repeated the vampire¡¯s name unnecessarily. Varsum was the name of the vampire who ran this crime syndicate full of chimeras, abination of human and monster. He was the one who created the chimeras in this ce, so he must have some sort of power over them. However, he has never been seen in the game, and I have no intention of facing him. Varsum is a high-rank vampire. He¡¯s no pushover, and there was no way in the game for him to know that this ce has been robbed and attack the yer. It was simple and straightforward. You just had to kill everyst one of the enemies here. As for the women in the cell, Varsum has no way of knowing who was there so there would be no witnesses left. Kaen and I walked down the passageway and stood in front of the stairs leading upward. ¡°Now, up here, they¡¯ll be gathering, and if you don¡¯t think you can handle a fight, you can stay out of it. You¡¯ve done enough of your part.¡± ¡°Hmph, now you tell me if there¡¯s anyone I should keep alive.¡± Kaen snorted at myment, then spoke in a firm voice. ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to dig for more information, we just need to clean up here.¡± As soon as I¡¯m done, Kaen heads up the stairs and as I follow her I see a huge hall filled with chimeras. ¡°¡­What are they?¡± ¡°Why are they out of prison?¡± ¡°Hey, call the kids!¡± They spotted me and Kaen with our swords and realized that things weren¡¯t looking good. Kaen and I answered their questions with des as blood began to gush from everywhere, and the screams of our enemies echoed throughout the hall. I sh at the one with the gremlin¡¯s nose in front of me and turn to Kaen. ¡°Are the other C ss cadets as good at fighting as Ms. Kaen?¡± On the other side of the room, Kaen was cutting them down with her swift movements. Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t using the Sword Saint sword art. It was something I¡¯d seen in the game, that unless she was facing an opponent she couldn¡¯t beat, she wouldn¡¯t use the Sword Saint sword art. Dodging the attack, Kaen slid across the floor and shed horizontally at their ankles. ¡°¡­So, do the other ss A cadets use ridiculous, bizarre sword techniques like you?¡± Kaen echoed my words as she rose to her feet. ¡°Help me, help me!¡± Soon after, I heard the agonized groans of the men whose ankles had been cut off. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± A hulking figure suddenly shouted from the second floor of the hall. Standing on the railing of the second floor, the gargoyle¡¯s skin covered his entire body, and he carried arge, long, double-edged axe on his shoulder. ¡°¡­What the hell is that?¡± Kaen muttered as he shed at the enemy and saw arge body. ¡°Boss, these guys aren¡¯t normal¡­!¡± His shout was cut short as his throat was sliced open by my sword. I couldn¡¯t remember his name, but I knew he was the leader of this organization. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with him.¡± I said to Kaen, sttering the blood from my sword on the floor. I don¡¯t know about the others, but I can¡¯t concede the boss¡¯s experience points to Kaen. Chapter 48: I only have one room right now Chapter 48: I only have one room right now ¡°I¡¯ll deal with him.¡± This is the first highly armored enemy I¡¯ve encountered since I took down Amon with Dispel. I figured I¡¯d take him on and see how powerful the blindfold ¡°300% increased critical damage¡± effect is. ¡®What was his name¡­?¡¯ Suddenly, one of the men running away from the bloodied Kaen shouts. ¡°Brother Dukalt!¡± Yes. It was Dukalt. Calling out for Dukalt, the man running toward him is shed in the back by Kaen¡¯s sword and falls to the ground. ¡°Brother¡­¡± The one who appeared to be Dukalt¡¯s brother stretched out his hand, but¡­ Kaen¡¯s sword is immediately plunged into his heart. ¡°Ow!¡± Dukalt was furious as he watched. ¡°These bastards¡­¡± Dukalt looked ready to jump down and kill Kaen at any moment but I approached him just then. With a single leap, I reached the railing of the second floor hall and aimed for his throat with my Sierra. But I was blocked by his axe, and my sword emitted a clear sound. ¡®I¡¯m outmatched in strength and mana.¡¯ My sword and his axe shed and struggled. ¡°Blind¡­?¡± Dukalt eximed, noticing the bandages over my eyes. Despite his size, he was unable to push me away, perhaps because he was of a simr level to me. I got the better of him and sidestepped the axe by throwing my body to the side. [Boom!] The axe shattered the railing I was standing on. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you guys came from, but¡­you won¡¯t make it out alive.¡± Dukalt says, raising his axe. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Especially the bitch who killed my brother, I¡¯ll do it over your dead body!¡± Dukalt snarled and swung the axe at me, slicing through me at breakneck speed. ¡®I see a few weak spots.¡¯ I stooped to dodge the axe, studying every inch of Dukalt¡¯s body. The thick gargoyle skin covered his entire body, and unlike my previous opponents, there were fewer red circles where I could see weaknesses. The only weaknesses I could see were in his joints. [Boom!] The axe I dodged smashed into the wall next to me and I seized the moment and aimed for his arm, which was dangling over my head. I sliced through his arm, hitting the weak spot at the elbow. I hear the sound of something hard snapping, and pieces of the gargoyle¡¯s skin fly everywhere. One of the effects of the blindfold ¡°300% increased critical damage,¡± had ignored the creature¡¯s hard skin. There was some resistance, but it didn¡¯t take much. Blood gushed out as the sword¡¯s trajectory cut off his arm. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Having lost an arm in one fell swoop, Dukalt grabbed his axe with his remaining arm and stepped back. ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± I lunged at the cursing man. There was no need to give him a break. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Panic shed in Dukalt¡¯s eyes before he could reorient himself. He swings his axe with his remaining arm, but it doesn¡¯t have the speed it once had. I run at him, leap, and run until I¡¯m within striking distance of him, slicing through his axe¡¯s shaft. Dukalt jerked back, but I smiled faintly. In front of me, I could clearly see the red circle around his neck. Then my sword sliced across his throat. The area near the neck was not gargoyle skin, so Dukalt¡¯s throat was sliced open with a soft sound. I leap past him andnd as Dukalt¡¯s head rolls into a heap beside me. It was a satisfying result and as soon as his death was confirmed, a surge of power shot through me. ¡®Level up.¡¯ I have finally reached level 26. This means that I have 4 points left over to spend on Ghost yer Technique and 2 points left over to level up Reverse Heaven. Perhaps then I¡¯ll be able to write the second chapter of Reversal Heaven. I immediately nced at Sierra and wondered if she would have any questions about my rapid progress. Sierra, who had watched my battle from the sidelines, stroked her chin and studied me. [¡­You sensed the weakness of his body. If not sensed, then¡­ It¡¯s instinct, an uncanny talent of my disciple.] Sierra¡¯s voice rang with admiration, as if she was surprised that I had found his weakness so quickly. I couldn¡¯t talk to her right now, so I turned my head slightly and focused down the hall. There stood Kaen in the center of the hall, her face drenched in blood, but her eyes wide with relief. There was no one else standing there but her. Only a few moaned as theyy on the floor, gurgling blood and seemingly about to die. Kaen looked up, breathing in deeply, and then spotted me on the second floor and opened her mouth. ¡°Cadet Zetto, I¡¯ve got everything organized here!¡± Judging by the cheerfulness in her voice, Kaen must be feeling better after the battle. She¡¯s usually so calcting about hiding her power, and I remember her enjoying and even loving the simplicity ofbat, simr to swordy. ¡°¡­It¡¯s just about over here, too.¡± In response, Kaen checks out Dukalt behind me, who had one arm and head severed, and then speaks again. ¡°Looked pretty tough¡­ You cut him down pretty good, huh?¡± ¡°This big guy must have been the boss. Why don¡¯t youe up here and we¡¯ll talk.¡± Kaenes up the stairs at my call. The scent of blood wafted through the air as she approached, and her face and clothes were covered in blood. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°Not at all, I¡¯m just feeling refreshed.¡± Kaen smiled wryly as she said that. ¡°What is this ce? Is this the room of that boss from earlier?¡± Kaen and I casually walked into Dukalt¡¯s room. Dukalt¡¯s chamber was not particrly elegant, like the chamber of the blood mage Relial I had defeated earlier. In general, the room was cluttered and disorganized. ¡°Hmm¡­ There¡¯s a lot here¡­¡± Kaen said as she looked around the room. I followed Kaen¡¯s lead and pretended to look around the room, slowly making my way to the area where the vampire¡¯s gift was supposed to be. In the corner of the room, I spotted a luxuriously designed case. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± I drooled unnecessarily, opening the case to see its contents. ¡®This is it.¡¯ With a smile on my face, I picked it up and held it up. ¡°A coat? That looks pretty ssy!¡± As I stood up with the coat, Kaen approached and examined it. This ck coat was the armor I was looking for. This coat isn¡¯t an ordinary piece of clothing, but a unique ss of armor called ¡®Night Shroud¡¯. It¡¯s a game, so there are a lot of armors that look like clothes. Even the academy uniforms could be considered armor. Kaen looked further into the case that held the coat and picked up the letter inside. ¡°Dear Varsum¡­¡± Kaen recites the first line of the letter. She reads the rest of the letter carefully, then turns to me. ¡°¡­Looks like they were going to present that coat to Varsum. It looks like it¡¯s an expensive enchanted garment, made by a very famous craftsman¡­ I¡¯m sure it¡¯s much nicer than our uniforms.¡± Kaen, who had tossed the letter to the ground, came over to me holding the coat. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s the right size, and wouldn¡¯t it be better for cadet Zetto to wear it rather than hand it over to a vampire or something?¡± Kaen, who hasn¡¯t even wiped the blood from her face, smiles wryly as she says that. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± I say with a shaky voice. We fought together so I suppose I¡¯ll have to reward Kaen separately. Luckily, I had plenty of money on hand. It seems like a good idea to buy her something that would be perfect for her. With the coat in hand, Kaen and I rummaged around the room a bit more, but nothing more came up so we headed down to the prison where the women were waiting. When we returned to the cell, the women¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of Kaen soaked in blood. I untied their ropes first. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°We should do something for you¡­¡± ¡°¡­We don¡¯t know how to repay you¡­¡± They continued to thank me and Kaen as if they finally felt safe but when they wanted to reciprocate, we politely declined. To be honest, I felt ufortable since I wasn¡¯t here to save their lives. Maybe Kaen was, but¡­ I was not worthy of such a response. I knew I couldn¡¯t save all the people who died unjustly in the many stories I¡¯d seen in the game. I was never a hero. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to tell anyone else about us. We don¡¯t want our identities to be known.¡± I said with a friendly smile to the huddled masses. The color of Kaen¡¯s hair, the bandage over my eye, we were a certain kind of easy mark. They looked at us and said yes, if they understood. It was time to get them home safely. On the way, some people were disgusted by the number of dead bodies, but none of them were alive, so we were able to safely get them out of the building. I let the women out and watched them go back to their homes. Then Kaen, who was standing next to me, turned to me. ¡°Uh¡­ I think we should stop at an inn, I¡¯m covered in blood¡­¡± There was no way Kaen was going to make it inside the academy looking like that, I thought. After all, it was the weekend now, so it wouldn¡¯t hurt to rest at an inn for a day or so. ¡°Sure.¡± I said, handing the robe I was wearing to Kaen. At the same time, Sierra¡¯s foreboding voice, which had been listening to the conversation between me and Kaen, rang in my head. [ ¡­Disciple, make sure you get two rooms, by all means. ] *** ¡°If it¡¯s a bathtub, it¡¯s ced in each room¡­ Ah, what can I do, I only have one room now.¡± The innkeeper scratched his head as I asked if there was a bathtub and if there were two rooms. Sierra¡¯s face contorts at the innkeeper¡¯s words and I feel an eerie sense of dread and turn to Kaen. ¡°What can we do, find another inn¡­¡± ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s gettingte, so let¡¯s just stay here¡­ It¡¯ll be hard to find another inn now¡­¡± Kaen, who interrupted me, turned her head away from me and said in a shy voice. ¡°Eh¡­? You want us to stay in the same room?¡± ¡°I, I just want to take a quick bath, what are you thinking?!¡± With a flush on both cheeks, Kaen stammers, rolling her eyes. [What does this bitch think she¡¯s doing here¡­? There¡¯s only one room!] In response, Sierra tries to rant and rave, but of course, it goes unheard by Kaen. [¡­If you try anything foolish I will not let you off the hook¡­!] Sierra said as she red at Kaen, still clinging to my body. Chapter 49: Shower Chapter 49: Shower ¡°I¡¯m sure the other inns are just as busy at this time of night.¡± The innkeeper, who had been listening to mine and Kaen¡¯s conversation, interrupted. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll show you to a room.¡± The innkeeper¡¯s lips curled into a smile and he led the way. Kaen hesitantly followed the innkeeper, and I started to follow them. Sierra has been holding me tightly since earlier, clinging to my back and ring at Kaen. Her breasts are pressed firmly against my back, and I try to ignore the tingling sensation thates with every movement. After the innkeeper¡¯s introduction, Kaen and I opened the door and entered. ¡°For a shabby looking inn, your room is nicer than I expected, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kaen smiled as she looked around the room. Sierra looks around the room as well, ncing at the bed and muttering in a low voice. [There is¡­ one¡­ bed¡­] There was only one bed, just as the innkeeper had described. She unpacked her things in one corner of the room and leaned her sword against a nearby wall. Kaen tried to sit down on the bed to see how soft it was, but when she looked down and saw her clothes were covered in blood, she gave up trying to sit on the bed. Eager to get clean, Kaen headed straight for the bathroom. ¡°There¡¯s already water in the tub, do you mind if I wash up first?¡± Kaen asked me after opening the bathroom door and taking a quick look inside. ¡°Sure.¡± I reply, and Kaen steps fully into the bathroom. [Bam.] The bathroom door closes, and I hear a rustling sound behind it. Of course, she¡¯s taking off her clothes. Then I hear the sound of dripping water, which is quickly reced by the sound of water hitting flesh. ¡°¡­¡± It¡¯s a side effect of my extraordinary senses so even though I only heard the sound, I naturally inferred what was happening. I ran a hand through my hair, trying not to focus on the sound. Blood is harder to remove than I thought so maybe it would take a while. [Why is there only one bed in such arge room¡­ why¡­ why¡­?] Sierra grumbled, not liking this situation but I wasn¡¯t nning on sharing a bed with Kaen anyway. I don¡¯t know about Kaen, but I didn¡¯t really need to sleep since the bracelet kept me going, and I wasn¡¯t mentally exhausted. If I talked to Sierra now, I might not be heard by Kaen, who was washing up in the bathroom, but I wasn¡¯t sure, so it seemed like a good idea not to. I decided to check my status and review my progress. Lv.26 Skills: -Ghost yer Technique Lv.12 -Sierra Reverse Heaven (Iplete) Lv.3 ¨C [Ghost yer Technique] in effect -Superior Senses Lv.7 -Weakness Detection lv.MAX ¨C [Blindfold That is Beyond Reason] in effect -Acupuncture Lv.3 Skill Points remaining: 6 Items in use: ¨C Blindfold That is Beyond Reason. [Legendary] ¨C Bracelet of Origin [Epic] -Spectral Sword Sierra [Inheritance] -The Hero¡¯s Favor Ne[Epic] The status window has been changing quite dramatically over the past few days. In particr, I¡¯ve noticed a big change in level. I¡¯ve been leveling up quite a bit in a short amount of time due to the high experience gain. Perhaps the opening of the Labyrinth had a lot to do with it. I now have 6 skill points. It was a stable figure, with two points left over after investing four points in Ghost yer Technique. ¡®When I heard Sierra¡¯s assessment of this battle¡­¡¯ I don¡¯t think Sierra would be too surprised if I leveled up and started learning Chapter 2. I see a dark, fine coat hanging in the center of the room. It¡¯s the Cloak of Night that I¡¯ve obtained and since I¡¯m not wearing it it¡¯s not listed in the status window. ¡®I haven¡¯t yet tried out the Hero¡¯s Favor Ne, which will help me deal with the undead¡­¡¯ Sierra¡¯s grumbling continued to echo in my head as I pondered what the future held. Unexpected things happen often, as I have already experienced. There will be many more in the future. However, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from changing the future. It¡¯s better to be prepared for any situation. Fortunately, I think I¡¯ve been able to cope well so far. As I reflected on what happened to me, time passed and the sound of water in the bathroom had stopped, as Kaen had finished washing up. The bathroom door opened, letting out the steam that had been filling the room and Kaen¡¯s face was revealed. Water was dripping from her parted hair. Kaen was wearing a bathrobe. Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d want to put blood-stained clothes back on after cleaning myself up. It was a good thing she had a robe, but¡­ It was a little close. The robe didn¡¯t do a good job of covering her exquisite body. It was even showing a bit of her dampness through the sheer fabric. The sight was quite arousing. With every movement, something seemed to reveal itself, perhaps even more erotic than Sierra¡¯s outfit. Kaen stares at me, her face flushed. Or, more urately, her gaze is on the blindfold over my eyes. After a moment of contemtion in front of the bathroom, Kaen opens her mouth. ¡°¡­I washed up, and the warm water seemed to work really well¡­! I feel like I¡¯ve gotten rid of all my fatigue.¡± There was a hint of shyness in Kaen¡¯s voice as she tried to sound cheerful. I wonder if she thinks it¡¯s even weirder that I care because I can¡¯t see her. She seemed to be deliberately trying not to notice me. But I can¡¯t help but feel a little embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s a little weird to wear something with blood on it¡­ I had a robe, so I put it on, hope you don¡¯t mind, ehehe¡­¡± When I don¡¯t answer, too distracted by her visuals, Kaen¡¯s shaky voice takes over and she grins like an idiot. ¡®Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t think of clothes¡­¡¯ I scratch my head, then speak up. ¡°As soon as it¡¯s light, I¡¯ll go out and get something for Kaen to wear for a while, and we can do theundryter.¡± ¡°That would be good, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Kaen smiles sheepishly in affirmation of my words but the blush on her cheeks doesn¡¯t fade. Soon, Kaen is approaching the bed and her robe flutters with each step she takes. It was both giddy and seductive. Kaen sits down on the bed. ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s fluffy¡­¡± Her eyes widened at the quality of the bed. ¡°Go ahead and wash up, Cadet Zetto¡­! Do you want me to get the water for the bathtub?¡± Kaen, who was fiddling with the bedspread, looks at me and asks. ¡°I didn¡¯t get sshed with a lot of blood, so a shower will suffice.¡± I tell her and head toward the bathroom. Actually, I was taking refuge in a ce where I couldn¡¯t see Kaen¡¯s dizzying body. After that, I went into the bathroom, closed the door, and started to undress, but Sierra was staring at me curiously. I stopped undressing and turned to face her, and she started looking at me, too. I wanted her to stop watching me and leave. [Ah, I see, I see, wash at your leisure, apprentice¡­] Unable to resist my unspoken pressure, Sierra stammers and slips out of the bathroom. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn¡¯t let her watch me wash myself. A body is a body, but¡­ I was a little reluctant to take off my blindfold. I know I can handle it, but I don¡¯t like it. We talked about this when I washed up in the dorm and Sierra had promised me that she would stay inside the sword while I was washing. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± I stripped off my clothes and pulled off my blindfold. In the mirror, I caught a reflection of my blue eyes. ¡®It¡¯s awkward every time I see it.¡¯ *** Not much else happened while I was washing up. Sierra has been ying around, but she hasn¡¯t crossed the line. ¡®Still, she¡¯s my teacher.¡¯ All she had to do was walk through the wall. [Took you long enough.] As soon as I¡¯m out of the bathroom, shaking out my wet hair, Sierra slips out of the sword and into my arms. Soon, she¡¯s on my back. I look over at the bed and Kaen is already asleep. I had expected that since we foughtte into the night, and we had a nice bath. She was sitting on a fluffy bed, so it was only natural that she wouldy down. Plus, she knew she was a light sleeper, so it was only fair that she stayed up this long. Kaen¡¯s robe, lying on the bed, looked a little dangerous, as if it was about to fall off. As I approached the bed, I saw Kaen,pletely defenseless, tossing and turning in her sleep. It was not safe for me to allow the robe to be removed any further, so I pulled the covers over her body. [Looks like there¡¯s no room for my apprentice to lie down, huh.] I turned away from Sierra¡¯s words and sat down in a chair by the table, not on the bed. I was quietly watching the moonlight stream in through the window and Kaen, who was sleeping when suddenly, I heard Kaen¡¯s voice. ¡°Mmm¡­ Cadet Zetto¡­¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± At Kaen¡¯s unexpected call, I stood up from my seat and approached her. ¡°Miss Kaen¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Miss Kaen¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I called again, but no answer came and Kaen¡¯s eyes were tightly closed, as if she was still in a deep sleep. [She¡¯s sleeping well, leave her alone, she¡¯s probably just talking in her sleep.] Sierra¡¯s voice rang in my head. ¡®Talking in her sleep¡­¡¯ Well, people can talk in their sleep¡­ ¡°Cadet Zetto¡­ I see¡­ My body was the purpose¡­!¡± Kaen said abruptly, raising only one eyebrow but her eyes were still closed. Kaen¡¯s sleep talk was so clear, as if she could wake up and speak. I don¡¯t know what she was dreaming about, but as the person whose name had been mentioned, I couldn¡¯t have been more embarrassed. Kaen¡¯s face flushed and she let out a rather strange sound. ¡°Hmph¡­ Not there¡­ Cadet Zetto¡­ Stop¡­ Even if it¡¯s a promise¡­¡± Kaen¡¯s body twists in her bed and she kicks the covers off. Her colorful body was once again on disy. [What are you talking about¡­? You should have been asleep!] Sierra yelled at Kaen. ¡°¡­¡± I looked at Kaen, then went back to my chair and sat down without saying anything. After that, Kaen continued to talk in her sleep¡­ and Sierra, who was standing in front of Kaen, scolded her. ¡®Even if you know she can¡¯t hear you, do you have to say it out loud to release your tension?¡¯ It was a messy situation. When the words ¡°something big¡­¡± came out of Kaen¡¯s mouth, Sierra couldn¡¯t take it anymore and put her hand on Kaen¡¯s body. Soon, Sierra¡¯s hand is through Kaen¡¯s body, and she¡¯s iling her arms. It was something I told her not to do, but for once, I didn¡¯t stop Sierra. ¡°Mmm¡­ I¡¯m cold¡­¡± Immediately, Kaen felt a chill run down her spine, and she wrapped the nkets around her and began to sleep quietly. [Behold, I have stopped her disciple. Hmph.] Sierra crossed her arms and gave me a proud smile. I don¡¯t know if what happened in Kaen¡¯s dream was her cup of tea, or if it was because she was afraid of it, but¡­I think it¡¯s best to keep it a secret between me and Sierra. Chapter 50: Terrible Dream and Companion Chapter 50: Terrible Dream and Companion Zetto was standing in front of me, looking down at me as I sat on the bed. ¡°Cadet Zetto¡­?¡± I didn¡¯t understand the situation. Surely he had just gone in to bathe because when he reappeared, his hair was wet. ¡°You just came out of the shower¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zetto didn¡¯t answer and the white bandages around his eyes were giving off an unexined pressure so I quickly stood up and opened my mouth. ¡°Cadet Zetto, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with you, but¡­¡± I trailed off. At that moment, Zetto pushed me lightly as I tried to get up from the bed. ¡°Uh¡­ Cadet Zetto¡­?¡± My body was then thrown back onto the bed without much resistance. ¡°What¡¯s going on here¡­?¡± Zetto¡¯s lips part in response to my stunned question. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that I needed Ms. Kaen¡¯s body?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ When we were defeating those guys earlier¡­¡± ¡°¡­You actually believed that excuse? You¡¯re so naive, Kaen. Why would I call that situation a need for your body?¡± Zetto, who interrupted me, said something unintelligible. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ I thought it was all my imagination when I saw him saving people earlier, but maybe it was real. ¡°Cadet Zetto, was my body your purpose after all!¡± I eximed to Zetto, tugging at the gown that had been left defenselessly open. ¡®This is what ites down to¡­¡¯ Zetto shrugged off my cries and slowly approached me on the bed. He leans his face close to mine, and his voice whispers in my ear. ¡°¡­It¡¯s irritating.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°The sound of your breath¡­The scent of your flesh¡­the warmth of your heated body. It¡¯s all stimting.¡± As Zetto says this, he moves his hand and grasps the robe around my thighs. The robe slowly lifts with his hand. ¡°Did you have the cute idea that you could just put on one of these flimsy robes and I wouldn¡¯t even see you?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± I did but there were enough things that irritated Zetto without having to be visual. ¡®It was wrong of me toe into the inn¡­¡¯ I¡¯ll be fine, I thought absentmindedly. As long as I was saving people and smiling sweetly, nothing would happen to me. Even if something did happen¡­ should I ept it? Should I take responsibility? It was Zetto, not me, who suggested we go to another inn. Soon enough, Zetto lifted the robe from around my thighs and ced his hand on my thigh. I could feel his touch on my thigh. ¡°Hmph¡­ Not there, Cadet Zetto¡­ Stop¡­ Even if it¡¯s a promise¡­¡± Denial tumbled out of my mouth, and I knew I should have denied it, but¡­ ¡®I made him do this.¡¯ ¡­I wondered if that thought had subconsciously taken control of my body, and my body refused to move at will. Even the swordsmanship I learned from my grandfather, who could shake the heavens and earth with his sword, was useless at this point. ¡°¡­So what you said about using your body still holds true?¡± Zetto said as he ran his fingers down my thigh. ¡°¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t answer. ¡®It¡¯s still valid¡­¡¯ I wasn¡¯t sure and my head was spinning. Was I really letting this happen? My face heated up and my eyes rolled hard as my body was immobilized. For some reason, I couldn¡¯t resist him. I wonder if my body is asking for it. Maybe I¡¯m just denying it. Ever since I¡¯d been spying on Zetto, I¡¯d been overwhelmed with desire. Spying on the opposite sex¡­ It was strangely stimting. Then my eyes caught sight of Zetto¡¯s lower body. ¡°Oh, my¡­ Big¡­¡± As soon as I saw his lower body, such a strange word reflexively came out of my mouth. ¡®That¡¯s his body¡­?¡¯ Without pausing to answer my question, Zetto was about to take off his clothes when suddenly, a chill ran down my spine, and the entire room began to freeze. Frost formed all over the room, and before I knew it, even Zetto was frozen. ¡­It was ridiculous, but the entire room was literally frozen and Zetto suddenly turned into a block of ice. Next, snow begins to fall in the inn room. ¡®What is this¡­¡­?¡¯ ¡­It was just cold. When I woke up and opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling. It wasn¡¯t too unfamiliar, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was the ceiling of an inn. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± I groggily pushed myself to my feet and it wasn¡¯t long before I heard a voice from across the room. ¡­Are you awake?¡± ¡°Cadet Zetto¡­?!¡± Startled by the sound of Zetto¡¯s voice, I pulled up the covers. Wasn¡¯t he going to jump on me? Did that mean I had already lost my virginity? I remember thest time I saw him, he was frozen in ce but now, far from freezing, he was sitting on a chair, basking in the warmth of the sun. ¡®Was I dreaming¡­?¡¯ It was all a dream. Now that I thought about it, everything was strange. I wondered why I hadn¡¯t realized it sooner. I could still hear Zetto¡¯s whispers in my dream and I felt embarrassed that I dreamed such a thing, even if I couldn¡¯t imagine it. My face burned since I had a dirty dream about Zetto when in reality, Zetto was sitting in a chair across the room. ¡°¡­Have you been sitting in that chair the whole time?¡± I looked away, embarrassed to even look at him. ¡°Then maybe I should have gotten into bed with you.¡± The sound of his voice reminded me of the erotic whispers of Zetto in my dreams, and I felt my body heat up unnecessarily. ¡®Why did I dream that¡­ ?¡¯ I wonder what I was hoping for. Maybe in the back of my mind, I thought it was okay with Zetto. In my mind¡¯s eye, I see the silhouette of something huge under his pants. I hadn¡¯t actually seen it¡­just a silhouette but dreams were often like that. ¡®What if it was real¡­and what if the situation was real¡­?¡¯ Just the thought of it makes me dizzy. ¡°Oh, no¡­I didn¡¯t mean that¡­.¡± I replied to Zetto and bowed my head deeply. I felt sorry for him since he couldn¡¯t getfortable in the bed and couldn¡¯t get a good night¡¯s sleep. On the other hand, I, who was lying calmly, had turned him into a man who did terrible things in my dreams¡­ I felt a little guilty. On the other hand, I also thought. ¡®Was the Zetto in my dream a delusion created by my own desires¡­?¡¯ ¡­I seem to have recognized my own shady tastes that I didn¡¯t even realize I had. At least Zetto wouldn¡¯t be able to know what I was dreaming about¡­that was a good thing. *** Sunlight streams in through the window in a room so silent I can hear Kaen¡¯s breathing every now and then. Outside the window, the sleepy city is waking up and stretching out. [ ?~ ?~ ? ~ ] I hear the rustling of the futon behind Sierra¡¯s snores as she strokes her cheek and stares at me. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± The next thing I know, Kaen stirs and sits up in bed. Kaen, who had gotten quite a bit of sleep, was still shaking her head. ¡°¡­Are you awake?¡± ¡°Cadet Zetto¡­?!¡± My voice echoed through the room, causing Kaen to jump and pull up the covers. Her face was slowly warming as she realized I was here. ¡­I wonder if she¡¯s remembering the dream. Wide-eyed and speechless for a moment, Kaen unnecessarily turned away from me and opened her mouth. ¡°¡­Have you been sitting in the chair the whole time?¡± ¡°Then maybe I should haveid down on the bed with you.¡± I smiled at Kaen and blurted out a cheeky remark. ¡°Oh, no¡­I didn¡¯t mean that¡­.¡± Muttering in a small voice, Kaen hangs her head low. I stood up and offered her the clothes I¡¯d bought earlier in the day. ¡°These should do, I know I didn¡¯t pick the right clothes, but¡­ They¡¯re for horseback riding, so they should be fine.¡± Kaen took the clothes I handed her and opened her mouth. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°No, this is all because of me. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be so willing to help me with something like this, even if it was just a wish. You¡¯ve made things easier for me.¡± Despite all of this, Kaen and I were not yet very close but I wanted to end on a good note, hoping that this would be a new beginning for our rtionship. ¡°¡­This isn¡¯t something that should be known to others, is it?¡± Soon after, Kaen pondered something and turned to me. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s keep what happened today as a ¡®secret¡¯ between me and Ms. Kaen.¡± ¡°Secret¡­¡­Hmph.¡± My answer, apanied by a smile, made the corners of Kaen¡¯s mouth turn up slightly as she repeated the word ¡®secret¡¯. Kaen liked the idea of hiding her power and maybe what happened this time was simr for her. I turned my head away from Kaen and opened my mouth. ¡°It¡¯s time to head back.¡± It would have been nice to see more of the city since it was a long weekend, but I knew that Kaen wouldn¡¯t be used to being outside the academy, so I decided to return to the academy early. As we walk out of the inn, the innkeeper, who has a satisfied smile on his face, says something along the lines of, ¡°I hope you had a good night,¡± and Kaen blushes again. ¡®I wonder if the inn really only has one room left.¡¯ The smile on the innkeeper¡¯s face was enough to make me wonder. We stumble back into the carriage they used toe to the city, and the coachman chatters again. Luckily, this time Kaen was able to talk to him, which made it a little less tiring. We arrived near the academy and turned onto a side road, passing through a forest before we could see the academy, and therefore the city. ¡°I¡¯ll see youter, then.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± We said our goodbyes and were about to head off to our respective dorms when suddenly, Kaen grabbed me by the hem of my shirt from behind. ¡°Hey¡­ Cadet Zetto, if there¡¯s ever a time when my body¡­ If there¡¯s anything you need¡­ feel free to call on me again¡­¡± Turning her head, Kaen stammers, her head slightly bowed, her eyes darting around. My head tilts at Kaen¡¯s stuttering words. [Even when she speaks, she does it so poorly¡­!] Sierra¡¯s shout echoed in my head. ¡®In the game, Kaen was quite a difficult character to have as apanion because of her characteristics¡­¡¯ It seems like I have a friend I can call on without hesitation. Kaen is not a bad character to have as apanion, as she has the strength to go anywhere and not be defeated, or rather, she is someone you can trust to have your back. ¡®If there¡¯s one thing that could get in the way, it¡¯s her sword art¡­¡¯ As long as she¡¯s not exposed to dangerous situations, she should be able to avoid bringing out her sword art. Of course, one day she would have to defeat her mentor, her grandfather, with her own sword, but that wouldeter. ¡®Lucky.¡¯ I feel like I¡¯ve gotten a lot out of this, even though it was a spur of the moment thing. The idea of having Kaen as apanion was far more appealing than the Night Shroud or the experience points. Even if I didn¡¯t bring her with me everywhere, I was confident I could utilize her at the right time. ¡°Very well, then, if I ever need Miss Kaen¡¯s body, I¡¯ll be sure to call on you.¡± I held out my hand for her to shake. ¡°When I say If you need my¡­ body, I don¡¯t mean anything else¡­ I¡¯m referring to something like this¡­¡± Kaen mumbled something barely audible and took my hand. Of course, I had good ears, so I heard it clearly. ¡°¡­What else could it mean?¡± Kaen¡¯s mumbling was cute, so I teased her a little and she nced at me ufortably at my answer. [I like to be alone with my apprentice¡­if there¡¯s anyone else around, I can¡¯t talk to him¡­] As expected, Sierra isn¡¯t too keen on the idea, but I¡¯ve never been one to underestimate Kaen¡¯s level or strength. Still, it wasn¡¯t like I was going to go out with Kaen every time I left the academy, so I¡¯m sure Sierra would understand. With that, I shake Kaen¡¯s flushed hand lightly and we go our separate ways. It was a good ending. ¡®I wonder what I should get Kaen¡­¡¯ Now that Kaen is apanion, I feel like I should invest a little more in her reward. Chapter 51: Hubert Graham Chapter 51: Hubert Graham I ended up buying an item for Kaen over the weekend and I knew she would love it because it looked so cool. It was a pretty expensive item with good specs, but it was worth it to me because I knew it would help her grow. The next weekday arrived, and my normal routine began once again. ¡®I don¡¯t see Aizel.¡¯ I thought she was going to bete, but when Edward¡¯s ss started, she didn¡¯t show up. Eventually, in the middle of the lesson, I caught Edward¡¯s eye and whispered to Yuri. ¡°¡­Why isn¡¯t Ms. Aizel here?¡± ¡°Huh? I haven¡¯t seen her since the weekend, either¡­ I thought you two were spending some quality time together without me, or something like that?¡± Yuri asked me, emphasizing the ¡®without me¡¯ in the middle. There had been a lot of things going on without hertely and I guess that made her a little sad so I opened my mouth with a bitter smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t see Ms. Aizel this weekend either.¡± ¡°Well¡­ She¡¯s probably skipping ss somewhere, because she¡¯s been known to disappear without warning, like she did at thest tournament.¡± Yuri fiddles with her tightly braided hair as she says this. In the game, Aizel often skipped ss so it seemed odd that she hadn¡¯t missed a ss in a while. ¡®She was gone for a whole weekend¡­¡¯ Aizel is a regressor, and as Aizel Ludwig, she has enemies to defeat. Thest time she came to me, she was covered in blood. Aizel was strong and as a dangerous regressor, she¡¯s not going to go down easy. ¡®As long as she doesn¡¯t push herself too hard, she¡¯ll be fine¡­¡¯ Edward¡¯s ss was over before I knew it so I checked the status window just in case, but nothing had changed. ¡­I¡¯m used to it now. At this point, I realized that the ss rewards weren¡¯t random, and I wondered if Edward was intentionally stunting my growth. However, the content of the lessons wasn¡¯t as exciting. Edward¡¯s lessons were simple, yet challenging enough to make the cadets think for themselves. The ss was over and I was trying to figure out what to do next. ¡°Cadet Zetto,e here for a moment.¡± I was about to leave the ssroom when Edward called out to me. ¡°What is it?¡± Yuri, who was sitting next to me, questioned and I was wondering the same thing. As I approach Edward, the corners of his mouth turn up. ¡®I¡¯m not used to that smile.¡¯ It¡¯s the same suspicious smile I¡¯ve seen so many times in the game but I followed him out of the ssroom even so. As soon as we¡¯re outside, he starts talking. ¡°Cadet Zetto, I¡¯ve been following the events of recent days, and this one in particr was¡­ outrageous. It was nothing short of spectacr.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s apliment.¡± Edward tilted his head to emphasize my stuttered response. Soon after, he turned his head forward again and began to walk away. ¡°By the way¡­ Cadet Zetto has a lot of secrets, doesn¡¯t he?¡± I tense up slightly at the implication. ¡°I had my suspicions, given theck of information¡­but I didn¡¯t think Mr. Chairman would have let you in, haha.¡± Edward said as he continued to walk down the hall. ¡®The chairman admitted me?¡¯ Innocence Academy was founded by the Sage but the Academy also has a president. Hubert Graham is the current president. The Graham family has a long history with the Sage, and they have held the position for generations. As represented in the game, the family itself is mysterious, with not much information avable. It¡¯s like the rich people in conspiracy theories. To put it simply, the Grahams were the financial backers of the academy, so I knew they had plenty of money. In the game, President Hubert Graham, is a character that only appears asionally, he¡¯s not a very important character but he was the reason the yer got into the academy in the first ce. You can see it in the intro scene when you start the game. I thought, ¡®Does that mean the same thing applies to me?¡¯ When I entered the world, I had already been epted into the Academy, so I had no way of knowing, but Edward¡¯s words seem to indicate that this is the case. ¡°He doesn¡¯te to the Academy that often, so I was surprised to be summoned out of the blue.¡± Edward said in a puzzled voice. ¡°I suppose the president called for me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Edward¡¯s footsteps stop in front of the door after my short answer. I see a sign on the wall next to the door that reads, ¡°President Office.¡± ¡®Is there a reward?¡¯ The President¡¯s summons is something I¡¯ve experienced asionally in the game. He¡¯ll summon you out of nowhere, praise you, and give you different rewards at different times. Edward knocks on the door. ¡°Mr. President, I brought Cadet Zetto for you.¡± ¡°Come in,¡± a gruff voice says from inside the room, and Edward swings the door wide open. I follow Edward¡¯s lead into the President office. Up ahead, I see Hubert sitting at his desk and next to him is a woman who appears to be his secretary. As soon as Edward closes the door behind him, Hubert¡¯s mouth opens. ¡°Cadet Zetto, it¡¯s been a while!¡± Hubert greeted me with a boomingugh. He already knew me but I saw him for the first time. *** ¡°Cadet Zetto, it¡¯s been a while!¡± The Sage was currently disguised as Hubert Graham since changing his appearance wasn¡¯t too difficult for him. Even with his ¡®limitations¡¯, he had no problem using polymorph magic. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Mr. President.¡± The sage greeted Zetto, and he bowed in return. ¡®It seems I know Hubert after all.¡¯ The Sage himself was Hubert Graham but he doesn¡¯t remember meeting Zetto. As he stands in the room, motioning for Zetto to sit down, the voice of his secretary, Itea, echoes in his head. [¡­My lord, I remember Hubert Graham being a little less frivolous, please note.] It was a magic that the sage had specially prepared for Zetto because he had determined that his senses, other than sight, were extremely well developed. ¡°¡­¡± The sage¡¯s mouth fell open at Itea¡¯s words. Itea had been helping the Sage perform his role as Graham from the sidelines. ¡®Hubert was the first Graham¡­¡¯ All the presidents that had ever existed at the Academy, all the Grahams, had been the Sage himself and to avoid raising suspicions, each Graham used to have a personality or characteristic. Hubert Graham was a bright, affable personality, while the Graham before him, Altair Graham, was a cold, calcting figure. But the longer he was a Graham, the more confused he became. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t go out as a Graham as often. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s time to start a real Graham family.¡¯ The sage contemted adopting a child to be a Graham, but then he looked at Zetto and spoke. ¡°Make yourselffortable.¡± Zetto sits down on the couch in the right spot. His senses are heightened by this seemingly natural movement. ¡®I wonder if I¡¯m seeing things at this point.¡¯ The Sage swallowed hard, not wanting to make such ame joke. ¡°I do like the design of that ne you¡¯re wearing.¡± The Sage¡¯s eyes fell on Zetto¡¯s chest, where he wore the Hero Favor Ne. The design meant little to Zetto, who now owned the ne. But the Sage who had made it thought the design of the ne grew on him the more he looked at it. ¡°Ah, I got this by ident when I went to the Labyrinth. It looks like it contains magic¡­ I guess it¡¯s all thanks to the Academy, haha.¡± Zetto then scratched his head andughed. Hehe, that¡¯s good, many cadets get good experiences and rewards thanks to the Labyrinth. By the way, I haven¡¯t seen you in quite a while¡­ Maybe three months?¡± The Sage cuts right to the chase with his rambling about the ne. The Sage never met Zetto even as Hubert Graham. But the man in front of him, with a bandage over his eye, has a nonchnt demeanor that suggests he has met Hubert so he decided to ask him. Zetto¡¯s papers said that Hubert had granted him admission three months ago. That must be when he met him. The Sage¡¯s question brought a smile to Zetto¡¯s lips, and he spoke. ¡°¡­I can still remember it vividly: you were riding in a carriage into the city, and you must have been going to¡­ ¡®Millibrium¡¯?¡± Zetto¡¯s next words puzzled the Sage. Not because he had never been to a city called Millibrium since he remembered traveling to Millibrium in a carriage in the guise of Hubert Graham and that must have been about three months ago. And yet this man, Zetto, was still unrecognizable. The Sage was silent, trying to hide the embarrassment that was creeping up on him, when Itea¡¯s voice rang out once more from beside him. [Master, I have searched my memory, and it seems that I was not present at the time.] Itea was a golem and a golem¡¯s memories can be ¡®stored¡¯ with the same precision as a human¡¯s, but if she had been present at the time, she would have remembered this man named Zetto in the first ce. Why she didn¡¯t recognize him, though¡­Since the details were bing frighteningly familiar. ¡®Did I really forget¡­?¡¯ The sage turns to Zetto to deny it. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t expect to see you there.¡± ¡°Lucky for you, the carriage you were riding in was being attacked by bandits¡­ I happened to be passing by it, though I didn¡¯t realize it would be the catalyst for my entrance into the Academy.¡± ¡°Hehehe, it was, it was, it was, it¡¯s a nostalgic story¡­¡± The Sage smiled broadly, hiding his suspicions about Zetto. ¡®I do remember traveling to Millibrium, but¡­ I don¡¯t remember anything after that carriage ride. We were attacked by bandits¡­¡¯ It was bizarre, as if someone had cut the thread of his memory. Either the Sage had lost his memory, or someone had tampered with it but he was a ¡®Sage¡¯. Magic that tampered with memories was unheard of, and if someone dared to tamper with a Sage¡¯s memories, they would have to bring in a god. ¡®At this rate, I guess I really did forget him.¡¯ After all these details, there was no way he could just say he didn¡¯t remember Zetto. Just as the Sage is about to ept the reality of his forgetfulness and let out a sigh, Zetto speaks up. ¡°¡­So, what did you call me for?¡± ¡°Whoa¡­ yeah. I heard that you¡¯ve been making a ssh in the academy this time around, so I thought I¡¯d pay you a visit.¡± The Sage replied, tapping his fingers on his desk to signal to Itea. He hadn¡¯t noticed anything out of the ordinary about Zetto during his conversation with him so it was clear that the Sage had forgotten him. The reason for the President¡¯s out-of-the-blue summons shouldn¡¯t have been to make small talk. It was a proper cause for conversation. Itea checked the Sage¡¯s signal and held something out to Zetto. Zetto takes the key, tilts his head, and opens his mouth. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°The first years are going on a field trip soon, and it looks like they¡¯re going on an airship. It¡¯s the key to my cabin on the airship. It¡¯s a lot more luxurious than the other rooms, so it should be easy to get to, and since you¡¯ve already gotten a reward from the Academy¡­I¡¯m sorry that this is all I can do for you.¡± Zetto listens to the Sage for a moment, and then a smile appears on his face. ¡°No, I¡¯m just grateful for your concern. An airship¡­ I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to talk to you more, but I¡¯m in a hurry, so if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯d like to get back to work.¡± The Sage decided to keep a closer eye on Zetto. After all, Zetto was a man of note to the Sage, as he was supposedly able to speak to spirits. He might not be a saint¡­ but he certainly had special powers. Zetto then bows his head and leaves the President office. The room fills with silence after Zetto¡¯s departure and Itea, standing next to the sage, speaks up. ¡°Master, let¡¯s see if you have any elixirs that improve memory.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The sage turned his head and looked at the serious face of Itea but he couldn¡¯t think of anything to say in retort. ¡°If there is such an elixir¡­ I suppose it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try it¡­¡± *** My brief encounter with Hubert is over. As I suspected, the same thing happened as in the game¡¯s intro. In the game¡¯s intro, the president¡¯s carriage is attacked and the yer helps him to gain admission. I realized this as soon as Hubert mentioned three months. It was right in line with the time frame of the incident in the intro. ¡®I don¡¯t really remember it happening to me.¡¯ We don¡¯t even know if it really happened but I don¡¯t want to raise any suspicions. ¡®One question I have is¡­¡¯ I¡¯ve had a bandage over my eye since I first entered this world and Hubert didn¡¯t find it strange either. Two things could have happened. The first is that a person named Zetto was living in this world with a bandage over his eyes. The second is that some unknown ¡°force of fate¡± was at work when Zetto came into this world. In other words, Hubert¡¯s memories have been tampered with. I don¡¯t know which one it is but the former seems unlikely. Zetto was a character that I customized and created myself. It would have been hard for me to recognize that the bandage was an item called ¡°Blindfold That is Beyond Reason¡± and yet Zetto, who shouldn¡¯t have lost his sight, wore a bandage over his eyes¡­ ¡­That was a little strange. I¡¯m wearing it because I know it¡¯s an item but I think it¡¯s more likely that a transcendent entity intervened in this situation by cing me in the game world. Hubert¡¯s reward for me this time is a key to an ultra-luxury cabin on the airship we take on field trips. True to Hubert¡¯s word, the first-year ss would soon be taking a field trip to a location far away from the Academy. This is where I will encounter the second main boss after Lycanthrope. I remember receiving this key in the game but it wasn¡¯t a very useful reward. Anyway, after the meeting with Hubert, I went back to my dorm and immediately prepared to go out. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Varsum. Even if he wasn¡¯t in the game, I figured it couldn¡¯t hurt to be prepared. Varsum was a high-ranking vampire and vampires are considered part of the undead. This meant that light attribute attacks, which are the effect of the Hero Favor Ne around my neck, would be highly effective against him. But I didn¡¯t think the ne would solve everything. Chapter 1 had its limitations. I could send a sword st at a distant opponent without a sword, but¡­ If my opponent had experienced Chapter 1 and wanted to deal with it, they could. They could see where I was going to cut and take precautions. Chapter 1 was meant to be used for surprise attacks, or to attack from distance. Now that I had leveled up, I decided it was time to start learning Chapter 2. It was more of a skill point increase than learning, but as long as Sierra existed, it was only right to go through the process of being taught by her. The skill points were already spent as I invested four points in the Ghost yer Technique, raising Reverse Heaven to level 4. The current location was a tranquil forest outside the academy. This is also the same ce where I previously learned and mastered Chapter 1 of the Reverse Heaven. Sierra approaches me as I sit on the stump I cut down using Chapter 1. [You said you wanted to learn Chapter 2. Hmm¡­You seem to be progressing quickly, but I can¡¯t be a master if I let my pupil¡¯s talent rot.] ¡°You said that Chapter 2 is definitely about time, then¡­¡± [Against time, to be precise.] Sierra interrupted me, adding an exnation. ¡°The flow of time¡­¡± Previously, I thought it meant to reverse time but now that Sierra is exining it, I¡¯m starting to realize what Chapter 2 is going to be like. The status window helped a lot. Chapter 2 of Reverse Heaven reverses the flow of time and slows time down for the caster only. When I use Chapter 2, everything seems to slow down except for me and I can experience the world in slow motion. Technically, the caster¡¯s speed increases by the same amount. [However, how long your current body can hold out¡­ I¡¯m not sure.] Sierra, who was staring at me, said in a worried voice. ¡°My body?¡± Even as I asked that question, a part of me was thinking that it would be weirder if there was no penalty. Chapter 52: Aftermath Chapter 52: Aftermath [However, as to how long your current body can hold out¡­even I am not sure.] ¡°¡­ What do you mean, my body?¡± At my question, Sierra strokes her chin and pauses, before offering me a suggestion. [It is said that the Hundred Gates are unbreakable, so why not give it a try, and if you are my student¡­ you will not die.] ¡°Do you mean that if I do it wrong, I might die?¡± [If you were one who was going to die from this, you would have died when youpletely distorted the flow of mana. Why not trust me once? I wonder how many seconds you¡¯llst now.] Sierra¡¯s mesmerizing voice echoed in my head as she red provocatively at me. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± I gulped as I looked at Sierra¡¯s smile. ¡®It seems like it¡¯s going to take a toll on my body as I try to forcibly increase my speed¡­¡¯ I could understand the skill, but I couldn¡¯t quite grasp the pain. ¡®You won¡¯t die,¡¯ said Sierra, the creator of Reverse Heaven. I wondered how long I wouldst now, as the time seemed to increase as my proficiency increased. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± I said, and stood up from the stump. The corner of Sierra¡¯s mouth quirked up, as if she liked my brash attitude. [If we¡¯re going to try it in this spot, I think it would be appropriate to cut through the falling leaves, I¡¯m sure you can detect some of them.] Sierra nodded and stepped in front of a good-sized tree. Thud! And then she pushed the tree away as the sound of falling leaves began to be heard. There were too many leaves to cut down in one fell swoop but as soon as my eyes caught sight of the falling leaves, I immediately drew the Spectral Sword from my waistband. Then I crossed my arms and used the index and middle fingers of my left hand to slowly sweep across the de. This was a kind of ¡°trigger¡± that I used whenever I wanted to twist the flow of mana to use Reverse Heaven. It made it easier to momentarily distort the flow of mana and with the help of the status window, it became like a second nature to me. Sierra had seen it before and said, ¡°It would definitely be helpful to have that move,¡± but she preferred to be able to use it without it. Since she was the one who created it, she didn¡¯t have to go through this process so I guess I¡¯ll have to level up my Reverse Heaven to reach that point. I flipped through the chapters, focusing on what I needed to reverse. Chapter 1 was space and by defying the concept of space, I was able to slice through enemies at distances I shouldn¡¯t be able to reach. Chapter 2 was time so I had to defy the flow of time, which was supposed to be fair to all, and make my body move effortlessly in those fleeting moments when everything slowed down. I was nearing the end of my concentration as I flicked through my sword. Leaves were slowly falling around me and for a moment, the flow of mana twisted. In front of me, the leaves that had been scattering and falling in the air were now moving downward very slowly. It was so slow that it could be mistaken for time stopping, but I didn¡¯t. The des of grass swayed in the cool breeze, rustling ever so slightly and I couldn¡¯t immediately tell how much slower it was. Normally, my physical body would also slow down in such a situation, but the spirit world seemed to take thatmon sense for granted. My arm, trying to cut the leaves, was moving at its normal speed, it hadn¡¯t slowed down at all. In this short period of time, my perception, thinking, and physical body had be abnormally fast. The moment my arm moved, Sierra¡¯s voice rang out. [Hmph¡­ You¡¯re doing it on the first try again, as if you don¡¯t care. That¡¯s quite convincing¡­ I wonder if my apprentice willst until he cuts down all the leaves. ] Sierra was looking around, assessing my performance but I don¡¯t know how she can talk to me. ¡®I¡¯m wielding the Spectral Sword, and Sierra is bound to the sword, so it¡¯s no wonder¡­¡¯ Moreover, she is not a living human being, but a dead person, a spirit so she could cross the boundaries of space and time at will. However, I felt like I didn¡¯t have much time left so with a swift sweep of my arm, I sliced through the leaves. With a swift sweep of my arm, Sierra was able to slice the thin leaves in half with precision and without a hint of crookedness. I could even see the leaf crack as it met the de but just because time slowed down, didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t cut it as slowly. I cut as hard and as fast as I could, remembering Sierra¡¯s provocative expression. Maybe it was because I knew I wanted her approval. How many times did I swing my sword like that? I was about to cut down thest remaining leaf that was still intact. Boom!!! Suddenly, a piercing sound pierced my ears and my vision went ck. *** ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I groaned as I woke up to a throbbing headache and shattering pain in my body. For some reason, something red and huge was blocking my vision. I tried to push myself up, but it wasn¡¯t easy and as I struggled to pull myself up, Sierra¡¯s soothing voice echoed in my head. [ Wake up.] Sierra¡¯s voice is clear and soft, and it makes me feel like my headache is starting to go away. Then I see Sierra¡¯s face. Her cheeks are flushed, and she¡¯s cupping my cheeks as if she¡¯s happy for me. Judging by theposition, it was Sierra¡¯s¡­ breasts that were blocking my view. She must have been giving me ap pillow. I gave up trying to sit up and decided to stay on herp. ¡°What did you think?¡± [ ¡­Lousy.] ¡°Hah¡­ It¡¯s not easy after all.¡± Judging from her yful tone of voice, it didn¡¯t sound like it was really bad. Still, I wasn¡¯t satisfied with myself. [Did you think Chapter 2 would be so easy? There are some things that talent alone can¡¯t aplish. Still, it wasn¡¯t bad for a first attempt. Just a little bit of blood¡­] As I listened to Sierra¡¯s soothing voice, I nced at the ground where I had been standing a moment ago. Amongst the torn leaves¡­I see a deep sword mark on the ground and a small pool of blood. I sniffed my nose, still reeking of blood. It¡¯s a process that she must have gone through too, and that¡¯s why she smiles. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I wouldn¡¯t die¡­?¡± [ You didn¡¯t die so I don¡¯t think my calctions were wrong.] ¡°¡­¡± Sierra¡¯s right, I¡¯m not dead, but judging by the blood on the floor, I¡¯m pretty drained of life force. [By the way, the bracelet the instructor gave you must be a good one, because you¡¯re recovering so fast.] As Sierra says this, she strokes my cheek and then sweeps her hand across my chest. She was stroking my left side, near where my heart would be. Judging by her expression, she doesn¡¯t have any strange intentions. ¡°How long have I been lying there?¡± I asked, hoping to distract myself from the feel of Sierra¡¯s smooth thigh against the back of my head. [An hour, I suppose, until you reached your limit and copsed, coughing up blood, but I knew it would happen, so I wasn¡¯t surprised.] Sierra looks at me and smiles. I suppose she could have told me about coughing up blood. ¡°¡­How many times does time normally slow down?¡± At my question, Sierra opens her mouth to exin. [Ten times, that¡¯s how much slower it slows down, or more urately, you move at ten times the speed your body is fully capable of pulling off,] ¡°Ten times¡­ No wonder I overloaded myself and nearly broke my body.¡± [Yeah, not only does it consume more mana than Chapter 1, but it also forces the body to move much faster¡­ It even touched your head. It is never easy to defy the rules of the world.] Sierra said, running her fingers through my hair. ¡®I thought it would be easy when I learned Chapter One¡­¡¯ Chapter 2 was much more difficult. I was confident that I would be able to use Chapter 2 once I reached level 4 of the Reverse Heaven, but that was just to be able to use it. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to learn Chapter 3 anytime soon, even if I level up the skill. As soon as I was strong enough to stand up, I pushed myself to my feet. At this, Sierra¡¯s eyes narrowed and she puffed her cheeks but I wordlessly dusted off my clothes and opened my mouth. ¡°Master¡­ How long did Ist?¡± It was important to know how many seconds I could activate the skill, even if time was ten times slower as I was trying to understand my limitations at the moment. I couldn¡¯t fight an enemy and then go down coughing up blood like I¡¯m doing now. [The length of time Chapter 2 can be used depends on the user¡¯s skill and physical condition¡­ Skill is skill, but my apprentice¡¯s physical condition is particrly bad¡­Not that it matters, as I lived my entire life with a sword.] Sierra puffs out her chest and ces a hand on her sternum¡­.Still, I don¡¯t think those breasts were made by swordy. I scratched my head and asked Sierra again. ¡°¡­So how many seconds?¡± Sierra¡¯s voice echoes in my head as she bes serious again. [¡­It was just over a minute¡­I¡¯d say five or six seconds, that¡¯s your limit right now. If we¡¯re talking about the limit without copsing¡­three seconds.] Chapter 2 slowed the passage of time by a factor of ten¡­ Three seconds was 30 seconds in my perceived time. ¡®When I first heard about time traveling, I thought it was like turning back time.¡¯ I think this is powerful in its own way. It was a technique that elerates the body and thinking tenfold but it was a sword art after all¡­ It seemed like I couldn¡¯t use Reverse Heaven without holding a sword. The presence of the status window made me realize this naturally, so I didn¡¯t ask Sierra any ridiculously stupid questions. With that, I was ready for Varsum. I have the Hero¡¯s Favor Ne and Chapter 2 of Reverse Heaven. In fact, with the ne, I didn¡¯t even have to be terribly afraid of vampires and undead. However, since Varsum was an unknown enemy with little information, I wanted to be more prepared. In that sense, Chapter 2 was like an immunization shot. I wasn¡¯t entirely satisfied with the results at three seconds, still there were plenty of ways to improve. I could still increase my physical strength and skill proficiency. Skill was no problem, as I could just level up to obtain skill points but the issue was my strength. ¡®It would be nice to have an item that increases the physical strength itself so that it¡¯s less taxing on the body¡­ I wondered if there was anything like that.¡¯ Physique is probably rted to the max health in the game. The two skills that I have are stamina draining but stamina is very important. If I have a high stamina cap, it doesn¡¯t matter if I lose a little bit of stamina¡­ As my body grows stronger, I will be able to carry a little more weight. ¡®Elixir?¡¯ That kind of consumable itemes to mind first. For me, it would be something like a lycanthrope¡¯s eyeball, but¡­¡­I can¡¯t stop thinking of grotesque-looking elixirs. If you want to have more freedom using Chapter 2, I¡¯ll need to work on that. Consistent training will also be essential so my daily routine will increase. I realized that I wasn¡¯t going to be able to increase the time I can use Chapter 2 by practicing in a sluggish manner, so I decided to head back to my dorm but before returning, I had one question. ¡°¡­How many seconds was Master¡¯s limit?¡± When Sierra heard my question, she burst outughing. [ Fuhhh¡­ Disciple, how dare you mock your heavenly master?] Sierra¡¯s eyes narrow as she covers her mouth andughs. Soon after, Sierra¡¯s lips, moistened by the moonlight, open. [Wrong unit.] ¡°What? Then¡­¡± [¡­3 minutes and 18 seconds. I didn¡¯t bother timing myself after that because I didn¡¯t think it would matter. ] Sierra¡¯s next words made me gasp in horror. Three minutes by simple math were 30 minutes in Chapter 2 perception. ¡®Purple Moon Sierra. The Purple Moon Sierra used to share a wall with the Sword Saint and the wall named after her was still huge and high. ¡®Sierra¡¯s sword art was created to defeat Sword Saint, so to defeat Sword Saint¡­¡¯ It seems like it will be a long way. *** [You have learned your lesson well, my apprentice, so you must feed me what I want to eat¡­and that is fried kraken¡¯s legs!] On the way back to the dormitory, Sierra grabbed my arm and pulled me along. Gone is the seriousness in her eyes as she taught me the Reverse Heaven in the woods, and in her ce is the innocent curiosity of a child. I wonder why they¡¯re selling fried kraken legs at this hour, and then I look around the store and realize it¡¯s a bar. ¡®I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re just oversized octopus legs¡­¡¯ Still, I figured that if Sierra was pestering me like this, I could at least buy some fried kraken legs, so I followed her lead to the bar. The smell of alcohol and deep-fried food was wafting through the air and my stomach lurched. As I approached the bar and were about to ce my order, I heard urgent footstepsing from the main street. I turned to see who was running so fast at the crack of dawn¡­and it was Yuri Clementine. Yuri had a serious look on her face and was gasping for breath as she ran in my direction. ¡°Hah¡­ Ha¡­¡± Behind her, I could see a familiar tinum hair, it was Yuri. ¡®Why is she¡­?¡¯ I realized that this was not a good situation and immediately ran towards Yuri. She spotted me as I was running. ¡°¡­Miss Yuri?¡± ¡°Hah¡­ Zeto¡­? I need to get to Medical Officer Prisci¡¯s house! Aizel copsed¡­! There was a wound on her stomach¡­¡± Unable to calm her racing breathing, Yuri ryed the situation urgently. ¡®A wound?¡¯ Behind Yuri, Aizel was flushed, unable to open her eyes, and breathing heavily. She was still wearing her clothes, so her injuries couldn¡¯t be confirmed right now, but she looked bad. ¡°¡­This is urgent, so let¡¯s go!¡± I shouted, interrupting Yuri as I picked up Aizel. The heat from Aizel¡¯s body was unbearably hot. [I don¡¯t think fried kraken¡¯s legs are important right now.] Sierra, who could see Aizel¡¯s condition, said. Aizel, who hadn¡¯t been seen for several days, appeared wounded and copsed. ¡®There¡¯s no reason for Aizel, a regressor, to attack an enemy that¡¯s so hard to defeat.¡¯ ¡­Healing Aizel was the first priority. Chapter 53: Scar Chapter 53: Scar It didn¡¯t take long to get to Prisci¡¯s house and luckily she was awake. She hadn¡¯t been a light sleeper in the first ce, so maybe that¡¯s why she was awake. After letting us in, Prisci immediately spread a clean cloth on the bed, put Aizel on it, and assessed her condition. ¡°Trauma to the abdomen¡­ The wound is shallow¡­¡± Prisci muttered as she removed Aizel¡¯s clothes and examined the wound. The wound on Eisel¡¯s stomach was a rather unusual one. It looked like something sharp had grazed it, and the area around it was stained ck. [This must be¡­ poison.] Sierra¡¯s meaningful voice rang in my head as I watched from the sidelines. ¡°Divine Clear.¡± Prisci ced her hand over the wound and began to heal. The ck poison that had spread from the wound to the rest of her body was slowly diminishing but it was a little slow. It seems the poison had spread farther than I thought. ¡°Hmm¡­ It looks like the treatment will be a bit long, could you wait outside for a while?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuri and Iplied with Prisci¡¯s request, closing the bedroom door behind us and stepping out into the living room. ¡°¡­¡± Yuri¡¯s face showed a hint of shock as she exited the bedroom. ¡°What happened?¡± At my out-of-the-blue question, Yuri¡¯s gaze dropped to the ground and she seemed to be trying to remember. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I went out for a short walk at dawn, and I found Aizel lying on the ground at the back of the dorm¡­¡± ¡°¡­So you rushed to find Medical Officer Prisci, and that¡¯s when you noticed the wound in her abdomen.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Yuri confirms my words, and then sits back on the couch, staring nkly at the ceiling. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but it doesn¡¯t look like a wound from inside the academy. Does Zetto have any idea?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± I answered Yuri¡¯s question, but it wasn¡¯t as if there were no clues at all. Aizel had apparently gone outside the academy and fought an unknown enemy. She was infected by a ck and red poison of unknown type but as far as I could recall, none of the enemies she¡¯d fought used that kind of poison. ¡®What kind of enemy did Aizel fight?¡¯ *** Lately, I¡¯ve had to do a lot to keep my distance from Zetto. The bewitching potion was a pointless drink, but I wasn¡¯t about to let another woman drink it. I also didn¡¯t want to see Prisci carrying a drunken Zetto back to her house, which was how I¡¯d learned of his weakness for alcohol. I wanted to stop it all but it wasn¡¯t just the demons I wanted to stop. I¡¯d known all along that Zetto would defeat Lycanthrope in the Labyrinth and be summoned by Raina so I was able to get to the tavern that Reina and Prisci frequented before Zetto, and naturally joined the instructors. However, the nervousness of waiting for Zetto caused me to drink myself into a stupor. I got drunk, and the whole n went awry. Now that I think about it¡­ It¡¯s probably a good thing it went wrong. The same thing happening twice would have made Zetto suspicious, to say the least. As far as he was concerned, we didn¡¯t have a long-term rtionship. I was a regressor so all the memories he had with me from the previous rounds were gone, and I had nothing left, but seeing his unchanging smile made me think I had him. It¡¯s not surprising that he feels overwhelmed by me. I should have built up from the ground up, but the impatience in the back of my mind was getting the better of me. When I woke up in the bed I¡¯d been sharing with Zetto since the film broke at the bar, my head was spinning. I managed not to show it, but¡­ I had a lot on my mind. That day, I opened my eyes and immediately took in the sight of Zetto¡¯s immacte flesh. Apparently, he had unbuttoned his shirt in his sleep and the sight was quite a turn-on for me, but¡­ ..Zetto¡¯s ¡°spotless¡± skin. At one point in the previous installment, I happened to catch a glimpse of his abdomen. He was sweating like he¡¯d been working out and when he casually used his clothes to wipe his sweat, his abdomen was clearly visible. It was at that moment that I noticed a ¡®scar¡¯ on his abdomen and suspicious, I asked him about the scar. ¡®Oh, this scar¡­? Who did that?¡¯ At the time, Zetto seemed a little reluctant to talk. ¡®¡­I had a run-in with a vampire once, and I got this scar by ident.¡¯ I asked if it was dangerous, and he said it wasn¡¯t. Since Zetto had a ne, the vampire didn¡¯t seem to be a problem. ¡®Revenge? Haha¡­Are you going to kill a vampire that¡¯s already dead? Let¡¯s just say it had a distinctive¡­ unusually shaped tail. ¡­What about the scar, is it ugly?¡¯ It did bother me that a mere vampire had scarred his body, but¡­I couldn¡¯t regress because of the scar and I didn¡¯t even know when the scar was made. However, Zetto¡¯s abdomen, which I happened to be able to see this time, was clean and wlessly white. That meant that sometime after this day, Zetto would meet a ¡®vampire¡¯. Now that Zetto had already obtained the Ne from the Labyrinth, he shouldn¡¯t have much trouble dealing with the undead. However, I didn¡¯t like the thought of him having a scar on his abdomen again this time. I immediately left the academy in search of the vampire with an unusual tail, however he was hiding so well that it took me a while, but I eventually found him. ording to my intel, he was holed up in a strange building called a ¡®researchb¡¯. Sparks fly from my hand and the chimera copses, unable to withstand the strong current applied directly to its head. I immediately step over its corpse and push open the door behind it. The door swings open to reveal a room filled with sks and misceneous tools that look like they could be used for research and in the center of the room is a man¡¯s back. A ¡°peculiarly shaped tail¡± was attached to the man¡¯s hip. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s the one who created the chimera here, but I wonder what kind of monster that tail belongs to. He hears my footsteps echoing in the room and turns around. ¡°Not a subordinate¡­What are you? Is it mealtime already?¡± He says, sweeping his dark hair back. He looked preupied, as if he were in the middle of a study. ¡°Varsum¡­¡± I stammered out his name. Pale skin, jet-ck hair, sharp vampire fangs that appeared as he spoke and a strange tail that swished behind him, this was definitely Varsum, a high-ranking vampire. At my call, Varsum wipes a hand across his nose, inhales deeply, and opens his mouth. ¡°Hah¡­ A virgin? I¡¯m not much for ¡®food¡¯ that knows my name¡­ Perhaps I should give my men some attention.¡± ¡°You should have some men left to pay attention to.¡± I said to Varsum as I prepared for battle. ¡°You¡¯ll die here.¡± *** Fortunately, the treatment didn¡¯tst very long and it wasn¡¯t long before Aizel was awake and I could hear Prisci talking to her from inside the room. I was able to overhear the conversation through my ¡®superior senses¡¯, but all I heard was Prisci¡¯s exnation of the situation. It was typical of Prisci to not question Aizel. I could hear Prisci¡¯s voice saying, ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask what¡¯s going on, but don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡± With that, I hear Prisci¡¯s footsteps at the door as she opens the door and approaches us. ¡°Sorry it took so long, I¡¯ve never seen that poison before. Thank goodness it wasn¡¯t a dangerous poison. I think it was just enough to make her faint¡­ All the poison has been removed, and she¡¯ll have a scar, but she¡¯s healed.¡± Prisci, who was holding her neck tiredly, said. ¡°Thank you for your kindness in treating her sote in the day, Medical Officer. Is Aizel awake?¡± Yuri asked Prisci, swallowing her worries. ¡°Yeah, she just woke up, so go on in. I think she should at least thank you, don¡¯t you?¡± Yuri¡¯s face brightens at Prisci¡¯s next words. She was waiting for Aizel, and was worried about something but I wasn¡¯t too worried since Prisci was the one doing the treatment. It¡¯s likely that Aizel, the regressor, was aware of Prisci¡¯s skills and wanted to be treated by her in the first ce. ¡®It¡¯s a problem that she copsed before she could get near her¡­¡¯ When Yuri and I enter the room where Aizel is supposed to be, we see her with an indifferent face. ¡°Aizel, you¡¯re the reason I couldn¡¯t sleep!¡± Yuri suddenly snapped at Aizel. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been doing¡­but I hope you won¡¯t get hurt. It¡¯s awkward when you get sick.¡± At Yuri¡¯s next words, Aizel smiles bitterly and opens her mouth. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard about it from Medical Officer Prisci, thank you, I¡¯ll repay you someday.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for anything in return, I just wanted you to not get hurt!¡± Yuri res and gets angry, and Aizelughs. ¡°Thanks ¡­¡­Zetto.¡± After a pause, Aizel stopsughing and turns to me. ¡°I didn¡¯t do much, I¡¯m just d the treatment seems to have gone well.¡± I shrugged in response to Aizel. It was strange that after so many battles, she got hurt but the issue was who did she fight rather than the wounds. The scars indicated an attack that interfered with her divine power. ¡®There must be few people who can do that.¡¯ The demons that were Aizel¡¯s immediate enemies had that trait. There are also a few demons that use poison, but¡­She wouldn¡¯t be facing them right now, besides, the poison was different. The question was not easily answered, and I was falling into abyrinth. ¡°Who did this to you?¡± Yuri asked, sitting down on the chair next to the bed and Aizel hesitated, then opened his mouth. ¡°Just¡­Bandits.¡± ¡°Bandits¡­? There can¡¯t be any bandits who could hurt you.¡± ¡°I must have made a mistake.¡± ¡°So you killed them?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°You killed¡­?¡± ¡°Killed them, for sure so they couldn¡¯t hurt anyone else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s¡­ good¡­¡± Aizel¡¯s rather firm words, followed by Yuri¡¯s shaky reply, brought their conversation to a close but Yuri¡¯s eyes widened in shock at Aizel¡¯s words. Of course, Yuri realizes that Aizel didn¡¯t fight bandits, but her answer that she killed them was sincere. ¡®I¡¯m d I killed him¡­¡¯ Aizel had been exceptionally strong since the cement test, so she didn¡¯t seem like she could lose. Still, judging by her wounds, it must have been a close call. She was pushing herself too hard. ¡®I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll tell me the truth if I pry further¡­¡¯ ¡­Anyway, I decided to put some distance between me and Aizel. I decided that I didn¡¯t need to continue the conversation, and that it would be best to walk away. ¡°Uh, leaving already?¡± Yuri questioned as I moved to leave. ¡°Now that Aizel has woken up safely, I¡¯m going to go back to my dorm and get some sleep¡­.Could Yuri take care of her for a bit longer?¡± ¡°Zetto, don¡¯t leave her and me alone like that!¡± I put Yuri¡¯s tantrums behind me, thanked Prisci, and left the house. After all, I just wanted this to have a happy ending for everyone. I nced at Sierra, who raised an eyebrow, before turning on my heel and slowly making my way to the dormitory. It was eerily chilly outside. *** ¡°¡­Aizel, what happened with Zetto?¡± Yuri asked me, her eyes narrowed but all I could see was the spot where Zetto had left. I hadn¡¯t set out to be recognized or praised by him in the first ce since I hadn¡¯t killed Varsum for him but for me. I¡¯d rather have a scar on my body than see a scar on his abdomen so I was satisfied with the oue of killing Varsum, but I felt empty inside. All I had left was a scar in the same ce as Zetto¡¯s from the previous episode. I couldn¡¯t stop Zetto from going to rest andin about why he was already gone. I made my own wounds, and thankfully they healed well. In true Zetto fashion, he didn¡¯t question me about what happened. That was it for him but this incident made me realize the distance between him and me. My one-sided approach was pointless but I hadn¡¯t thought about how he would take it. Zetto entered the room and left without a single smile. I could feel it vaguely that he was distancing himself from me. ¡®I¡­ Get it together.¡¯ This isn¡¯t the same Zetto, it¡¯s a different Zetto. I had to admit it but it was¡­.a little heartbreaking. ¡°¡­Nothing happened.¡± I replied in a weak voice to Yuri, who was staring at me in disbelief. Nothing happened between Zetto and me when we sat in front of the bonfire and talked. We talked about where we wanted to travel after graduation, and he said he wanted to see the ocean and how he promised to take me to the ocean. The time he stood in front of me as I copsed to protect me, fending off an enemy was all just a blur in my memory so nothing happened. Chapter 54: Bomb Chapter 54: Bomb After that, nothing much happened. ¡°Zetto¡­ Hi¡­¡± Yuri greeted me in the ssroom, looking tired. ¡°¡­¡± I could see Aizel staring at me from the side. Despite what had happened, everything was going on as usual, as if nothing had happened. Yuri¡¯s hair was braided into a fine braid as always, and Aizel was wearing her usual sullen expression. Yuri, who was sitting next to me, leaned over to look at Aizel and opened her mouth. ¡°Aizel, do you want to go to a cafe afterwards?¡± ¡°¡­Sure.¡± Unable to resist Yuri¡¯s bright smile, Aizel replied in a small voice. The difference was that Aizel and Yuri had gotten to know each other a little better. I wonder if they had a close conversation at Prisci¡¯s house the other night. Prisci, Aizel, and Yuri. Since it was only women, it could have been normal girl talk. Well, I can¡¯t imagine Prisci or Aizel talking like that. Sitting between Eisel and Yuri, I waited for Edward and organized my n. Three seconds, that¡¯s how long I can use Chapter 2 without coughing up blood and passing out. It would have been nice to train my body to make it stronger, but I was running out of time and to build a body that could withstand Chapter 2 in a short period of time, an elixir was essential. ¡®The question is where to get it¡­¡¯ Soon, the first-year students would go on a field trip to the north. ¡®Would I be able to get the elixir there?¡¯ I had some money left over, so it¡¯s not a bad option to use it to buy elixirs. If I can, I should buy as many elixirs as I can. Some may have side effects, but as long as I¡¯m informed and knowledgeable, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Bam! Edward arrives in the ssroom and ps his hands together, drawing the attention of the chattering cadets. Soon, all eyes are on him, and he opens his mouth. ¡°Everyone, I have some great news.¡± The corners of his mouth turn up, and the cadets are intrigued. Yuri, sitting next to me, had a twinkle in his eye while Aizel and I didn¡¯t react because it was obvious what was going to be said. ¡°Our first-year cadets are going on this field trip, so let¡¯s hear it for them!¡± At Edward¡¯s next words, the cadets p for a moment. The cadets continue to p and chat with their friends. ¡°But isn¡¯t it important where we¡¯re going on the field trip?¡± ¡°Well, I heard from a senior that they were going to a martial arts tournament as a group.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard of that. I heard they let magespete, too.¡± The cadets burst intoughter at the mention of magespeting in martial arts tournaments. It seems that the location of the field trip is decided by the instructors and the principal, so it changes every time. ¡°We are going to¡­ Fort Polwyn in the north of the country! Exciting, isn¡¯t it?¡± Edward paused in mid-sentence and announced the location to the cadets. He waves his arms in the air, trying to build up the tension, but the mention of a fortress sends the cadets¡¯ spirits plummeting. The humans and demons were currently in a truce so Fort Polwyn was located a short distance down the road near the Demon Lands. In other words, we were going on a military field trip. ¡°So you¡¯d better prepare some extra warm clothes, the cold in the north is bitter.¡± Edward said as he held up his index finger and after a moment of silence, one of the cadets raised his hand. Edward, pointed at the cadet. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long way to the north, we¡¯re not traveling by wagon, are we¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a silly question, this is the Innocence Academy after all. We don¡¯t travel by ordinary carriages.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°Have you heard of airships¡­?¡± At the mention of ¡®airships¡¯, the cadets¡¯ spirits begin to rise. Edward makes a face as if he¡¯s built an airship, but then he coughs and starts talking. ¡°Hmph, we¡¯re going to be traveling by airship. If it¡¯s an airship, it wouldn¡¯t take long to get to the north.¡± Judging from the cadets¡¯ reactions, they seemed to think that the airship was more important than the fortress. In a fantasy world, this airship is quite a novelty and it is a rare form of transportation, even across continents, however the Academy had an entire fleet of airships. I think this is where the majesty of the Graham familyes into y. The cadets were so excited about the airship that they pushed Edward aside and began chatting with their friends. ¡°Airships¡­ I¡¯ve always wanted to ride in one.¡± Yuri was just as excited. Her eyes were wide and he was staring into space as if there was an airship there. ¡®It¡¯s my first time too, but¡­ I wonder why I¡¯m not excited. It wasn¡¯t because I had already experienced modern things like airnes and subways. Still, it¡¯s a fantasy, so it should be more romantic than that but I wasn¡¯t looking forward to it because¡­ [ An airship¡­ I suppose I¡¯ll have to hold onto my apprentice¡­ ] ¡­I had Sierra with me. I think I¡¯m going to have to carry Sierra on my back the whole time I¡¯m on the airship. What¡¯s the point of having an ultra-luxury cabin¡­ I couldn¡¯t help it. Maybe I should ask her to stay in the sword for a while. ¡°But first¡­ I have more good news. Before we leave for the field trip, I thought I¡¯d give you a special lesson.¡± Edward waited for the cadets to quiet down, and when they did, he spoke up. ¡®A special lesson?¡¯ Edward¡¯s eyes light up at the words, though he doesn¡¯t want anyone to see it. If it was a special lesson, the reward was likely to be special as well. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a small mock battle, and since this is my ss, I¡¯ve been paying special attention to illusionary magic.¡± I remember seeing small-scale mock battles in games. To put it simply, it was a team deathmatch. I remember it was a notorious content for users. It was a bad game, so to speak. As is usually the case in games, there were a lot of yers who tried to do it alone without thinking about their teammates and I was one of those yers when I first started ying the game. However, PvP(yer vs yer) is not easy. Moreover, the yers were mostly ss A, meaning that the overall level is high. The first time you get lured into a group of enemies¡­that¡¯s when you realize something¡¯s wrong. The small-scale mock battles require you to work with your teammates to strategize so if you have a good team, it¡¯s easier to win first ce. As a result, there were many yers who repeatedly saved and loaded until they had a good group to get to the top. Personally, I preferred to bend over backwards to get to the top, even if I was unlucky. Why obsess over rankings you ask? Because there were always rewards for small-scale battles and often, it was an item that helped the yers immensely. Just then, Edward opened his mouth to speak with a wicked grin. ¡°To encourage your active participation in this mock battle, there will be rewards for you cadets! There will be four groups of four, so there will be four groups in total. Fourth ce, unfortunately, will not receive any rewards. The same goes for third ce.¡± Not many cadets were looking forward to the rewards. There was a lot of talk among the cadets about what they would be rewarded in ss, even if it was the Innocence Academy. ¡°¡­Well, let¡¯s start with number one: the group that wins the honor of first ce gets to choose a weapon from the Academy¡¯s arsenal.¡± Most of the cadets¡¯ eyes widened at Edward¡¯s next shocking statement. The Academy¡¯s armory was more than just a warehouse of weapons. Innocence Academy has a centuries-old tradition where graduates who died would donate their weapons, and outrageous weapons would be found in the Labyrinth. All sorts of mystical weapons lie dormant in the armory. ¡®He must have done a good job of convincing Julius¡­¡¯ It¡¯s a reward that¡¯s rarely seen in the game but I wasn¡¯t tempted since I had Sierra. The Spectral Sword was essential for the Ghost yer Technique and even without it Sierra wasparable to a great sword since it had been forged by the gold dragon Deidros. But unlike me, the eyes of the other cadets were burning. ¡®At least I don¡¯t see anyone who won¡¯t work hard.¡¯ Aizel frowned for the same reason I did. Mages could equip themselves with all sorts of weapons, starting with wands and ending with bracers and such, as long as they were useful to their magic, and by the look on Aizel¡¯s face, she¡¯d already gotten her own. ¡®A staff and a spear.¡¯ I remember that she didn¡¯t usually take it out, but only during important battles. It was a golden staff with a stylish design that had the form of a small stick, but when she used it, it snapped open and transformed into a spear. It¡¯s so cool that some yers have asked if they can get Aizel weapon but this is where the reason it¡¯s called an exclusive weapones into y: if you¡¯re not an Aizel, you can¡¯t get it. ¡°Of course, there are rewards for second ce. It¡¯s a small rewardpared to the armory, but¡­¡­ When I went on my trip this time, I saw the auction house selling ¡®Mandragora¡¯.¡± As Edward continues to exin, he pulls the mandragora from his arms and shows it to the cadets. Mandragora is a root nt that takes the form of a human and the scream of a mandragora when it is plucked is said to be deafening. Difficult to grow and harvest, the mandragora was a strictly ¡°elixir¡± that boosted health and mana. However, it doesn¡¯t increase them by much as it¡¯s not as good as some of the more famous elixirs. Regardless, as an elixir, it was expensive so I was worried about Edward¡¯s wallet, as he had bought four mandragoras at his own expense. [I hope you don¡¯t want to eat that, apprentice¡­? I¡¯ve already tasted it, and it¡¯s not fit for human consumption.] Sierra nced back and forth between Edward¡¯s mandragora and me, her face colored with embarrassment. ¡­That¡¯s right. Mandragoras were notoriously tasteless. But that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t eat it. I had a reason to be second, not first. As Edward wrapped the mandragoras in the cloth once more and tucked it into his arms, he continued to exin that he had already organized something to bnce things out, and haphazardly spread out four tents in the center of the room. ¡°When you¡¯re going into battle with your allies, you have to n your tactics first, and these tents are your tactical rooms. As soon as I call out your name, you¡¯ll enter your group¡¯s tent.¡± ¡­For the first time in quite a while, Edward¡¯s lessons were paying off. What¡¯s more, I have no intention of giving up on the mandragora. Now I just need to get organized *** I was the first to enter Group 2¡¯s tent, guided by Edward and ording to him, I was the leader of the group. The tent was bigger than I expected and I couldn¡¯t hear Edward calling out to the other cadets from outside the tent, so there was some sort of soundproofing spell active. The tent was set up like a tactical room, with a table with a map on it and a bunch of chess pieces. It was set up exactly like in the game and it brought back a lot of memories. For strategy, the map included information about where each group spawns, how the terrain isid out, etc. But I had a bandage over my eye¡­so I¡¯ll have to leave the strategizing to the other members of the team. I¡¯ll just have to give orders in the middle of the battle. Although I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to make a n while looking at a map. ¡®What¡¯s theposition of the group?¡¯ Edward said it would be a bnced group, which naturally excluded Aizel and Yuri. ¡®Aside from them, I don¡¯t really know anyone else with whom I have a strong connection. I was so focused on my own growth that it was still hard to think of others. While I was thinking about it suddenly, an unidentified person¡¯s leg crashed through the tent. The footsteps inside the tent were heavy. ¡®¡­It seems that we are connected.¡¯ The Caligus family, one of the four elemental families of the continent, specializes in earth magic and the son of Maxim Caligus, the current head of the Caligus family Amon Caligus enters the tent and plops down in a chair without saying anything. ¡°¡­¡± His legs spread, he crosses his arms, and he stares at me. [He must be the Caligus kid I saw in the Labyrinth before, he¡¯s pretty strong for a kid, that¡¯s good.] Sierra, whose eyes narrowed as she nced at Amon, said so. Amon was certainly not weak but I don¡¯t have fond memories of him in the small-scale mock battles I¡¯ve yed in the game. He¡¯s passive-aggressive, disobeying the yer orders and acting on his own whim without even trying, and he often says demoralizing things to his teammates. Because of this, Amon was treated like a bomb by yers in small-scale mock battles. Many yers would load their saves whenever Amon showed his face, saying things like, ¡°He doesn¡¯t listen.¡± Oddly enough, this is not the case when he is put through a small mock battle after he has taken the Path of Awakening. Amon¡¯s post-advancement tank was well-received and reliable. However, I didn¡¯t even talk to him much, let alone y his path since I couldn¡¯t even save and load like in the game. I thought, ¡°Okay, maybe Amon isn¡¯t so bad after all.¡± There¡¯s no denying he¡¯s strong and maybe he could be a reliable tank if I could get him to y nice. I turned to Amon, who was ring at me, and opened my mouth. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve talked, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to talk about that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Amon¡¯s firm reply ended the conversation. ¡®He¡¯s not so easy to please after all¡­¡¯ The conversation with Amon ended abruptly, and an icy atmosphere took over themand center. After a long silence, the next member of the team entered the room. She cautiously entered the room, her eyes tightly closed. ¡°That¡­ Please, please, please¡­!¡± She immediately bows down to the ground without even looking at me or Amon. Watching her, Amon sighs. ¡°Hah¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­Mr. Amon¡­?¡± Amon and she knew each other. They could only be acquaintances. Her name was Lucia Windless, and her light blue hair was bouncing around. She was a member of the same four-element family as Amon and Yuri. The Windless family of wind magic and the Caligus family of earth magic were two of the four elemental families. Nevertheless, I could barely hold back a sigh. Lucia¡¯s standing within the Windless Family is not good and Amon doesn¡¯t like her¡­ ¡°If I have to marry that bitch¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Amon¡­don¡¯t be so angry¡­ Please don¡¯t¡­ Hmph¡­¡± As Amon became nervous, Lucia spoke in a trembling voice¡­.Even if she was timid, she was too much. Her magical talent is exceptional, but she¡¯s too cowardly to utilize it properly and as a result, Lucia was treated poorly within her family. In the game, Lucia does all sorts of crazy things when she sees an enemy, such as falling into a state of ¡°fear¡± and attacking her allies in a panic. This made her an even bigger bomb to yers than Amon, except that she was a woman. ¡®I might have to go for second ce by myself¡­¡¯ Aizel wasn¡¯t going to be serious in this mock battle, so it shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem for me to go it alone given the power of the Reverse Heaven. But with two bombs in the team, there¡¯s a lot of unnecessary confusion. It was a feeling I hadn¡¯t felt in a long time, a feeling I¡¯d only felt when ying the game but I wanted to make the bombs in front of me do their job somehow. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be so cold, we¡¯re going to be fighting together, right?¡± I said in a friendly tone, stepping between Amon and Lucia. ¡°Hey, give up the weapon. You won¡¯t get anywhere with her.¡± Amon said to me, ring at Lucia. His words made Lucia sulk but I don¡¯t let Amon¡¯s grumbling deter me. ¡°No, we can do this.¡± ¡°¡­You must be out of your mind¡­Lucia Windless will shoot magic at her allies if they stand still.¡± Amon snorted at my response. He wasn¡¯t wrong and I knew this from my experiences. If Amon was a water bomb, Lucia was the real deal. ¡°¡­¡± But I just stared at Amon in silence. By now, thest member of the group who had joined after Lucia was looking back and forth between me and Amon to see what was going on. Finally, Amon, unable to bear the silence, spoke up. ¡°You¡­¡­ Are you seriously trying to get to number one?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Amon clicked his tongue in response to my firm answer but as he clicked his tongue, his eyes started to light up. Of course he wants to go to the armory and get a good weapon. ¡°Yeah, I hate to admit it, but¡­ but you and I might make a formidable team¡­¡± Amon turns his head away from me, and suddenly starts talking nonsense. ¡°Let¡¯s try some crap. Armory¡­ Let¡¯s go! We have Zetto and I, Amon Caligus!¡± Suddenly, Amon leaps to his feet, raises his fist in the air, and shouts in a bold voice. The unnamed cadet, who was thest to join the group, quickly reads the mood and shouts, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Uh, uh¡­ Let¡¯s go¡­!¡± Lucia, seeing this, narrows her eyes and throws her arms up. Having said that, I had no intention of going to the armory, no intention ofing in first. It was all an act to get Amon to participate. I needed him to follow my lead in order for things to go smoothly. ¡®I¡¯m going to leave the group before we can take the first and then I¡¯ll die on purpose to take the second ce.¡¯ Chapter 55: Explosion Chapter 55: Explosion Myself, Amon, Lucia, and thest cadet to enter, a man named Crank sat in front of a map in the operations room. Crank had arge shield strapped to his back. ¡®Looks like a tanker¡­¡¯ That would make two tankers in the group, including Amon. This was never a goodbination. Maybe I should use Amon as a dealer instead of a tank. ¡°Hmmm.¡± Crank coughed in his rickety chair, he had a n. I was naturally excluded, since I couldn¡¯t see the map, and Amon had told me bluntly that he wasn¡¯t good at nning. In Lucia¡¯s case, she said, ¡°Can I, can I, can I make a n¡­?¡± At this point, everyone had no answer and moved on. That left Crank. ¡°Second ce isn¡¯t so bad, is it?¡± Crank was not the only one unsure of the n, and he spoke in a quiet voice as he studied the map. ¡°Mandragora has no use for me.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid the same can¡¯t be said for me¡­ Tasteless¡­¡± Amon replied to Crank¡¯s question, followed by Lucia. He and Lucia were from the Four Elemental families and they had been fed all sorts of elixirs since they were children, so it was hard for them to see the effects of mandragora. ¡°If wee in second, I won¡¯t need it. Then there¡¯s the matter of the Labyrinth¡­ Zetto, you can eat it.¡± Amon nced at me and said. ¡°If that¡­ if that happens, I guess you can have mine if you want, because I¡¯d be useless anyway¡­¡± Lucia trailed off and hung her head. ¡®Everyone¡¯s so motivated, I was thinking of just going for first ce and swapping rewards with second ce¡­¡¯ This changes things. Amon and Lucia will give their share of the mandragora, and if I split it equally with Crank, I¡¯ll still have two mandragoras. ¡®This means I¡¯m going to have to go for second ce as nned.¡¯ It¡¯s just a matter of not letting it show. It was unfortunate for my teammates, but it was a difficultbination for us to get third ce, let alone second ce. Even if we aimed for first ce, there was no guarantee that we could do it. ¡°Then it¡¯s useless for you guys if you don¡¯t get first ce. But can we sell the weapons from the armory? I need some big money right now¡­¡± Crank said this as the group¡¯s goal was inevitably first ce. Amon red at Crank, then spoke up. ¡°I thought the weapons in the armory were forbidden to be sold, that it was against the spirit of the Academy. It¡¯s a tradition that goes back decades and centuries, and I don¡¯t think it would be easy to break. I¡¯d like to donate a weapon to the Academy someday before I die.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m in a hurry, but if that¡¯s the case¡­¡± Crank grimaces at Amon¡¯s answer. I didn¡¯t know about Amon or Lucia, but Crank, amoner, might need the money. ¡®They certainly don¡¯t sell at the auction house.¡¯ The weapons selected from the armory were listed as unseble items in the game. I don¡¯t know if there was a ¡®ck market¡¯ where you could sell unseble items, but it was too risky to enter the ck market at this level. In the ck market, you could encounter powerful viins quite often so you had to avoid them as much as possible. It was more likely that Crank was having financial problems. If so, I might as well take second ce and buy the mandragora from him. ¡°More than that, I suppose it¡¯s a matter of being able to enter the armory¡­¡± Amon nced at the piece of paper on the map that had been given to him by Edward when Crank entered. It listed theposition of the other groups. ¡°Okay, so maybe group one, but groups three and four look strong¡­¡± Crank scratched his head. Group 3 didn¡¯t really have anyone else, but they had Aizel, and Group 4 had Yuri and the heir to the Aisin family. Unlike our group, Group 4 had two people who were worthy of the name of the Four Elemental Families. Crank didn¡¯t seem to be very good at organizing so I suspect he was forced into the role. I figured I might as well do something about it, so I spoke to Crank. ¡°Did you say that on the map that we¡¯re close to group 3 and 4?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­..Looking at the groupposition, I¡¯m guessing the instructor was trying to bnce things out.¡± The map showed that Groups 2, 3, and 4 were clustered together in a fairlyrge forest, with only Group 1 separated from the others. ¡°So¡­ Why don¡¯t we go ahead and take on Group 1?¡± At my suggestion, Crank immediately looked at the map. Then he raises his voice as if he¡¯s spotted something. ¡°¡­I guess that would work, since we¡¯re the closest to Group 1.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing they¡¯reing toward the forest where the rest of the groups are. Even if they start farther away, they¡¯ll want to keep an eye on things. Do you think there¡¯s any high ground on their way to us?¡± Crank looked at the map, pointed to a spot on the map, and said to me in a shaky voice. ¡°¡­How about we go up to the high ground?¡± I suggested, tapping the map. ¡°You mean we go up to the high ground and attack first¡­?¡± ¡°Even if they don¡¯t pass directly under us, we¡¯ll still be able to see where they¡¯re going¡­ and then we can hit them from behind.¡± Amon and Crank nodded. ¡°Well, then, I think we know what we¡¯re going to do¡­ we¡¯re going to head out of the woods, out of sight of Groups Three and Four, and then we¡¯re going to head straight for the high ground and wait for Group One.¡± I exined. We¡¯re going to let Teams 3 and 4 fight each other in the woods, eliminate Team 1 beforehand, and then fight the winner of Teams 3 and 4. Our opponents would be inexperienced first-year cadets so I don¡¯t expect them to have a great strategy. It was like that in the game too. [Disciple, disciple¡­ Didn¡¯t you want to eat the Mandragora¡­? Isn¡¯t it to have me as a weapon¡­?] Sierra¡¯s worried voice echoed in my head as she watched me. Apparently, seeing me nning so diligently made her think that I was truly aiming for first ce. But she was right, I didn¡¯t need more weapons. What¡¯s the point of having weapons that you can¡¯t sell or use? I could only smile weakly. *** The small-scale mock battle started immediately after the nning ended. We entered an illusion spell, and the spawn location was the same as the information on the map so we quickly and quietly made our way out of the forest. We didn¡¯t even feel anyone following us as we exited the forest and made it to the high ground. The rest of the group, except for me, crouched down on the edge of the cliff, looking down to see where Group 1 might be. In the forest on the other side, we could hear the asional roar from the battle between Groups 3 and 4. The asional burning of a few trees indicated that Yuri was on a rampage. With no need to look down the cliff, I sat on the ground, rxing in the cool breeze. ¡°What if¡­ What if group 1 is scared and not moving¡­?¡± Crank, who had been looking down the cliff, spoke up, his voice filled with anxiety. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d move if I were them¡­ That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t understand this n when I first heard about it¡­¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Lucia, do you think all the cadets are like you? I¡¯m surprised a coward like you is attending the academy.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Lucia blurted out after Crank¡¯s words, prompting Amon to scold her. While this small talk is going on, Crank, who has been quietly looking down, calls out. ¡°There they are¡­! They¡¯re here¡­!¡± Everyone¡¯s attention is drawn to the cliff at the sound of the group¡¯s arrival. ¡°Why are theying¡­? Aren¡¯t they scared¡­?¡± When Lucia spotted the group, instead of crying, she became angry at them and spoke in a very low voice, so it was impossible for Amon to hear her. Amon, who was watching Lucia, sighed and turned around to look at me. ¡°If we¡¯re going to attack, now seems like a good time. With our luck, they¡¯re passing just below the cliff.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good news, then let¡¯s get going.¡± I grinned, dusted off my clothes, and stood up. ¡°Miss Lucia, please.¡± Lucia jumps to her feet at my call. Even if we attacked from high ground, we weren¡¯t arge group, and the three of us, excluding Lucia, would have to fight in close quarters. Even though Amon has a ranged blocking skill, it has a short area of effect and can¡¯t do much more than block. Not to mention, my Reverse Heaven hadn¡¯t yet reached the level of reaching down there. However, I couldn¡¯t leave everything to Lucia at such a time, so I decided it would be better to descend and attack Group 1 myself. Lucia stands up and immediately casts a spell on Amon, Crank, and me. The first spell she cast on us was a wind spell called ¡°Touch of the Wind¡±. With this enchantment, we could float in the wind just before falling and not take fall damage. ¡°Something¡­ I can feel the wind around me¡­? You¡¯re amazing, Lucia!¡± Crank grinned and gave Lucia a thumbs up after receiving the buff. ¡°Hehe¡­ I¡¯m technically a member of the Windless Family, too¡­ This is no big deal¡­!¡± Hearing the praise, Lucia smugly ruffled her short hair. ¡°You¡¯re making a big deal out of a single buff magic¡­¡± Amon, who was watching, clicked his tongue. In this world, buff magic was nothing special and any skilled mage could do it. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the signaling to you.¡± I said, standing at the edge of the cliff and turning my head toward where Amon was. A momentter, Amon stood next to me, looked down, and¡­ ¡°Now!¡± ¡­gave the signal. I, Amon, and Crank jumped on cue. The cliff was higher than we thought, so it took us a while to fall. I can see Crank, who was wearing a shield, falling down. We jumped at the same time, but I couldn¡¯t figure out why he was falling first. ¡®Because the shield is heavy?¡¯ Common sense said no. Crank was falling freely, as if he was just letting the wind carry him. At this rate, he would be the first to hit the ground. And just like that, Crank was about to hit the ground. ¡°Huh?¡± With my level 7 Superior Senses, I was able to hear Crank¡¯s panic. Thud!!! The next thing I know, Crank falls and kicks up a cloud of dust. ¡®I didn¡¯t get the buff¡­?¡¯ It was Lucia who gave the buff. I thought that even if fighting against enemies was tough, she¡¯d be able to buff us properly¡­I was wrong. Lucia was the bomb. Amon was following my orders so well that I didn¡¯t factor in Lucia¡¯s shenanigans. As soon as I realized that Crank was down, I pulled out Sierra and smashed it into the cliff next to me. The cliff gave a little resistance as it split, but¡­ Sierra was too sharp, and I had to give up on stopping the fallpletely. Boom!!! Next, Amon, who was falling faster than me, hit the ground. He had apparently created a gauntlet just before the fall, so he wasn¡¯t dead. I decide to fall into the nearby trees so I kick off the cliff andnd squarely in the trees. My body rolled around as I was hit and poked by countless branches and finally, I was able to fall to the ground. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± A slight pain shed through my body as I stood up. [The spell didn¡¯t trigger¡­¡­What kind of spell was that Lucia girl casting¡­?] Sierra was also somewhat puzzled. Pushing myself to my feet, I leapt out of the bushes and headed for Amon. I found Amon in a handstand with his gauntlets stuck to the ground and the sound of my footsteps jolted him out of his ridiculous position. As soon as Amon regains his senses, he tries to pull his gauntlet out of the ground. Struggling to keep his feet on the ground, Amon looks up in frustration and shouts. ¡°Lucia you bitch!!! Get down here now or I¡¯ll give you a stone shower on your disgusting face!!!¡± Amon was furious and the other members of Group 1, who were a few feet away, heard Amon yelling and ran over. ¡°What are they doing over there¡­?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s Zetto and Amon, aren¡¯t they Team 2?¡± ¡°I think they were trying to attack us!¡± Their panic at the sudden turn of events is palpable but they hadn¡¯t attacked yet, so we had a moment to catch our breath. Lucia¡¯s voice came from the top of the cliff, looking down. ¡°Zee, I¡¯m going down now¡­!¡± The next thing I know, Lucia, the cause of everything, is falling off the cliff. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Lucia¡¯s reply makes the situation even more iprehensible, and the group watches in awe as she falls, holding on to her skirt to cover her panties. Just before she touched the ground, a gentle breeze blew in and lifted her up in an enveloping embrace, and her feet touched the ground softly and lightly. ¡°You got it right this time¡­? You¡¯re really¡­ Ha¡­¡± Amon sighed, not taking his anger out on Lucia, and focused on retrieving the gauntlet that was still embedded in the ground. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I should have cast ¡®Touch of the Wind¡¯¡­ I seem to have lost the Blessing of the Wind¡­Where is Mr. Crank¡­?¡± Head down and sobbing, Lucia looks around for Crank and when she finds him, she runs out screaming. ¡°¡­Mr. Crank!!!¡± Lucia looks at Crank from a distance and sees that he¡¯s spewing blood from his mouth. He¡¯s probably about to die. It looks like he didn¡¯t make it. Maybe he fell on his shielded side and still died. Luckily, the illusion was set to be painless, so it didn¡¯t seem to hurt. ¡°Lucia¡­ I was happy for a moment¡­ I don¡¯t know if it was a blessing from the wind or a touch¡­ Kuluk¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Crank, please don¡¯t die, please don¡¯t die, what about the armory¡­!¡± While Crank and Lucia are having this conversation, Crank¡¯s body turns to ash and begins to scatter. ¡°Please give me my share¡­¡± Crank¡¯sst words were fondly remembered, and he waspletely reduced to ash. As I watched, I was too dumbfounded to speak. One of our four members was dead before they even had a chance to fight. ¡°They already have one dead, we have the advantage in numbers!¡± ¡°Form up!¡± No longer was the group standing still and they had already prepared for battle. ¡°Fuck¡­ What the hell?¡± Amon, whose gauntlets had nevere off before, was muttering profanities and getting impatient. As I watched him, I spoke up. ¡°Why don¡¯t you release the gauntlet?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a good idea, since it¡¯ll take a while to make the gauntlet again.¡± Is he referring to the spell cooldown? Certainly, without the gauntlets, the meleebat that Amon prides himself on might be a little more difficult. On the other side, Lucia cowered in the spot where Crank had disappeared. She was shocked that she had identally killed him. It was only a mock battle, so she wasn¡¯t really dead, but she couldn¡¯t stand up. ¡®A bomb is a bomb in the end¡­¡¯ The thought crosses my mind that it would have been better to throw Lucia into the middle of the enemies. ¡°They¡¯re losing it somehow! Now!¡± ¡°Everyone attack!¡± ¡°This is our chance to wipe out the asshole Four Elemental Families!¡± ¡°Ice Arrow!¡± Needless to say, Group 1 didn¡¯t wait for us to organize. The four members of Group 1 began to charge at us, each in their own way. We hadn¡¯t counted on Lucia¡¯s stupid mistake and at this rate, she¡¯s probably going to die, and Amon won¡¯t be able to escape more than a few injuries since he doesn¡¯t have a gauntlet. However, I was not helpless against group 1. I had an idea so I stepped in front of Amon, who was struggling to pull the gauntlet off. Boom! I drew my sword from my waistband and parried an arrow that came flying at me. Then, turning to Amon behind me, I spoke in a low voice. ¡°¡­Give me three seconds.¡± Chapter 56: Residue Chapter 56: Residue Three seconds is all it took to slit the throats of group 1 members. Thud. I could hear the sound of their heads hitting the ground behind me. It was my first time using it in realbat. What was unusual was that the enemies¡¯ movements were much slower, and their weaknesses were more clearly visible. The blood from the Spectral Sword trickles down, drop by drop, and soon turns to ash, scattered by the wind. ¡°Gulp.¡± My mouth watered, though only slightly. Sierra, who had been watching me with her arms crossed, spoke up. [By my reckoning, three seconds seems about right. Your use of chapter 2 is still a little sloppy¡­ but it was still a solid move.] Even shing four people was a close call. Three seconds, or even 30 seconds, is still not enough. But those three seconds were enough to take a toll on my stamina. The blood came out, but I didn¡¯t feel any pain, so I didn¡¯t know how much I was hurting inside. I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and turned back to Amon, whose face was colored with horror. Bam! Just in time, Amon pulled the gauntlet out of the ground. Amon looks at the gauntlet, which is still limp, and asks me in a low voice. ¡°¡­Who the hell are you? You were only gone for a moment, but I couldn¡¯t even follow you with my eyes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I trailed off, unable to answer Amon¡¯s question. ¡°Last time, and this time¡­ You must have twisted your mana, right?¡± ¡°Did I?¡± ¡°Heh¡­if you had that kind of skill, you wouldn¡¯t have had toe up with this n in the first ce¡­¡± Amon snorted and red at Lucia, who hadn¡¯t gotten up from her spot on the ground. ¡°Even I have my limits. If I push myself any harder here, I might¡­.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ I guess it¡¯s time for this Amon Caligus to step up to the te.¡± The corners of Amon¡¯s mouth twitched upward as he understood what was being said but his smile wasn¡¯t exactly trustworthy. When I finished talking to Amon, I realized he was unlikely to take care of Lucia, so I stepped up. I¡¯m the leader of the group, after all. As I approach Lucia, feigning interest, she turns her head to look at me and sobs. ¡°I, I¡¯m the reason Mr. Crank¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sure Crank is doing fine.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ Really¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s still watching us.¡± Since Crank was eliminated, he must be out of the illusion and watching us with Edward. ¡°Mr. Crank¡­ I¡¯ll avenge you¡­!¡± Lucia pulled herself together and stood up, her eyes burning for some reason. It was no one else she should be taking revenge on, but herself. Well, as long as she could pull herself together and get to her feet. Lucia¡¯s face was filled with question marks as she looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s the enemy¡­! I¡¯ll use ¡®Tornado Calling¡¯!¡± ¡°What Tornado Calling¡­ Zetto already cleared it all up. Lucia, are your eyes decorative, or should I put a rock in your useless eyeballs?¡± Lucia held up her index finger and did something rather stupid, and Amon, who hadn¡¯t seen this, walked over and scowled at her. ¡°Hiiin¡­¡± Lucia cringed, quickly covering her eyes with her fingers. Tornado Calling is a high-level wind magic that summoned a de-like tornado into the middle of the battlefield and was quite powerful. I remember Lucia being able to ¡®use¡¯ it but she just couldn¡¯t control its direction. ¡°So Mr. Zetto cleaned up all by himself? If it¡¯s Mr. Zetto, it¡¯s no wonder! Hehe¡­¡± Lucia, who was scratching her head in confusion, nced at me and smiled brightly. ¡­I think Lucia would be a normally cute person if she wasn¡¯t a colleague. Innocent and sunny¡­That¡¯s the impression I got anyway. She leaned a little closer to me, and opened her lips. ¡°Zetto-san is a magical swordsman, right?!¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about¡­?¡± Amon and I were stunned by Lucia¡¯s suddenly absurd question. ¡°Eh¡­? You definitely used Wind Cutter in thest duel¡­?! I, I saw it all¡­!¡± Lucia stuttered as I and Amon expressed our doubts. ¡®Does she mean Chapter One?¡¯ To this naive Lucia, who only knew about wind magic, it might have looked like Wind Cutter. Amon, who can¡¯t stand Lucia¡¯s silliness, immediately feeds her honey chestnuts. ¡°Shut up and stop talking nonsense, please¡­¡± ¡°Ooohh¡­¡± Lucia strokes her hair after getting hit in the head. It was a rare sight to see Amon, who was known for his bullshit, give in to it and I wonder if he¡¯s already having a change of heart. I didn¡¯t do anything to him, but he seemed a little more subdued than the Amon of the game, however it remained to be seen if I could eradicate the demonic touch from him. ¡°I think we should head back to the forest.¡± With the situation sorted out, I decided to make my next move. At my suggestion, Lucia raises her hand and speaks up. ¡°My legs are sore, so let¡¯s take a ride on my Bungie¡­!¡± Amon frowns as the word ¡°Bungie¡±es out of Lucia¡¯s mouth. ¡°What Bungie? Shut up and walk.¡± As Amon said that and started walking toward the forest, I suddenly wondered. ¡°¡­What¡¯s Bungie?¡± Lucia¡¯s eyes twinkle at my question, and Amon nces back, then sighs. *** ¡°What do you think of Bungie? I¡¯ve wanted to ride it for years!¡± Lucia, who was sitting next to me, smiled brightly. ¡°It¡¯s morefortable than a carriage.¡± Amon, Lucia, and I were riding a giant boulder. Amon had built the stone and Lucia was pushing it with the wind. This bizarre ride was something Amon and Lucia had ridden as children. ¡°Embarrassing¡­¡± Amon looked ufortable but when I suggested we try it to save energy, he agreed. ¡®It¡¯s kind of fun.¡¯ The things I hadn¡¯t seen in the game felt fresher to me and if I hadn¡¯t been in a simted battle, I might have been tempted to stay on but now I had to get off. Thanks to Bungie, we quickly reached the forest. We immediately got off Bungie and started walking cautiously through the forest. ¡°It¡¯s so quiet in the forest.¡± As we walked through the forest, Amon remarked. ¡°Maybe the winner was decided and now they¡¯ve set up a ¡®trap¡¯ in anticipation of our arrival.¡± ¡°Ha, a trap¡­?!¡± Lucia stops in her tracks and freezes at my mention of traps. ¡°Even if it is a trap, it¡¯s crude, and I¡¯m not afraid of what cowards like that would do.¡± Unlike Lucia, Amon didn¡¯t hesitate, but continued on his way. ¡®There¡¯s no stopping him.¡¯ Slowly, Amon began to pay less attention to me, probably fuming at my ineffectiveness. Aizel or Yuri, I wonder which one of them survived? Aizel had been so dominant during the cement test that it could be called a massacre and based on her skills alone, she should be the favorite, but the look on her face just before the mock battle made it clear that she wasn¡¯t interested in the ss. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter which one of them wins, I¡¯m still going to lose.¡¯ I was still aiming for second ce, a very natural second ce. The forest was silent, except for the asional sound of Lucia stepping on a branch when suddenly, sensing something was amiss, I stopped them and listened intently. It was the sound of ice being made, and it came from close by. Immediately, sharp icicle-like chunks of ice flew toward Amon from the direction of the sound but Amon reacted just before the icicle touched his breastte and brought up his gauntlet. ¡°Fuck¡­ Orphele, you bitch¡­ You¡¯re still as grim as ever, aren¡¯t you?¡± Amon cursed at the source of the icicle. He was right, the master of this ice magic appears to be Orphele. Orphele Aisin, heir to the House of Aisin, the water branch of the Four Elements. Amon¡¯s cursing is followed by the appearance of his enemies from the forest. Yuri Clementine, Orphele Aisin and the rest of the group, the nameless cadets. ¡®So Group 4 won¡­?¡¯ As soon as we faced Group 4, Amon shook his head and stood his ground, and Lucia began to shiver while I drew my sword in response. After that, there was a strange silence between us. No one was moving except for Lucia, who was sobbing. Orphele broke the silence. ¡°Die, dirt pig.¡± Suddenly, Orphele formed ice in her hands and hurled it at Amon, insulting him. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Amon¡¯s eyes rolled back in his head as soon as he heard the word ¡®dirt pig¡¯ and he lunged at the condescending Orphele. Amon had never gotten along with Orphele. The attack was unnatural, even by his standards. It was barely a deterrent, and seemed to be centered on insults¡­ ¡°Amon, the trap¡­¡± ¡­My words of caution didn¡¯t make it to the end when in the next instant a giant me erupted from the ground where Amon had stomped. ¡°Ah, Mr. Amon!!!¡± At the same time, Lucia called out to Amon at the top of her lungs as mes engulfed Amon¡¯s body, drowning out Lucia¡¯s cries. ¡°Miss Lucia!¡± Lucia nods at my request and casts a spell on Amon. ¡°Wind st!¡± This time, Lucia does her chanting properly so as not to make a mistake. ¡®But a wind st¡­?¡¯ A fierce gust of wind stretches out from Lucia¡¯s hand and reaches Amon. Amon, who was engulfed in mes, is hit by the Wind st and mmed into a tree on the other side¡­.Oddly enough, the fire that engulfed Amon¡¯s body is extinguished. The problem is that he was stunned. ¡°¡­Thank you, I¡¯m surprised you can be useful at times.¡± Amon, who had been pinned to the tree, casually pushed himself up and praised Lucia. [Fuhhhh, if there¡¯s one thing he¡¯s good at, it¡¯s being tough¡­] Sierra, who hade to stand beside Amon, could only admire him. Lucia smiles brightly, seemingly pleased with thepliment. ¡°Since we¡¯re outnumbered, why don¡¯t we stick together?¡± I suggested to Amon. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but I¡¯m going to kill that ice bastard.¡± Amon shrugged it off, unwrapped himself, and lunged at Orphele. In response, Orphele conjures a sword of ice and begins to sh and bash at Amon. Amon was technically the better fighter. However, at this point, Amon¡¯s judgment seems to have been clouded to the point of reversing the odds. ¡®Maybe I should leave him like that¡­¡¯ Just as I was thinking that, a fireball flew at me. Boom!!! I lightly shed at the fireball, and the fireball split in half and flew behind me, causing an explosion. From her perch on the tree, Yuri drops to the ground and speaks to me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Zetto. I can¡¯t give up the armory.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± I replied to Yuri and nced at Lucia, who was on the other side. This meant that the remaining two were Lucia¡¯s. If this was the Lucia I knew, she would be eliminated immediately. ¡®Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m too focused on Yuri to pay attention to Lucia.¡¯ I finished my calctions and charged at Yuri, swinging my sword. The battle¡­No, it was the beginning of a y. *** ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Amon mumbles a harsh word as he emerges from the illusion. He was unable to finish Orphele off even though the odds were in his favor. However, Amon¡¯s blindsided charge was no match for the cool, calm, and collected Orphele Aisin. He looked around to see Edward and the other cadets who had already been eliminated staring at the broadcast screen. The mock battle was still going on and Amon¡¯s eyes widened as he watched Zetto and the three members of Group Four battle it out. ¡®I wish I could have survived.¡¯ Amon turned back to his seat. ¡°Amon!¡± ¡°Mr. Amon, over here!¡± Amon was about to return to his seat when Crank and Lucia, who were eliminated first, called out to him. ¡°¡­Does bread go to your mouth in this situation?¡± Amon nced at Lucia, who was gulping down her bread, and sat down next to them. Lucia had been eliminated before Amon. She¡¯d been scared to death, firing spells back and forth, and even Amon, fighting Orphele, had taken a wind cutter blow. But unlike Amon, she managed to kill one of the members of Group 4. It was a strange thing indeed. ¡°Ugh¡­ Mr. Crank gave me this¡­ It¡¯s delicious¡­¡± ¡°Do you want some Amon? I went out and bought some since I was eliminated early.¡± Lucia cried as she ate the bread, and then Crank offered it to Amon. ¡°¡­No thanks. Thank you.¡± Amon can¡¯t resist Crank¡¯s cheeky grin and takes the bread. He was hungry, too. Amon took a bite of bread and looked at the screen that showed a tired-looking Zetto. ¡®He told me it would drain his stamina.¡¯ Amon hesitated, remembering Zetto¡¯s skill that had defeated the first group, then spoke up. ¡°It feels strange to say this now, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m qualified to go to the armory.¡± Amon runs a hand through his hair and admits his mistake. Crank, hearing this, chimes in. ¡°I didn¡¯t even think I¡¯d get second ce, but Zetto didn¡¯t make sense¡­ just in case¡­ Whatever it is, I don¡¯t want to be the one eliminated without a fight.¡± ¡°Ah, no¡­ At least I avenged Mr. Crank¡¯s death¡­!¡± Amon and Crank raise a question mark at Lucia¡¯s next words. Whether Lucia realizes it or not, she takes a big bite out of her bread, looks at the screen, and exims. ¡°Um, um¡­! Mr. Zetto is doing something weird!¡± Amon and Crank also focus on the screen. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Amon¡¯s eyes flicker to Zetto¡¯s sword and from what he could tell, it was some sort of start-up motion. Since Zetto¡¯s sword had changed, and he was holding it in reverse, his swordy seemed to have changed as well. Zetto was about to demonstrate his swordy. ¡®The ranged strikes he showed in the Labyrinth, or the stamina-draining swordy?¡¯ Either way, Amon was looking forward to it. Maybe, if it was Zetto. ¡°That¡­ Isn¡¯t that what we faced?¡± ¡°I closed my eyes and when I opened them, I saw the ssroom.¡± ¡°Scary, scary.¡± All the members of group 1 who had been hit by Zetto¡¯s sword could be heard screaming. Zetto sliced through all of them, leaving behind a loud roar as he disappeared from the screen. At that moment, Amon instinctively counted down the seconds. One second. Zetto¡¯s new sword grazes Orphele in front of him, and then Zetto is gone, leaving a red thread around Orphele¡¯s neck. Two seconds. The body of the other cadet, who was an archer, splits diagonally past Orphele. At this point, Zetto is nowhere to be seen and the cadets who have been watching this spectacle are stunned. Three seconds. Amon¡¯s eyes begin to catch a glimpse of Zetto¡¯s invisible form. The neck of the Orphel he passed falls, blood gushing out, and the archer¡¯s body splits diagonally. Zetto stood still and held his sword to Yuri¡¯s throat as she tried to cast a spell. Time continued to pass. Yuri was stunned by Zetto¡¯s unbelievable speed, and was unable to move. It was Zetto who moved first. Blood began to gush from his mouth, and then he copsed. The cadets¡¯ horror begins to turn to questions and the same was true for Crank and Lucia. ¡°Why is Mr. Zetto copsing?!¡± ¡°Why is he spewing so much blood? I know it¡¯s an illusion magic, but isn¡¯t it dangerous?¡± Only Amon knew the answer. ¡®I heard he said it would take a toll on his physical strength¡­ Did he try it just to see if he could¡­?¡¯ Amon marveled at Zetto. His determination to keep going, even when he was exhausted and all his allies were dead and he was alone¡­It was admirable. The screen fades to ck and Edward signals the end of the mock battle. Yuri¡¯s magic, which she had been casting, naturally touched Zetto, who had fallen to the ground. ¡®He¡¯s got a lot to live up to.¡¯ Chapter 57: Mandragora Chapter 57: Mandragora I woke up and opened my eyes to see a ssroom and around me were the four groups that had just fought me. I could also see Yuri¡¯s face, so the mock battle must have endedpletely. ¡°Zetto¡­ Thatst one¡­¡± Yuri, who was standing next to me, approached me and said in a somewhat worried voice. She was referring to Chapter 2, the one that shed her teammates. [You didn¡¯t cut her even though you could have¡­ You were nning oning in second like this from the beginning.] After Yuri, Sierra¡¯s voice echoed in my head, her eyes narrowed. When I faced Group 4, unlike the previous group, they were closer and not scattered, so I needed less time to finish them. Of course, I could have cut them all but I didn¡¯t. Since I was aiming for second ce I purposely timed myself out to be eliminated because of side effects. In the end, it yed out the way I wanted it to and my sword came to a stop at Yuri¡¯s throat, then I spewed blood. Yuri¡¯s face went rigid, she must have been confused and worried, because after the attack, I went down bleeding alone. Besides, I had spewed more blood than I expected. ¡°Considering it¡¯s an illusion spell, I was overdoing it, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± I smiled at Yuri and said as if it was no big deal. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Congrattions, you took first ce.¡± ¡°Uh-huh¡­¡± Yuri¡¯s response to my heartfelt congrattions was a shaky one. I had to make the process as natural and beneficial as possible and thanks to the mock battle I was able to practice Chapter 2¡­I was also able to find out what happens when I push myself harder and don¡¯t recover properly. ¡°The speed was pretty amazing. I thought you were going to use the techniques you showed in the previous duel, but¡­¡± Orphele, who was standing next to Yuri, spoke to me. She had the skills to react to that speed, so she must have seen it. She had a spell that made several shields of water and ice orbit around her body, a good defense that automatically blocked attacks without the caster¡¯s will. I hadn¡¯t used Orphele as apanion much, so I couldn¡¯t remember the name of the spell. Of course, I had Dispel, so who knows if it would work on me. I¡¯d seen weaknesses in Orphele¡¯s and Yuri¡¯s magic during our fight earlier. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sure everyone is waiting for me, so I¡¯d better get back to my group.¡± I said to the stunned Yuri and Orphele and returned to my group. ¡°Over here, Zetto!¡± Crank, who was carrying some kind of bread, called after me. Amon, Crank, and Lucia were eating bread as a group. I followed Crank¡¯s call and sat down. As soon as I sat down, Crank offered me something wrapped in a paper bag. I took it and opened my mouth. ¡°What is this? It smells delicious.¡± ¡°Bread, aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± ¡°Oh, thank you, I¡¯ll eat it.¡± When did he buy bread again? It was hard to resist the pressure of Crank holding out the bread and smiling sweetly. Judging by the way Amon was eating the bread, he hadn¡¯t been able to ovee Crank either. ¡°Mr. Zetto¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ If only it wasn¡¯t for me¡­¡± Lucia took a bite of bread and cried. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We all tried.¡± I said and patted her on the back. I was grateful to Lucia since she made my second ce finish so much more natural, but I don¡¯t want to be in the same group with her again. ¡®Even if I leave her alone, she¡¯s going to make a big impact at least once¡­¡¯ As I ponder Lucia¡¯s future, Amon speaks to me. ¡°You led Lucia to second ce. I didn¡¯t do anything good either, so I have nothing to say. I only feel sorry for you, Zetto.¡± ¡°No, I should have done a better job as a leader.¡± I replied to Amon in a calm voice. ¡®The y seems to have gone well.¡¯ Amon¡¯s demeanor was oddly conceding, and as I reflected on the situation¡­ ¡­Amon, he had zero kills. Except for Crank, who died before the battle Lucia had 1 friendly kill¡­She identally killed a member of Group 4 right before she died, for a total of 2 kills. Amon was killed when he blindly charged at Orphele. As a result, the only thing Amon had done in the mock battle was to make a ¡®bungee¡¯ so I couldn¡¯t help butugh at the absurdity of the situation. I made small talk with my group and casually scanned the other cadets¡¯ faces. Yuri was still shaking from earlier. I should have bled a little less¡­now I felt like I had worried her unnecessarily. Aizel, who was with the third group, hadn¡¯t moved, her head bowed deeply. Edward opened his mouth, drawing the attention of the cadets who had been chatting with their group. ¡°Well, that concludes the small-scale mock battle. The battle wasn¡¯t as easy as you thought it would be, was it? The leader of Group 4, who took first ce, will be given the opportunity to choose a weapon from the armory as scheduled! That concludes today¡¯s lesson¡­ The leaders of the unfortunate second-ce finishers pleasee this way to im your reward, while Group 4 will remain in the ssroom for a moment.¡± This is how Edward¡¯s unusually long ss ends and the cadets not involved in the reward begin to leave the room. ¡°¡­¡± Among those leaving the ssroom is Aizel who was supposed to go to the cafe with Yuri. After all, she had just fought a battle against a mysterious enemy, so she must be tired. Yuri will be going to the armory soon, so maybe she¡¯s just going to get some rest. Aizel¡¯s expression was as impassive as ever, and I couldn¡¯t figure out what she was thinking so I stopped staring at her as she walked out of the ssroom and approached Edward. He handed me the mandragora and said something along the lines of, ¡°That seems like a pretty dangerous technique,¡± and warned me to be more careful with it. There were four mandragoras wrapped in cloth, so one for each person. I even felt that I leveled up, judging by the power in my body, so I immediately opened the status window to check. I had gained one level and was now level 27, a number that made me smile so I couldn¡¯t have asked for a better ending. *** [ ¡­While using Chapter 2, you asked me if you could incorporate physical enhancements¡­.You could, but it would reduce your usage time but I don¡¯t think it would be possible with your current skill level, though.] Sierra smiled at my question as if it was a joke, but her answer was firm. I returned to my dormitory immediately after ss and found Sierra talking to me about Chapter 2 of the Reverse Heaven. Anyway, Chapter 2 is a technique that increases one¡¯s speed tenfold and I thought it would be more effective if I could strengthen my body with normal mana and make my body itself faster. However, in order to use Reverse Heaven, I had to distort the flow of mana. I asked this question because when I was using Chapter 2, I felt that it was impossible to strengthen my body without distorting the flow of mana. However, since Sierra says that it is possible, I think it might be a matter of skill level. In other words,ck of skill. The cadets were still in the early stages of their training, so they were still developing and couldn¡¯t react properly to the technique, but the enemies I would face in the future were a different story. Some of them were capable of reacting to the speed of Chapter 2. It was likely that Sierra, the creator of Reverse Heaven, had also created this technique to keep up with Sword Saint speed. She was especially concerned with the vicious footwork that characterizes Sword Saint technique. While I never see Sword Saint fight in the game, I do see his apprentice Kaen using his sword techniques¡­so I had a vague idea of what he was like. Well, Sword Saint is still a distant goal. For now, my goal is to improve my body and be able to freely use not just Chapter 1, but Chapter 2 as well. [But¡­can you really eat three¡­?] Sierra looked at the three mandragoras on the desk and frowned. I was able to get three mandragoras. ¡°As I told you, you can have mine.¡± Amon gave me one. ¡®I got it thanks to Mr. Zetto, so please take it¡­!¡¯ Lucia gave me one too. ¡®I don¡¯t think I deserve one¡­¡® Even Crank tried to give me his mandragora, but I didn¡¯t take it, instead I advised him to take it to the auction house outside the Academy on the weekend and sell it for a good amount of money. Amon and Lucia were bombs, but for me, they were gift bombs. ¡°¡­Do they taste that bad?¡± I asked, still holding my nose. Actually¡­I could tell just by smelling them. Still, maybe it was just the smell. Sierra furrowed her brow at my stupid question and opened her mouth. [Ugh¡­ I can¡¯t even describe the taste, so don¡¯t ask me, just try it yourself.] Sierra hated even trying to remember the vor of the mandragora. I picked up the mandragora. The grotesque creature didn¡¯t taste as good as it looked. Then the mandragora touched my tongue. The mandragora tasted¡­ not just bitter and astringent, but just as nasty as it smelled. Still, I chewed through it, thinking only of the time it would add to Chapter 2. [You don¡¯t have a normal stomach¡­! You didn¡¯t even gag once¡­] Sierra, who was rubbing her chin, looked at me with a serious face. I held back the nausea. How could I spit this out? At least the texture was normal, unlike the lycanthrope¡¯s eyeballs. Or should I say, my tongue went numb and I couldn¡¯t taste anything after the second mandragora. By the time the third mandragora finally made it down my throat, my body was drained but I still felt no increase in health or mana. ¡°Did it even work¡­?¡± The thought that had been swirling in my head came out of my mouth. [Well, you¡¯ll start to feel a little energized.] Sierra ruffled her hair and replied in azy voice. ¡°And what happens when I get energized?¡± [You¡¯ll feel feverish¡­and you¡¯ll want to use up what little energy you have left¡­ but it¡¯ll be less effective if you do it, so stay still.] Before Sierra could finish, sweat began to break out on my forehead and a fever was rising in my body. Since she told me to get some rest, I immediatelyid down on the bed. As much as I wanted to stay still, it wasn¡¯t going to be easy because my body was starting to cramp up. It was so hot that I ended up taking off my shirt but I couldn¡¯t take off my pants because Sierra was still here. Watching me, Sierra slowly walks over to me with a nonchnt expression and leans against my shoulder. Shey down with me, just like she does whenever I lie down. Then she raised her index finger and ran it across my flesh. ¡°Master, it tickles¡­¡± [I am merely examining the flesh of my pupil as a teacher¡­] Sierra¡¯s face turned slightly red for some reason as she said that but I was the one who ate the mandragora, not Sierra. ¡®I wonder if I can sleep¡­¡¯ Ever since I met Sierra, the nights seem to drag on forever. *** I was able to absorb the mandragorapletely. In the game, eating it would simply increase my health and mana, so if Sierra hadn¡¯t reminded me not to expend energy, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten the full effect. Physically, I didn¡¯t see any noticeable changes, but for some reason I felt a little more toned. I was pleased with the results. Now my limit for Chapter 2 was a whopping 9 seconds. That¡¯s enough for me to use it three times in three-second bursts. Even though I fainted trying to figure out the limit, I was able to experience Sierra¡¯s fluffyp pillow again and as an added bonus, I had more mana, so I could spend more than one card. I¡¯m d this was all over before the field trip. This was enough to get me through the second boss, as well as the possible fight against Varsum. Time passed and soon it was the day before the field trip. I was waiting for someone in a deep alley off the beaten path. [Seriously, why do we have to wait in a ce like this¡­?] Sierra grumbles, and just then, a woman enters the alley. Well, considering the rtionship between her and me, I thought, this is a ce she might like. With each step she took, her pink, double-ended hair swayed with her. It was Kaen. Finally, leaning against the opposite wall, Kaen spoke. ¡°What is it, again¡­? Do you need my body¡­?¡± Kaen¡¯s cheeks flushed as she continued. She was asking if there was a case she needed to solve outside of the academy. Although she didn¡¯t have to force herself to say it like that, it seems she took it as some kind of code word. ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t need your body, tomorrow is the field trip¡­.Here.¡± I held out the object to Kaen and she asked confusedly. ¡°Gloves¡­?¡± ¡°Compensation for what happenedst time¡­ I should say, to help you handle your sword. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll like the design, but as you can see, I don¡¯t see anything wrong with it. The material is good.¡± Kaen epted the gloves, which were beautifully designed and dark in color. ¡®Gloves of Darkness.¡¯ An item that bnces defense and offense and as an added bonus, it gives you a small boost to your attack at night. Since it¡¯s often night when I go outside the academy, it¡¯s a bit more effective. She¡¯s a swordswoman like me, so it¡¯s a bit of a shame that we ovep in terms of useful items, but what can I do? It was better to reward her for her hard work. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kaen immediately tried on the gloves and examined her hands. She was drooling for now, but she was clearly satisfied. ¡°If it¡¯s a reward¡­I¡¯ll take it, thank you.¡± Looking at her gloves, Kaen stammered. Even though she said it so nonchntly, it showed on her face. Kaen couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the gloves. She liked them anyway, as long as they looked nice. ¡°More than that¡­¡± Kaen trailed off as she tried to finish the small talk. I tilt my head, and she leans in and whispers in my ear. ¡°Have you received any information from your sources¡­about the enemy in the north, where we¡¯re going on this field trip¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, information¡­I¡¯ve been trying to find out about the north, but¡­I won¡¯t know until we get on the airship.¡± I rambled but she waspletely immersed in the ¡®setup¡¯ I¡¯d made up. There was no such thing as an informant in the first ce. ¡®I¡¯ll try it on this field trip.¡¯ I liked it when Kaen was proactive and I¡¯ll see if there was anything she might need before we boarded the airship. ¡°Well, you can call me anytime you need my body. Or I¡¯lle to you in the airship. ¡­I¡¯m well paid.¡± With that, Kaen leaves the alleyway. She was acting like a member of a secret organization operating in the shadows¡­. but as long as Kaen was unsuspecting, that was all that mattered. ¡®Fort Polwyn.¡¯ The location of the field trip, and where the second boss Lich lurks. It looks like I¡¯m going to be busy again. Chapter 58: On the airship (1) Chapter 58: On the airship (1) It¡¯s field trip day. To prepare for the northern cold, I pulled out my Night Shroud and I wore the coat over my uniform, which worked well. My backpack wasrge so I packed everything I thought I might need for the next few days in the north. The airship that awaited the cadets at the gathering ce was shaped like a giant ship. ¡°It¡¯s so¡­ big.¡± Yuri muttered as he watched the airship¡¯s form. I¡¯d seen it in the game, but it was even more majestic in person and I wondered how it was able to soar through the air. Magic, magic engineering and other things came to mind, but whatever it was, it just flew. Next, the cadets began to enter the airship, guided by their instructors. The interior of the hull was luxurious, reminiscent of a modern cruise ship. The smell of money was everywhere and most of the cadets let out an ¡°ooh¡± and ¡°aah¡± of admiration. Yuri was just as excited and looked around the interior. Soon, the cadets arrive in the huge hall inside the airship and the instructors begin to repeat the instructions they had given before boarding the airship. It was a simple set of instructions. Prisci¡¯s face was visible among the instructors and her tiredness was evident. Since she was apanying us on this field trip the academy had called a cleric to take her ce for a while and heal the cadets. After the instructors¡¯ tedious exnations, the cadets were finally free as the airship would be leaving in a little while. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a walk around the airship, especially Zetto, so he can familiarize himself with theyout?¡± Aizel, who had a puzzled look on her face at Yuri¡¯s offer to apany her, spoke up. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to unpack first and get some rest. I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so, Zetto?¡± After Aizel said that, she disappeared into her room, and Yuri, who remained in her seat, looked at me curiously. Her eyes were filled with regret and I think she wished that Aizel could have joined her. But Aizel was a regressor, and she wouldn¡¯t be interested in the interior of an airship. For her, the airship would be a familiar ce, not a new one. Lately, Aizel has been feeling like that and I couldn¡¯t tell if she was avoiding me or people, but I hoped it wasn¡¯t something moreplicated. ¡°I know it¡¯s a bother, but please.¡± I didn¡¯t have to ept Yuri¡¯s kindness since I was just as eager to take a look inside. In response to my smile, Yuri¡¯s face lights up and she grabs my hand. ¡°This way!¡± Yuri runs like a child, holding on to my hand. She is naturally curious. I¡¯m dragged along, but maybe I¡¯m also a little excited. The first ce Yuri and I head to the deck. ¡°This is the deck. I want to watch the airship take off from here, is that okay?¡± Yuri asked me, holding onto the railing with one hand. The deck was high and railed, and there was a sign on the railing warning of danger. The instructors exined that the deck was open when flying at low speeds, but closed when entering high-speed flight. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s fine,¡± I said, ¡°as long as I can remember the way.¡± ¡°¡­Really, then¡­¡± Yuri¡¯s voice had a hint of regret in it and her gaze rested on the corners of my eyes. I wonder if she¡¯s bothered by the thought of not being able to share what she¡¯s about to see with me. I see quite a few other cadets on deck, as if they too want to experience the departure on deck and among them were Lucia, Crank, and Amon. I thought to myself, ¡°Those three have be instant friends.¡± It was a very unusualbination. Next, Lucia spots me and calls out to me. ¡°¡®Mr. Zetto! Ms. Yuri!¡± Lucia runs over to me and Yuri, followed by Amon and Crank. ¡°You three are together?¡± Yuri questions, and Amon nces over at Lucia before speaking. ¡°It¡¯s not out of the goodness of our hearts, it¡¯s Instructor Edward¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°Ha-ha-ha! He just singled me and Amon out¡­ He said he didn¡¯t want Lucia to get into trouble.¡± Amon¡¯s blunt reply was followed by Crank¡¯s cheeky grin. I listened to them, then nced over to where Lucia would be. ¡°When does the airship leave?!¡± Lucia had just cast a wind spell and was floating like a soap bubble through the air on the deck. Next to her, Sierra was also floating. [¡­Even in the mock battle¡­Why is this child so good at using magic for such useless things¡­? Surely, this child is not the heir to the Windless Family?] Sierra looked over at Lucia, who was smiling brightly with a serious expression. Fortunately, Lucia wasn¡¯t the heir. She had no desire to be the heir in the first ce, and her sister naturally became the heir. asionally, I would meet Lucia¡¯s younger brother in game, but unlike his sister, he was very straightforward. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see you holding hands with a girl who normally wouldn¡¯t.¡± Amon said, looking at Yuri and me holding hands. ¡°Ha?¡± Although his words were met with a sharp retort from Yuri, what Amon said next might not have been what she expected. ¡°Surely Zetto will be fine. Good for you, Yuri Clementine. Your father might be pleased to hear this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that, I¡¯m just trying to show him around.¡± Yuri retorted to Amon¡¯s words but she didn¡¯t let go of my hand. In fact, her grip tightened. Amon, whose face was impassive, spoke next. ¡°Of course. Lucia,e down. You are hereby banned from the deck.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡± Lucia, who had been floating in midair, immediately descended at Amon¡¯smand andnded on the deck. She was surprisingly well controlled. Soon, Crank and Amon dragged her down to the deck below and as they disappeared, I turned to Yuri, who was stunned. ¡°You¡¯ve known each other since we were kids, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re from the same Four Elements families, but¡­we¡¯re not that close¡­I used to beat the crap out of Amon and Lucia when they were little.¡± ¡°Haha, Amon must have been mischievous as well when he was younger, what about Orphele?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t think they really talked to each other much, since Orphele was so quiet¡­¡± ¡°But you two seemed to work well together.¡± ¡°Orphele¡¯s a good match, she¡¯s always been that way.¡± Yuri said, finally letting go of my hand and leaning against the railing. There was something romantic about the idea of four children growing up and entering the Academy at the same time¡­ Stories about the Four Elemental Families were always interesting and unique. Yuri, who was leaning on the railing, suddenly asked me a question. ¡°By the way, Zetto, speaking of mock battles¡­ That technique that¡¯s supposed to put a strain on your body¡­ you don¡¯t actually have to use it that much, do you?¡± Is she talking about Chapter 2 again? Yuri must still be bothered by the image of me spewing blood. ¡°I think it would be quite dangerous to pass out like that in front of an enemy¡­Right? I¡¯m sure Zetto can handle himself, I was just worried, it sounds like a dangerous technique¡­¡± Yuri said, slowly pulling herself up from the railing. But when ites to protecting someone you care about, you might have to go to great lengths. Someone important, people you care about, precious characters, I had many such people but I didn¡¯t talk about it. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry too much about it. Did you pick a good weapon from the armory?¡± I said, casually changing the subject since I felt like talking about it further would break the mood. In the game, when Yuri went to the armory, the weapon she chose was fixed. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m still wearing it. Here.¡± Yuri said, rolling up his sleeve and cing my hand on her wrist. ¡°You¡¯re wearing it on your wrist? The material is thin enough to conceal it.¡± ¡°I was looking around at the weapons, and I was drawn to them¡­The staff exined that it amplifies fire magic. The donor is anonymous.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­You were drawn to it¡­ That¡¯s interesting.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Yuri smiled wryly at me. As she would eventually find out, the bracers were donated by someone from the Clementine family, Yuri¡¯s ancestor, if you will. As such, it was a verypatible weapon with Yuri. While we were discussing the armory, the airship began to vibrate with an unintelligible beeping sound and soon started to fly. ¡°Finally¡­!¡± Yuri¡¯s grip on the railing tightens in anticipation as the airship begins to rise into the air. The view of the academy around them gradually diminished as the airship climbed vertically. The cadets on the deck cheered, but the instructors with them seemed uninterested in the scenery, having been on the ride several times already. The instructors with them seemed unconcerned with the scenery, having already ridden it several times. [¡­I¡¯m going to have to stay close to my pupil.] Sierra hade up to me by now and had her arm around me. She was so natural that it was hardly noticeable. It was just Sierra¡¯s breasts¡­It¡¯s just that I¡¯m a little nervous to feel them against my arm. ¡°¡­¡± Yuri didn¡¯t say anything as she looked at the scenery in her eyes but she nced at the bandages around my eyes from time to time. She didn¡¯t seem to be enjoying herself and I couldn¡¯t bear to look at her, so I spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s a nice view.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Phew, yeah.¡± Yuri pauses for a moment at my words, and then a smile spreads across her face. She looks happy. Afterward, I came down from the deck and Yuri took me on a tour of the various facilities inside the airship. In between, she asked me if I remembered everything well¡­ Yuri¡¯s guidance was very friendly. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s this room over here?¡± At one point, Yuri was unfamiliar with one of the facilities, so she asked a nearby staff member to exin. She would blush if she knew what this facility was. ¡°Oh, this is a ce called a ¡®sauna,¡¯ where the air in the room is heated using the heat from the airship, so you cane out sweating.¡± The bright-faced employee exins, and Yuri opens her mouth to ask if she has any more questions. ¡°You sweat out¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, you go in with a towel and cool off, and it¡¯s a very popr facility for cadets. They say that since they can¡¯t exercise, they need to sweat it out, ho-ho-ho.¡± ¡°Aha¡­ Thanks for the exnation.¡± At the words of the staff member who smiled brightly, Yuri, who was a mage, replied with a shaky voice as if she didn¡¯t understand. After all, this would be used more often by non-mage cadets. ¡°You two can also use it, the sauna is mixed gender, so¡­ Hmph, hmph.¡± With those words, the staff member hummed and disappeared down the hall. ¡°Mixed gender¡­ Didn¡¯t he say something about going in with a towel on¡­?¡± Yuri whispered in a low voice, looking shocked and serious. In the game, saunas were popr with yers for a different reason. Saunas were¡­to put it simply, ces to watch event scenes. Therefore, there were some yers who bought cooling potions in advance and sat in the sauna to watch the event scenes of as many characters as possible. ¡°That¡­ Hmm, this ce¡­ I don¡¯t think you need to memorize it¡­¡± Yuri, who blushed as if he had imagined the scene inside the sauna, lowered her head and said. [Men and women sweating together in towels¡­ Disciple, erase this ce from your memory¡­] Sierra¡¯s reaction was no different. ¡®Well¡­¡¯ I wasn¡¯t nning on going, but when something like this happens¡­ ¡­Just as I¡¯m thinking that, Yuri grabs my hand and we start walking down the hall. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m going to go or not¡­. Chapter 59: On the airship (2) Chapter 59: On the airship (2) We¡¯re nearing the end of our tour of the hull and I think I¡¯ve seen most of the ces I can see. Yuri lets out a long breath and speaks. ¡°Wow¡­ I should probably get back to unpacking, it¡¯ll be meal time soon¡­ Do you remember where the male cadets¡¯ rooms were?¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks, so I¡¯ll see youter.¡± It was more fun to be with Yuri and I had a good experience thanks to her. [What a good-hearted child.] Sierra said as she watched Yuri walk away. In the deserted hallway, I gave a small nod in agreement with Sierra. And with that, I parted ways with Yuri. [An airship¡­ With this, we should be able to reach the East in no time¡­] Sierra looked out the window in the hallway. Through the ss, she could see thendscape passing through the clouds. There was a hint of longing in her voice. The East was her home and it had been a long time since she had been able to visit her hometown, as she had ended up dead while in seclusion. However, the East was too far away for her to travel easily. ¡®Perhaps I should take the time to visit some of Sierra¡¯s acquaintances sometime.¡¯ For now, I had to go unpack my things. But my room wasn¡¯t in the direction Yuri had told me the male cadets¡¯ rooms were gathered. I wandered over and spotted a staff member sweeping the hallway and said to him, ¡°Are you from the crew, by any chance?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s right. What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I was wondering what room this key is for, do you know anything?¡± I held up a key to the employee with a question mark on his face and continued. It was a key to an ultra-luxury room that had once belonged to Hubert Graham, the Academy¡¯s president. ¡°Uh, if it¡¯s this key¡­ I¡¯ll get the manager right away!¡± The staff member looked at the key, and then ran off somewhere with a hunch. A momentter, a man in a suit who appears to be the airship¡¯s manager approaches me from the direction the staff member disappeared. ¡°You must be Cadet Zetto, I¡¯ve already been informed by Mr. Hubert, if you¡¯ll follow me this way.¡± His words are followed by his polite directions so I follow him down the hallway to arge door. epting my key, he opens the door and begins to show me around the room. ¡°This is the best room on the airship,¡± he says, ¡°and while it was originally Mr. Hubert¡¯s but we have removed his personal belongings. If you have any problems with the room, please feel free to ring this bell.¡± The manager pressed the call bell in the room and said to me, ¡®Looks like he got my information ahead of time.¡¯ I guess he was trying to let me know where the call bell was by ringing it to make a sound. ¡°Thank you for the directions.¡± ¡°I hope you have a good time on your way to your destination.¡± The manager then bows to me and quietly closes the door on my visit. He was very neat. I thought, this is what a manager should be like. Soon after he left, I unpacked my luggage in my room and found myself chatting with Sierra. We were mostly talking about the interior of the room. [This is not a luxury, it¡¯s an art form.] ¡°Is it?¡± I look around the room and realize she¡¯s not far off. There wasn¡¯t a single item that wasn¡¯t gilded, jeweled, or opulent. Even the toilet was gleaming. It was a little overwhelming. For me, the quality of the bed is enough to make me happy. Anyway, meal times were set on the airship, so I had to go eat before it was toote. As I was about to leave the room, Sierra leaned her face into my ear and opened her mouth. Her soothing voice echoes quietly in my head. [Make yourselffortable, I¡¯ll be in the sword for a while.] ¡°¡­Are you sure you don¡¯t mind, won¡¯t you be frustrated?¡± [Whatever it is, it¡¯s better than being a burden to a pupil as a master. Eating is important, isn¡¯t it?] Sierra was unusually particr about eating. Though, if she stuck around during meals, it might be difficult to eat. ¡°Okay, bye.¡± [Be safe.] Sierra then entered the sword on the wall while I opened the door and headed for the dining room. The cafeteria, not far from the room, was crowded with cadets and all sorts of food wafted through the air. Yuri and Aizel were nowhere to be seen so I grabbed my meal and sat down. I was just picking up my cutlery when suddenly someone sat down at my table. ¡°Mr. Zetto!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat together.¡± Crank and Lucia greeted me, followed by Amon at the table. I guess they were still together. ¡°Looks like the two of us are still together.¡± The cheerful Crank chimed in, and I followed suit. ¡°Miss Lucia, you didn¡¯t have any idents in between, did you?¡± ¡°Hey, I stayed calm¡­!¡± Lucia looked away and muttered in a low voice. ¡°¡­To hell with being calm. I feel like I¡¯ve been hit in the head twice.¡± Amon responded after Lucia¡¯s summary of the situation. I couldn¡¯t tell because Crank was smiling, but Amon definitely looked tired. Maybe I should give him a break. ¡°Haha, somehow I think Miss Lucia will survive falling off the airship and not die.¡± ¡°I could die on the airship¡­?¡± A look of shock crosses Lucia¡¯s face at my words. At this point, Crank seems to have realized my intentions and opens his mouth with a serious face, cupping his chin with both hands. ¡°s¡­ I told you there were cadets who would die on the airship¡­¡± ¡°Heh, heh¡­¡± The fork Lucia was holding was shaking along with her body. No cadet had ever died on an airship¡­Maybe. It was just a ¡®nice¡¯ lie to scare Lucia. ¡®That should do it.¡¯ Dealing with Lucia¡­was easy once I realized the trick. The three of us, except for Lucia, left her trembling and began to eat nonchntly. The meal was quite enjoyable while Crank¡¯s friendliness and eloquence were exceptional. In the game, Crank would have been just an extra, but in this world, at least, he was no extra at all. He was special, if not extraordinary. By the end of the meal, I could see that Lucia¡¯s eyes werepletely dead but she had finished her meal, and her bowl was neatly empty. It¡¯s dinner time so Amon and Crank should get some rest and I feel like I¡¯ve done my part as a leader. After finishing the meal, I parted ways with them and headed back to my quarters. ¡®Was there anything I should have picked up inside the airship?¡¯ There are often hidden items scattered throughout the map. They might be trivial, but some of them were fun. I was about to open the door and enter, wondering what to do next. ¡°Zetto¡­?¡± A familiar voice called out to me from the hallway beyond. I turn my head in the direction of the voice, and there she is, running her fingers through her tightly braided red hair. ¡°I was looking for you anyway, have you eaten?¡± ¡°Yes, I just finished and I¡¯m on my way back. What do you mean you¡¯re looking for me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see it when we were together, but I heard there¡¯s a really good restaurant, and I wanted to take Zetto to eat with meter¡­!¡± Yuri said in a shy voice, her cheeks slightly flushed. She was very interested in eating. Maybe she was simr to Sierra. The few times we¡¯d eaten together before, I remembered how nice it was to see her eat so well. ¡°Haha, that¡¯s great. Was it that good?¡± ¡°Yeah, Zetto should know how good it tastes. More than that, why are you trying to open that door? It doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re supposed to go in there¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Because this is my room?¡± I stammer out, and then Yuri tilts her head in question. ¡°It¡¯s Zetto¡¯s room¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. The chairman prepared it for me as a goodwill gesture regarding what happened at the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°You met the chairman?¡± ¡°Yes. Well, it just so happened¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ I thought he was a difficult person to meet¡­¡± ¡°¡­While you¡¯re here, would you like to take a look around?¡± I offered Yuri a tour of the room and since I didn¡¯t have anything to hide in the room, it didn¡¯t matter. Yuri was curious, so it would be better to let her have a look around. After a few moments of hesitation, Yuri followed me into the room and her eyes widened as she looked around the room. She didn¡¯t ask any questions, but her curiosity was piqued. ¡°Do you mind if I sit down?¡± Yuri asked me as she stood in front of the bed. ¡°Sure.¡± In response, Yuri sat down on the bed, and I followed suit and sat next to her. Behind her, I could see Sierra on the wall. She hadn¡¯te out of the sword when I returned to the room. Yuri rustles the bedspread and then speaks up. ¡°The bed is quiterge¡­¡± ¡°Not ridiculously wide. It¡¯s barely big enough for the two of us.¡± ¡°Ooh, the two of us?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± At my cheerful reply, Yuri nudges my shoulder and opens her mouth. ¡°You don¡¯t have to imagine that!¡­¡­or what happens when a man and a woman spend the night in the same room¡­It¡¯s obvious¡­¡± Yuri stuttered in embarrassment, her voice fading as she continued. ¡®It¡¯s obvious what will happen¡­¡¯ Having already had the experience of spending the night in a room with a woman, I questioned Yuri¡¯s words, which I spat out without thinking. Afterward, when I¡¯m lost in thought and don¡¯t say anything else, there¡¯s a strange silence between Yuri and me. ¡°¡­¡± Yuri¡¯s head is bowed, and she¡¯s staring at the floor, fiddling with her finely braided hair. It was her who finally broke the silence. ¡°That¡­ Shall I go then¡­? It¡¯s gettingte¡­! I¡¯m done looking around the room¡­¡± Yuri, who stood up from the bed and hastily organized the situation, couldn¡¯t finish her sentence as someone knocked on the door. At the sound of a knock on the door, Yuri stopped talking and froze in ce. I was just as puzzled. ¡®Who could it be at this time of night? I didn¡¯t call for an employee¡­¡¯ I turn to Yuri as I step into the doorway. ¡°I¡¯ming.¡± For now, my ¡®friend¡¯ was just looking around the room. It was true, and it wasn¡¯t a very strange situation. ¡°Who is this?¡± Before I can open the door and say anything else, a sh of pink hair catches my eye and I realize who it is. ¡®I don¡¯t remember giving Kaen the location of the room¡­?¡¯ It was Kaen who burst into the room. She hasn¡¯t been keeping an eye on metely and I didn¡¯t sense anything out of the ordinary on the airship. How could she have seen me enter this room? Kaen walked into the room, looked straight at me, and opened her mouth. She hadn¡¯t even looked in the direction of Yuri, so she hadn¡¯t realized she was in this room. ¡°Cadet Zetto, why didn¡¯t youe to see me, my body¡­¡± ¡°Body¡­?¡± Kaen¡¯s words were cut off by Yuri¡¯s muttering. ¡°Cadet Yuri¡­?!¡± Kaen suddenly realized that Yuri was there, and she freaked out so I immediately opened my mouth to defuse the situation. ¡°Uh¡­ I was showing Ms. Yuri around the room.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡± Kaen nodded her head as if she understood. But the truth was, Yuri was not convinced. ¡°Surely you¡¯re the Kaen who fought Zetto¡­? Why are you in Zetto¡¯s room¡­ and what do you mean by your body¡­?¡± Yuri¡¯s pupils were twitching as she spoke¡­.I think she¡¯s imagining things in her head. Kaen must havee to my room thinking I had information for her. She came to me because I didn¡¯t seek her out. ¡®Still, there¡¯s no need to be so urgent.¡¯ I didn¡¯t want Yuri to know about this anyway. It would be even more dangerous if Kaen tried to pass it off as something that needed to be done. ¡®What am I going to do about this?¡¯ The situation waspletely out of hand. ¡°Uh¡­ Well, what is it, Cadet Yuri?¡± Kaen began to ramble on, trying to think of a good excuse. I couldn¡¯t think of anything to say either, so I had to go with Kaen for now. The ball was in her court. ¡°Well¡­ Cadet Zetto and¡­ Oh, the sauna¡­! We were supposed to go to the sauna! That¡¯s why I said I was feeling sore, ehehe¡­¡± A sillyugh followed the rather shocked Kaen¡¯s excuse. She suddenly started talking about the sauna so Yuri tilts her head in confusion and asks Kaen a question. ¡°Sauna¡­?¡± ¡°Both Cadet Zetto and I are swordsmen, aren¡¯t we? Well, we can talk about swords, too¡­ We decided to have a contest to see who canst the longest in the sauna¡­?¡± Kaen¡¯s voice faded as she continued to exin to Yuri. I listened for a while longer, and it was quite usible. Kaen was a quick thinker. ¡°Zetto, is that really it, a showdown?¡± Yuri, who was listening to Kaen¡¯s exnation, looked at me and asked. ¡°¡­That¡¯s right, we were supposed to go to the sauna, and since Kaen and I have been having various confrontations since the duel, I had forgotten about it for a while, haha.¡± ¡°What, I never thought you¡¯d be interested in a sauna¡­ Zetto, I¡¯lle with you then, because I¡¯m pretty sure I can handle the hot stuff¡­!¡± At my hesitant reply, Yuri offered to go with me. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s all have a contest to see who canst the longest!¡± Kaen then raises her arm with a goofy look on her face. So this is what ites down to. I nce over at Sierra, who¡¯s set up against one of the walls. She could see what was going on from inside the sword but Sierra was still unresponsive. Given Sierra¡¯s reaction to the sauna, this was probably best left unsaid. Soon enough, I left the room, drawn by Yuri and Kaen. *** It waste, so no one else was using the sauna. However, the changing rooms were segregated by gender. The staff in charge of the sauna exined that there was special underwear for the sauna. However, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that my lower body seemed to be covered by a single towel. The towel covering my lower body was also made specifically for the sauna, and it was so thick and firm that it didn¡¯t seem to slip off. I don¡¯t know why they thought to make a mixed sauna with only one towel, but it was definitely not a pleasant experience. ¡®What the hell is this¡­?¡¯ I double-checked the knot in my towel, took a deep breath and stepped into the sauna. As soon as I walked in, the hot, stifling air hit my nose and I realized that the heat I was already feeling was perfect for sweating. I see Yuri wrapped in a towel behind a cloud of smoke and soon enough she spots me too. ¡°Hey¡­?¡± Yuri¡¯s wordse out rather shyly. The water vapor that had been obscuring her figure dissipates as if it were peeling away, revealing her full form. Yuri, like me, had covered herself with a single towel and her sensual body, which was thoroughly covered by her school uniform, was exposed. A single towel couldn¡¯t cover all of her. As I approached her, Yuri rolled her eyes as if she didn¡¯t know where to put them, then opened her mouth. ¡°Ka, Cadet Kaen is going to be a littlete, she was blushing before she came in, I asked her if she was okay and she said she was going to get some water.¡± Chapter 60: On the airship (3) Chapter 60: On the airship (3) The heat of the sauna didn¡¯t allow me to breathe easily. I hadn¡¯t felt this way in a long time. ¡°You didn¡¯t take off your blindfold¡­?!¡± Yuri, who was sitting next to me, suddenly raised her voice. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s kind of waterproof, this¡­¡± To answer Yuri¡¯s question, I pointed to my blindfold and turned my head away. The dizzying sight of Yuri¡¯s face came back into focus. She was so close to me, I couldn¡¯t tell if it was her breath or the heat of the sauna that was now touching my face. ¡°Ah, an enchanted object¡­¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s not that valuable.¡± Yuri and I exchanged a look of mutual bewilderment and quickly turned our heads straight ahead. The fact that the blindfold was waterproof was evident from the fact that the blood hadn¡¯t stained it despite being sshed. A cloth enchanted with waterproof magic shouldn¡¯t be that unusual. When I washed my face, I had to take it off, but not in the sauna. It was more like¡­ ¡®¡­Dangerous.¡¯ Without giving it much thought, I sat down next to Yuri, who was now incredibly stimting. I should have sat a little further away. ¡°Cadet Kaen is a littlete¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± With nothing more to say, we both turned to look for Kaen. Around the time that Yuri and I were having this conversation Kaen entered the sauna room. ¡± I¡¯mte¡­!¡± As she said that, her lips were a little wet because she had been drinking water like Yuri said. The towel fluttered with each step she took and every step she took was dangerous. ¡°Uh, uh¡­ Uh¡­¡± Kaen didn¡¯t take a seat right away, but stood in the middle of the room, looking back and forth between Yuri and me as if she were trying to decide where to sit. Each time her eyesnded on me, her pupils grew wider. Since Yuri was sitting at the end of the row, the only avable seat was next to me. If only she¡¯d just sit down¡­ It¡¯s not easy to hold it together when she¡¯s doing it right in front of my nose, precariously covered by a single, bursting towel. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± After a moment of deep anguish, Kaen makes a strange noise and sits down next to me. She then moved away from me a little bit. That¡¯s how the three of us ended up in the sauna room. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± I immediately realized that Kaen and Yuri are not very close. As far as I can tell, neither Kaen nor Yuri call each other on a first name basis. I was the only link in this unconventional pairing that could have been very awkward. As it is, the two women on either side of me are silently watching me and I could feel the pressure in their eyes. It seemed like a good idea to say something. But there wasn¡¯t much to say. I couldn¡¯t find amon theme between Kaen and Yuri. Eventually, I blurted out something that I hoped would be good. ¡°Speaking ofpetitions¡­ Does that mean Yuri will be participating?¡± ¡°Is there a reward for winning?¡± ¡®Reward¡­¡­¡¯ I blurted out, answering Yuri¡¯s fierce question. ¡®No there isn¡¯t.¡¯ The sauna was Kaen¡¯s made-up excuse in the first ce. In other words, I needed Kaen¡¯s help. ¡°Oh, maybe it just feels good¡­!¡± Taking over from me, Kaen eximed loudly. Hearing this, Yuri burst outughing. ¡°¡­Phew, you¡¯re not wrong, it does feel good¡­ ¡­Zetto, I was a little shaky after that victory.¡± ¡°Haha, were you?¡± Well, judging by Yuri¡¯s reaction, I think I handled it well. From then on, it was a ¡°win and feel good¡± match. I was going to go along for the ride, but not before I reached my limit. It wasn¡¯t that I couldn¡¯t stand the heat but I didn¡¯t trust the towel wrapped around my lower body. Over time, the heat made me sweat profusely and I kept noticing that Kaen was staring at me. I turn my head ever so slightly in her direction, and she responds. ¡°Uh¡­ Cadet Zetto, I heard you ate mandragora this time¡­you¡¯re in great shape¡­¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think mandragora has much to do with the body, do you?¡± Yuri, who was looking at me less than Kaen, replied. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­! I don¡¯t know much about elixirs¡­ Anyway, as a fellow swordsman, I¡¯m envious of his¡­ his¡­ muscles¡­ shall we say¡­!¡± Kaen scratched her head with an embarrassed and stupid look on her face. As a result, her long, outstretched, double-headed hair gently touches my body. I wonder if she¡¯s getting intoxicated from the heat. I feel like Kaen is in a daze. She¡¯s soaked in sweat from earlier and she seems to be saying strange things. ncing over, Kaen was lifting and lowering the towel covering her chest, trying to get some air. Then she asks a question out of the blue. ¡°¡­Speaking of which, how does Cadet Zetto check his body?¡± Kaen asked me¡­Her towel was drenched in sweat, showing through, but only slightly. It must have been a thick towel. I nced at her, then turned my head straight ahead and opened my mouth. ¡°What do you mean, checking out my body?¡± ¡°You know, to see if you¡¯ve got any muscles¡­or anything like that¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯d know if I touched it.¡± ¡°Then when you inspect other people¡¯s bodies¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯d know more if I touched them, and I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s any reason to inspect other people¡¯s bodies¡­¡± ¡°Aha¡­ I see¡­¡± Kaen blurted out, her questions answered. ¡°You don¡¯t look too good.¡± A bead of sweat trickled down Kaen¡¯s chin, and her face waspletely red. Her breathing was also ragged, even if only slightly. I wondered if Kaen was the most susceptible to the heat among the three of us but I wasn¡¯t that bad either. Byparison, a quick nce at Yuri on the other side reveals not a drop of sweat. She wasn¡¯t from the Clementine Family for nothing. Suddenly, Yuri bent her head down to look into Kaen¡¯s face, and spoke to her. ¡°Cadet Kaen, by the way you¡¯re blushing, I think it¡¯s already bing too much for you to bear. You can leave now.¡± Yuri teases Kaen, hoping to win a ¡°feel good¡± contest. She really was¡­petitive. Yuri¡¯s voice had a hint of sarcasm in it, and Kaen was quick to retort. ¡°That¡¯s not possible, Cadet Yuri, you¡¯re blushing profusely¡­!¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m not hot at all¡­?!¡± ¡°Then why are you blushing¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­!¡± Before I knew it, they were pressed up against my body, leaning forward slightly so that we were face to face. Each time they open their mouths to speak, pushing against me a little, I see a dizzying sight. ¡®This is¡­ This is¡­ the limit¡­¡¯ I pushed past Yuri and Kaen, who were dueling hard, and stood up quickly, looking at them and opening my mouth. ¡°¡­I¡¯m done here.¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Kaen and Yuri¡¯s mouths slowly opened at my deration of surrender. ¡®Too sudden.¡¯ It¡¯s probably a good thing since it would be very embarrassing if I stayed any longer so I quickly turned my back and left the sauna room. ¡®¡­That was close.¡¯ After exiting the sauna room, I headed straight for the shower, not bothering with the towel I was wearing. *** The fight ended in favor of Yuri. When I got out of the shower and changed, I saw Yuri dragging a huffing and puffing Kaen out of the sauna. I waited for them to get out of the shower and offered them drinks I had purchased nearby since I was inst ce, after all. Kaen and Yuri were stunned as they epted the drinks from me but it was understandable, since they had juste out of the sauna. ¡®You mean¡­ he can feel all the shapes¡­?¡¯ Kaen, who had epted the drink and downed it in one go, asked the question about how I feel the world, but Yuri, who was standing next to me, answered for me. I don¡¯t know what Yuri and Kaen talked about in the sauna, but it seems that Yuri decided to let Kaen talk. She whispered to Kaen that she would get the information herself when she got to the north, and then left the room. When I return to my cabin, Sierra pops out of my sword and into my arms as soon as I open the door. But her eyes were narrowed. [Disciple, how was the sauna¡­?] Sierra¡¯s words sent a chill down my spine. Listening to her words, the situation didn¡¯t seem too bad, and she didn¡¯t want to wear a sword to the sauna, so I didn¡¯t bother. After all, Sierra could use the sword as a guide. She smiled and patted my head, saying she was back much sooner than she thought. I stoppedughing when she lost sight of me and disappeared through the airship, only to return to the sword with a bang. She didn¡¯t think myughter was strange, because I had set it up so that I could feel Sierra¡¯s sword with my telekinesis. [ ¡­ ] Instead, she just shrugged and stroked me harder in my arms without saying a word. Maybe it was because the bed was so luxurious but I slept soundly. [Good morning, apprentice.] Sierra¡¯s soft voice, leaning against me, drew me out of bed, and I was ready to go. I was now wandering around the airship to pick up items as I searched my memory for where they were and what they were. As I picked up items, I realized¡­Part of me wondered if I was stealing something that someone else had dropped. Does that mean everyone in the game is stealing? But it was in an inconspicuous ce, so¡­ I decided to hand them over, assuming it was me who picked them up since they weren¡¯t valuable. Thest stop was a special ce on the airship. It was the lowest level of the airship, essible only by climbing down adder. ¡®What¡¯s down here¡­? Was there¡­?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t recall the location of any of the minor items. As I scrambled down thedder with Sierra on my back, my eyes caught a glimpse of¡­ tinum-haired¡­ Aizel. ¡°Uh¡­¡± A short exmation came from her mouth as she spotted me since she hadn¡¯t expected me toe here. I hadn¡¯t seen her face for a while after I boarded the airship, so it felt strange to see her like that. I thought it would be a good idea to have a chat with her since we haven¡¯t talked muchtely. We¡¯ll be arriving in the north soon enough, but it seems like we¡¯ll have plenty of time to talk. *** In the middle of a mock battle, I watched Zetto copse in a spray of blood. It was an illusion, not a reality. Nevertheless, the sight shocked me quite a bit. I was scared to even look at him. After that, every time I looked at his face, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about him bleeding to death. I¡¯ve been purposely avoiding him for the past few days since I couldn¡¯t face him with my mind clear. I was afraid that if I looked at him, tears would flow down my face. I leaned my head back, and I could see the clouds below the ss floor where I was squatting. It¡¯s the lowest level of a little-known airship, the same ce I¡¯ve brought Zetto on previous trips. This unusual room, with its all-transparent ss floor, gave me the sensation of flying freely in the sky, like an airship. But it didn¡¯t mean much to Zetto. I remember the words I had blurted out to him, while I tried to exin to him the extraordinary vision, mood, and feelings I was experiencing at the time. The conversations I had with him here were still ringing in my ears. I was still remembering and longing for him. I was deep in reminiscence as I stared at the clouds passing beneath my feet when I heard the sound of someoneing down thedder. ¡®Who could it be? I can¡¯t think of anyone who woulde to this ce¡­¡¯ Maybe an employee¡­but it was unlikely to be an employee. Who would be in a hurry to get to their destination in the north? Then the sound of someoneing down thedder got louder and louder. ¡°Ah¡­¡± I hadn¡¯t expected him toe down here at all, so a short exmation escaped me. ¡®Zetto¡­¡¯ He stepped off thedder and dusted off his hands. At the sound of my voice, Zetto¡¯s head turns toward me and he opens his mouth. ¡°Ms. Aizel, there you are.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡­ Yes¡­¡± My mind is nk, and I can only give a short answer. It wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯d encountered Zetto in this way but this time was different. This was the first time I¡¯d run into him unintentionally since the beginning of the current round. There had been many such encounters in the previous rounds and he had always approached me in the same way. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Well¡­ more than that, how did you end up here?¡± At my question, Zetto leans in closer and smiles. ¡°Well, I need to wander wherever my feet take me first to get the hang of it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I¡¯m momentarily speechless as Zetto¡¯s next words ovep so much with what he said in the previous round. It was a habit of Zetto¡¯s. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s an annoying habit.¡± The words that came out of my mouth were the same as before. ¡°Haha, right?¡± Followed by hisughter¡­.It was all the same as before. I couldn¡¯t tell if this was just a shback or if it was actually happening. It was a very strange feeling. I didn¡¯t see you on the airship, so I was wondering where you went, but here you are.¡± Zetto said, casually plopping down next to me. The smile on his face was like a ray of sunshine, as it always was but I stopped staring at him and leaned my head back. ¡­Even though I knew that if Zetto got close to me, he might be in danger¡­.I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of his unwavering kindness. Chapter 61: Lich Chapter 61: Lich Two heavily bundled men trudged down a snowy mountain, the snow falling hard and making it difficult to see. Just then, the man leading the way stops in his tracks, turns around, looks at the man following him, and opens his mouth. ¡°Hey, neer, what brings you to Polwyn? Do you have a grudge against the demons like the others?¡± The younger man behind him smiled bitterly. ¡°There¡¯s not a man in Polwyn who doesn¡¯t have ties to the demons.¡± ¡°Hmm. I suppose the only ones still here are the ones who want to see ck blood.¡± With that, the man in front turns around and starts trudging through the snow again. ¡°¡­Your parents are dead?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± His question is followed by a rather dull reply from the man behind him. ¡°Where did you say you were from?¡± ¡°A town called Pquebus.¡± ¡°Pquebus¡­ That¡¯s pretty close to here¡­ Well, then, you¡¯re in the wrong scouting party. Your eyes have seen it all before.¡± ¡°I said I knew a little bit about the surrounding geography¡­¡± ¡°Hmph, stupid kid¡­ If you¡¯d acted like you didn¡¯t know what you were doing, you could have stood on the ramparts over there and rubbed your hands together to pass the time.¡± He snorted, and then looked up to meet the steady stream of snow. The younger man watching him from behind begins to ask him questions. ¡°I heard that you were in the war, too.¡± ¡°I was.¡± ¡°Then have you also seen the ck Bloods that are said to being this time?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve seen him a few times in passing, but I¡¯m not particrly close to him. By the way, the youngsters are quite interested in ck Blood these days.¡± ¡°Strong and¡­ Cool, haha.¡± At the young man¡¯s reply, Zhao Zhang begins to recall the war that took ce ten years ago. Back then, he didn¡¯t have the long beard he has now. ¡°At first, I thought, ¡®What kind of cadets do they bring to war with their hair so dry,¡¯ but they deserved that nickname.¡± ¡°Did they really have ck blood all over them?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even get me started.¡± The captain said, shaking his head. The image of the three men returning from hours of fighting, their eyes unfocused and covered in ck blood, was still fresh in his mind. It was while they were having such a conversation. [Boom.] An enormous airship roared past them as they passed through the snowy mountains. It was the airship of the Innocence Academy, which had organized a field trip to Polwyn. ¡°An airship¡­ Speaking of which, it seems that the academy has entrusted the neers with the task of organizing the field trip this time, so you will be busy after returning to the fortress.¡± ¡°I was wondering if I could at least share a few words with the ck bloods¡­I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t have time for that.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ From what I¡¯ve heard, those three are close to the Commander, so they¡¯ll go somewhere else, but if you want to talk to them, you¡¯d better get there before they leave then.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you for the information, Captain.¡± The young man smiles at the captain¡¯s kindness. ¡°Get to work.¡± With those words, the captain walks away, trudging through the thick snow and the young man follows in his footsteps when he suddenly catches sight of a huge chunk of ice on the side of the mountain. ¡°Captain, what is that big chunk of ice?¡± Even though it was snowing, he couldn¡¯t understand how ice could be formed like that so the young man pointed to the ice and asked the captain. The captain turned his head and followed the young man¡¯s direction, and then spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s¡­A grave.¡± ¡°A grave? Whose grave?¡± ¡°Have you ever heard of liches?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s the Lich¡­¡± ¡°One of the final resting ces of foolish warlocks. That¡¯s the grave of one who ran amok in the North decades ago.¡± ¡°¡­Why did they kill him that way?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe there weren¡¯t any other people around at the time who could wield divine power. Without divine power, liches are pretty hard to kill. How could it be easy to kill him again when he¡¯s already dead?¡± ¡°But he died anyway.¡± ¡°¡­ There was no pdin, but there was an ¡®Aisin¡¯, and if you approach that ice, you can see his form. It¡¯s a strange word to use for a lich, but it looks like he was frozen alive.¡± The younger man nods in understanding as he listens to the foreman¡¯s exnation. One of the continent¡¯s four elemental families, the Aisin Family of Water not only practiced water magic, but also ice magic. The ice that had been created when the Aisin man killed the lich was still in ce. Looking at the young man who nodded wordlessly, Zhao Zhang clicked his tongue. ¡°Are you afraid that a warlock who had already died twice, decades ago, wille back to life?¡± ¡°Captain¡­ There¡¯s no way he¡¯lle back to life, I was just curious.¡± ¡°I smashed it with my hammer for fun, and it didn¡¯t even stir. I knew it was an Aisin after all. I¡¯ve marked the location of that ice on the map, so you might want to memorize it. It¡¯ll help you find your wayter.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± The young man responds sinctly to the captain¡¯s question and immediately pulls the map out of his backpack to study it. When the captain turns his attention to the front once more, the young man¡¯s gaze is drawn away from the map and onto the iceberg. ¡®Themander is away¡­? And with the ck bloods?¡¯ The young man smiles wryly, having gotten some good information. The young man already knew what that block of ice was, and he already knew about the lich¡¯s existence. He even knew how to break the ice to wake him up, but was just waiting for the right time. ¡®For Helgenas, the drunk.¡¯ The young man recited the words to himself. For what purpose he hade to Polwyn or why he seeks to awaken the lich¡­Why he, a human, worships demons and fiends? No one else in Polwyn knew. *** The airship arrived in the north without incident. My conversation with Aizel was interrupted by the airship¡¯s horn announcing its arrival. Although our conversation was small talk as before, I always felt cozy afterward. I stepped off the airship and onto the snow-covered ground while Yuri and Aizel, who had disembarked after me, walked toward me. The north was as cold as Edward had said it would be. First and foremost, it was snowing. But it was more of a blizzard, so it wasn¡¯t a pretty sight. It was hard to see in the first ce but in the distance, I could faintly make out the fortress of Polwyn with its towering walls. There wasn¡¯t enough room tond inside the fortress, so the airshipnded on arge t area near the fortress. Lucia, excited by the snow, runs around among the cadets, and Amon grabs her by the scruff of the neck. [It¡¯s snowing everywhere up north, I wonder if it¡¯ll ever stop¡­] Sierra was no longer clinging to me but floating in the air and looking down at me. The snow was falling hard, and it was passing through her body. Judging from her words, she had been to the North before. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Yuri, who was standing next to me, exhaled a hot breath. Behind her, Aizel maintained her usual impassive expression, but her nose was a little red, as even a regressor can¡¯t help but feel cold. After disembarking from the airship, the cadets waited near it for a while. They were bundled up, but most of them were shivering from the cold. Luckily, I had the Night Shroud. It was a coat, and it was doing its job of keeping the cold out although it wasn¡¯t designed for northern temperatures it worked well as both an item and a piece of clothing. After aborious ounting, the cadets were finally able to walk toward the fortress. ¡°Zetto, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better to be hot, like in the sauna back then?¡± Yuri said as we walked alongside the line of cadets. I was about to respond when Aizel, who had been walking quietly, spoke up. ¡°Sauna?¡± ¡°Yes, I went to the sauna with Zetto yesterday.¡± ¡°You two went to the sauna together¡­?¡± ¡°No, Kaen went with us.¡± ¡°Kaen?¡± ¡°Yes, the one who had a duel with Zetto before¡­¡± Aizel, who was talking to Yuri, was getting more and more suspicious but there was no time for me to interrupt their conversation. ¡°That¡­ I was a little embarrassed, but¡­ It was quite a fun experience. I wish Aizel could havee with us, but maybe I should have called you¡­¡± ¡°Never mind, I don¡¯t really like to sweat.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­ I¡¯m not that fond of it either¡­¡± In the end, the conversation ended with Aizel¡¯s firm reply. Yuri is a little shaken by Aizel¡¯s blunt answer. ¡®Let¡¯s forget about the sauna¡­¡¯ After that, the image of her wrapped in a towel kept running through my head. I didn¡¯t say anything, but somehow managed to clear my mind and walked down the street. However, I kept feeling a strange aura, so I nced to the side¡­ ¡°¡­¡± ¡­Aizel was staring at me but her face didn¡¯t show any emotion. She was just staring at me with her eyes wide open. ¡®Is she angry¡­?¡¯ Maybe she wanted to go to the sauna too. I couldn¡¯t tell if the chills I was feeling were from her gaze or the northern cold. Chapter 62: Fort Polwyn (1) Chapter 62: Fort Polwyn (1) Fort Polwyn has a structure much like the Innocence Academy. It¡¯s not just Polwyn, but most of the cities that have be fortresses near the Demon Lands. It remains independent, belonging to no country, and is home to many different nationalities and races under the name of the Alliance. All of this has happened since the war against demons began over a decade ago. Soldiers are the mostmon inhabitants, but the fortress wasn¡¯t always intended for military purposes, so there are some civilians who were unable to abandon their homes. It¡¯s hard to say that it¡¯s as well maintained as the Academy. Even though they were united in a hurry to fight the demons, there were many cases where the cogs were creaking because each country had different interests. This is also the background of what will happen on this field trip. The cadets cross the gates flying the gs of each country and enter Fort Polwyn. The grounds themselves are muchrger on the academy side, with forests and varied terrain, but the size of the city itself is simr. ¡°This is drearier than I thought¡­¡± While walking down the street, Lucia muttered softly as her gaze fell on an alleyway. The alleyway was lined with shops that, at first nce, looked like a red-light district. Crank doesn¡¯t miss her muttering and responds. ¡°That¡¯s because there are a lot of soldiers, right?¡± ¡°Soldiers?¡± Lucia repeated, still not understanding Crank¡¯s answer. Yuri, who has been listening to their conversation, decides to answer Lucia¡¯s question. ¡°Perhaps thews arex in the fortresspared to the countries¡­ Don¡¯t you think there should be more brothels and bars in this cold ce to relieve the stress?¡± ¡°Brothels¡­¡± Suddenly, Lucia cringed and looked around, scanning the area. As Yuri had said, the forts were forced to be multicultural, so thews were loosely enforced. However, militaryw is very strict. It was not umon to encounter races other than humans in the fortress like elves, dwarves and more. The Innocence Academy was, after all, an academy for humans, so these races were rarely seen within the academy. The mostmon of these races were the beastmen. They looked like humans, but with animal ears. Next, the cadets entered a huge building in the center of the fortress and followed their instructors into arge hall. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°I was already hungry.¡± ¡°This is why there was no breakfast.¡± As we enter the hall, there are several long tables set up, with a variety of foodsid out on them. ¡°Wee to Polwyn cadets of the Innocence Academy!¡± The cadets¡¯ attention is drawn to the man¡¯s booming voice as a man in a red cloak rises from his seat at the far end of the hall. ¡°My name is Mikhail Aigus,mander of Polwyn. You have traveled a long way to the north so let us eat first. I hope you like the food of the North, so make yourself at home and grab your food. Instructors, this way.¡± With that, Mikhail¡¯s instructions ended, and the hall began to buzz with activity. ¡°¡­Commander Mikhail, is from the Empire, right?¡± Yuri asked Amon during the meal since as a native of the Empire, Amon would know the answer. After all, Polwyn had been an Empire province in the first ce, and it was the Empire that still had a strong presence in Polwyn. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve seen him a few times, when I was following my father around.¡± ¡°The Commander seems very close to the instructors.¡± I nced in Mikhail¡¯s direction, taking in Crank¡¯s words that followed Amon¡¯s reply. Mikhail was talking closely with the instructors, especially the three ck Bloods. They have a close rtionship since it was Mikhail who had led and guided Kaliman and Reina during the war. Well, Edward was in a different unit, so it wasn¡¯t a big deal¡­ In any case, Mikhail was quite fond of the ck Bloods. The reason why we were allowed to visit Fort Polwyn, a military facility, was because they were close to Mikhail, themander of the fort. [Mikhail, from what I remember, was known for his skill with a spear, but this is the first time I¡¯ve actually seen him face to face.] Sierra¡¯s voice echoed in my head as she stared at Mikhail. She didn¡¯t seem to know much about Mikhail, perhaps because she wasn¡¯t interested in anything other than defeating the Sword Saint. Afterward, various things were said around the table but they were mostly about the food and the North. All the while, Aizel didn¡¯t say much but she had stopped staring at me. ¡®What is she doing in the North?¡¯ Aizel didn¡¯t appear in the game when I fought the lich but she was a regressor and knew the lich would appear. ¡®Maybe she has other things to do.¡¯ In any case, her behavior was simple if not simplistic. She¡¯s trying to make sure her regression doesn¡¯t repeat itself and that she doesn¡¯t die again. It seemed to be designed to allow the yer to y, but it wasn¡¯t the only thing that made sense about her behavior. As time passes and the dinner draws to a close, Mikhail, who has been chatting with the instructors, stands up. ¡°I hope you enjoyed the meal.¡± With that, Mikhail proceeded to exin how the field trip would work at Polwyn. In a nutshell, it¡¯s all about building cadets¡¯ adaptability so each cadet is assigned to a different unit to experience the life of a soldier in Polwyn. New recruits who are established in the unit stay with the cadets and teach them about Polwyn and what they need to do. Mikhail adds that most of the recruits are the same age as the cadets, so they¡¯ll get to know them quickly and concludes by suggesting that if life here is a good fit, they should consider joining the Allied forces after graduating. At the end of Mikhail¡¯s slightly propagandistic speech, he snaps his fingers and soon, several soldiers enter the hall and hand each table arge sheet of paper. Crank grabs the one near me. ¡°These are your assigned groups. I think you should all check them out.¡± Crank said, cing the paper on the table. ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°Zetto is¡­¡± Yuri trailed off as she read the paper. ¡°Uh¡­? That¡¯s weird¡­?¡± When Yuri found my name on the paper, her voice was filled with questions. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Because¡­¡­¡± Yuri rambled on, unable to answer. *** What I need to do in the North is rtively straightforward. The second main boss, Lich, is currently dead. But there is someone who can resurrect him from the dead. An agent of the demon cult has infiltrated Polwyn. He belongs to a cult that calls itself the Apostle, but he¡¯s not really an apostle, a true demonic ¡°apostle¡± is a far cry from this. Here¡¯s how it all started. One day, while on a tour, the Three ck Bloods and the Commander find themselves outside the fortress. I don¡¯t know why, but it was important for the demon cult agent that themander was away and on that day, he resurrects the Lich from within the ice block. However, this will give me less experience since the Lich won¡¯te back to life. Plus, he¡¯s likely to be an ally ¡°for now,¡± making it harder to kill him quietly. I can¡¯t just go on a killing spree when the Academy cadets are on a field trip so I intend to let him resurrect Reach as nned. There are two ways to deal with him¡­ Go to the mountain where he is and kill him before he revives or wait for him toe down from the mountain and fight him with the cadets in Polwyn. I would definitely choose the former since thetter will give me a tiny bit more prestige than the former, but I¡¯ll get less experience and fewer rewards. In short, it¡¯s a matter of difficulty, like there¡¯s a beginner level and an expert level. Equipped with the Hero¡¯s Favor Ne, I didn¡¯t feel too scared of the undead Lich. ¡®I¡¯ll let the cultist revive the lich and kill him as soon as he does.¡¯ I walked down the street, reying my n for the North. I hadn¡¯t realized it when I was in the hall, but now that I was outside, I was reminded that this was the North. The feast in the hall was over, and the cadets were now on their way to their assigned groups. The groups are also randomized in the game but which group I was assigned to didn¡¯t really matter to the story since I would have plenty of time to deal with the lich. Aizel and Yuri were assigned to Patrol 2 while I was in the same group as Kaen. ¡°Cadet Zetto, are you sure this is okay? Maybe there was a mistake¡­¡± I was walking alongside Kaen when she suddenly turned around to look at me and said those words cautiously. ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t know¡­ Shall we go in different groups now? I was feeling pretty good being in the same group as Ms. Kaen.¡± ¡°That, that¡¯s something to feel good about!¡± Kaen stammered and blushed at myughing exmation. It wasn¡¯t that the group I was assigned to was a bad fit, as she feared. I just wanted to go. It wasn¡¯t long before Kaen and I arrived at our destination and as we approached the shabby-looking house, Kaen tilted her head and opened her mouth. ¡°Is this it¡­?¡± Immediately, Kaen reads the sign by the door. ¡°Night Reconnaissance Team 1.¡± Convinced by the sign, Kaen knocks on the door. ¡°Come in,¡± a voice was heard from behind the door, granting us ess. The door opens, and Kaen and I enter the room as the faces of the people inside reveal their shock. In the room are two beastmen women and two men with animal ears. One of the men, holding a piece of paper, opens his mouth with a confused expression. ¡°Uh¡­ Cadet Zetto and Cadet Kaen, right¡­? This is a scouting party¡­ Reconnaissance¡­¡­¡­¡± Each and every one of them couldn¡¯t take their eyes off the bandages around my eyes. It was embarrassing that a blind man who couldn¡¯t see was a scout. Nevertheless, I didn¡¯t want to change the group. I got lucky, because the demon worshiper who wanted to revive the Lich was in this group so I¡¯ll be able to scout him out when I meet him. I smiled at them and opened my mouth. ¡°Yes, I know!¡± My confident voice echoed through the room, and they, and even Kaen, began to stare at me like I was some kind of madman. Chapter 63: Fort Polwyn (2) Chapter 63: Fort Polwyn (2) ¡°I¡¯m confident in reconnaissance¡± The first person to react to my voice was Sierra. [Disciple, I wonder if you have too thick of a skin.] Sierra¡¯s eyes narrowed as she turned to me. ¡°Even if you say you¡¯re confident¡­¡­No, I mean, how in the world are you confident¡­?¡± The man holding the paper doesn¡¯t find my answer easy either, and he clenches his jaw in repetition. ¡°You can¡¯t even see the map, aren¡¯t you just in the wrong ce?¡± The other man, scratching his head, is no different. A Suin woman reclining on a rickety couch stands up, ears perked. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got the answer!¡± Her eyes sparkle. ¡°What do you mean, an answer?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just another bunch of bullshit, Yakuna.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not bullshit! Just listen to me, you idiot!¡± The Suin woman named Yakuna suddenly pped the man who was arguing with her on the head. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± After dusting off her hands, Yakuna spoke up. ¡°We¡¯re the night scouting party.¡± ¡°Why is that¡­?¡± The man rubbing his head red at Yakuna. ¡°Because it¡¯s dark! Isn¡¯t it the same for all of you who can¡¯t see anything except me?¡± ¡°¡­Oh!!!¡± The man exims, feeling somewhat dumbfounded. ¡®Except for me¡­¡¯ Yakuna was a Suin. They tended to have strong individual characteristics and personalities, so it wasn¡¯t unusual for them to have night vision. In fact, she might have a simr vision to my ¡®night vision¡¯ skill. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t see at all, but it¡¯s hard to see¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, why don¡¯t we just carry him around? If he can¡¯t see the map, it¡¯s less work for us.¡± Yakuna scolds them with a frustrated tone. They were recruits, after all, so their doubts didn¡¯tst long because they were not in a position to judge us from above. ¡°My name is Yakuna, take care of me for a while, okay?¡± Yakuna stopped staring at the men and approached Kaen, introducing herself in a cheerful voice. Eventually, her exuberance is matched by the others, who introduce themselves as well. The man with the paper is Rooster, and the man who was hit by Yakuna in the head is Bd. ¡®Pretty good acting, huh?¡¯ The Demon Worshipper blended seamlessly into the scouting party. I realized he hadn¡¯t been able to infiltrate Polwyn for nothing. Finally, after introductions were made, Kaen, who had been standing nervously beside me, spoke up. ¡°What do you think we should do now?¡± ¡°Sleep.¡± Rooster replies tersely. ¡°Hah¡­ I haven¡¯t slept since you guys got here.¡± This was followed by a yawning Yakuna. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed,¡± Bd says, before retiring to his room. Kaen makes an ¡°ahh¡± sound at their flowing behavior. It was simple enough. As a ¡®night¡¯ scout, we were supposed to sleep during the day and work at night. I¡¯d be fine if I didn¡¯t sleep for a few days, as I have Reina bracelet, but Kaen, who¡¯s a light sleeper, would be better off sleeping now. *** ¡°Whoa¡­ Are you guys ready to go?¡± Rooster said with a sour breath. I hadn¡¯t slept, because there was no way I could have gotten any sleep during the day but Kaen looked groggy and tied her hair up. Finally, Yakuna emerges from her makeshift quarters and calls out. ¡°Night reconnaissance group one, let¡¯s go!¡± With that, we started moving slowly. Along the way, the guard standing at the gate nces at me and the others, muttering, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the Night Scouting Group?¡± but he doesn¡¯t say anything. We headed straight out of Polwyn and up to a nearby snowy mountain. Rooster exined that the snowy mountains were the scouting party¡¯s territory. The snow was still falling hard in the north and although it was supposed to be dark, the skill Night Vision was working well. As I¡¯ve noticed every time, I can see more clearly than during the day. We made our way through the snow on the road and eventually reached the snowy mountain. There was a huge chunk of ice on the side of the mountain. This is where the lich would be. I nced over at the demon worshiper, and he was staring at the block of ice as well. I realize he¡¯s ecstatic¡­and somewhat disgusted so I guess he didn¡¯t think anyone else could see him. I frowned. Of course, he couldn¡¯t see my frown since my eyes were covered by the blindfold. Once on the snowy mountain, we had to get to work. The job of a scout was quiteplicated. There was no war going on right now, so it wasn¡¯t reconnaissance to get information about the enemy instead it was more of a patrol, to make sure that there were no abnormalities in the cables that were installed all over the mountain, and to check the behavior of the dangerous monsters that lived in the snowy mountains. I was told that there was a building at the top of the mountain to monitor the movements of the demons. Of course, we wouldn¡¯t go there, Rooster said. Such an important task wouldn¡¯t fall in the hands of an Academy cadet on a brief tour. We split up to finish our task faster and Yakuna insisted on taking me with her. I told her I could remember the streets I¡¯d traveled, and she said she¡¯d have less to teach me. Thus, Kaen naturally joined Rooster and Bd. For some reason, Kaen ended up with a demonic worshiper, but he was weaker than Kaen, so I wasn¡¯t too worried. He hadn¡¯t even resurrected the lich yet, so nothing would happen to Kaen. ¡®I need to give Kaen some information¡­¡¯ I¡¯ve decided what I¡¯m going to do with Kaen and telling her something simple would be better than somethingplicated, like a demonic worshiper with a hidden identity. The location of the event is a bit of a problem¡­but Kaen would understand. ¡®We¡¯re adults, after all.¡¯ I followed Yakuna, thinking about Kaen. Yakuna didn¡¯t give me any indication that she wasn¡¯t really confident in teaching. She hadn¡¯t even pulled out a map to see if she had memorized all the locations of thes. She moved swiftly up the snowy slopes with the nimble movements¡¯ characteristic of the Suins. I followed her pace and it wasn¡¯t overwhelming since I could keep up with her if I strengthened my body with mana. There was a faint glow in Yakuna¡¯s eyes as she surveyed her surroundings. ¡°Ms. Yakuna, do you have night vision and what you said during the day¡­¡± ¡°Uh, yes, but¡­¡± Yakuna¡¯s tail flicked as she walked away from me. Her animal ears and tail were covered in ck fur. The unusually soft fur reminds me of the way she brushed her tail with ab back at the quarters. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Suin people have certain senses or body parts that are developed, and it seems that Ms. Yakuna¡¯s eyes are one of them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m proud to say that I inherited them from my parents, and with these eyes, I can see in the dark with no problem.¡± Yakuna turned around and smiled brightly at me. She was smiling brightly enough to show her teeth, but I couldn¡¯t see any happiness on her face. ¡®Maybe that¡¯s why she joined the Alliance¡­¡¯ I decided to leave it at that since I shouldn¡¯t ask more questions or specte. My reconnaissance with Yakuna was simply to follow her. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it! You¡¯re following me so well that we¡¯ve gotten through the checkpoints quickly. Can we take a break?¡± Yakuna said excitedly as she finished checking thest ce. She seemed to find it interesting that I was able to keep up with her pace. ¡°There are still monsters left, right?¡± I asked her excitedly, and Yakuna waved her hands in the air. ¡°There aren¡¯t any monsters.¡± *** The cadet assigned to the night reconnaissance team, Zetto, was blind with a thick bandage over his eye. At first, it was hard to understand him when he said, ¡°I¡¯m confident in reconnaissance.¡± But after watching him from the sidelines, it was clear that he was right. Perhaps Zetto has more animalistic senses than I, a Suin, does. I had eyes that could see through the dark night while Zetto was blind and unaffected by the darkness. I was amazed that he was able to keep up with my pace, but at the same time, I thought to myself. ¡®For him, it must always be dark, day or night¡­¡¯ It was ironic. I can see brightly, day or night, and he is the opposite. Just then, Zetto, who was walking beside me, spoke up. ¡°Ms. Yakuna, you said earlier that we can roughly check the monsters¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, the monsters here are slow and don¡¯t move much.¡± I said and tapped Zetto. ¡°Since we¡¯re done here so quickly, I thought we¡¯d go into a nearby cave and rest.¡± Zetto is more meticulous than I thought and at that moment, Zetto said something meaningful in a low voice. ¡°So, are there anyrge monsters?¡± ¡°Big? Oh, if it¡¯s a big one¡­¡± There are Yetis, but they don¡¯t get violent unless you touch them first¡­ That¡¯s what I was going to say. [Thump, thump, thump, thump!] If it weren¡¯t for the sound of the Yeti¡¯s footsteps in the distance. The Yeti was running, and its footsteps picked up speed. [Grrrr!] Suddenly, Zetto had his sword out and was running his fingers along the hilt but he was holding the sword strangely backwards. ¡®I need to move¡­¡¯ Ever since I heard the Yeti¡¯s footsteps, I had been frozen in ce, unable to move a single step. [Boom!!!] The Yeti¡¯s furious face was immediately revealed as it smashed a nearby tree. Zetto swung his sword at the roaring Yeti but he couldn¡¯t reach it as he swung his sword in the air. ¡°Zetto¡­!!!¡± I shouted, barely able to get my lips to part. He must have miscalcted the distance but the next thing I know, the Yeti that hasn¡¯t even been touched by his sword and is charging straight at Zetto at breakneck speed. ¡®What should I do in a situation like this¡­?¡¯ I was no match for the Yeti and I wouldn¡¯t be able to make a dent in its thick hide. Zetto, the Academy¡¯s cadet, should be stronger¡­but he swung his sword once in the air, then stood motionless. I wondered if he was in shock, realizing he had made a mistake. If I let this continue, a cadet on a field trip might lose his life because of my carelessness. ¡°No¡­!!!¡± I somehow managed to throw myself at Zetto, pushing him away just before the Yeti mmed into his body. As I fall, hugging Zetto, I hear a strange sound from the side. Something¡­It was the sound of something being torn apart. I turned my head, still on Zetto¡¯s body, to face the Yeti but the Yeti was standing still and his head was nowhere to be seen. [Thud!!!] The next thing I know, its giant head is falling off into the distance with a loud crash. I didn¡¯t understand what was happening and Zetto, who had fallen to the ground beneath me, asked me in a casual voice. ¡°So the big monster¡­What was it?¡± ¡°It was a Yeti¡­¡­¡­¡± Chapter 64: Fort Polwyn (3) Chapter 64: Fort Polwyn (3) ¡°Why did you just swing your sword in the air? Was it because you knew where the monster was¡­?¡± ¡°Is that what you would rather have done?¡± ¡°Oh, no, not that¡­ How did you do it, was it a sword technique or something else?¡± Listening to Yakuna, she didn¡¯t seem to have much knowledge about swordsmanship. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s easier to say¡­¡­.¡± It would be a long story to exin this to Yakuna, who was not a cadet but a regr soldier so there was no need to borate. ¡°But now¡­¡± I trailed off, turning to Yakuna, who was staring nkly at the Yeti while on top of me and Sierra¡¯s eyes were narrowing as she watched us. ¡°Ah, ah¡­ Ah¡­¡± Yakuna suddenly realizes the pose we¡¯ve been in and her tail twitches. ¡°¡­¡± Yakuna wordlessly stands up with a flush on her cheeks. I also stood up and sheathed my sword. [I wonder how a yeti who is reputed to be so kind could be so full of rage don¡¯t you, apprentice?] Sierra¡¯s voice echoed in my head as I continued to study the Yeti. As she said, the Yeti is not an aggressive monster. They¡¯re usually very docile and don¡¯t run around unless they¡¯ve been provoked. ¡®Provocation.¡¯ In the game, no one from the scouting party was killed in a Yeti attack. Is this a coincidence or a deliberate attack? [Boom¡­] Soon after, the headless Yeti¡¯s body twitches and falls to the ground. Yakuna walked up to the Yeti¡¯s torso and knelt down. ¡°It looked very angry¡­What¡¯s wrong with a creature that would normally just stay in itsir¡­? He was just watching from a distance, waving to us from time to time¡­¡± Yakuna said in a wistful voice as she petted the Yeti. ¡®He must have been a very good boy¡­¡¯ It seemed that I had killed a creature that might have been the mascot of this snowy mountain. ¡°I think we need to find out what happened, where is the Yeti¡¯sir?¡± ¡°Follow me.¡± I followed Yakuna as we came to a small cave that was their of the Yeti. ¡®Lich¡­¡¯ Their of the Yeti was a stone¡¯s throw away from the frozen block of ice where the lich was frozen. ¡®I think it¡¯s pretty obvious who provoked the Yeti¡­¡¯ It seems likely that the demon worshiper has been in the area, while pretending to scout the surroundings. But it¡¯s still two days before he resurrects the lich, so I wonder if he wanted to get a closer look. Soon, Yakuna and I entered the cave and only a chill emanated from their without its owner. Yakuna took the lead and searched the cave. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary here¡­¡± Yakuna muttered as he searched the cave and I asked. ¡°Do you think there are any things that might provoke a Yeti?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡­ that¡¯s right! Thest time I saw him, I was told not to run around near the Yeti, but I didn¡¯t know why at the time¡­¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s because the Yeti might be provoked¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps¡­Let¡¯s go back. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll find anything more.¡± True to her word, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the Yeti¡¯s carcass or itsir. ¡°Alright.¡± Yakuna and I made our way out of the cave. ¡®Well, at least whoever did this didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡¯ All sorts of thoughts raced through my head. ¡°¡­¡± Something rather out of ce on the snowy ground caught her eye. [What is that? There¡¯s something weird, let me borrow your arm for a second.] Sierra spotted it too, and grabbed my wrist, pulling me along but Yakuna didn¡¯t see it because she was walking ahead. I was drawn by her hand and picked up a small ck book. I opened the book to see what was inside but it was filled with ¡®unreadable¡¯ characters. ¡®1702494¡­ 1315036464¡­?¡¯ The only things I could read were letters that looked like numbers, but there was no way they were numbers. I quickly slid the book toward Sierra and she was willing to pick it up. [This is¡­¡­ Why is this here?] Sierra¡¯s face turns serious as she reads the contents of the book. It was understandable if she knew what it was about. She looks at me, then continues. [¡­It¡¯s written in thenguage of demons. There¡¯s no way a demon would have passed through these snowy mountains, but no matter who dropped it, this is not meant for human hands.] I knew the owner of this book since there was only one person who would drop a book like this here. ¡®Did he lose it here?¡¯ The puzzle is put together as information from the game flows into my head. The demon worshiper must havee to check on the lich under the guise of scouting but he probably didn¡¯t realize there were yetis in the area. He must have provoked the Yeti then dropped the book while running away. I remembered the words he muttered in the game, during the scene where the demon worshiper resurrects the lich. ¡®Unfortunately, he lost the book¡­It won¡¯t be a full resurrection, but it will be enough¡­¡¯ It seems very likely that this is the book he was referring to in that scene. The snow would have fallen relentlessly, and by the time he realized he had lost the book, it would be toote. The Lich I faced in the game was definitely an iplete revival and because this was only the second boss, he was too strong and unbnced. Suddenly, I remembered the word ¡°iplete¡± attached to the reward for killing him. If I used the book to bring him back to life, and I captured him, the reward would be plete¡± instead of ¡°iplete,¡± or maybe the word would disappear altogether. It sounded pretty tempting. I closed the book and sniffed the air. I didn¡¯t recognize his scent, as it was not yet familiar. Maybe that¡¯s the limitation of level 7 Superior Senses but it seemed certain that the book belonged to him. In any case, I quickly tucked the book into my arms before Yakuna noticed as she Yakuna turned around just in time to speak. ¡°Zetto, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°¡­I was thinking about something for a while, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± In response, Yakuna shrugs her shoulders once and walks down the path with her tail flicking once more. [Are you going to take that book with you¡­? It could easily lead to a big misunderstanding¡­] At Sierra¡¯s question, I nodded as I followed behind Yakuna. After confirming my intention, she clears her throat. [Hmph¡­ I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s going through the mind of my apprentice.] I didn¡¯t intend to hold this for long and I¡¯ll take this to him just before he resurrects the lich. ¡®Instead¡­ the difficulty will increase dramatically.¡¯ Still, the reward was too tempting. *** When Yakuna and I returned to where the Yeti had been, we saw Kaen and the others. They had heard the crashing of the trees and the roar of the Yeti and had rushed to the scene. The demon worshiper in particr was bewildered, wondering how the hell we had defeated the Yeti. This may have made him wary, but it didn¡¯t matter. I tried to talk to them, but they couldn¡¯t give me any answers as to what had made the Yeti so angry. Even the demon worshiper was tight-lipped. Regardless of what happened, it was decided that the Yeti¡¯s corpse should be transported to Polwyn. If we left it there, other monsters would being and going for a while, and it would be dangerous for scouting. Besides, the Yeti is a rare monster after all, so there are plenty of things to loot. ¡°Except for the meat,¡± Yakuna said, ¡°which we will never be able to eat.¡± Judging by the look on her face as she said it, she had tried yeti meat before. The decision was made to move the carcass, and Yakuna stepped up to the te and tied the Yeti to a rope to make it easier to move. Kaen, Rooster, and Bd would carry the torso, while I and Yakuna would carry the head. Since we were small, we had to use our mana to strengthen our muscles to move the heavy Yeti. Still, with the help of the rope, we managed to drag it across the ground and make our way back to the fortress. It was early in the morning, so there were few people on the road, but a bearded man had spotted us and was approaching as if he had been waiting for us. Rooster shouts out to him. ¡°Captain!¡± He must be the leader of the first night patrol. ¡°I was worried about your first recon, so I was waiting for you¡­¡± The leader walks over to us and stares at the Yeti. ¡°¡­What happened?¡± He asks for an exnation, and Yakuna takes the lead in reporting what happened. After Yakuna¡¯s report, the captain nodded, and then spoke up. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened¡­ He¡¯s such a nice, gentle guy, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have to hunt him down¡­ You¡¯re lucky no one got hurt.¡± With that, he turns and walks over to me then puts a hand on my shoulder and opens his mouth. ¡°Cadet Zetto, I¡¯ve heard of you and I was quite surprised when the academy wanted to put you on a night scouting party, but¡­I can¡¯t believe you can wield a sword so well at your age. You saved Yakuna¡¯s life. Thank you so much.¡± I wonder if it was the instructors¡¯ intention to put me in the night scouting group. It was probably Edward¡¯s doing. ¡°I think I was just doing what I had to do as a scout, albeit temporarily.¡± ¡°Heh, heh, heh, you¡¯ve got humility, but a thank you is a thank you, so I¡¯d like to have you and these guys dismantle this thing, what do you think?¡± ¡°You mean us¡­?¡± Bd frowned at the captain¡¯s suggestion. ¡°You want to meet a ck blood, but since they¡¯re sleeping, you should learn what you¡¯re supposed to learn in advance.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Bd¡¯s spirits dropped at the captain¡¯s words. ¡°If you don¡¯t need any parts after the dismantling, I¡¯ll pay you for everything.¡± Turning away from Bd, the captain turns to me. ¡°Thank you for taking care of theplicated stuff for me.¡± ¡°Well, then, I suggest you get into your temporary quarters and get some rest. I hope you won¡¯t have any trouble finding your way back¡­ I hear you have special abilities¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine, and there¡¯s Ms. Kaen next door.¡± I smirked and scratched my head. The scouting is over sooner than I thought, so I have some time to kill. It¡¯s still early in the morning, so maybe it¡¯s time to take care of business with Kaen. ¡®The timing is good, but¡­¡¯ There¡¯s only one problem: Kaen hasn¡¯t been sleeping, and she looks so tired. Well, unlikest time, it¡¯s a simple task¡­so it shouldn¡¯t take long. I realized that it might be hard to find the time during peak hours if it wasn¡¯t for an opportunity like this. ¡°¡­Ms. Kaen, let¡¯s go back to your quarters and talk about it. It¡¯s about information.¡± After finishing my calctions, I walked up to Kaen and whispered in her ear. At my words, Kaen¡¯s tired face suddenly brightens and her eyes begin to sparkle. Then she whispers in my ear in a low voice. ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ve been waiting for you to tell me something¡­ I guess you finally need my body?¡± I¡¯m going to have to change that ridiculous password. *** After parting ways with the chief and the rest of the group, Kaen and I went straight to our quarters, where we found ourselves in a quiet conversation. ¡°What¡­? Where are we going¡­?¡± After listening to my exnation for a while, Kaen turned to me as if she had misheard me. ¡°¡­The brothel.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s the brothel¡­, it must be the brothel I know¡­? I, Cadet Zetto¡­was it really something that required my ¡®body¡¯?!¡± Kaen stammered, and backed away from me in a panic. [I guess this is going to take some exining to her too, huh?] At the same time, Sierra¡¯s voice rang in my head as she red at me. ¡°So¡­ that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t put your hands on me at the inn that day¡­ was it because you have that kind of taste¡­?!¡± I sighed and scratched my cheek at Kaen¡¯s next words. ¡®I had a feeling it was going to be like this¡­¡¯ Chapter 65: Fort Polwyn (4) Chapter 65: Fort Polwyn (4) ¡°It¡¯s because¡­there¡¯s a blood mage in that brothel.¡± ¡°You should have told me that beforehand¡­!¡± ¡°Miss Kaen asked me where we were going, so¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± The brothel was the ce of the ritual so I must have blurted it out without realizing it. Kaen let her guard down and slowly approached me so I waited for her to open her mouth. ¡°In any case, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that we need to go to the brothel, because the guy we need to deal with this time won¡¯te out of it.¡± ¡°He won¡¯te out of the brothel? How much stamina does he have, he¡¯s¡­?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that¡­¡­but we have information that hisir is inside the brothel.¡± I answered with a slight pause because sometimes I could quickly lose track of the meaning of Kaen¡¯s words. Hearing this, Kaen let out a small ¡°aha¡­¡± so I continued to recite the information. ¡°The opponent is a single blood mage. He has air inside the brothel, and the only way to ess it is with the blood of a virgin.¡± Ever since Kaen had asked me if I had any information, I¡¯d been scouring Polwyn for quests that could only be solved by a ¡°female character.¡± Unfortunately, there weren¡¯t many options. The best I coulde up with was something that fit in with the ¡°setting¡± that Kaen believed in. The rewards weren¡¯t great, but it was simple and if it strengthened Kaen¡¯s faith that was a good thing. ¡°The blood of a virgin again¡­¡­ Any information on the brothel we¡¯re going to?¡± Kaen¡¯s voice was slightly shy as she contemted my exnation. ¡°They said it¡¯s a shop called Lustful Adventurers¡­¡± ¡°The name¡­¡± ¡°¡­For now, it¡¯s a window shop.¡± As soon as I finished talking to Kaen, I handed her the robes I had prepared and got ready to leave. [ Hmm¡­ a blood mage¡­ ] Sierra muttered to herself, but didn¡¯t say anything else. Of course I knew the location of the brothel, but I hadn¡¯t been there before as Zetto, so¡­..Perhaps I and Kaen should take a walk through the streets of Fort Polwyn. *** ¡°The thrill of the angels¡­ Not here¡­ The furry¡­ Not here¡­ Hmph¡­¡± My face was growing hot as I read the signs of the brothels. I remembered traveling around the continent with my grandfather and seeing the asional courtesan soliciting. However, in the northern part of the country, where the air is bitterly cold, most of them kept their doors firmly closed. If I opened that door, I would be entering an unknown world. ¡®The blood of a virgin¡­¡¯ I like the idea of hiding in the shadows and catching bad guys in secret, but why am I being called this? I¡¯m suddenly reminded of what the chimera with the unicorn horn on his head said when I took down a chimera-infested crime syndicate. ¡®A perfect virgin!¡¯ I don¡¯t know what a perfect virgin is, but¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to stop me from opening the door this time. I turn my head to see Zetto following closely behind me. ¡°¡­¡± His head was down, but when he raised it, I quickly turned my head forward. It was honestly hard to be face to face with himtely because of the sauna. His body in the sauna was¡­ ¡°¡­Ms. Kaen.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ Yes, yes¡­?!¡± Suddenly, Zetto, who was behind me, grabbed my shoulders and spoke to me, causing me to stop making strange sounds. I quickly straightened up and answered him once more. ¡°¡­What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Have you found it yet?¡± ¡°Oh, if that¡¯s the case¡­¡± I trailed off and looked around. ¡°¡­I found it, ugh, Lustful Adventurers¡­¡± I stood in front of the shop with him. The door was firmly closed, but as we approached, we could hear women¡¯sughter and¡­and the asional shout. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous,¡± he said, ¡°we¡¯re just going in as customers.¡± ¡°As guests¡­ That¡¯s right¡­!¡± It was a strange sound for a guest of the brothel, but I could understand the meaning of the expression. I had never been in or out of a brothel before, neither as a guest nor as an assassin. I was confident in my act and walked through the door, arm in arm with Zetto. Zetto tilted his head as I linked arms with him, but the door had already opened. As I stepped into the unknown the first thing I felt was warmth as the sticky heat of the window touched my nostrils. The next thing I could see were the prostitutes working there and the customers. The prostitutes in particr were wearing very revealing clothes. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Focus.¡± Zetto whispered to me as I stared with my mouth open¡­.But I couldn¡¯t help but stare. With all the lewd andscivious sights and the heat on my face, I couldn¡¯t concentrate easily. Zetto¡¯s breath, especially in my ear, reminded me of the terrible dream I had in the inn room. I felt extremely embarrassed, but Zetto didn¡¯t seem to mind, as if it was natural and I wondered what this sight is like for him. I wondered if he was really sensitive to sound as his face was flushed, though only slightly, as he heard the chanting inside. ¡®Stay focused, Kaen¡­¡¯ None of that mattered because right now we were here to kill a blood mage so I pulled myself together and followed Zetto to the inside of the brothel but just then, a woman, barely covered in vital areas, sneaks up on us. ¡°Hmph, never seen a blindfolded customer before.¡± She came up beside Zetto and walked around him. ¡°It¡¯s a shame you can¡¯t see my body, but that¡¯s okay, I can blindfold myself. I guess it wouldn¡¯t be so bad if we were both blindfolded and fucked like animals in the dark, but with a lover next to you? So¡­? Is it going to be the three of us?¡± The woman was terribly talkative. Or rather, she was fulfilling her role. Zetto¡¯s lips didn¡¯t move, and he didn¡¯t say anything so I decided to do what she had told me to do. I pulled a coin out of my pocket, handed it to her, and opened my mouth. ¡°I¡¯d like to look around the room without any interruptions. Excuse me for a moment.¡± I smile at her, and as she takes the coin, she turns to me and whispers. ¡°¡­Hoo hoo hoo, you must like your boyfriend a lot, I can satisfy both of you, so you¡¯d better look around for a bit and thene back to me, this opportunity doesn¡¯te around often, hehe.¡± The woman snorted and left us. ¡®She¡¯s going to satisfy both of us? How on earth¡­?¡¯ I thought my face was going to explode from the picture in my head but just then, Zetto, who had his arm around me, whispered in my ear. ¡°I¡¯m curious about that one.¡± ¡°Hmph, hmph¡­ Don¡¯t whisper all of a sudden¡­! You heard me, didn¡¯t you?¡± The erotic stimtion of his breath makes me shudder. Normally, it would have been just a whisper, but the atmosphere emanating from the brothel seemed to have made my body feel strange. ¡°I have good ears, so I didn¡¯t mean to¡­ Just kidding, let¡¯s move.¡± Zetto said, flicking his own ears. ¡®Really¡­¡¯ For some reason, Zetto finds it hard to resist as if his body responds on its own terms. I turn my head away from him, and the outfits of the courtesanse into view. I had dressed just as risqu¨¦ in front of him because he was blind. I needed to get out of here as my head started to spin so Zetto and I made our way to the depths of the brothel. It was easy to avoid their gazes, as the customers and prostitutes alike seemed preupied. ¡°It looks like a normal brothel, but I don¡¯t see any doors or anything.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± At myment, Zetto snorted, unsped his arms, and wandered around the room, staring at the walls and stomping on the floor. Eventually, Zetto stood at one of the walls and called out to me. ¡°I think this is it.¡± The wall he was leaning against was just a in wall but Zetto then sniffs around the wall and mutters, ¡°Blood incense.¡± ¡°Miss Kaen, would you like to smear some blood around here?¡± Zetto, who has stopped sniffing, points to one side of the wall and asks me. I trusted Zetto¡¯s senses and soon after I bit down on my thumb and drew blood. As I put my thumb on the spot Zetto pointed to with his finger the next thing I know, the walls vibrate and move, revealing a dark passageway. ¡°There really is one¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The passage was so dark that I had to hold onto Zetto¡¯s arm as we walked. He was walking very well in this darkness, with no lighting through since visual cues were useless to him. It was both exhrating and, in a small way, heartbreaking. How many times he must have fallen and bumped into things to make his way through the darkness of the world. With a bittersweet smile, I silently followed Zetto. His back, faintly visible in the darkness, felt reassuring. ¡°A virgin¡¯s blood can be used to enter and exit the pce¡­ I find that rather ingenious.¡± Zetto said, walking ahead of me. He was right, it was indeed an ingenious hiding ce. Not just any woman¡¯s blood, but a virgin¡¯s blood and it just so happens that the hiding ce is in a brothel, where it is very hard to find a virgin. Moreover, even the entrance was hidden like this¡­ ¡°¡­What could he be doing, hiding so deeply?¡± As I thought about the hiding ce, I turned to Zetto and asked. ¡°The answeres when you think about what kind of people blood mages are.¡± ¡°If they¡¯re blood mages¡­¡± ¡°Bloodstone. They¡¯re crazy about bloodstones.¡± I am interrupted by Zetto¡¯s terse reply. ¡°So he¡¯s hiding in this brothel¡­ to make blood stones¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the courtesans in this building have been mysteriously disappearing, and it¡¯s not umon that a courtesan runs away to erase her past and start a new life¡­Not many people are interested in the disappearance of courtesans.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the perfect ce to make a bloodstone.¡± Zetto nods at my next statement. ¡°You said you¡¯ve never dealt with a blood mage before, right?¡± ¡°Other mages, yes but¡­ It¡¯s not every day you see a blood mage.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something important that you should never miss when dealing with a blood mage.¡± His words bring back memories of my grandfather telling me stories about blood mages long ago and I answer him based on that memory. ¡°¡­You mean, whether the blood mages ate the bloodstone or not?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. Fortunately, I don¡¯t think the one we¡¯ll be dealing with has made a bloodstone yet¡­ I¡¯m only going by the rumors I¡¯ve heard from my informants¡­ but they say he¡¯s still short of making it.¡± I feel unnaturally ttered by Zetto¡¯s praise as he knows more about the world than I do. From what he told me, he had traveled the world with his teacher, just as I had traveled the world with my grandfather. ¡®Could we have met when we were younger¡­?¡¯ Maybe we had crossed paths without realizing it. But as I thought back, I couldn¡¯t recall meeting or seeing a little kid with the bandages over his eyes. As we walk down the stairs talking to him, we start to see light. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve arrived. I can¡¯t believe they made something like this in the basement of a brothel¡­¡± I said as I opened the door in front of me. As soon as I opened the door, something red and sharp flew at me but I easily dodged it. The red spear mmed into the wall behind me, turning into liquid and dissolving. ¡°Some rats got in¡­? How did you get in¡­?¡± A woman in a ck robe in the room said. ¡°Did youe from the Order or were you sent by the Empire? There¡¯s a virgin¡­ and a blind man next to her¡­ Ha, what kind ofbination is this¡­?¡± The blood mage began to ramble in a frenzy of anger but Zetto grabbed my shoulder and spoke up. ¡°Miss Kaen seems to be able to handle this on her own, do you mind if I leave her to you?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I said, pulling on the ¡®gloves¡¯ I had been given by Zetto. The blood mage who had been eavesdropping on me and Zetto spoke up. ¡°The moaning of the crazy bitches upstairs it¡¯s already giving me a headache. Are you guys going to do this too?¡± ¡°Just shut up and let¡¯s fight.¡± Blood began to gather in the blood mage¡¯s hand at my sharp reply. ¡°Hmph, bitch¡­ I¡¯ll make sure to turn you into a whore and grind you into bloodstone.¡± I figured out her level at a nce so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be using my grandfather¡¯s swordsmanship again today. Chapter 66: Fort Polwyn (5) Chapter 66: Fort Polwyn (5) The battle ended quickly with Kaen¡¯s victory. ¡°Whoa¡­ I ruined all my clothes.¡± The blood mage had tried to blind Kaen with a final burst of blood, but it hadn¡¯t worked very well. The result was that Kaen¡¯s clothes were all covered in blood. It didn¡¯t matter, though, because I had brought a change of clothes, knowing this would happen. Handed a clean cloth by me, Kaen wipes her face. [Basically, a swordsman dealing with a mage knows how to approach the situation¡­Hmm¡­Makes me wonder who her teacher is¡­ was there a pink-haired swordsman¡­?] Sierra muttered to herself as she watched Kaen¡¯s battle. ¡®I hope I¡¯m not as curious as my teacher¡­¡¯ On the plus side, the Sword Saint had no children. Or so Sierra knew. Kaen and the Sword Saint didn¡¯t share a handful of blood, so if her master was the Sword Saint, Sierra hadn¡¯t gotten anywhere near it yet. Now it was time to collect my reward but because I didn¡¯t need to use it, it was for Kaen. It was a springboard to further have Kaen¡¯s help in the future. But first, there was something I had to do. ¡°Miss Kaen, what do you think is the first thing we should do after we capture the blood mage in hisir?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Should we check for the presence of bloodstones?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a half-right answer. You look for bloodstones and I¡¯ll look for the bodies of the victims.¡± With that, we split up and searched their. Well, I already knew this, but there were no bodies. Not even when I came here in the game. I don¡¯t even want to think about what the blood mage would have done with a body with all the blood drained out of it. I grabbed the reward for Kaen and quickly returned to her. ¡°I found the bloodstone.¡± As she said this, she held a small red stone in her hand. ¡°Technically, it¡¯s called vampiric iron, before it bes a bloodstone. Would you mind giving it to me?¡± I took the vampiric iron from Kaen and bit my finger, smearing it with my own blood, then vampiric iron whirred and crumbled into dust. ¡°Bloodstones have many recipes, but when unrecorded blood enters them, they shatter like this.¡± Kaen nodded her head slowly as she listened to my exnation so I looked at her and continued. ¡°The recipe won¡¯t be here. Blood mages don¡¯t trust others by nature, so they don¡¯t keep things in writing.¡± I finished exining and tossed the item to her. ¡°What is this¡­? A ring¡­?¡± Kaen catches the ring and stares at it. ¡°I didn¡¯t find the body, but¡­ I found this instead. It seems to be enchanted¡­ Since you solved the problem, wouldn¡¯t it be nice to have a reward?¡± It was a ring that gave a small attack boost, but I doubted it would be of much use to me so I handed it to Kaen, thinking about the reward I had to earn from the lich. *** One day before the Three ck bloods and Mikhail,mander of Polwyn, left the fortress. It was also the day before the lich was revived. After returning from an uneventful night scouting trip, I hadn¡¯t slept during the day, and I¡¯d done my research on the lich. The tome with the demon¡¯snguage would be useful whether or not he was fully revived since it makes it easier to deal with the lich but I have never faced a fully resurrected lich in the game. The rewards were better¡­ but it also meant that his existence was more dangerous. In the end it came down to whether I could handle it alone. My n was to climb the snowy mountain and kill the lich as soon as he was revived. That way, as long as I didn¡¯t get killed by him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to harm anyone else. Besides, I had no intention of getting myself killed or hurting anyone else because of my foolish greed. There¡¯s not much time left before the Demon Worshipper revives the lich and I needed to do some research on the lich before he was frozen. Thest time the Lich was active in the North was decades ago. So¡­I needed to meet with older people who were alive at the time but they couldn¡¯t be regr people, they had to be veterans. After asking around among the soldiers, I found an old man, a seasoned veteran, now old and retired. He had been a soldier of the Empire, and after the outbreak of the war, he had joined the Alliance and then retired. ¡°¡­ You asked how strong the lich was in those days?¡± ¡°Yes, I was out scouting and heard about the Lich, and I was curious about him, and I thought you might know something.¡± ¡°Hehe, Lich¡­ I miss him¡­ You¡¯re in luck, because I was there when they ughtered the lich.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± The old man smiled and stroked his beard, obviously amused by my question. ¡°You do know that the Liches have sses¡­¡± ¡°There are Liches who are turned into undead by demons, and there are Arch Liches who be undead themselves, right?¡± The Liches in this world fall into two major categories: those who have been empowered by demons to be undead and those who have chosen to walk the path of the undead without borrowing anyone¡¯s power. In particr, thetter are known as ¡°Arch Liches,¡± and they are far different from ordinary Liches. A major difference between the Lich and the Arch Lich is the presence or absence of a Life Vessel. Arch Liches keep a vessel of their life force or soul, called a Life Vessel, hidden in a ce where no one can find it, and as long as it is intact, they can be revived at any time. However, this Life Vessel was also his weakness. Even if he was immortal, any damage to the Life Vessel could easily lead to his death. ¡°I can still remember what he said. If only I had that damned Life Vessel, how could I fall prey to the sneaky tongues of those demons? Even looking back on it now, I¡¯m such an idiot, hehehe.¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s¡­ Funny.¡± I chuckled softly, agreeing with the old man. This was a lich who had foolishly joined forces with a demon and became undead. That¡¯s why Aisin¡¯s ice magic was enough to deal with him. ¡°Yes. Ignorant¡­He was arrogant and unnecessarily talkative¡­.The famously reticent Aisin even told him to shut up.¡± With that, the old man gulped down the fine gin I¡¯d bought him. As we talked more, I tried topare him with the lich I¡¯d encountered in the game. ¡®I¡¯d say it¡¯s about twice as strong.¡¯ I don¡¯t think being fully resurrected adds anything special. All it did was increase the power of its magic so I decided that I could handle it on my own. The second boss, Lich, was an undead warlock. As he was a mage, I had a Dispel that could negate his magic, and as he was undead, I had the Hero¡¯s Favor Ne. The ne was especially helpful as it was the Hero¡¯s possession. It was easy to notice in the game that if you get this ne first in the Labyrinth, you can easily defeat the next boss, Lich. It would¡¯ve been a little more difficult if it was a demon, as some demons are immune to light, but the game¡¯s Lich, who was merely an undead, couldn¡¯t withstand the Hero¡¯s Favor. I even had Reverse Heaven, so I could have used two cards to amplify the effect of the ne. Moreover, his pattern was something I had memorized by heart. ¡°You should have a drink, too, but you¡¯re supposed to be a night scout, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not much of a drinker, no thanks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡± I continued to chat with the old man for a while longer. It was mostly just listening to what the old man had to say, but he was happy with that. As I was walking back from the old man, Sierra stopped in front of me in a deserted alley and opened her mouth. [A book with thenguage of demons¡­ and a lich¡­ you seem to have a point, apprentice.] ¡°Yes. I¡¯m returning the book to its owner, and I¡¯ve already figured out who it is.¡± Now it was time to y the lich and obtain theplete reward. *** A man stands in front of arge chunk of ice on the side of a snowy mountain. This is the day he¡¯s been waiting for as in his eyes, he sees the Lich, trapped in the ice. He sees a parallel between himself, an apostle of the demon Helgenas, and the warlock who became a Lich by the power of demons. Resurrect the lich and strike a blow against Fort Polwyn. That was the order given to him by the Dark Cult to which he belonged. Fort Polwyn is no pushover and Resurrecting the Lich will not bring it down. He wasn¡¯t sure what the higher-ups meant, but they said it was enough to deal a blow. He didn¡¯t question his orders for old fashioned reasons since in the end, he firmly believed that all would go ording to the will of Helgenas. Moreover, the fact that themander would be absent so soon after his arrival in Polwyn¡­ this must be a sign from the Demon God. But there was one problem. ¡°I¡¯ve lost the book¡­ It won¡¯t be aplete resurrection, but it should be enough¡­¡± The man muttered to himself in front of the block of ice. He had lost the book that would be used to resurrect the Lich when he was chased by the Yeti because he didn¡¯t know that there was a Yetiir in the vicinity. He was no match for the creature yet somehow he managed to get away from the rampaging Yeti, but he couldn¡¯t find the book. The good news was that he had memorized the important passages. All he had to do was ce his hand on the block of ice where the Lich was trapped, and chant the demonic incantation. He felt the cold ice on his hand, and was about to open his mouth to say the words when he sensed that someone was approaching him. ¡¯Today is the scouts¡¯ day off, so they shouldn¡¯t be here¡­?¡¯ He turned quickly to see who it was and saw a man with a white bandage over his eyes, an Academy cadet on a field trip to Fort Polwyn. ¡°Zetto¡­How did you get here¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see you here, Bd. Wasn¡¯t today your day off?¡± Bd was puzzled. Why was Zetto here? Why had hee to this snowy mountain, to this icy mass, on a day when he was supposed to be resting? But the question didn¡¯tst long as Zetto spoke up. ¡°Should I call you Apostle instead of Bd?¡± ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± Bd says, immediately pulling a sharpened dagger from his hip but Zetto¡¯s next words were unexpected. ¡°The drunken Helgenas¡­¡± ¡°To¡­¡­¡± To the drunken Helgenas. Perhaps this man, Zetto, was a demon apostle like himself but Bd remained wary. He had never heard or seen a blind apostle in the Order. There was a moment of silence between them, and then Zetto pulled something out of his arms and at the same time, Bd flinched. Zetto was a man of great strength, a man who had killed a Yeti with a single strike. ¡°You left this behind. It¡¯s important, and you can¡¯t afford to lose it.¡± He held out the book to Bd. It was the book he had received from the Order, containing the demonic spell that would resurrect the Lich. Bd hesitantly epted the book but the question mark on his face didn¡¯t go away. ¡°I figured that if you were going to resurrect the Lich, it would be on this day. Thankfully, it seems I¡¯m not toote.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re like me¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I am. I guess it¡¯s just that my infiltration was from another ce and we were not supposed to cross paths.¡± Bd suddenly understood why he didn¡¯t recognize Zetto, even though he was a demon apostle just like him. The Order had an apostle undercover at the Innocence Academy and if Zetto¡¯s identity was discovered, it would be devastating. Even the Order would not be immune to damage, so they had kept his identity a secret because the stakes were high. Bdughed, overwhelmed by the greatness of the Order. ¡°Haha¡­I didn¡¯t realize an apostle infiltrated the Academy¡­ Anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, I¡¯ll be able to resurrect the Lich in one piece.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t report this mistake, but please be more careful next time¡­ I almost had the book discovered by a Suin who was with me.¡± Bd gave a small nod and ced his hand on the block of ice once more. It was time for the Lich resurrection. Bd recited the incantation, trying to read the difficult demonguage and when he had recited the entire contents of the small book the block of ice began to vibrate and crack. ¡°It worked! I resurrected the Lich!¡± Bd shouted in excitement and looked at Zetto. Zetto, on the other hand, felt nothing. Maybe it was because he was blind and couldn¡¯t see this. Soon enough, Zetto looked at Bd and asked a question. ¡°¡­So the resurrection is over now?¡± ¡°Yes. Any moment now, the Lich, havingpletely shattered the ice, wille crashing into Polwyn, and we will have to flee. I¡¯m getting out of Polwyn.¡± ¡°Good. Hmm¡­ Bd, I have onest thing to tell you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°About the book. You must not lose it, must you?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Bd replied and tucked the book into his arms. ¡®I managed to fully resurrect the lich, and you¡¯re going to give me a reward?¡¯ Bd grumbled to himself but the sound of a sword being drawn was heard and Bd¡¯s head went flying through the air. ¡°¡­¡± After wiping the blood from his sword, Zetto stood still in front of the cracking and shattering block of ice as he waited calmly for the Lich. *** On the ramparts of Polwyn, at lunchtime, the sleepiest time of the day, Lucia was yawning. ¡°Haaah¡­ I¡¯m sleepy¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Orphele was standing next to her, looking down at the ramparts without responding. She had never been good to Lucia in the past. As a member of the city wall guard, they were having a leisurely time. ¡°It¡¯s not snowing much today, so the view is nice.¡± Lucia struggled to open her stiff eyelids and took in the northernndscape. Then something about the snowy mountains caught her eye. She could see a strange chunk of ice so she got curious and turned to the guard next to her and asked. ¡°Excuse me, what is that on the snowy mountain¡­?¡± ¡°s, it¡¯s a beautiful day and you can see all the way up there. That¡¯s the grave of the Lich, who died a few decades ago.¡± ¡°Lee, Lich¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a block of ice that was created when we captured the Lich decades ago, Orphele, you know that, right?¡± Orphele, who had been listening to the conversation between Lucia and the guards, nods and after a long silence, she finally speaks up. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a story I¡¯ve heard many times in my family. They used to say it was ice that would never melt.¡± ¡°Really? It hasn¡¯t even broken in decades¡­?!¡± Lucia said to Orpheus with a twinkle in her eye as Orphele looked at her quizzically before answering firmly. ¡°The ice of the Aisin family is not easily broken.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ Interesting¡­¡± Lucia approached the edge of the city wall and looked at the chunks of ice when suddenly a loud sound could be heard in the distance but she couldn¡¯t quite make out what was going on. ¡°What is that¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no construction today.¡± ¡°Quick, find out what¡¯s going on.¡± The guards on the ramparts started to get nervous but Lucia could hear the soundsing from the snowy mountains. Lucia¡¯s eyes catch a glimpse of a chunk of ice on the side of the mountain cracking. ¡°That¡­ Orphele¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Orphele tilts her head and approaches Lucia as Lucia¡¯s mouth drops open and she points her finger at the snowy mountain, where Orphele could see the chunk of ice shatter. ¡°There¡­ The ice¡­ It¡¯s broken¡­?¡± Chapter 67: Fort Polwyn (6) Chapter 67: Fort Polwyn (6) I was waiting with Sierra for the ice to crack while next to me, Sierra clicks her tongue and shakes her head. I recall the conversation I had with her when I came here. [You want to resurrect the Lich¡­?] ¡®I want to sever the roots of this damn thing.¡¯ Sierra was very skeptical, but she didn¡¯t use any force against me, I made no mention of aplete resurrection. When she overheard Bd¡¯s conversation with me, she muttered something along the lines of, ¡°My student has lost his mind¡± and she¡¯s been like that ever since. Slowly, the ice block cracked. At the same time, Sierra looks at me with a serious look in her eyes and opens her mouth. [I hope you haven¡¯t forgotten the oath you made with me.] ¡°None of this will cause me to leave Master.¡± While I was talking to Sierra, the ice blockpletely cracked open, and a skeleton stood in its center. A creeping light shed in the corner of his empty eyes and as he ms his staff down once, ck mes erupt around him. The heat from the ck mes begins to melt the ice block. ¡°¡­¡± He stops moving and looks up at the sky without a word. I wonder if he¡¯s lost himself in a deep appreciation for the north he hasn¡¯t seen in decades. He clearly has no eyes, but they seem to be closed. ¡°Resurrection¡­¡­Yes, resurrection, and the faintest hint of magic is unpleasant!¡± Every time it opened its mouth, a st of cold breath came out. Soon he spots me. ¡°Did you resurrect me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I steadied myself wordlessly. As expected, the jewelry on his forehead was intact, with no visible cracks but I was in no mood to smile. I had to assume this would increase his regeneration rate. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on here. Oh, there¡¯s a corpse over there that¡¯s still warm, let¡¯s see what it has to say.¡± With that, he taps the floor with his staff. The corpse of Bd rises from the ground with a snap and his joints creak. He gropes for its own head, which has fallen to the ground. Once he found it, the torso snuggled the head into its own neck. Then, through a bizarre process, the ¡°finished¡± Bd started speaking. ¡°Kuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I must be¡­¡± I see myself in Bd¡¯s panicked eyes as he opens his mouth to speak, ring at me. ¡°You¡­ You bastard¡­!!!¡± Bd¡¯s head pops up in the air as he continues to curse. ¡°That¡­¡± The Lich shakes his head, sounding sorry for himself. ¡°I think I¡¯ve gotten the gist of the situation. Apparently you didn¡¯t resurrect me, and¡­ Well, even if you did, you would have killed me on the spot. I have a lot of questions about what happened.¡± The Lich was a talker and after a moment of silence, he continued. ¡°But why are your eyes covered with bandages? Ah¡­¡­ I understand. Blind¡­I think I¡¯ll call you the Blind Swordsman. You¡¯re quite the character, aren¡¯t you? Charming. I¡¯d love to have you in my army¡­¡± As the Lich mumbles these words, his bony hand lifts up from below. ¡°Rise now, my loyal soldiers, who have foolishly remained on this cold snowy mountain, waiting for me¡­¡± Led by his hand, soldiers digging into the snow and d in armor begin to rise from all corners of the mountain. The skeletal soldiers¡¯ eyes glowed as they dug through the snow and pushed themselves up from the ground. The battle had already begun and this was the first pattern. Now Lich raises the five elite Skeleton Soldiers and describes their characteristics one by one. ¡°The first is an Alghoul. He was the first soldier I ever recruited¡­¡­¡± I waved off his mutterings and continued to run my fingers down my sword. The skeletons hadn¡¯t moved since he hadn¡¯t given them any specific orders, so their weaknesses were clearly visible. I walked up to it and casually shed my sword down five times. ¡°For the third one¡­¡± He didn¡¯t seem to mind me and continued to introduce me to his soldiers. Sadly, his kind words did notst long as the sound of five elite skeleton soldiers¡¯ bones being torn apart was immediately heard. If only he had ordered them to attack me before exining, he might have gotten them to move. s, he didn¡¯t. ¡°What the¡­¡­Where did you learn swordsmanship and even twisting the flow of mana? Are you really a living human being if you can do that¡­?¡± The Lich was puzzled by the sudden turn of events. ¡°That¡¯s not what I want to hear from you, Lich.¡± Still, I didn¡¯t stop walking. The Lich nces at me, then points his staff at me. ¡°Looks like my soldiers are not enough against you.¡± A magical circle formed at the end of the staff. Then, without warning, Lich speaks. ¡°A living curse. It¡¯s a peculiar kind of magic that chases after you if you dodge it. If it even touches your skin, it will burn your entire body. Hmph, you won¡¯t be able to see it, so it may be impossible to avoid.¡± Countless ck sparks shot out of his magic circle and flew toward me. ¡®Second pattern.¡¯ So far, the pattern matched the in-game lich. Only the number of sparks was much higher. Still, this magic was showing its weaknesses. I strode forward, parrying the sparks that flew at me without stopping my steps. ¡°You¡­ Who are you¡­?¡± I slice through all the ck mes with my sword, and Lich finally panics. But I had already closed the distance between us. I infuse the ne with mana as a glow begins to permeate my sword, Sierra. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Watching this, he could no longer speak and seemed to realize what the light emanating from my sword meant. ¡®Two minutes and fifty-seven seconds.¡¯ I began to sprint, mentally counting the time limit on the ne. ¡®Three minutes.¡¯ He swung his staff, and in that direction, sharp,rge bones rose from the floor and charged at me. I pumped mana into my legs and leaped high. As I floated through the air, I didn¡¯t forget to nce down at my sword. ¡°Fool, how are you going to dodge in midair?¡± He swung his staff as if he was aiming for my leap, and once again, a giant bone was hurled at me as I floated through the air. ¡®One second.¡¯ Suddenly, I¡¯m deafened as even the sounds around me that I should be hearing have slowed down. The bones rising towards me have also slowed down significantly and seem to stop moving. However, my body defies time and falls naturally under the influence of gravity. The bone was aiming for where I was, so it passed by without touching me and I then fell on top of him. [Quite the disy of technique.] Sierra¡¯s voice echoed in my head. I then turned toward Lich, who was below me, and drove my Spectral Sword right into him¡­¡­and the long second was over. But my sword is blocked by an invisible barrier. ¡®That was fast.¡¯ He¡¯d put up his barrier. Even though he talked a lot he was cautious. However, the moment I activated the Ne of Hero¡¯s Favor, it wasn¡¯t a normal physical attack, but a blow that was converted into a light element that was the nemesis of his ck magic, and his barrier was instantly shattered. ¡°What the hell¡­¡± Lich mumbles as he casts the shattering barrier again, there was panic in his voice. I immediately closed the distance between us but a spiky iron ball instantly appeared near him and swallowed him whole. ¡®Iron Maiden¡­¡¯ It¡¯s supposed to be a self-damaging attack, but since he¡¯s a Lich, he seems to be able to use it without penalty. It¡¯s annoying that it¡¯s so hard to get close to him¡­ ¡­Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s a Lich. Unlike the previous skeletons, he didn¡¯t show any weaknesses. ¡®Two and a half minutes¡­¡¯ Time continued to tick away and I considered using a 1 strike to target the Iron Maiden¡¯s weakness, but I still had plenty of time. Soon enough, the Iron Maiden opened up, revealing its true form. ¡°I hate to use my damn demonic powers, but¡­ I¡¯ll have to use it against you¡­¡± With those words, a ck aura begins to emanate from Lich¡¯s body, the demonic energy. He throws the staff into the snow and opens his arms as demonic energy begins to gather around his palms. ¡®I see he¡¯s moved on to thest pattern since his attack didn¡¯t work.¡¯ He ms his palm down and the ground vibrates then slowly cracks in front of him, and soon the ground turns into a liquid and rises into the air. The same happened to the ground I was stepping on. ¡®Two minutes and ten seconds.¡¯ After being lifted into the air by a chunk of earth, I steadied myself and began to slice and dice my way with the sword. Then, a huge magic circle formed on the back of the creature I could see down below. Despite the distance, my ¡®superior senses¡¯ were able to pick up his mutterings. ¡°Rise, Death.¡± Having just finished preparing I immediately moved as countless ck spheres erupted from his magic circle. The spheres traveled with considerable speed, even during the slowed time. I quickly stepped over the chunks of earth that rose into the air and fell to the ground below. Then I darted between chunks of earth, dodging the sphere, but not forgetting to keep my head down. ¡®Fifty-eight seconds.¡¯ That¡¯s how much time I had left when I hit the ground. I lunged at the Lich, shing at its defenseless body. The barrier was still protecting his body, but I tried to split it open by exploiting the barrier¡¯s weaknesses. The barrier cracked and shattered and Sierra, who was emitting light, touched the exposed body of the creature. He shows no weakness, but the single blow shatters his bones. However, even though the flow of time has slowed down, the jewel on its forehead quickly regenerates its bones. It¡¯s an unbelievable regenerative power. Lich body hovers slightly in the air, shocked by my strike but without pausing, I shed out with my sword and continued with my next move. Countless blows rained down on the airborne creature and naturally his regeneration, could not withstand the blows. Even though the power of the ne was a diminished version of the Hero original power it was enough to kill the Lich. I ended Chapter 2 when his regeneration slowed noticeably, and I could see his bones splintering and crunching. Immediately, a heavy crashing sound rings in my ears. At the same time, the impact continues, and Lich¡¯s body, which had risen violently in the air, surges up and down. Soon, his bones, barely holding on to his form, crash to the ground and shatter. All that¡¯s left of Lich is his head and neck. I slowly approached the Lich. ¡°Why¡­ I was the one who attacked¡­ Why¡­?¡± Lich was lost in questions but I didn¡¯t feel like answering him. ¡°You can give up now, even if you struggle to maintain your form¡­¡± The attack should have turned his head to dust, but he was desperately maintaining his form with the power of the jewel. Hearing my words, Lichughs hysterically. ¡°Hmph¡­ You don¡¯t know why Aisin froze me, do you?¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± A magic circle was being drawn on the floor where he had spoken those rather meaningful words. Although I asked, I had already obtained the information from my conversation with the old man. ¡°I will sacrifice my body to annihte this area. Isn¡¯t it funny, you have eyes but you can¡¯t see, and I have no eyes, yet I can see Polwyn over there. The explosion, fueled by me and the Tear of the Dead on my forehead, will devour the Polwyn¡­ Kahhhhh¡­! Hahahahaha!¡± He looked at Polwyn andughed maniacally. The jewel on his forehead, the Tear of the Dead, is a type of energy source that contains a great deal of life force. It is the source of the power that allows him to be Lich. If Lich is right, using the Tear of the Dead as fuel will create an explosion that could swallow Polwyn whole. ¡°I see no way to stop this explosion¡­ Innocent people will die because of you. How does that make you feel?¡± I didn¡¯t respond to Lich¡¯s sarcasm, but instead stuck my sword into the red dot visible on the magic circle then the magic circle cracked and then disappeared. Immediately afterward, I leaned back against the rising mass of earth beside Lich. Even if it was a self-destruct spell, he¡¯d have to weave it into a very dense structure to make the gem explode along with it¡­But he was impatient, knowing he had little time left. Therefore, it was a crude spell. A few moments passed, and when Lich finally noticed, he scowled and spoke up. ¡°¡­¡­What did you do?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Realizing that the self-destruct spell is gone, Lich is speechless, unable to say anything. The light in his eyes slowly faded, he had given up. The Lich is dead. Sierra sneaks up on me as I lean against a lump of earth and strokes my cheek. [I know you¡¯ve been through a lot¡­ but still.] ¡°I¡¯m just a little tired¡­that¡¯s all.¡± A little blood spurts from my mouth as I reply to Sierra. ¡®Did I go a little over time earlier?¡¯ I look at Lich head on the floor and see a tear-shaped gemstone embedded near his forehead but unlike the iplete Tear of the Dead fragments in the game, this one was intact, with no cracks. It was the source of his power, so I made sense that it would be intact after a full resurrection. ¡®I¡¯ll have to get it before they get here.¡¯ I leaned down and touched the gem on his forehead. The gem tinkled and slid out easily. [From the aura I sense, it¡¯s no ordinary gem¡­but you seem to know what it is.] Sierra didn¡¯t seem to realize that it was a Tear of the Dead since it was not an item that was easily seen. The Tear of the Dead is a gemstone with immense life force and Lich incredible regeneration was one of its effects. Unfortunately, the regeneration only works on the undead but luckily, you don¡¯t have to be undead to use the other effects. The original reward, the Iplete Tear of the Dead Fragment, was a one-time use item that restored all of your health when it dropped below 20% health. Naturally, the effect of the Tear of the Dead is upgraded from there. I can only die once and be resurrected. In the game, you could save and reload, so I didn¡¯t really die. However, in the real world, it¡¯s a different story. The so-called ¡°one resurrection¡± was very important to me now. It was all for a good ending. My grip on the gem tightened and the next thing I know, I see the snowy mountains in the aftermath of the battle. I realize that I was able to do this because I was growing so fast in the first ce. If it weren¡¯t for this, I wouldn¡¯t have even considered aplete resurrection. ¡®Maybe I should put a gem in my body or make it into a trinket¡­ Are trinkets dangerous¡­?¡¯ Tears of the Dead are made in a simr fashion to bloodstones, so yes, by definition, they are dangerous. Why did he have it in his possession? There was no answer to that. I don¡¯t know if he made it or if the demon gave it to him, but it¡¯s in my hands now. Perhaps I should visit the cksmith, Deidros, who made me the Spectral Sword, Sierra. I immediately put the gem in my hand and leaned back against the lump of earth to check my status and I was pleased to see that I had leveled up. Lv.33 Skills: -Ghost yer Technique Lv.16 ¨C Sierra Reverse Heaven (Iplete) Lv.4 ¨C [Ghost yer Technique] in effect -Superior Senses Lv.7 -Weakness Detection lv.MAX ¨C [Blindfold That is Beyond Reason] in effect -Acupuncture Lv.3 Skill Points remaining: 9 Items in use: I feel like I¡¯ve gained a lot of strength¡­I¡¯ve also leveled up 6 times from level 27. Suddenly, I¡¯m overflowing with skill points. While I was happily contemting this, some time passed and I heard the shouts of people at the bottom of the snowy mountain. ¡°Over here!¡± ¡°What¡¯s all thismotion?¡± ¡°The Lich! Where¡¯s the Lich!¡± Polwyn¡¯s soldiers wereing this way, shouting. ¡®Oh, right. Bd¡­¡¯ I thought to myself and looked to where Bd had been. The copse of the terrain had blown him away, but the aftermath of the copse had narrowly missed him so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to clean up. I could see Prisci among the soldiers and she spotted me before they did. ¡°Zetto¡­?!¡± Prisci calls out, running towards me. As she approached me, she bent down and opened her mouth. ¡°Why are you here¡­? Are you hurt?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not injured anywhere¡­¡± I replied to Prisci and wiped away the blood that had seeped out. At that moment, Prisci checked the Lich head at my feet and after scratching her head, she let out a sigh. ¡°Hah¡­You¡¯re going to have to tell me more about what happened¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Chapter 68: Memory Chapter 68: Memory At that moment, Mikhail, themander of Fort Polwyn, and the Three ck bloods came to the cemetery of the cadets of the Academy who had fought in the war. ¡°It must be a long time since you¡¯ve been here, yes. It¡¯s a shame Prisci couldn¡¯te with us.¡± Mikhail said softly, looking at the headstones. ¡°Prisci said it would be hard for her to see¡­¡± Reina answered Mikhail. They had been sacrificed so young for their country, for their families, or for humanity. Unfinished flowers always carried a sense of futility. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy, for you and for me.¡± When Mikhail heard his superiors¡¯ orders tomand a unit of academy cadets during the war, he thought they were screwing with him. But they say heroes rise to the asion. In Mikhail¡¯s eyes, he sees Raina and Edward, The Three ck bloods. They were war heroes who had distinguished themselves in the war. Mikhail himself was said to be a brilliantmander, but they were like queens in chess. The strongest pieces, moved across the battlefield like age was nothing but a number, ughtering countless demons. ¡°Don¡¯t look so defeated. Because you were there, we had the courage¡­ Is Kaliman still there?¡± ¡°Yes. I think we should give him a moment alone.¡± Edward answered Mikhail¡¯s question silently. Kaliman had lost his lover in the war, a young, innocent, impressionable female cadet who had attended the academy with him. When she died, Raina had a hard time stopping him from running into enemy territory while blinded by fury. They walked through the cemetery in silence, scanning the names on the tombstones. Comrades-in-arms who had shed blood together, friends and loyal subordinates. Mikhail was deep in thought, swallowing bitter regret as a soldier rushed up to him. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mikhail asks him, shaking his head. The soldier, looking quite serious, turns to him and whispers. ¡°Commander. They say that the lich in the snowy mountains has been resurrected, but¡­¡± ¡°The lich has been revived¡­? What¡¯s the damage?¡± ¡°Well¡­ they say it¡¯s already been destroyed and there is no damage to the fortress¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°From the looks of it, it appears that an Academy cadet at the scene managed to defeat it alone, but they¡¯re still investigating.¡± ¡°A cadet single-handedly defeated the lich¡­? Why are they investigating?¡± ¡°Because there was also the body of one of our allied soldiers at the scene¡­and a demonic tome was found in the soldier¡¯s arms.¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡± Mikhail sighed heavily, rubbing his brow at the troubling news. ¡°I guess that¡¯s what resurrected the Lich with the Demon Book¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯d say so. Is there any chance that a cadet was involved in the resurrection¡­?¡± ¡°The cadet on the scene is¡­ ¡®blind¡¯, so¡­¡± ¡°I guess he can¡¯t read¡­¡­¡± Mikhail replied, cutting the soldier off. It was then that it became clear that the soldier was a demon worshiper. He knew there was a blind first-year cadet on the academy¡¯s tour and Mikhail had had a bit of a falling out with him over Edward¡¯s ridiculous request to put him on the night scouting party. ¡°The blind man, or rather the cadet¡­why did he say he was in the snowy mountains?¡± ¡°The cadet said, ¡®To memorize the roads to make scouting easier.¡¯ I was eager to hear the information as well, but is it possible for a blind man to be assigned to a scouting party?¡± The soldier tilted his head in response to Mikhail¡¯s question and Mikhail barely held back the sigh that threatened to escape him as he continued. ¡°¡­The cadet will be on the night reconnaissance team. I put him in there myself at the request of the instructors, and there doesn¡¯t seem to be any problems with the cadet¡­ How many people know about this?¡± ¡°A few soldiers who traveled to the snowy mountain, the academy¡¯s medical officer, and the cadets who were there, not many.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ Alright, prepare to return to the fortress immediately.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Mikhail dismissed the soldier then called Edward over from the other side. ¡°Edward, I need to speak with you for a moment.¡± *** While responding to inquiries, I spoke with Mikhail, who had returned to the fortress in a hurry about the reward for killing the lich alone. In the end I received a small box. ¡°I happened to have an elixir on hand and I¡¯ve heard you use techniques that take a toll on your body. With Prisci and Edward¡¯s testimony, you shouldn¡¯t be afraid to take it.¡± With that, Mikhail handed me the box although it wasn¡¯t the reward I was supposed to receive. In the game, the reward you received from Commander Mikhail for defeating the Lich depended on how you handled it and what your weapon was. If you defeated him with the soldiers, there was no reward. However, a sessful solo kill could result in rewards such as weapons and armor. If you used a spear, Mikhail would give you one of his old spears. It was an Epic-ranked spear, and it was considered a useful weapon until midway through the story. I wasn¡¯t expecting much from him, but he gave me the elixir I needed for Chapter 2. It was an unexpected gain. The elixir I received from him was a byproduct of the antlers of Dius, a deer-like spirit creature that lives in the north. I wasn¡¯t quite sure how to use it, but it seemed to be a better quality elixir than Mandragora. He¡¯d originally nned to give it to a new captain when the fort got one, but with the way things had turned out, he didn¡¯t think a captain would be assigned for a while. Sierra nced at the contents of the box and muttered something along the lines of, ¡°Now you¡¯re eating deer antlers.¡± In any case, the cadets¡¯ tours of the fortress have been suspended since then. Polwyn has publicized the incident andunched a full-scale investigation of the soldiers but the aftermath seemed to have gone as well as could be expected, with no suspicions raised. Time passed and it was ourst day in the fortress. The first-year cadets, who had been scattered and reunited, had a secret party, led by Lucia and Crank. ¡°Thanks to Mr. Zetto, I didn¡¯t freeze to death standing guard on the ramparts!¡± Lucia eximed excitedly, raising her drink to the top while Orphele nced at her and spoke up. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve been dozing off instead of standing guard, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I was bored and¡­ sleepy¡­¡± Everyoneughs out loud at Lucia and Orphele¡¯s conversation. They were all d to have thest two days off because they couldn¡¯t get used to the cold in the north. Then Kaen, sitting next to me, whispers to me. ¡°Did you already know that Bd was a demon worshiper?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a coincidence.¡± Kaen seems to be bothered that I single-handedly defeated the lich. [Hmph, shameless gigolo.] Sierra, who¡¯s been listening to my answer, snorts. The lich brought me many rewards, especially the Tear of the Dead¡­ ..I see Aizel sitting across from me, sipping her drink but I don¡¯t think giving the Tear of the Dead to Aizel will save her from repeated deaths. Something more fundamental had to be done. The only way to save her was to erase the demons who wanted her from the world and with this much growth, I think I can finally touch them. ¡®But first, I need to meet Deidros.¡¯ Hopefully he hasn¡¯t gotten tired of pretending to be the vige chief yet. Sierra hasn¡¯t spoken much to me in public, not even at thest drinking party. She didn¡¯t say much to me in the crowd, as she wanted me to enjoy this time to the fullest. Just then, Lucia stands up and exims. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! I brought you guys a souvenir, because today is ourst day in the North!¡± At the mention of souvenirs, everyone¡¯s attention is drawn. ¡°I heard it¡¯s a special souvenir that can only be bought here!¡± Lucia says, and gives everyone a souvenir. ¡°Here, Zetto. Hehe.¡± I nced at the souvenir Lucia handed me, it was a small ice cube. Curiously, it wasn¡¯t cold or melting. ¡°What is this?¡± Yuri takes the souvenir and asks Lucia to exin. Lucia, who has been eagerly handing out souvenirs, speaks up. ¡°I heard that if you put mana into this ice while thinking of a memory you want to capture, it will store it!¡± ¡°That¡­ Lucia¡­ it sounds pretty expensive just by listening¡­? Saving memories¡­¡± After listening to Lucia¡¯s exnation for a while, Crank said in a trembling voice. ¡°It¡¯s not that expensive! It¡¯s only 1 gold a piece!¡± ¡°One gold?!¡± Lucia¡¯s cheerful response is met with astonishment from everyone in the room. ¡°Why, why do you say that¡­?! The merchant said it was only one gold¡­ He said it was a bargain¡­¡± Lucia starts to cry. Looking at Lucia, Orphele speaks up to clear up the situation. ¡°No one pays one gold for a souvenir. And in suchrge quantities¡­¡± ¡°Considering Lord Windless¡¯ personality¡­you¡¯ll be in trouble, I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be that serious since he¡¯s a mild-mannered man.¡± After that, Yuri and Amon chimed in. From Lucia¡¯s subsequent ount, it seems that the merchant was a traveling merchant from the north. This leads to the conclusion that a refund is unlikely. Lucia sobbed, but¡­ her face brightens as everyone thanks her and pats her on the back. The good news is that Lucia bought it ording to the number of people, and since it wasn¡¯t a gathering of all first-year cadets, she probably spent about a dozen gold coins. ¡°If it¡¯s a souvenir that costs a gold piece, I¡¯m not surprised I don¡¯t recognize it. I said it was an unfamiliar item since it was very expensive for a souvenir and I hadn¡¯t bought any of these souvenirs while ying the game. After a while the mood lightened up again, and we talked about what each of us wanted to capture. ¡°Thank goodness, it works.¡± Orphele is the first to test the souvenir, proving it was worth one gold. When she infused the ice with mana, the memories would rey in her mind. But it was made in a special way, so it didn¡¯t seem to be shared with anyone but her. I was relieved that it wasn¡¯t shared. After giving everyone their souvenirs and sitting down, Lucia asks Orphele. ¡°What memories did you capture, Orphele?!¡± ¡°Just¡­ something that happened recently.¡± Suddenly, Amon imitates Orphele¡¯s voiceically. ¡°That¡¯s obvious¡­ The ice of the Aisin family¡­ doesn¡¯t break easily¡­¡± ¡°Phew!¡± Crank, who had been quietly sipping his drink, spits it out, unable to contain hisughter. It was the story Lucia had told everyone earlier. She said that after Orphele spoke those words, the lich was revived and the ice block was shattered. Orphele¡¯s cold gaze falls on Amon. Since then, the cadets have been talking about what memories they¡¯d like to capture. Yuri looked at me and spoke up. ¡°Zetto, how do you capture memories¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s smell, there¡¯s hearing, and there¡¯s feeling. It should be enough to bring back memories.¡± ¡°What memories are you trying to capture?¡± Yuri asked me while Aizel and Kaen distracted gazes are then focused on me. What memory do I want to capture? ¡°Maybe now.¡± ¡­I think I¡¯d like to capture a memory of this moment, when everyone isughing and talking without worrying, eating delicious food, and enjoying the atmosphere. Everyone looked so happy. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ boring.¡± Aizel reacts to my boring answer, and everyone else¡¯s disappointment is palpable. Shrugging, I turn to Yuri to change the subject. ¡°So, Ms. Yuri, what kind of memories are you going to capture? Everyone else seems to be capturing memories of the North.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ Secret!¡± I didn¡¯t give up and asked Kaen and Aizel as well. ¡°It¡¯s a secret too!¡± ¡°¡­Well.¡± Their answers were no different from Yuri¡¯s and I wondered what memories they¡¯ll capture. *** The moonlight was just beginning to filter through the windows. As they walked back to their lodgings after a long night of partying, they held a small ice cube in their hands, an ice cube that holds a memory. Someone captured the happiness of loved ones chattering away. ¡®It¡¯s a nice view.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­Phew, yeah.¡¯ Some captured unforgettable memories, even if they weren¡¯t meant to be kept. ¡°He said only I can see this¡­¡± Someone else captured a memory of standing next to a man in a sweaty ce, his muscles bared, and then¡­He had a nosebleed. And someone else¡­ ¡°This isn¡¯t working¡­¡± ¡­the memory of him, and the pain of not being able to save him. She dropped the ice cube to the floor and stomped on it. With that, their tour of the Northes to an end, meanwhile, far away from the north, in a city near the Academy. In the early hours of the night, a luxurious carriage pulls up to a stop on a darkened street and following the carriage, a knight in polished silver armor dismounts from his horse. The knight then opens the carriage door and the woman who steps out of the carriage is dressed in a wless, snow-white gown. ¡°Are you sure this is the house?¡± ¡°Yes, my research tells me that this is the home of Anthony the Merchant.¡± ¡°I believe he was a target when he was in the city, and I can¡¯t believe those sneaky bastards¡¯ tongues reach outside the city limits¡­ Let¡¯s get moving, I hear his daughter is in critical condition.¡± With that conversation, they headed for the manor¡¯s gates. Fortunately, the lights were still on. ¡®I wonder if we¡¯re toote. May the Lord protect this poormb¡­¡¯ The woman in the dress knocked on the door, hiding her nervousness. Then she heard a voice from inside the mansion. ¡°Daddy, I¡¯ll open it!¡± ¡°Emilia, isn¡¯t it past your bedtime?¡± The voice from inside the mansion was thest thing she expected as the door swung open but nothing was at her eye level. As she looked down, she saw a young girl had opened the door. ¡°Uh¡­ Who are you¡­?¡± The girl tilted her head in question. ¡°Emilia, go inside¡­¡± A man¡¯s voicees from behind her as he approaches the door but after seeing who it was Anthony panicked. ¡°¡­¡­Saint¡­? Even you¡­¡± But the saint was just as bewildered. ¡®I heard his daughter was in critical condition.¡¯ The saint ced her hand on her chest and bowed her head slightly before speaking. ¡°¡­Anthony, I apologize foring at such ate hour, but if you don¡¯t mind, may I speak with you for a moment?¡± Chapter 69: Saint Bernice Chapter 69: Saint Bernice ¡°Well, since this is our first meeting, I suppose we should introduce ourselves. I¡¯m Bernice, a saint, and this is In¨¦s, the leader of the Silver Wing Knights.¡± Bernice was seated on a hospitality couch, sipping tea, while In¨¦s stood beside her and remained still. ¡°¡­I¡¯m Anthony.¡± They knew each other¡¯s names, but they didn¡¯t have to say them. Bernice studied him carefully before speaking. ¡°Aaron Creville¡­executed.¡± ¡°Aaron¡­The high priest¡­?!¡± Anthony wanted to clench his teeth at the name, which disgusted him to hear, but with a saint in front of him, he held back his anger with the utmost decorum. Aaron was the one who had framed Anthony and driven him out of the Holy Land. ¡°Not a name to be exalted,¡± she said, ¡°for before he died he was stripped of all his titles, both as a priest and as a nobleman; and, curiously enough¡­ There is no one in the Crevilles with clean hands. The Crevilles no longer exist in this world.¡± Bernice set her teacup down gently, her words somewhat murderous and as she spoke, Anthony seemed to realize what had happened but something important remained. Keeping his emotions out of his face, Anthony asks the question in a calm voice. ¡°¡­So, what brings you to me at thiste hour¡­? Is it not proper for me to express my gratitude that you have taken the trouble toe to such an insignificant merchant? I am no longer even a man of the Holy Land.¡± ¡°When I was investigating Aaron, I also learned of the affair between him and Anthony. I wish I had realized that sooner¡­ It was before I became a Saint, so it took me too long to find out. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No¡­ I firmly believed that the mace of the Lord would one day fall upon Aaron.¡± ¡°¡­As it happens, I heard that Anthony¡¯s daughter was gravely ill and that Aaron was interfering with her treatment, which is why I hastened from the Holy Land as soon as I heard the news¡­but thankfully Emilia seems to be doing well.¡± ¡°¡­To be honest, Emilia was ill. It was difficult to get treatment, and I was praying to God to help me get through the day, until one day I met him.¡± With that, Anthony rattled off the story of the Blind Acupuncturist, a mysterious figure who practiced acupuncture with his eyes covered by bandages. The blind acupuncturist cured the rare disease known as mana exhaustion without divine power. What Anthony didn¡¯t mention, however, was that he felt like a saint as he didn¡¯t want to offend Bernice. ¡°The blind acupuncturist¡­You didn¡¯t mention his name¡­¡± Bernice muttered, as Anthony¡¯s story trailed off and she tilted her head slightly, her silver hair bristling. Saints gain many powers when they be saints. Each saint gained different powers, but they always included near-infinite divine power. One of the powers Bernice gained as a saint was the ability to recognize lies when she spoke to people but she could not detect any lies in the story Anthony had just told her. This wasn¡¯t because she was suspicious of him, but because it was something she couldn¡¯t control. ¡°He didn¡¯t seem like a man who liked to reveal much, and I remember trying to make sure he got paid as much as possible.¡± ¡°Interesting¡­I wonder if you wouldn¡¯t mind if I take a look at Emilia¡¯s physical condition. I¡¯d feel more at ease if I could see for myself.¡± ¡°¡­I would be honored if you would take a look, Saint, but she should be asleep in her room by now, if you¡¯ll follow me.¡± The saint followed Anthony¡¯s lead to the room where his daughter Emilia was sleeping. As they approached Emilia¡¯s room, they heard a loud banging noise behind the door and Anthony immediately opened the door. ¡°¡­Emilia?¡± The lights were off, but Emilia was lying on her bed, uncovered, with her eyes closed. ¡°You were eavesdropping on our conversation, even though I told you to go to sleep¡­¡± When Anthony asked in a soothing voice, Emilia, whose eyes were still tightly closed, suddenly sat up and shouted in a gruff voice. ¡°The acupuncturist didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± ¡°Eh, Emilia?¡± Anthony was taken aback by Emilia¡¯s outburst. Bernice didn¡¯t seem to mind as she cautiously approached the sulking Emilia and pats her on the back. ¡°I¡¯m not here to catch the acupuncturist,¡± she said, ¡°I was just wondering who cured Emilia and wanted to say thank him.¡± With that, the saint checked Emilia¡¯s condition. Mana exhaustion was something she recognized but she couldn¡¯t fathom how it was treated so cleanly without using divine power. Even Bernice didn¡¯t know much about acupuncture. ¡°So¡­ Why did you bring the knight¡­? Are you sure you didn¡¯te to catch the acupuncturist¡­? He was so nice¡­¡± Emilia asked, ncing at Ines, who was standing behind Bernice. ¡°Huh¡­ So it¡¯s because of the knight? She¡¯s here to protect me, not go around catching bad guys.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± In¨¦s coughed at Bernice¡¯s words. She was the one who had struck down Aaron¡¯s head at the saint¡¯smand. Bernice was not averse to talking to children since there was something soothing about their unspoiled innocence. Emilia¡¯s face suddenly brightens as she listens to Bernice¡¯s exnation. ¡°Thank God¡­¡± ¡°Emilia, what was it about the acupuncturist that you liked so much? Can you tell your sister?¡± ¡°Um¡­ The acupuncturist was¡­ well¡­ Saint¡­¡­ what was it¡­ Oh, that¡¯s right! He was like a saint, a saint, a saint from this fairy tale!¡± Emilia scratched her eyebrows, trying to think of a word, and then suddenly grabbed a book from her bedside table and held it up to Bernice, speaking in a cheerful voice. Emilia held up a book called ¡°Saints and Princesses¡±. Bernice had heard of the title, and it was a fairly famous fairy tale about the love between a saint and a princess. However, she had never read it because it was banned in the Holy Land. Suddenly, Anthony caught Bernice¡¯s eye and spoke urgently. ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s because Emilia is still young and doesn¡¯t understand¡­¡± However, despite Anthony¡¯s concern Bernice¡¯s pink eyes don¡¯t show any signs of annoyance. On the contrary, she smiled gently at Anthony¡¯s serious expression. ¡°I know. It was him who cured Emilia, so maybe he¡¯s a saint in her eyes.¡± ¡°The book¡­ I asked her to buy it, but she wouldn¡¯t let me¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay, this isn¡¯t a holy country. Did you enjoy the book, Emilia?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Emilia replied cheerfully, and Bernice stroked her hair. A glow emanated from the saint¡¯s hand as she stroked her hair and a golden glow fell upon Emilia¡¯s head. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Emilia exims, mesmerized by the brilliance as the saint has blessed her. ¡°Saint¡­?¡± ¡°Emilia is in very good health. It¡¯s all I can do for her now, and I know it¡¯ste¡­ but¡­ Will you consider it my apology?¡± As soon as the saint had answered Anthony¡¯s question, she looked kindly at Emilia and spoke. ¡°Would you like your sister to read you a story?¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯d love that!¡± Bernice¡¯s behavior left Anthony speechless, but when she offered to put Emilia to bed, he had to leave the room. In a room lit only by a single candle, the saint began to read to Emilia in a high-pitched voice. As she was nearing the end of the book, ¡°¡­The saint eventually sacrificed himself to save her life. The princess cried for days and days, hoping he would return¡­ but he never did. The saint never came back.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Emilia was sleeping soundly. Now she had to leave the room quietly and talk to Anthony, but¡­ ¡®I wonder if a storybook for a child should end in such a sad tragedy.¡¯ ¡­Bernice was uncharacteristically curious about the story. She read the book to the end, with an excited Emilia by her side but fortunately it was not a tragic ending. God Henerys took pity on them and saved the saint, then they lived happily ever after ¡®I can see why it was banned in the Holy Land.¡¯ Saints and saintesses, the apostles of the gods, were not forbidden to engage in love affairs such as romance or marriage, but the gods were not involved in human life and death. The saint ced the book on Emilia¡¯s bedside table and slipped out of the room. Then she made her way to the living room, where Anthony and the captain were waiting. ¡°What have you been talking about?¡± ¡°I told him that the usations made against him by Aaron have been resolved, and that he will be rewarded by the Holy Land.¡± In¨¦s replies to Bernice as she rises from her seat and Anthony, who had been trembling, spoke next. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do, but¡­¡± ¡°Anthony, the Holy Land does not want to lose someone as loyal as you, and we recognize your value as a merchant, so we ask that you return to the Holy Land.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Anthony could not answer Bernice¡¯s request easily. It was Bernice¡¯s n to bring him back to the Holy Land since he was too valuable to be kept in another country. After a long sip of tea, Anthony spoke up. ¡°There are so many things I felt when I left the Holy Land¡­ Even though it¡¯s my homnd and my daughter¡¯s homnd, I don¡¯t know if I ever want to go back there.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± ¡°But I have been following your progress. I may not return to the Holy Land, but I want to do my part by helping you¡­ Well, if I do help, it will be with material things like money, but¡­¡± ¡°That means¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to support you, even if it¡¯s only in a small way.¡± Anthony¡¯s voice echoes through the room. ¡®Patron.¡¯ Now that Aaron, the man who stood in the way of Anthony¡¯s business, is gone, he will have the wealth to be called a patron at any time he chooses and his financial support would be a great help to Bernice in her future endeavors as a saint. In the end, the conversation with Anthony is settled. The Holy Land has promised him thepensation he deserves for his injustice, and he agreed to be her patron. The source of the money was trustworthy, and Anthony¡¯s reputation was assured in many ways. Leaving Anthony¡¯s house, In¨¦s whispers to Bernice. ¡°With the backing of someone of Anthony¡¯s stature¡­ I¡¯m sure it will be a great help in our future endeavors against demons.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear it.¡± Destroying the demons that live in hiding across the continent was the task of a saint, and it was what the Lord wanted her to do. Before Bernice climbed into the carriage, she called out to In¨¦s. ¡°In¨¦s, the blind acupuncturist, can you scrape together any information on him?¡± ¡°Has he piqued your interest?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious, since he must have met a lot of people, and they described him as mysterious.¡± Bernice realized that she would like to have a conversation with him, at least once. *** The keys to the ultra-luxury cabin, given to me by the chairman of the board, Hubert Graham, were handed over to the manager before disembarking the airship. Since the tour was over, I had to ¡®clean up¡¯ and all sorts of items and unused skill points were waiting for me. There was no rest for me and the night I returned to the Academy, I had to get on the carriage immediately. My most pressing need was the Tear of the Dead. Thankfully, neither Mikhail nor the Allies had mentioned the gem when I was questioned, but it was too dangerous to carry around so I set out to find Deidros, the Gold Dragon and cksmith. I approached Deidros mansion, chewing hard on the antler of the Dius I had gotten from Mikhail. Dius antler tasted bitter. It wasn¡¯t disgusting, but it was hard to chew. Perhaps I should ground it into powder. I touched the barrier around the mansion and Sierra sensed it too. [Judging by the barrier, I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s still here.] ¡°¡­I see.¡± If he had left and changed his identity he would¡¯ve been very hard to find due to the nature of polymorphic magic. Everything else was the same as thest time I was here except that the door to the mansion opened before I could open it. Deidros appears in the doorway and looks at me quizzically. ¡°¡­First, let me ask you this: do you have good news or bad news?¡± ¡°Good news.¡± Deidros¡¯ face lights up at my answer and he opens the door wider. ¡°And for me¡­?¡± I trailed off as I entered the mansion and Deidros¡¯ head tilted as he smiled at my meaningful words. I nonchntly closed the open door. Then, turning to Deidros, who was still tilting his head, I took the jewel from my bosom and handed it to him. ¡°What is it¡­?¡± Deidros took the jewelry and examined it carefully. ¡°I didn¡¯t make it¡­I got it after killing the Lich in the North.¡± Deidros confirms the gem¡¯s identity and I quickly exin before it begins to radiate with life. ¡°A jewel of immense life force¡­ The Tear of the Dead, second only to the Vampiric Iron¡­ You seem to have a knack for picking up dangerous things.¡± Deidros said, handing the gem back to me. ¡°Can you exin to me what it does?¡± ¡°It grants you immense regenerative powers, but only for those already dead. For dragons, it¡¯s enough to extend their lifespan by a few decades; for humans¡­As I understand it, you can only avoid death once.¡± Deidros said, unscrewing the cap from a sk on the table and as he poured himself a drink, he realized my intentions. ¡°No way¡­ Zetto, you¡¯re going to use that¡­¡± ¡°¡­Just in case something dangerous happens. I wonder if I could put it in my body¡­Is that possible?¡± ¡°Embedding the Tear of the Dead into your body¡­ Whoa¡­ You have more oundish ideas than I, who have lived for centuries. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve only ever embedded gems into weapons and armors, but never into bodies.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± In the game, I could have had Deidros do all sorts of things. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because he¡¯s a dragon, or if it¡¯s because he¡¯s done a lot of different things, but¡­ I¡¯m sure he could do something as simple as embedding a gem in my body. As I stood still, Deidros, who had taken a drink, mmed his ss down with a tter on the table and spoke. ¡°I think I can ¡­¡­ do it, but¡­ It¡¯s going to be insanely painful.¡± I smiled at Deidros¡¯s casual response and opened my mouth to speak. ¡°I¡¯vee prepared for that.¡± Chapter 70: Tear of the Dead and the Blind Saint Chapter 70: Tear of the Dead and the Blind Saint I came to Deidros to embed the Tear of the Dead into my body. The question was where to ce the jewel. But Deidros already had an answer. ¡°So¡­ It has to be near the heart?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better if it¡¯s in the form of a piece of jewelry, so the wearer can be recognized. If you choose to wear it on your body, it must be ¡®imprinted¡¯ with you. In the case of the Tear of the Dead, I would suggest the heart, since it is the source of life.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I leaned back on the couch and tilted my head as Deidros exined. ¡®I guess this is a fantasy world¡­¡¯ I¡¯ve never had jewelry embedded in my body, even in the game. But the Tear of the Dead was sealed like a Spectral Sword, and I couldn¡¯t hide the energy that leaked out. I chewed on the Dius antler for a while, remaining silent. Then Deidros asked me a question. ¡°What are you chewing on?¡± ¡°The antler of Dius. I got it as a reward for catching the Lich.¡± Deidros is horrified at the mention of Dius¡¯ antler. ¡°Is your tongue all right¡­?¡± ¡°My tongue?¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, Dius antlers have a terrible taste¡­¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t been able to taste the richness of any foodtely. I wonder if my tongue is getting weird because I¡¯ve been eating weird things but if ¡®superior senses¡¯ included the sense of taste¡­it was understandable. [Disciple, are you okay¡­? I think taste is a pretty important aspect of life¡­] ¡°It¡¯s fine, Master. If I¡¯m going to eat something like this in the future, I might as well not be able to taste it.¡± [Still, I think it¡¯s important to be able to taste¡­] As Sierra and I are having this conversation, Deidros shakes his head. ¡°No matter how many times I look at it, it¡¯s mysterious.¡± With that, he took a drink from the ss on the table. He was a dragon, so he had no concept of drunkenness; to get drunk, he would have to consume liquids that would be near poisonous to humans. Deidros stood up abruptly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± I followed his lead and was soon stripped of my robes andid down on a long table. Potions of unknown usey on my bedside table and as the cold table touched my warm flesh, I realized what I was about to do. Deidros held out a potion to me. ¡°What is this? Is it some kind of anesthetic?¡± ¡°¡­I thought you said you were expecting to get sick. It¡¯s an elixir. I¡¯ll be sorry if you die on the way, so drink it beforehand.¡± Deidros¡¯s blunt reply left me speechless. ¡®An elixir¡­¡¯ It was one of the rarest potions in the game. Far from being a normal healing potion, it was a divine magic ¡®heal¡¯ level potion. At this point, I wondered if he was giving away his status as a Gold Dragon but I immediately gulped down the elixir since there was no point in dying before I could get my one resurrection. ¡°¡­Here we go. I suggest you try to stay as still as possible.¡± And with that, dragon scales grew from his outstretched index finger, turning into sharp dragon nails¡­ or ws but either way, they were sharp. It hurt as his ws got near my heart. His hand slides down and blood gushes out through my tender skin. ¡°If you think you¡¯re going to die, let me know, and I¡¯ll pour you an elixir.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ that¡¯s so¡­¡­ Thanks¡­¡± Having my chest opened and closed while I was still awake was both painful and ethereal. Soon enough, Deidros slips a jewel into my chest cavity. Then he mumbles something like an incantation. I couldn¡¯t make out thenguage but something about ancient runes or dragonnguage shes through my mind. [Hmph¡­ The gem is slowly taking root in your heart, it¡¯s a mysterious sight.] Sierra, who has been watching the ¡®surgery¡¯ intuitively, lets out an exmation. Soon Deidros stops chanting and withdraws his hand that was covered in blood. He closes my open chest wound and pours the elixir into it. ¡°¡­¡­I think we¡¯re done here.¡± Deidros said after pouring the entire bottle of elixir. I would have thought it would have been a simple task, but this is Deidros, not anyone else. Iy there, barely able to move my arm, groping for my chest wound to see if it had healed. ¡®Closed already.¡¯ New flesh seemed to have sprouted in the gap so I pushed myself up from the table and smiled at Deidros. Sierra walked over to me and hugged me tightly. Her bouncing breasts block my face and her voice echoes in my head as she strokes my hair. [That must have been painful¡­ but you¡¯ve endured it well, and now not even death can separate us.] ¡°Only once, haha¡­¡± Sierra seemed inwardly pleased to hear the effect of the Tear of the Dead, as it meant that my contract with her could somehow be extended. It was then that a wide-eyed Deidros held out the elixir to me. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, but your mouth is dripping with blood.¡± [Really, it¡¯s on me, too.] Sierra added after Deidros. After hearing his words, I wiped my mouth and found a lot of blood. There was also blood on Sierra¡¯s chest, which was blocking my face. I wondered if I could touch her because it was my blood but I couldn¡¯t tell from the details. Deidros doesn¡¯t mention it, so the blood on Sierra is invisible. As Sierra contemtes what to do with the blood, she wipes it off her chest with her hand and licks it off. ¡°¡­Master?¡± [I am in the process of cleaning up¡­] Sierra stammered, turning her head away from me. It was probably the first time she¡¯d put something in her mouth since she¡¯d been dead, and even though it couldn¡¯t possibly have tasted good, she licked it clean, leaving no trace of blood behind. I slid off the table and immediately opened the status window to see if it was working. To my delight, I saw ¡°Tear of the Dead [Engraved]¡± in the list of equipped items. I finally had one extra life. ¡®I guess I can start pushing myself a bit now.¡¯ I don¡¯t n to use my extra life for nothing but I¡¯m confident that I¡¯ll be able to make it just barely to the end of the game. Of course, the Tear of the Dead might have some side effects since it contains the souls of hundreds of people but I don¡¯t know what they are because I haven¡¯t experienced them. Deidros, who had been observing me, spoke up. ¡°I have a good feeling, and the energy is well hidden¡­ It¡¯s hard to feel it unless someone touches your chest.¡± ¡°Thank you, but how do I pay you for this job? What do you suggest?¡± I asked him, ncing at the three neatly emptied bottles of elixir. ¡°Compensation¡­ Remuneration¡­¡± Deidros trailed off, hesitantly. He didn¡¯t seem to want to be paid this time, since he hadn¡¯t created anything like a Spectral Sword. ¡®You want me to work for you?¡¯ In the game, this is also the time when you¡¯re sent on misceneous quests like running errands. At one point, Deidros interrupts the conversation. ¡°¡­We have a visitor.¡± It¡¯s as if he¡¯s sensed someone entering the settlement. A knock on the door of the mansion immediately follows Deidros¡¯ words and Deidros roughly wipes the blood off with a cloth and approaches the door. ¡°Chief¡­ My child¡­¡­¡± The door opened and a viger carrying a child appeared. From a distance, I could see a scar on her ankle. ¡°This is¡­ He must have been attacked by a poisonous creature¡­¡­ We¡¯ll have to call a cleric.¡± As he spoke, Deidros¡¯ tone and voice quickly changed to that of the young chief. ¡°Yes, thank you¡­ I¡¯m very grateful¡­ but I don¡¯t know if he can make it through the night¡­ The child is in so much pain¡­¡± I eavesdropped on their conversation from a distance and made a decision. There are many ways Deidros could have cured the child. But from the way he talks about calling a cleric, it sounds like he doesn¡¯t want to use his money or power as a dragon to solve all of the town¡¯s problems since it wouldn¡¯t feel natural. However, if it was a simple case of detoxification, acupuncture could do the trick and I always kept a kit in my backpack. I approached Deidros slowly. Deidros hears my approach and shuts the door behind him, saying, ¡°Excuse me,¡± to the resident. He looked at me. ¡°I think I can handle this.¡± I pull a needle out of my backpack, hold it up to him. ¡°¡­ You know how to do acupuncture, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°As far as detoxification goes, yes, but would it be better if I didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ It looks like the poison has already spread through the body, so waiting for the cleric will be toote¡­ Good.¡± And that was the end of my conversation with Deidros. Deidros reopened the closed door and looked at the viger waiting at the door. ¡°This is an old friend of mine, and he says he knows how to do acupuncture. Could you please trust me with this?¡± The viger looked at the bandages around my eyes and shuddered, but I could see the trust that Deidros had built up as the vige chief. Detoxification was fairly straightforward. It took a while because the poison was spread out, but it wasn¡¯t hard work. ¡°¡­I think that¡¯s it.¡± I said to the boy¡¯s mother, who had her back turned to me as I retrieved the needles from his body. It wasn¡¯t long before the unconscious boy opened his eyes and called out for his mother, and she approached him with tears in her eyes. I give them some space and approach Deidros, who is watching with his arms crossed. ¡°I never thought you could do acupuncture¡­There was a very famous blind acupuncturist once upon a time. He was Eastern, too, and there seems to be a lot of ovep with you.¡± I wondered if he was referring to the man who had created acupuncture that Prisci had told me about when I was trying to learn it. ¡°You asked how I wanted to be paid¡­How about going around town since there are a lot of ill here.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s fine with me, but acupuncture has its limits, I can¡¯t cure everything. Will it be enough?¡± ¡°It is enough.¡± Deidros replied, and went back to walking around the vigete at night, treating people for small andrge ailments and injuries. Deidros had memorized who was injured, how, and what they were suffering from. This made it easy for me to recognize what I could and couldn¡¯t treat. When I ran out of the needles I was carrying as we made our rounds through the vige, Deidros hurried back to his mansion and handed me a bundle of needles he had made in the meantime. It waste, but at some point the vigers began to gather, and I was eventually forced to ce the needles in front of most of the vigers. Thest one was a young girl who was suffering from a slight headache. She was terrified of the idea of sticking needles in her body, so I had to gently coax her to calm down. ¡°There, that doesn¡¯t hurt at all, does it?¡± ¡°Ouch¡­¡± The girl¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at the needle in her arm. The girl¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at the needle in her arm. Then she started jumping up and down on the spot, insisting that her head didn¡¯t hurt. ¡°I heard you¡¯re a friend of the vige chief¡­¡± ¡°A saint¡­¡± ¡°A blind saint¡­¡± ¡°A saint hase to this little vige¡­¡± The townspeople who were watching can be heard murmuring. ¡­Most of the vigers felt the same way. When I was done, I turned to Deidros. ¡°Why does it sound like they think I¡¯m a saint¡­?¡± I asked, simply curious because it wasn¡¯t just this town, but the Academy as well. Deidros took a sip of his drink and spoke up. ¡°Hahaha,e to think of it, since you can¡¯t read, you don¡¯t know the ¡®fairy tale book¡¯.¡± ¡°A fairy tale book?¡± ¡°Yes, there is such a thing. I guess they felt that what you were doing and saying was simr to the saint in that fairy tale.¡± ¡°Aha¡­¡± I hadn¡¯t really heard anything about storybooks while ying the game, so I didn¡¯t know what to say. [I¡¯m not sure which children¡¯s books he¡¯s referring to, since I¡¯m not that interested in books either.] Sierra was no different but it¡¯s not a big deal. I changed the subject and chatted a bit more with Deidros. He seemed to like me in a lot of ways, probably because I¡¯d done so well on our first meeting. ¡°¡­I should probably get back.¡± It was gettingte and it would be morning before I could say goodbye and leave Deidros¡¯s mansion. ¡°Where are you going now?¡± asked the vigers I met on my way to the carriage¡­ ¡°Wherever my feet take me.¡± ¡­and with that, I turned away from them and boarded the carriage. The destination was, of course, the Innocence Academy. Chapter 71: Two Masks Chapter 71: Two Masks My day at the Academy went rather normally. I returned to my dormitory straight from ss and stood still in the corner of my room, sword drawn. Sierra stood beside me, counting the seconds. ¡®Soon¡­¡¯ ¡­about the time I thought it would be¡­blood trickled out of my mouth. I immediately stopped using Reverse Heaven and wiped the blood from the corners of my mouth, then Iid down on the bed behind me. ¡°A few seconds¡­ Gained?¡± I asked, turning my head to face Sierra. [You canst eighteen seconds now, and your proficiency in Chapter 2 is noticeably better¡­ I haven¡¯t done much for you as a teacher¡­but I¡¯m proud of you.] Sierra walked up to me, smiled, and patted my head. I was relieved and checked the status window. Lv.33 Skills: -Ghost yer Technique Lv.22 -Sierra Reverse Heaven (Iplete) Lv.5 ¨C [Ghost yer Technique] in effect -Superior Senses Lv.7 -Weakness Detection lv.MAX ¨C [Blindfold That is Beyond Reason] in effect -Acupuncture Lv.3 Skill Points remaining: 3 Equipped Items: ¨C Blindfold That is Beyond Reason [Legendary] ¨C Bracelet of Origin [Epic] -Spectral Sword Sierra [Inheritance] -The Hero¡¯s Favor Ne [Epic] -Shroud of Night [Unique] -Tear of the Dead [Inscription] The skill points I gained this time were almost spent. I spent four Skill Points on Ghost yer Technique, as I had been doing all along, but¡­I couldn¡¯t increase its level. Just to be on the safe side, I used two more points and the Ghost yer Technique level finally increased and so I was down to three skill points from nine. It seems that the required level of the skill has been increased from 1 level for every 4 skill points of Ghost yer Technique to 1 level for every 6 skill points. ¡®I thought I was close to learning Chapter 3¡­¡¯ I¡¯m still not sure if it¡¯s a good investment, but since the ¡®Blindfold¡¯ grants extra experience all I had to do was to level up. If the amount of skill points required increased, it meant it was a good skill, so I decided to take that as a good thing. ¡®If it¡¯s this good¡­¡¯ I finished the math in my head and turned to Sierra. ¡°I was thinking of taking out a demon today¡­¡± Sierra¡¯s eyes narrow at my unexpected words. [Demons¡­? You¡¯re going to fight a demon? It¡¯s been a little while since you¡¯ve fought a lich, and you¡¯re going to go again? I wonder if you¡¯re pushing yourself too hard with the power of the bracelet¡­] Sierra immediately interrupted me. ¡®Didn¡¯t I get enough rest?¡¯ Still, it was something I¡¯d been nning for a while and I¡¯d better take care of it before it was toote. It was the process to keep Aizel alive and I wanted to kill the weakest of the demons who wanted her life. They were sharing information with each other, and I was not going to mess with them too much, because it would be a mistake. It was probably too early, but I figured I¡¯d have a better chance of catching them now. [Disciple, have you ever dealt with a demon before?] ¡°Not really.¡± At my incredulous answer, Sierra presses her forehead against mine and closes her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it was my first time with a lich, too.¡± I smile at her, hoping to ease her worries. It wasn¡¯t an entirely unreasonable thing to say, since I fought a lot of demons in the game, but never in real life. Demons are a race that looks very much like humans, but with demonic horns on their heads. The horns contain and store the life force of living creatures, allowing them to increase their magicka (mana equivalent for demons), or power. They drew their life force primarily from humans, their reasoning being that the lifeblood of beasts and monsters was inferior to that of humans and the more humans they killed, the stronger they became. Because of the god they served and their way of life they would inevitably sh with humans. Sierra listened to my story and paced around the room, tapping her finger against her lips. She seemed to be thinking about something. Then she stepped in front of me and opened her mouth. [¡­You don¡¯t mean the ones in the demonnds, you mean the ones who hide among the humans.] Sierra gave the correct answer, and I nodded. There were some demons that could cover their horns and sneak into humannds, living and breathing among the humans while gathering strength as they killed them. Their horns concealed the magicka that flowed from their bodies, making them indistinguishable from humans. Of course, the humans were aware of this and were doing something about it. For example, the holy order serving Lord Henerys had even created a knight order to hunt down demons and a saint was in charge of the knights. During the time of war, it was the role of saints to castrge-scale healing magic on the battlefield, but with the ceasefire, it was assumed that espionage was taking ce, so saints were given that role. Note that the previous Saint was killed in the war so Bernice was the next saint to appear with a bit of time to spare. Considering her ¡®abilities¡¯ as a saint, she was quite capable of identifying demons. But it¡¯s toote to hope that they¡¯ll be able to eliminate the demons targeting Aizel. Reporting them won¡¯t work since the system was not so wed that it would listen to information from those whose identities were uncertain. The ones targeting Aizel were particrly sophisticated and the only way to eliminate them and reduce the number of cases was to take direct action. In the case of the saint, it would be determinedter, when I made contact with them, whether I could borrow her power or not. Sierra sidles up to me, her dark hair fluttering, and wraps her arms around me. There wasn¡¯t much strength in her body. Then she puts her face close to my ear and opens her mouth and Sierra¡¯s lilting voice echoes in my head. [Even I won¡¯t be able to stop you¡­my apprentice has a bad habit of trying to carry things on his own¡­] ¡°¡­¡± [You must promise me that you will get plenty of rest after this is over.] ¡°¡­¡­I understand.¡± It would certainly be good to get some rest when this was over. She must have so many questions but no words came out of her mouth, instead Sierra was holding me in a warm embrace. *** Recently, a theatrical adaptation of a fairy tale with a saint as the main character has be very popr in the theater. Oswald was ying the lead role of the saint in the production, and he had recently been making a big ssh as an actor. When the male actor originally assigned to the role suddenly disappeared, Oswald stepped into the role but it was all Oswald¡¯s doing, or rather, the demon Krektar. That¡¯s right, Oswald was a demon, not a human. Despite being a demon, he didn¡¯t just blend in and hide among humans, he was an actor who made a name for himself. As an actor, he was often in thepany of noblemen, which gave him ess to information about the humans. On the other hand, he loved theater, which was the culture of the humans. Oswald found a thrill and euphoria in the act of performing a double act, ying a human among humans and acting as another character in a y. The demons around Oswald didn¡¯t understand him, but he didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t think it was worth talking to fools who didn¡¯t understand art. ¡°Come on, Oswald, we¡¯ll go first.¡± ¡°Yeah, you guys did a great job on this one. Don¡¯t bete for morning practice. I¡¯ll practice a little more and then I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°You always work so hard, you should take care of yourself sometimes.¡± Oswald smiled warmly and waved to his fellow actors as they left the waiting room. Among them was one who had made a mistake in today¡¯s y and he didn¡¯t like it since he ruined the y. Oswald watched him leave the waiting room and contemted killing him and sucking the life out of him, just as he had dared to steal his role but he finally shook his head and cleared it. ¡®Just once. Just one more mistake.¡¯ It¡¯s never toote to take care of him. At a time like this, when tickets were selling briskly, it would be a hassle to have to stop the y if an actor disappeared in the middle of a performance. He turned his head and caught sight of a letter on the waiting room table. The seal that held the envelope closed was enchanted, making it impossible to open without using demonic power, or magicka. It was a letter from his demon colleagues. When the actors werepletely out of sight, he infused the seals with magicka and broke the envelope¡¯s seal. ¡°Let me see¡­¡± He took out the letter and read it slowly. It spoke of a test subject they had once had. ¡°¡­You¡¯re alive, Aizel¡­And you even have thest name Ludwig?¡± Oswald muttered with a wicked grin as he read the letter. It wasn¡¯t good news, to say the least. Aizel Ludwig, the sole survivor of the Ludwig n, thest time he¡¯d seen her was decades ago. The fact that Aizel, their test subject, was still alive was troubling in more ways than one, hence the letter, requesting a meeting in the near future. ¡°You were attending the Innocence Academy¡­? Good choice, an academy would be hard to mess with.¡± After he finished reading the letter, he folded it and reminisced for a moment. He remembered the young Aizel being experimented on, her face expressionless, and him pointing out that it wasn¡¯t natural. Oswald had told her at length how to make it look natural to people and how to get better at acting. ¡°¡­I wish I hadn¡¯t done that since she faked her death.¡± Oswald was ecstatic that Eisel had fooled him but in the end, he had to kill her since her survival would mean their failure. If they got it wrong, the Leader would have their heads. Still, the demon who sent him the letter seemed to have a n already in mind. ¡®He may be a dull fellow who knows nothing of the arts, but he¡¯s the smartest and mostpetent of the lot, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯lle up with a solution as soon as the meeting starts.¡¯ Oswald clicked his tongue as he burned the letter. Just when he thought his life as an actor was going so well, this happened. As Oswald finished burning the letter, he heard someone approach the waiting room. Soon, a stranger entered the waiting room. ¡®¡­A blind man.¡¯ The dark-haired man had a bandage over his eyes and his handsome ck coat matched him quite well. ¡°How may I help you? This is the actors¡¯ waiting room¡­did you take a wrong turn?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen the y, Mr. Oswald.¡± Said the blind man in response to Oswald¡¯s question. ¡®What, he is a fan¡­?¡¯ Oswald didn¡¯t quite understand how the blind man could say he had seen the y, but he could hear the words, so he assumed the tone of his voice was good. ¡°I¡¯m d you liked it, sir, but as I said, this is a waiting room for the actors of the theaterpany.¡± Oswald spoke nice to the blind man since that was his image as an actor. His recent fame had brought him many strange admirers, so this was no big deal. However, the words that came out of the blind man¡¯s mouth did not sit well with Oswald. ¡°¡­I thought your acting was a little stilted.¡± The blind man dared to criticize his performance. ¡°¡­Where did you feel that way?¡± Oswald¡¯s brow furrowed, but he was curious to hear what the man had to say. Instead, he was going to pay for his tongueshing with his life. The blind man smiled and opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m afraid your performance as the human, Oswald, was a little off.¡± Chapter 72: Traces Chapter 72: Traces ***Saint POV*** ¡°The scent of demonic blood is always bad.¡± I said, slowly scanning the interior of the room. The room, which was supposed to be the actors¡¯ dressing room for the troupe, was a mess in the aftermath of the battle. Demon body parts littered the room, and menacing sword marks were carved into the walls. ¡°You say you¡¯re a theater actor who¡¯s been making a name for yourselftely, I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before.¡± I said, ncing at the dismembered face of a demon lying in the center of the room. ¡®Why is it that they¡¯re always in the shadows¡­?¡¯ The question was not easily answered. I could somehow understand being in a theater, but being an actor and having your face blown off was another story. I wondered if he was targeting the nobles who came to see the y, especially the high ranking officials. ¡°What does In¨¦s think?¡± I asked Ines, the leader of the Silver Winged Knights, who was watching from the sidelines. She looks around the room, then turns her head to me. ¡°Hmm¡­ As messy as it was, the battle seems to have ended more quickly than I expected, though both sides possessed intimidating speed¡­ though I suspect the nameless swordsman was faster.¡± ¡°I see, and besides¡­It didn¡¯t take its horns.¡± I replied to Ines¡¯ exnation, stepping closer to thepletely butchered corpse of the demon, bending down to examine the horn on its forehead. The horn was ckish-red in color. It wasn¡¯t a ¡®ck horned¡¯ demon, but it would have taken considerable force to take it on alone. Its cracked horns leaked remnants of magicka. How many humans had died at the hands of this filthy fiend? I snapped my fingers, cleansing the room of any lingering demonic energy, and stood up. ¡°I wonder if not taking the horns means they don¡¯t belong to any nation or organization.¡± The demon horn was basically a way for a person to prove that they had exterminated a demon. ¡°What about the sword marks, can they tell us anything about a particr school of swordsmanship¡­¡± I asked as I approached Ines, who was staring at the sword marks on the wall. ¡°I¡¯m trying to visualize what the battle might have been like¡­At first I thought it was a sword, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a sword, because a sword doesn¡¯t make rough marks like that. Swords are a bit more refined. So that means he scratched the wall directly with the de¡­right there.¡± In¨¦s pointed her finger toward the entrance, away from the room. How could a sword reach that far when it wasn¡¯t even a sword? It didn¡¯t make sense, but Ines wasn¡¯t wrong either. I believed in what Ines was saying. I didn¡¯t know much about swordsmanship, so I had to take her word for it that she belonged to the Round, or Knights of the Round Table. Knights of the Round Table, also known as the Round is a term used to describe the ten most powerful knights on the continent. The Round originally had twelve seats, but one was still vacant due to the death of the original Round, and the other was reserved for Sword Saint. Although he had vowed not to join the round, they had still left his spot open. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this is new to me as well, Saint. I apologize for not being more helpful.¡± Ines, who had been scanning the trail, bowed her head. ¡°¡­Ines, raise your head. It¡¯s enough that we can see the intentions of whoever it is. This mysterious figure has found a demon that we didn¡¯t even realize was there, and he¡¯s done it in secret.¡± I paced the room, scanning my surroundings. Looking at the body parts I wondered if he had been forced to cut them off in the middle of a battle. Did he get some kind of pleasure from killing demons? Or did he just want to make it suffer? After a few moments of contemting this rather gruesome sight, I heard amotion outside the room and a member of the troupe rushed into the waiting room, shouting. ¡°Holy Mother, the Golden Lions are here¡­!¡± The Knights of the Golden Lion, were a knight order from the kingdom of Terracia that, like us, hunted demons that lurked in humannds. It is an unwritten rule that dealing with demons knows no country, race, or jurisdiction, so why did theye here sote? ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Soon after, a blond man in golden armor, representing the Golden Lion, enters the room with his henchmen. ¡°¡­Lord Terlos, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± Terlos Okentia, the leader of the Knights of the Golden Lion. ¡°I thought I saw a lot of winged things on the way here¡­You¡¯re here in person.¡± ¡°She is here. You¡¯d better watch yournguage, Terlos.¡± In¨¦s responded to Terlos¡¯ insult with a sharp voice. ¡°Oops,¡± Terlos says, and holds out his palms. ¡°It¡¯s okay, In¨¦s, so¡­ What brings you here?¡± My frosty voice echoes through the room, and Terlos looks at the man beside him, then opens his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s because my man took care of the demon here.¡± ¡°His horns are still embedded in his forehead.¡± In¨¦s retorted, immediately recognizing the absurdity of Terlos¡¯ im. ¡°Well¡­ He said he forgot to bring his horns, ha ha!¡± Terlos smirked and patted the shoulder of the subordinate standing next to him. ¡°¡­This is my first time ying alone¡­ I apologize. Hehe¡­¡± His subordinate scratched his cheeks and smiled wryly. ¡°Phew¡­ Lord Terlos, you saw that this is a theater and you¡¯ve prepared a y? What a ridiculous y, you should have practiced a bit more¡­¡± I burst outughing, and Terlos¡¯ eyes widened in confusion. They were lying and there was a distinctly unpleasant aura about them since my god given abilities would make no mistake. ¡°¡­Ines.¡± As I called out to Ines¡¯ name in a low voice, she disappeared in an instant from next to me and appeared in front of Terlos¡¯ subordinate, pointing a sword at his throat. ¡°How dare you speak falsehoods before a saint, an apostle of the Lord?¡± In¨¦s¡¯ murderous voice immediately followed and Terlos¡¯ henchman was shaking with fear. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, In¨¦s?¡± Terlos was about to draw his sword, but his foolishness was interrupted by my words. ¡°If you go ahead and draw your sword, I¡¯m not going to stand idly by, and I don¡¯t think you realize, Sir Terlos, that we have thest word.¡± My words stung, and Terlos stopped moving, unable to utter a word. I stared at him and continued. ¡°If a new saint has appeared, you should have at least seen what she is capable of. If you will excuse me, Sir Terlos, I¡¯ll let your rudeness slide this time.¡± Terlos¡¯ subordinate, who hadn¡¯t gotten the better of In¨¦s, is hit and stumbles backwards. ¡®A guy like that, single-handedly defeating a demon¡­How ridiculous.¡¯ In¨¦s had heard that Terlos, the leader of the Knights of the Golden Lion, was much more foolish than he appeared, but she hadn¡¯t expected him to be this foolish. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going back.¡± With that, Terlos kicked his man off the ground and left the room. The man scrambled to his feet and followed him. ¡°How is it that the Kingdom is always sote with information¡­I can¡¯t believe they don¡¯t even know what the Saint¡¯s abilities are¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s possible, didn¡¯t In¨¦s say that Terlos was just a puppet anyway?¡± ¡°Yes. He wasn¡¯t there this time, but the Golden Lion¡¯s deputy leader. It¡¯s safe to say he controls the Golden Lion, not the leader.¡± ¡°Terlos is foolish, so he¡¯s easy to take advantage of.¡± ¡°¡­He¡¯s up to something, that¡¯s for sure. Maybe this wasn¡¯t something he nned, but I can¡¯t imagine what he¡¯s up to.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I pondered as I listened to Ines¡¯ exnation. I hadn¡¯t seen the deputy leader of the Golden Lion Knights before, not even in his regr reports of demon yings to the Alliance. I¡¯d have to meet him to get a sense of what he was like, but he rarely showed up. Just then, In¨¦s lets out an ¡°ah¡± and as she approaches me she opens her mouth. ¡°Speaking of information, there was some information about an acupuncturist hailed as a ¡®blind saint¡¯ in a small town not too far from this city.¡± ¡°That reminds me of the blind acupuncturist Anthony met, did he stop by that town?¡± ¡°Yes, from what I¡¯ve heard, he used to go from town to town, healing people, and¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°I had an informant in town tell me that he thought he saw a man with a white bandage over his eyesst night. They say it was a passing glimpse, so it¡¯s not exactly urate, but they don¡¯t know if it has anything to do with this¡­¡­ The sighting wasn¡¯t anywhere near the theater.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Could it be the same person?¡± ¡°A blind man walking around with a bandage covering his eyes¡­ If it¡¯s solid information, I¡¯d say it¡¯s likely the same person, but¡­ I can¡¯t quite picture a blind acupuncturist wielding a sword and catching demons in hiding.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ I agree, it¡¯s quite interesting.¡± I smiled at Ines¡¯petence, and then looked at the ughtered ¡®former demon¡¯ on the other side. No matter how I look at it, these marks seem to be full of emotion¡­ Did he have a grudge against this demon? It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to visit the vige where he must have been. ¡®A saint¡­¡¯ What kind of person is he that everyone he meets says such things? If the man who yed the demon and the man who cured Anthony¡¯s daughter were the same person, then he was a force to be reckoned with. If he didn¡¯t belong to any organization, he was exactly the kind of person I¡¯d want to recruit to my knight order. *** I sought out the ck Hand near the Academy to learn more about Krektar. As an information guild, they keep the location of their branches closely guarded, but there was one person in the ck Hand who I had already made a connection with. Entering the branch, I pressed my robes together and entered her room. ¡°Hmph, Aizel, you¡¯re here?¡± She was hunched over her desk, not even looking at me, but she recognized me instantly. Not surprisingly, even the slightest hint of my approaching presence would have reached her ears as the ¡®branch manager¡¯. ¡°Do you know how much I¡¯ve missed youtely?¡± She greeted me with the same smirk on her face that I hadn¡¯t seen in quite some time. It was something I couldn¡¯t help but feel, since regression after regression had left me with no need for the Information Guild. ¡°Oswald. Tell me if he has air, and if so, where.¡± I ignored her grumbles of frustration and got straight to the point, sitting down in the chair in front of my desk and facing her. ¡°Oswald¡­ You mean the theater actor who became famous recently?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± My teeth grind together as I answer her. He was known as Oswald but the name Krektar was more familiar to me. One of those disgusting demons who came to kill me, always on the same day, who killed my family, my n, and used me as a test subject. They had wiped out the Ludwig n before I had even bonded with my family¡­ I was very young. The regression I¡¯m experiencing is also a ¡°curse¡± of sorts, a result of being used as a guinea pig for their experiments. Fortunately, they don¡¯t know I¡¯m a regressor. Of all of them, Krektar was unique and I had no idea he was an actor in a y. I was never interested in theater, so I may have never known this information. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I had stumbled upon him in front of the theater while wandering the city with Zettost time but Zetto and I killed him then. We killed him so quickly that we didn¡¯t have time to get any information from him. ¡®We were together then¡­¡¯ The memory of the battle with Zettoes flooding back and a bitter taste tingles in my mouth. I shook it out of my head. This time, I was going to kill him alone. I could easily subdue him and torture him by myself now but the next words that came out of her mouth were a bit of a surprise. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to watch the y¡­ I wonder if you¡¯re interested in demons?¡± The branch chief pushed herself up from her desk, stretched, and turned to me. ¡°Even with the ck Hand, I wouldn¡¯t have known that Oswald was a demon¡­¡± ¡­But why did the word ¡®demon¡¯e out of her mouth? Her next words revealed the reason. ¡°Oswald was found ughtered, with horns sprouting from his forehead, cut into several pieces¡­ Yuck. It was so gruesome, I had to stop reading the report.¡± Someone killed Krektar before me. Chapter 73: Master’s cooking skills Chapter 73: Master¡¯s cooking skills Krektar was dead but there was no reward to be gained from him. Those who captured demons used to cut off their horns to prove their aplishments, but I didn¡¯t need to because I didn¡¯t belong anywhere. To pretend to belong somewhere¡­No organization woulde to me to dispose of a demon¡¯s corpse. In the end, all I got was experience but at least I gained two levels and was now level 35. I hadn¡¯t gained as many levels as the Lich, so¡­ I didn¡¯t feel like I¡¯d gained much. I spent all my remaining skill points and since there were no big fights for a while, I figured I¡¯d be good enough, so I spent my points on two skills that I usually find useful. Acupuncture went from level 3 to level 5, and Superior Senses went from level 7 to level 10. It¡¯s always nice to have clean numbers. In the case of the Acupuncture skill, the amount of knowledge gained per point was high because it was a healing skill, not abat skill. Level 5 was the skill level required to heal Anthony¡¯s daughter, Emilia. I¡¯ve also made progress in my other senses. If I focused on my hearing, I could now pick up the sound of people¡¯s hearts from a distance. ¡­If I get good enough, I might even be able to tell them apart. These superhuman senses will be useful in the future. The only question that remained was when Aizel would realize that Krektar was dead. If she did, she would sense that something was amiss. Krektar had to die and there was no way I was going to keep him around waiting for Aizel to kill him so it didn¡¯t matter. It was better to be safe than sorry. Things had to happen, and I couldn¡¯t just stand still and let them happen. Despite my recent wanderings outside the academy, Varsum was nowhere to be seen. ¡®If he¡¯s out of the game, he¡¯s out of the game¡­¡¯ I couldn¡¯t say for sure, but it seemed more likely at this point. If he doesn¡¯t show up, I don¡¯t think I need to go looking for him. For now, it was an unknown enemy with unknown attacks. Anyway, back at the academy once again, I was taking a ¡®break¡¯ as I had promised Sierra and since it was the weekend, I decided to take it easy in my dorm. For breakfast, I bought chicken soup from Cranberries Soup. ¡°¡­Mmm.¡± [What¡¯s wrong, it¡¯s a good soup¡­but suddenly it doesn¡¯t taste good to you?] As I scooped up the soup Sierra asked me. ¡°It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t really taste it.¡± Hearing my answer, Sierra clicked her tongue and then opened her mouth. [¡­I wonder if your tongue got weird after eating so many tasteless elixirs.] Sierra, who was pressing her finger to her lips, raised an eyebrow. If this is a side effect of the elixir, I guess it¡¯s a side effect. Soon after, Sierra¡¯s violet eyes roll and she lets out a meaningfulugh. I wonder what she¡¯s going to say. [Fufu¡­I think it¡¯s time for me to show off my cooking skills.] At Sierra¡¯s next words, I stopped stirring my soup. ¡®Cooking¡­?¡¯ I questioned. ¡°¡­How does Master cook?¡± I didn¡¯t think Sierra, who could be considered a spirit, could even touch the ingredients, let alone cook. Then she squinted her eyes and raised a finger to touch my body. [There is a way¡­¡­I have your body.] Sierra was saying she would use my body and I understood what she was saying. Sierra couldn¡¯t possess me, so she had to use my body¡­In my head, I remembered an animation where a mouse was cooking by controlling a human body. ¡°Haha, I have no talent for cooking¡­ I don¡¯t think Master would befortable with me either.¡± [It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m very good at cooking.] Eventually, I finished the soup and Sierra and I went outside to buy the ingredients for the dish. She didn¡¯t tell me what she was going to cook but said she¡¯d let me know when it was ready. We went to the market inside the academy and bought all sorts of vegetables, eastern spices, and a long fish that looked like an eel but was a little more grotesque than an eel. The vendor who was exining it to me said, ¡°This fish is so good for men,¡± and patted me on the shoulder. In the game, I remember that the food made with this fish had quite a high health restoration value and was quite expensive. [That¡¯s right, it had that effect¡­I heard it was good for stamina¡­] ¡­I guess Sierra didn¡¯t realize that it was good for men. I bought the ingredients and went back to my dorm, where I put the ingredients in the kitchen, and Sierra offered to cook. Sierra sneaked up behind me and soon she was hugging me from behind. ¡°¡­Master?¡± [This is how I¡¯ll be able to cook, too.] At my panic, Sierra soothed me in a soothing voice, but it wasn¡¯t out of difort. Her breasts werepletely pressed against my back and I just spent skill points on Superior Senses so I could feel her breasts against my back all too well. ¡®Let¡¯s focus on the food.¡¯ I¡¯ll be fine if I focus on something else. Soon Sierra was resting her face on my shoulder and grabbing my arm with both hands. First, the ingredients. Sierra moved my hand to the knife and said, ¡°Pick it up,¡± and I did while she burst outughing. [Phew¡­ From the way you¡¯re holding the knife like a sword, I can tell that my disciple isn¡¯t used to cooking.] I¡¯ve never been much of a cook since I was used to buying food. Next, she started chopping vegetables. But no matter how good Sierra was at cooking, I couldn¡¯t help but feel ufortable with the state of the vegetables. The vegetables were a bit sloppy. [I thought my apprentice had good dexterity¡­] Sierra muttered to herself as she inspected the vegetables, then moved my arm to pick up the fish. When she says dexterity, I wonder if she¡¯s referring to the way I used to clean my sword. For a moment, I wondered if it would be a good idea to take care of Sierra, since she¡¯s cooking for me. Instead, Sierra, who was trying to clean the fish, stretched out her arm to hold my arm a little closer, and her chest was heaving against my back. It was almost crushing. And then¡­ ¡°¡­¡± ¡­I lost my concentration and sliced my finger with the knife. A small trickle of blood was leaking from my cut index finger. [Disciple, are you okay?] ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just lost my concentration for a moment.¡± I replied, smiling at the worried Sierra. She immediately moved my left arm, where my injured finger was and the next thing I know, my bleeding index finger is in Sierra¡¯s mouth. ¡°Uh¡­¡± My panicked exmation is followed by Sierra opening her mouth. [¡®It¡¯s nothing less than a ¡®cure¡¯¡­] Sierra¡¯s cheeks were flushed, and she started sucking on my finger and the sound of her sucking echoes in my head. I could feel her tongue on my finger, how soft it was¡­ how it moved, and how hot it was in her mouth. ¡°¡­¡± It was so arousing. In this state, it was a good thing Sierra couldn¡¯t see my lower body. Blood must taste good as Sierra was sucking on my finger. The effect of the vampiric iron used to make the Spectral Sword seemed to be strong. Finally, my finger slipped out of Sierra¡¯s mouth and a long line of her thick saliva stretched from her lips to my finger. [The bleeding seems to have stopped somewhat] For some reason, there¡¯s a hint of regret in Sierra¡¯s voice. Oddly enough, the wound had healed and stopped bleeding. Maybe it was her power, or maybe it was just that it was a small cut. Sierra licked her fingers, noticing the dangling saliva. ¡°¡­Mmmm. Let¡¯s finish cooking.¡± I say, coughing and picking up a knife to break the mood. Sierra, who had once again taken hold of both my arms, wiggled them around and started cooking and I tried my best to concentrate and not cut my fingers. The fish was done without a hitch, and I rarely picked up a knife after that. I grilled the fish and saut¨¦ed the vegetables then I sprinkled some spices in the middle of the process and it started to smell delicious. The dish was ready. [This is a dish I used to make often, and while I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s suitable for my apprentice¡¯s pte, I¡¯m confident in its taste¡­!] Sierra said excitedly as I followed her hand to transfer the food to the bowl. Clearly, Sierra was confident in her cooking and even though it looked a little¡­ I couldn¡¯t help it, but it smelled good and spicy because of the spices she had sprinkled in the middle. I wasn¡¯t confident about spicy food. ¡®I can¡¯t even eat spicy curry, but spicy fish¡­¡¯ Why do people like spicy food? I set the bowl down on the table as I thought about it. Then I grabbed my cutlery and sat down. Sierra watched me silently from the sidelines, anxiously awaiting my reaction. I dipped my fork into a piece of bone-in fish and the vegetables on the side then I popped it into my mouth. [How are my culinary skills?] I chewed the food and swallowed, then opened my mouth to give her an answer. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s delicious.¡± Unlike the smell, it wasn¡¯t too spicy and it tasted even better because Sierra had put her heart into it. The food was quickly devoured and it was a quality meal that I wouldn¡¯t mind paying for. [ Hmph, I can¡¯t believe you ate so quickly¡­ It seems I¡¯ve restored my apprentice¡¯s lost sense of taste.] Watching me finish the food, Sierra sped her hands together, smiled, while I said. ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± I¡¯ll do it again anytime you want, but next time I think it would be better if I cooked in front of you. ¡­I can¡¯t reach it as well from behind.] Said Sierra, pursing her lips and I visualized her cooking in front of me. ¡­There¡¯s a high probability that something very embarrassing will happen. ¡°¡­I suppose that¡¯s true.¡± Still, I couldn¡¯t say no to someone offering to cook for me out of the goodness of their heart, so I nodded and stood up to clean up the dishes. ¡°Since you seem to be stuck in your room all day, why don¡¯t we go for a walk?¡± After putting the dishes away, I walked over to Sierra and suggested a walk. There was nothing more to do in the room and she¡¯d been moving around so much that she was getting anxious to be still. [Why don¡¯t you go on this break alone? I think you need some alone time sometimes¡­] Sierra was looking out for me. I was happy to have her around, but she was never intrusive, so I couldn¡¯t say no to her. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll be gone for a while, and I¡¯ll make sure to clean the sword for your cooking when I get back.¡± [That¡¯s okay, there is no rust on the sword¡­! Hurry up and go¡­!] Sierra suddenly pulled away from me, wrapping her arms around herself and huddling. I smiled at her, put on my coat, and left the room. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been out alone.¡¯ *** Krektar sudden death and his connection to Zetto was the only variable in the regression. My head was spinning, and I needed to organize my thoughts. I came to the small flower garden at the academy. It was where Zetto had brought me in the previous episode. I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s there, or who put it there, but¡­ It wasn¡¯t a popr spot for eager cadets, so it was always quiet around here. Still, I was curious why he brought me to this garden when he couldn¡¯t even see the flowers? Was it simply because he liked the scent? Zetto didn¡¯t seem to know much about flowers. Nevertheless, he brought me here as if he knew I liked flowers. At that moment, I was on the verge of breaking down. ¡­Now that I think about it, maybe I just wanted to make a fool of Zetto. He had always understood me and held my hand so I wouldn¡¯t give up right here, in this spot. I was in this beautiful flower garden, looking at the ground, not the flowers, and feeling increasingly depressed when I could feel someone approaching the garden. I heard footsteps¡­ and I knew who it was. Then he spotted me, and I heard his voice. ¡°Miss Aizel?¡± Zetto called out to me as I poked my head into the flower garden. My head was already spinning with thoughts of Zetto, but now that I had his face in my eyes, it was rapidly bing nk. ¡°This is¡­ A flower garden, it looks like there are a lot of flowers.¡± Zetto said as he approached me, sniffing the scents around him. I wondered if this was his first time in the garden at this time of year and I didn¡¯t respond to him, but as he leaned closer to me, he continued nonchntly. ¡°By the way, you were sitting in front of the flower beds the other day. Does Miss Aizel like flowers by any chance?¡± His sweet voice echoed through the fragrant flower garden so I stared at him and replied. ¡°¡­¡­I like them a lot.¡± Chapter 74: Memories of the Flower Garden Chapter 16: Memories of the Flower Garden ¡°Come to think of it, you were sitting in front of the flower bed the other day. Does Miss Aizel like flowers by any chance?¡± Zetto asked me and I stared at him nkly, then spoke up. ¡°¡­¡­I like them. A lot.¡± I used the excuse of liking flowers to tell him what I hadn¡¯t been able to tell him the previous time. I like you. I love you. Thank you. I¡¯m sorry. There were a million things I wanted to say to him but just this much was the best I could do right now. A momentter, Zetto bent down to meet me at eye level, it was a good habit of his. Even though he couldn¡¯t see the face of the person he was talking to, even though he was blind, he somehow tried to give the impression that he did. Finally, his lips parted. ¡°¡­I like them, too.¡± His cozy voice slowly tickles my ear. He¡¯s staring at me as he says that¡­ and I feel terribly embarrassed, even though we¡¯re not making eye contact. I quickly turned away from him, pretending to look at the flowers. As I did, memories of the previous round shed through my mind. The day I defeated Krektar with Zetto and the conversation I had with him as we left his corpse behind shed through my mind. ¡®We did it somehow. I never thought I¡¯d meet a demon.¡¯ ¡®I know.¡¯ ¡®I noticed he knew Ms. Aizel.¡¯ ¡®I suppose there was something to that.¡¯ I said and saw his smile fading at my answer. ¡®Are you scared¡­?¡¯ ¡®Scared, yes.¡¯ ¡®You could have easily cut him down.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s not like that¡­¡¯ ¡­I still haven¡¯t forgotten what he said to me then. ¡°¡­¡­Ms. Aizel?¡± When I woke up, Zetto was calling out to me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what did I say?¡± I shook my head as I answered him. Had he really killed Krektar? If so, why and how? Now that I was facing him, my doubts were only growing stronger, and I didn¡¯t feel like I was getting any closer to solving them so I struck up a meaningless conversation. ¡°I was wondering what your favorite flower is.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°Even if you told me the name, I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s still a secret.¡± I bowed my head in response since I couldn¡¯t tell him that my favorite flower is Zetto¡¯s favorite flower. I never had a favorite flower in the first ce. ¡°¡­What kind of flowers does Zetto like?¡± I asked, ncing at Zetto. He tilted his head and opened his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I like them, but I don¡¯t know much about them¡­¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s the one that smells the best in this flower garden right now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s a good idea, I¡¯ll try to find it.¡± Zetto stood up so I followed suit and stood up as well and we started walking through the flower garden. The sun is beginning to set and his footsteps whisper in my ear as he follows the sweet scent of flowers wafting from the garden. It was all coincidence, but it was the same. Even the ce where Zetto¡¯s feet stopped as he took a deep breath¡­ was the same. He stood before the same flower and leaned his face close to the flower, then he pointed to it. ¡°This is my favorite flower,¡± he said, ¡°it¡¯s so fragrant and distant¡­ I love this scent that doesn¡¯t make my head hurt. What¡¯s the name of the flower?¡± Zetto then asked me. For some unknown reason, I had a memory of him and was mimicking him from the previous episode. Or maybe he¡¯s simply the same person, giving the same answer. Either way, it wasplicated for me but the important thing is that I don¡¯t want to lose him again. ¡°¡­Opsion.¡± ¡°Opsion, I¡¯ll have to remember that.¡± I knelt down in front of the flower. It was a flower of so many colors and it was so rare that there was only one blooming in this flower garden. ¡°There is a story that has been passed down from time immemorial, about Obsion,¡± I said, ¡°would you like to hear it?¡± ¡°An old tale¡­ Okay.¡± After Zetto¡¯s affirmation, I began to recite the story about Opsion. Opsion was the name of a woman and since time immemorial, she has brought misfortune and because of this, she was often mistaken for a demon but she had one lover who could be considered her only good fortune, a man named Julian. One day, Opsion¡¯s lover asked her to never leave the house until he came for her. Opsion believed him at first and locked the door. A day passed¡­Two days passed¡­Opsion was frustrated. She wondered if Julian had left her¡­.She wondered if she had earned his hatred by bringing him misery so she decided to check. She went out to look for Julian, but he was nowhere to be seen, then she was met by a group of vigers with torches and weapons, but not Julian. When they found her, they shouted that they had found a demon, and they grabbed her and tried to burn her. Obsion ran hard, but her misfortune continued until the very end as she tripped over a branch and fell. The people finally caught her. She cried and cried and cried that she was not a demon, but no one believed her¡­.And so she was burned alive. But what was Julian, Obsion lover, doing? He had somehow convinced the saint in the Holy Land toe back to the vige with him in order to prove to the saint that the woman he loved so dearly was not a demon. But what Julian saw in his eyes¡­ was Obsion, already reduced to ashes. The man sobbed as he swept up the ashes but there was nothing the saint could do. He simply raised his hand and bestowed the blessing of the gods upon the poor, pitiful man. The blessing of the gods and the tears of the man¡¯s sorrow fell to the ashes¡­¡­but the miracle of Obsion resurrection did not happen, as it should have. Instead, a tiny flower bloomed from the grayish ashes. ¡°That flower¡­Obsion.¡± Zetto muttered as he listened to my story. ¡°It¡¯s a ridiculous story, isn¡¯t it? Why didn¡¯t the man exin enough and leave, and why didn¡¯t Obsion believe him? It¡¯s so full of errors, I don¡¯t even know if it really happened.¡± ¡°Well, old stories are like that, what would Miss Aizel have done?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I think I would have locked her up and left.¡± It¡¯s all a matter of patience, you see. Zetto¡¯s mouth drops open at my answer, whiches after a small pause. ¡°Hmm¡­ You mean Julian¡¯s side, not Obsion¡­¡± ¡°¡­Obsion was dangerous, but I guess she didn¡¯t want to tell him that, in case he got hurt¡­ I¡¯m interpreting that as¡­¡± I cut him off, adding my own exnation. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good interpretation. What¡¯s the meaning of the flower, Opsion?¡± ¡°The meaning in the flowernguage is¡­¡± The flowernguage of Opsion was the opposite of a tragic story. ¡°¡­a happy ending.¡± Their story did not have a happy ending. Perhaps it was what they had hoped for and wished for that was inscribed in their flower words. ¡°A happy ending¡­ That¡¯s an interesting flower.¡± Zetto¡¯s face lit up when he heard the words. ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I like it.¡± I hope the smile on his face doesn¡¯t fade now. I wonder if one day I¡¯ll make that choice for a happy ending and for his smile. The choice to leave Zetto somewhere safe and go off on my own. I shook my head and stood up. ¡°Then¡­¡± That was enough of a conversation for me. I felt like talking more would only confuse me as memories from the previous round were ovepping. I had to leave him before my confusion got worse. After all, it was hard to talk to him in a ce that held such deep memories so I turned to leave the flower garden. ¡°Uh¡­?¡± A panicked exmation escaped my lips, and I tilted my head as I tripped over a stone beak on the ground. My body was thrown without resistance toward Zetto, who was in front of me, and¡­ ¡­He picked me up and held me in his arms. ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± I immediately heard Zetto¡¯s gentle voice and felt his arms gently wrap around my waist. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t find the words. ¡­I may have hugged a defenseless Zetto, but I¡¯ve never been hugged by him. I can¡¯t even lift my head to look at him. But I also didn¡¯t want to leave his warm embrace. Lately, I¡¯ve noticed that other girls seem to be hitting on him¡­and it¡¯s been hard. The problem was that he was so sweet and sometimes I saw girls unintentionally getting involved with him, and I hated him for it. I thought to myself, ¡°He should only be nice to me.¡± That was my Zetto. Even in the north¡­ ¡®You two went to the sauna together¡­?¡¯ ¡®No, Kaen went with us.¡¯ ¡­sweating with other women in a ce I¡¯d never been before. At the time, I thought I was going crazy as I could barely contain my desires and my greed. I can be just a little bit greedy for now. ¡°¡­I think my legs are getting a little weak from all the sitting, do you mind if I stay like this for a while longer¡­?¡± I asked Zetto in a cautious voice, even though I knew what he would say and my heart sank. ¡°¡­¡± Zetto seemed to be thinking about something. Luckily, my anxiety didn¡¯tst long. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± His cheerful reply came immediately and his answer gave me a little more courage as I dug deeper into his arms. I could hear his heartbeat and I felt a little embarrassed to think that I was letting him hear my heartbeat every time, unobstructed. I was smiling at the thought when¡­¡­I felt a strange energy emanating from his chest. ¡®What is it¡­? This energy¡­¡¯ I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on it, but at least it didn¡¯t seem to be something I would expect from a human. ¡°¡­Is that enough?¡± Zetto pushes me away first. ¡°Oh, yeah. That¡¯s it.¡± With that one word, I fell out of his arms. It was a strange thing. Something was lurking in his chest, hiding a negative, almost sinister energy. ¡®A curse¡­?¡¯ That was all I could think of. I¡¯m pretty sure I hadn¡¯t felt anything like that before and that made it all the more shocking. ¡®Something¡¯s gone terribly wrong.¡¯ Suddenly, my mind shed back to the conversation I had with Krektar after I defeated him. ¡®It¡¯s not that¡­¡¯ My head felt dizzy. ¡®¡­I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re going to lose Miss Aizel, and I¡¯m afraid.¡¯ Me too. I¡¯m scared of losing Zetto, too. I looked up and met Zetto¡¯s eyes as he stood in front of me. He was still smiling at me. Zetto, what am I going to do now? Chapter 75: Open Classes and Screening Chapter 75: Open sses and Screening The Tear of the Dead was in my mind. If she had only touched it briefly, she wouldn¡¯t have felt any energy. But¡­ ¡®¡­I¡¯ve been sitting down for a while, so my legs must have gotten weak. Can I stay like this for a while longer¡­?¡¯ ¡­I couldn¡¯t stop Aizel from saying those words. Aizel was a regressor and no one else in the world could understand her. But I was different. At least I could understand her and be someone she could turn to. And so I did as she asked, even if it was only for a short time, so that Aizel wouldn¡¯t identify the Tear of the Dead. I squeezed out as much time as I could but when she burrowed further into my arms, I had to stop. ¡®¡­She must have noticed.¡¯ Aizel must have sensed the faintest hint of energy. Naturally, there was panic in her eyes as she pulled away from me but it was a good thing she didn¡¯t show any hostility. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be going now.¡± With those words, Aizel left the room. And with that, I was alone in the tranquil flower garden. As I smelled the fragrance of the flowers that bloomed everywhere, I realized that maybe Sierra was right and I needed some time alone. I stood in the middle of the garden, my eyes fixed on a mysteriously colored flower with a mixture of colors. It was an orchid. I didn¡¯t know much about flowers unless they were special items, so the story Aizel had told me about Obsion was something that couldn¡¯t be found in the game¡­ At least, it was information I didn¡¯t know, so it was quite interesting. ¡®A happy ending¡­¡¯ It may have been thest thing they wanted and hoped for. On the one hand, I can understand Julian¡¯s desire to save Obsion. I wanted to make sure Aizel lived, and if I could somehow keep her in a safe ce, I would. Aizel was strong so it should be possible to fight alongside her, but I was afraid that she might lose her life in the process. The Aizel I¡¯d seen in the game¡­she was so close to impossible to save that I wondered if her regression was some kind of curse. I stared at the Obsion for a long moment as she exuded such a delicate scent. I wondered if I could make her happy but not just Aizel, I wanted a happy ending for ¡®everyone¡¯. That was more important to me than anything else. *** The weekend has flown by and it¡¯s Monday once again. I took a good rest over the weekend and although it was a bit tiring to take a break from all the hard work, but mentally, I think it was necessary. After Edward¡¯s ss, the cadets chatted with their friends. Talk of the uing ¡°open ss¡± was in full swing and Lucia excitedly called out to us as we were leaving the ssroom. ¡°I was told that my sister ising this time¡­!¡± ¡°Your sister¡­ Rikua?¡± Yuri asked Lucia. ¡°Yes! I guess she missed me!¡± Amon shook his head as he watched Lucia smile. ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­ As the heir to House Windless, I suppose she had toe.¡± ¡°I, I¡¯ve missed her¡­That can¡¯t be¡­¡± Lucia frowns at Amon¡¯s terse retort. Rikua Windless, Lucia¡¯s younger sister and heir to House Windless was the pr opposite of Lucia, cold and broken. If I¡¯m lucky, I might get to meet her this time. As the normally closed Innocence Academy opened up to outsiders during these ¡®open sses¡¯, arge crowd was expected to gather at the academy. And it wasn¡¯t just because people with no connection to the academy were allowed in. Starting with the families of the cadets, the academy¡¯s alumni, celebrities from all over the continent, and the knights, mages, guilds, and others whoe to look for talent, the list is long. This year, in particr, it will be even bigger than usual, with all four Elemental Houses members in the first grade. During the open sses, a lot of things happen, but nothing dangerous, as various characterse to the academy. There were no foolish viins trying to cause trouble at a gathering of the continent mightiest. ¡®There¡¯s one thief, but¡­ I think I can take care of that one¡­¡¯ There was something else I needed to watch out for. I nced at Sierra, who was floating in the air, trying to figure out what to do. This public lesson would include her nemesis, her enemy and my ultimate goal¡­the Sword Saint. *** Chris was hummingzily as hey in the shade, out of the sun. ¡°It¡¯s peaceful¡­Calm.¡± He was working in a small vige in exchange for room and board, and his main job was farming. Finishing his work, lying in the shade and enjoying the silence was one of the few pleasures he could find in the vige. Then a bird flew by his side. ¡°Hmmm¡­?¡± A letter was tied to the bird¡¯s leg, and the ck palm print on its belly was familiar to him. It was the symbol of the ck Hand, the continent¡¯s most prominent intelligence guild. Sword Saint Chris enjoyed wandering but the ck Hand knew where he was, wherever he went so those looking for Chris would go to the ck Hand to contact him. But when someone looked for the ck Hand, they often brought troublesome things with them. When Chris took one look at the bird and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± and didn¡¯t take the letter, the bird tilted its head and stared at him, then pecked him with its beak. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± Undeterred, Chris clicks his tongue and snatches the letter from the bird¡¯s leg, then the bird then flies off into the distance, chirping as if it had done its job. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I hope it¡¯s not one of those Rounds again¡­¡± Chris cautiously opened the letter, hoping it was nothing more than a nuisance. The letter began with the word ¡®Grandpa¡¯ and as soon as heid eyes on the word, the corner of his mouth twitched. ¡°Kaen¡­¡± It was none other than Kaen, his apprentice. Though they were not rted by blood, she was the child he had raised as his granddaughter. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard from her since she entered the academy¡­¡± He wondered if something had happened to her. Chris was a little disappointed that Kaen¡¯s letter wasn¡¯t just to say hello, but because something had happened so he put on his best serious face and read the letter. Something had happened. Apparently Kaen had suffered her first defeat, and it was at the hands of a swordsman. It doesn¡¯t appear that Kaen has used any of the swordsmanship he taught her, but even without that, she would be overwhelmingly stronger than the average cadet. Judging by the content of the letter, it sounds like she gave it her all and lost. It was strange enough that Kaen, a disciple of the Sword Saint and no one else, had lost in a sword fight, but what was even stranger was¡­ ¡°¡­If she lost, why is she enjoying it so much?¡± Kaen was praising the one eagerly, admitting that she had lost cleanly and the letter was full of useless information about him, as if to exin the person she was admiring. ¡°The East¡­ A blind swordsman¡­¡± He¡¯d met a blind swordsman once or twice before, but he hadn¡¯t seen one that was memorably skilled. Anyway¡­ Kaen seemed to be doing well, except for the mention of the blind swordsman. As he read thest line of the letter, he realized the purpose of Kaen¡¯s letter. ¡®Grandfather, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware that there will be open sses at the academy this time, but just in case, you don¡¯t need to make a big deal out ofing to see me. For now, I¡¯m still keeping the fact that I¡¯m your student a secret¡­ You¡¯ve always not liked crowds, haven¡¯t you?¡¯ That was what the letter said. Kaen concluded by saying that if he dide to visit, it would be in a private setting. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should say hello¡­¡± When Chris finished reading the letter, he paused for a moment. Should he go or not? The Innocence Academy would be open, and there would probably be a lot of people there to bother him. To put it bluntly, he didn¡¯t want to go. ¡®But then she told me not toe, and now I want to go.¡¯ In the end, Chris decided to go to the academy to see Kaen for the first time in a long time and he was curious to see what kind of person the man who had defeated his apprentice was like. He wanted to sneak up on him, but the Academy wasn¡¯t the ce for that. Still, he had a good excuse to visit the Academy. Chris was a swordsman and if he visited the Academy would wee him with open arms. His deliberations were cut short, and he pushed himself to his feet, the precious letter from Kaen tucked under his arm. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen him.¡± His first stop was his old friend, Julius us. As headmaster of the academy, he had gotten Kaen in through Julius. He was also the only person in the Academy who knew that Kaen was his student. ¡°But how do I contact him¡­¡± When it came down to it, Chris didn¡¯t know the name or location of the town he was in since he¡¯d been wandering the streets, hopping into wagons with no destination in mind. Trying to figure out where to go to talk to Juliet, he decided to chase the bird that had just flown away and since the bird belonged to the ck Hand, so he figured that if he followed it, he¡¯d find them. If he could find the ck Hand, he could reach Julius quickly. Chris looked in the direction the bird had flown, and with a light leap, he disappeared in the blink of an eye. *** ¡®What is¡­? What¡¯s going on¡­?¡¯ The ck Hand Guild member in charge of the letter-carrying birds was extremely puzzled as a man was walking towards the small tower where the birds were gathering. The guild member naturally knew that the man was the strongest swordsman in the continent, also known as the Sword Saint. A letter had arrived for him, and he had just sent it. In his hand was a guild member¡¯s bird, which was pping its wings and trying desperately to find its way back to the tower. Had the bird made a mistake? Perhaps the letter it delivered was wrong? If not that, was he offended that the guild was prying into his location? The guild member swallowed hard as he watched the Sword Saint slowly approach the tower. Eventually, Sword Saint spotted him at the top of the tower and waved. He had never sought out the Lord in his life, but this time, he could only respectfully sp his hands together in prayer. ¡®Lord Henerys¡­ Please¡­ Take care of me¡­¡¯ Chapter 76: Defeating the Golem Chapter 76: Defeating the Golem ¡°For this open ss¡­ I¡¯m afraid that Sword Saint mighte.¡± [I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d¡­? I thought he wouldn¡¯t bothering to a crowded ce, but you seem convinced] ¡°¡­I just have a strong feeling about it.¡± I muttered and lifted up my Spectral Sword. KEEEEEE!!! I sidestepped the golem¡¯s massive fist as it flew in front of my nose, and then I leapt backward, putting distance between us. I loosened my stance and opened my mouth. ¡°If the Sword Saint ising, perhaps it would be better if I didn¡¯t reveal my Reverse Heaven during this public lesson.¡± [You¡¯ve already revealed it, what¡¯s the point?] ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s right, there¡¯s no need to attract Sword Saint¡¯s attention unnecessarily, isn¡¯t there? It would be ufortable for Master as well.¡± At my answer, Sierra strokes her chin in thought, her face serious. I bring this up because in the game, a swordsman can attract ¡®Sword Saint¡¯s Attention¡¯ during public lessons if he performs exceptionally well. Even so, whenever the name ¡°Sword Saint¡± is mentioned, I can feel a hint of murderous energy in Sierra¡¯s eyes. I didn¡¯t want to imagine what Sierra¡¯s reaction would be if she had the Sword Saint in front of her. [I¡¯ll have to think more about this.] ¡°Hmph¡­¡± The giant golem in the distance was designed to be easily captured by a mage. It had a ridiculous amount of physical defense, and even in the game, it was very ¡®troublesome¡¯ to capture it without using magic. ¡®¡­Shouldn¡¯t it be easy?¡¯ There were no major events before the public ss, so I returned to the Labyrinth for the first time in a while to level up and pick up a Hidden Piece. After passing the 12th floor, I got a Hidden Piece and was now on the 22nd floor. I had already leveled up a lot, so despite having the blindfold, I didn¡¯t gain much. Even though I caught a lot of monsters, I only gained about 2 levels and I was now at level 37. At this point, I had to assume that the experience penalty for being too far out of level with the monsters in the game was kicking in. I was still not on the right floor for my level and I thought I would have to go down to the 30th floor at least, but from the 20th floor onwards, the entire floor became muchrger, which took a lot of time. Anyway¡­On the 22nd floor, I was able to get a Hidden Piece by defeating the giant golem in this spacious temple. It wasn¡¯t a particrly useful item for a swordsman, but I didn¡¯t want to throw it away, so I trusted the blindfold and tried it for fun¡­As expected, I couldn¡¯t see any weaknesses in him. I had already maxed out the ¡®Find Weaknesses¡¯ skill. Even so, I couldn¡¯t see any weaknesses in all the enemies. ¡®There¡¯s no way this is the maximum level.¡¯ It would have been nice to see a clearer exnation of how this mechanic works, but the skill description is the same as in-game, so it¡¯s hard to tell. ¡®So was the lich and so is this golem.¡¯ It¡¯s hard to figure out when I can¡¯t see the weaknesses. Or maybe it¡¯s the fact that I¡¯m trying to cut him with my sword in the first ce that¡¯s abnormal. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s time to get some new skills.¡¯ I feel like I¡¯ve been focusing too much on Reverse Heaven and not enough on practical skills. It¡¯s simple logic that having a variety of skills allows you to deal with different situations more smoothly. ¡®What skills are avable nearby¡­?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t learn skills naturally. They had to be taught by someone. What¡¯s more, these skills worked in a different way than in the game, so I had to imagine what it would feel like before I got them. -Thud¡­ Thump¡­ Thump, thump, thump! The golem, which had been distancing itself from me, slowly took a step, and then sped up to a run, its massive body charging at me. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as cheating¡­I¡¯m going to keep it simple and ignorant.¡± Golems were ¡°monsters¡± with a set amount of health. No matter how much armor they had, it didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t do any damage to them. I¡¯d have to resort to the cumbersome methods used in the game. *** At the very center of the Labyrinth, the Sage watched a screen with Itea. The screen showed a cadet with a blindfold on his eyes fighting a battle. There was no one around him, but he kept muttering to himself¡­.or more urately, he was having a conversation. ¡°Listening to the conversation, it seems that his master, who is in the Spectral Sword, is someone rted to the Sword Saint.¡± ¡°Yes, but the Sword Saint has been around for decades, so it¡¯s hard to make an urate inference.¡± Itea confirmed the sage¡¯s guess. The Sword Saint, Chris, was one of the strongest swordsmen the sage had ever seen. It was one thing to be strong, but another to have such a unique personality. ¡°What is Reverse Heaven¡­? The more I learn about it, the more I feel like I¡¯m falling into abyrinth.¡± The sage muttered to himself and leaned back in his chair. Then he turned his head to look at Itea and spoke again. ¡°So the Saint can¡¯te this time?¡± ¡°She¡¯s busy with the Knights¡¯ recruitment and won¡¯t be able to attend. Instead, the deputy leader of the Silver Winged Knights will be attending.¡± ¡°The deputy leader¡­ That¡¯s a shame, I was hoping to have a chat with the Saint when she arrives.¡± Somehow, Zetto had been talking to a spirit and although the Sage researched the Spectral Sword in detail, using a Spectral Sword didn¡¯t mean one can talk to the spirit inside it. The best people could do was talk to them briefly during the sealing process. ¡®If I could talk to the saint about this, I might be able to get an idea of how he came to possess such abilities¡­¡¯ It was not worth wasting the saint¡¯s time to ask a question that even the head of the Academy could not understand but when she came to the academy, a casual conversation seemed like a good idea. The sage decided to move on, saying, ¡°Perhaps someday.¡± Next to him, Itea red at the screen and spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t think even Cadet Zetto is going to make it this time.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a tough matchup, and that golem was made for mages to deal with in the first ce¡­He¡¯s wasting his time, but it doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s not like he has an agenda.¡± Zetto had already grabbed the whistle he had hidden on the 12th floor. He got the others but there was no way he was going to take this one. There¡¯s no good reason for him to take it. The orb at the center of the golem was the only item he could get from it. At that moment, Zetto, who was appearing on the screen, muttered a single word. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as cheating¡­I¡¯ll keep it simple and ignorant.¡± They didn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about, but it seems like he¡¯s decided to change his approach. There was an inexplicable certainty in Zetto¡¯s voice as he spoke. ¡°¡­There hasn¡¯t been any sign that he took the orb yet, has there?¡± The sage, feeling a bit uneasy with Zetto¡¯s demeanor, asked Itea. The deepest part of the Labyrinth was the only ce unaffected by the Labyrinth¡¯s time magic. It was only natural that this was where the Sage and Itea would be staying so what they were seeing now wasn¡¯t real time. Time passed quickly in the Labyrinth, and the oue should already be known. ¡°Why don¡¯t we skip forward a bit?¡± Itea asked, sensing the sage¡¯s unease. ¡°Please do.¡± At the sage¡¯smand, Itea manipted the screen. She wanted to see what happened in the next half hour or so. In Labyrinth time, that was roughly an hour and a half. The sage was puzzled when he saw what had happened in the next half hour. He could still see Zetto on the screen and at his feet was a tattered golem. The golem arms and legs were already shattered and it was unable to stand up. Zetto immediately struck the golem¡¯s head with his backhanded sword. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Watching this scene, Itea covered her mouth with her hand. Itea may have a perfectly human appearance, but she was still a golem and the sight of a golem like herself being crushed to dust seemed quite cruel to her. Even without the intermediate steps, it¡¯s clear from Zetto¡¯s behavior what happened. He didn¡¯t cut the golem but literally smashed the solid golem made of special materials by the Sage with his sword and even the de itself looked unharmed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what he intends to do with it, but¡­ The orb will be his.¡± The sage watched as Zetto smashed the golem with no signs of fatigue. ¡°Looks like we have a lot of cadets to keep an eye on this first year.¡± Itea, who had been in shock,posed herself and said so. As it turned out, it wasn¡¯t just Zetto who was mysterious. She was referring to Aizel now. ¡°¡­ It was a mistake.¡± ¡°Even if it was your mistake, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that Cadet Aizel took your weapon.¡± Itea¡¯s cold reply was followed by the sage¡¯s coughing fit. Aizel Ludwig had taken his ¡°spear,¡± which the sage had left in the Labyrinth. It was not untilter, after Itea had spent the day watching the footage, that she realized it was gone. It was a weapon the Sage had specialized in long ago. He had loved the spear, though its performance was not worthy of the sage¡¯s name. ¡°At least master won¡¯t have to use that weapon anymore, so I suppose that¡¯s a good thing.¡± The sage nodded at Itea¡¯s words. It didn¡¯t matter much to him, as he had been unable to engage in even lightbat since the ¡®restriction¡¯ was ced on him. ¡®Aizel Ludwig.¡¯ The sage had one concern about her. ¡®I wonder if she really is a member of the Ludwig family.¡¯ The sage knew the Ludwig family as the Ludwig family lived in seclusion due to their ¡°unique¡± constitution. But he remembered that the entire n had been wiped out before the war. However, Aizel had the surname Ludwig. There was no way to verify that she was indeed a Ludwig¡­ It¡¯s safe to say that few people know of the Ludwig n, much less the family itself, so it¡¯s not a big deal. Those within the Academy would have assumed that there was a noble family like that somewhere on the continent. The sage spected cautiously because if Aizel truly belonged to the Ludwig n, she would one day make waves. Itea handed the sage something. ¡°It¡¯s time for your medicine.¡± It was a memory-enhancing potion she had recently prepared for him. The Sage stared at her wordlessly and Itea tilted her head, her face expressionless. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He gulped down the potion. *** I quickly flipped through the pages of the book, brushing away the tinum-colored strands of hair that had fallen over the top of it. The library within the academy was vast and I took a seat in the library and searched for the curse. I thought I¡¯d find it quickly, but it wasn¡¯t easy. ¡®A curse that can be felt near the heart¡­¡¯ I felt an unidentifiable negative energy in Zetto¡¯s chest. For the moment, it reminded me of a curse, but judging by the amount of energy, it wasn¡¯t a light one. I had to find out what this curse was. Chapter 77: Curse Chapter 77: Curse There were many different curses in this world. Mild curses that caused you to stumble at least twice a day and some so severe that they posed a direct threat to your life. Out of all these curses, which one should it be¡­I wonder if I can feel the negative energy in his heart? ¡®How could it be lurking in his body without him even realizing it?¡¯ How could a curse be so stealthy? Normally, these curses were supposed to be of the ck magic variety, but no matter how much I looked through the books, I couldn¡¯t find anything that seemed usible. ¡®If it¡¯s not a simple curse¡­¡¯ I mused as I closed the book that contained the information on ck magic and curses. ¡®Krektar sudden death.¡¯ I had to add one more case to the list, now that I thought it very likely that Zetto had something to do with it. I quietly stood up from my chair, returned the book to its ce, and slowly made my way deeper into the library. Each step I take feels like I¡¯m walking on a thorny floor. Now, the titles of the books around me all had the word ¡°demon¡± in their titles. That¡¯s right¡­.Demons could also cast curses. If the curse on Zetto was a demonic curse, it was far more serious than a warlock¡¯s since most of their curses were life-threatening. To be honest, a demonic curse was the first thing that came to mind, but I looked up ck magic first, hoping it was something milder. Afterboriously sifting through the books, I picked up the onebeled Demonic Curses and Magicka. The book was quite thick but luckily, it didn¡¯t seem to have a security spell on it. There were plenty of books in thisrge library that could have been enchanted. I remembereding to this library to find information about the Ludwig family. I was able to find the relevant books, but I remember fighting tooth and nail against the high level security enchantments. ¡®Though I have since found information on the family through other means.¡¯ I returned to my seat with the book and mmed it down on the desk. I quickly flipped through it and as I expected the curses of the demons, they were all severe. It was painful to even turn a page. Could it be this curse¡­? What if this is the curse¡­? The thoughts kept racing through my head. I wonder if Zetto knows that he had a curse like that in his body? No, Zetto must know. Zetto was a master at sensing things, and there was no way he wouldn¡¯t recognize the energy in his body. And yet¡­He was smiling at me, hugged me gently and supported me. I wonder if it¡¯s because of me that this happened to Zetto after all. Aaah¡­ I was struggling to read the book when a familiar voice spoke to me. ¡°Aizel, here you are.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± I replied, a little weakly, as I was in a state that I would never call a good mood. Yuri was disturbing in more ways than one. She was a much different girl before Zetto showed up and after. Even now, we still consider each other friends¡­Although she didn¡¯t seem to think so, it was a strange rtionship to say the least. Neither she nor I were really friends, so maybe we just didn¡¯t know how to treat each other. Moreover, she was showing interest in Zetto. This was quite disturbing before and now. Yuri nced at the book I was reading and opened her mouth. ¡°A curse¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, this¡­¡± ¡°Is there a specific curse you¡¯re looking for?¡± ¡°¡­No, I¡¯m just bored. What about you?¡± I asked Yuri, who was holding a book. In her arms was a slightly thick book with an unfamiliar title. ¡°Saint and¡­ Princesses¡­¡± Without thinking, I read the title of the book she was holding. Yuri blushed slightly and hugged the book even tighter but soon she opened her mouth. ¡°This, this is something I read when I was younger, and I¡¯ve been thinking about ittely¡­ so¡­¡± ¡°When you were younger?¡± ¡°¡­Haven¡¯t you read this book, Aizel? It¡¯s a very famous fairy tale, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve read it at least once as a child.¡± ¡°Fairy tales? I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t think I was much into fairy tales.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± She nodded, shaking her head at my answer. It¡¯s not that I wasn¡¯t interested, but where I grew up, there was no such thing as a ¡®fairy tale book¡¯. The only things to read in the ce where I was being experimented on by demons were the words of despair written on the walls. Many of them were written in blood. One day, I remember biting my finger to write a word in blood so I could copy it. ¡®What does ¡®escape¡¯ mean anyway?¡¯ I asked the demon who had written the word and was watching me from beside me. ¡®Something you should never do.¡¯ he replied, ncing at the words. Krektar entered the room next, saw the blood on my fingers, and scolded the demon next to me, saying it wasn¡¯t natural to do this. ¡°¡­¡­Interesting, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­Sorry, I didn¡¯t hear what you said.¡± It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had a childhood memory, so I didn¡¯t hear Yuri¡¯s words. Immediately, Yuri lets out a long sigh. ¡°Huh¡­ You really had to make it so obvious that you weren¡¯t interested, even after I tried so hard to exin¡­¡± As it turns out, Yuri Clementine is still surprisingly fond of fairy tales. However, fairy tales don¡¯t require a lot of exining. I was a little curious, so I asked Yuri. ¡°¡­Can you tell me again?¡± ¡°¡­When you said curse, I realized that this fairy tale book also had a curse, so I just¡­¡± Yuri trailed off, perhaps embarrassed. But I was really curious. ¡°What curse?¡± I¡¯d never read a fairy tale before, but I wondered if curses were allowed in children¡¯s books. ¡°Was it a lifespan curse¡­? It¡¯s supposed to be on the princess¡­ A saint gets cursed instead.¡± Yuri¡¯s eyes flicked upward, searching her memory, and she replied. ¡°A saint takes the curse instead¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a sad story¡­¡± Yuri trailed off at my question, then quickly opened the book she was holding. ¡°Here, this scene.¡± Yuri said, flipping to a specific page and showing me. I read it slowly and as I was reading, I had a question for Yuri. ¡°This curse¡­ Is it a ¡®real¡¯ curse?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know, why?¡± ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s kind of simr¡­¡± ¡°Simr?¡± Yuri asked, but I barely hid my expression as I turned serious, my eyes taking in the sentence in the book. A curse was imprinted on the saint¡¯s heart. From now on, this curse will begin to eat away at his heart. Still, the saint smiled quietly, a smile of relief that the curse had been ced on him and not the princess. Unless I¡¯m being overly delusional, they sounded pretty simr, especially the one about the curse being carved into the heart. I wondered if it was a curse, or if fairy tale curses were even real. My head was spinning because I didn¡¯t have any urate information. ¡°¡­Speaking of this book, do you think I could read it first?¡± I asked Yuri as I closed the storybook. After all, it was her book. In response to my question, Yuri stroked her braided hair and she looked troubled. How much did she want to read this book? ¡°It looks interesting. I¡¯ve never read it before.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, I can¡¯t me you for never having read it, so why don¡¯t you read it first and I¡¯ll read itter.¡± ¡°Mmm, thanks. But didn¡¯t you say it was a fairy tale book? It¡¯s thick and doesn¡¯t look like something a child would read¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s like an expanded edition¡­? I thought it was hard to find, but I happened to be at the library¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll read it and give it to you. It¡¯ll only take a day.¡± With that, I ended the conversation with Yuri and left the library with two books. One was a children¡¯s book, and the other was a book with information on demonic curses. The sun had already set and it was dark outside. A curse imprinted on the heart. A curse that eats away one¡¯s lifespan. The saintughed, for he had taken the curse on behalf of the princess. I had no experience of being cursed by demons. Rather, the ¡®regression¡¯ that resulted from their experiments was a curse to me. Still, a bitter taste lingered in my mouth. ¡­Zetto. How did you manage to smile? *** ¡°Haha¡­¡± I smirked and scratched my head. Then I saw Yuri in front of me. It would be fine if I could only see Yuri, but next to it was a man with red hair, the same color as hers. He even had a well-groomed beard and looked a bit older¡­ ¡°I heard my daughter was introducing me to a friend for some reason¡­ but I didn¡¯t realize it was a man.¡± ¡­Yuri¡¯s father, the current patriarch of House Clementine of the me, Jeras Clementine. ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong with being a man¡­?¡± Yuri, who had sped her hands together respectfully, stuttered and snapped at Jeras. ¡°Now, do you think you could tell me what you liked about my daughter? As her father, I want to hear it.¡± Jeras listened to Yuri¡¯s words with one ear, letting them sink in, then turned his head away from her to stare at me. His arms were crossed and he was clearly smiling, but his voice radiated authority. How the hell did this happen on the first day of an open ss period. Chapter 78: Open Classes Chapter 78: Open sses The interior of the Clementine¡¯ carriage, which we shared on the way to school, was neat and upscale. Sitting across from me, I could see that Jeras Clementine¡¯s disposition had changed. [Hmmm¡­ I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s already so well-coated¡­] Curiously, Sierra also remembered him. From the way she mumbled, it seemed that he had been making a name for himself on the continent since he was a child. ¡°Now, can you tell me about my daughter¡¯s favorite ce? As Yuri¡¯s father, I¡¯d love to hear it.¡± It was Yuri, who had been twiddling her thumbs, who spoke first. ¡°I mean, we¡¯re just friends¡­¡± ¡°Even friends have their favorites, don¡¯t they?¡± Jeras responds to Yuri¡¯s words, his gaze once again fixed on me. In response, I opened my mouth. ¡°¡­I find Yuri¡¯s attentive and caring nature to be attractive, and she¡¯s taken great care of me to help me adjust to life at the Academy.¡± Jeras nces at the bandage over my eye at my honest answer. ¡°I mean¡­ Our Yuri¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuri turns her head away from the window, as if the situation is simply too much for her. ¡°She may be the only daughter I have, but I never thought she¡¯d fit in at the Academy. She¡¯s been a bit of a tomboy since she was a little girl, and I was worried until I received a letter saying she¡¯d made a friend.¡± As he says this, Jeras loosens his grip on my arm and bows his head slightly, bringing his face closer to mine as he continues. ¡°¡­So when do you think you should get engaged?¡± ¡°Engaged¡­ to¡­?¡± ¡°Father¡­? I mean,e on, you can¡¯t talk about engagements in a carriage¡­¡± Yuri and I both questioned at the same time at Jeras somewhat oundish statement. ¡°If it¡¯s a matter of ce, we can make it official.¡± ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not like that¡­¡± Jeras nces at Yuri, who stammers, and his eyes be more serious. Then he whispers to me. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not that, it¡¯s that Yuri needs to have a sessor.¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± ¡°This is very important to Yuri, and to the family. It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re a swordsman or a spearman, it doesn¡¯t matter what kind of man you are. You are the ¡®man¡¯ Yuri Clementine likes, that¡¯s all. Did you say Zetto? Zetto Clementine¡­I think it has a nice ring to it.¡± Jeras rambled on for a long time, even as I tried to catch up. ¡®Good sounding¡­? Zetto Clementine is¡­¡­¡¯ Of course, if I were to marry her, I would have a surname like that in my name. [Engaged¡­? You dare to steal my pupil in front of me, Jeras?] Sierra red at Jeras with a murderous gleam in her eyes. The only problem was that her cold voice only echoed in my head. ¡°Dad, that¡¯s just not right, what kind of engagement is this? Zetto is just a friend¡­!¡± ¡°Yuri, you know the situation, don¡¯t you?¡± Yuri¡¯s exmation was met with a stern reply from Jeras. ¡°¡­¡± Yuri couldn¡¯t say anything else and lowered her head. Her expression was not good. ¡®I guess it¡¯s because of¡­ that.¡¯ I knew what they were talking about. It was one of those things I¡¯d have to deal withter. But Yuri wouldn¡¯t want to be forced into an engagement with me. I could resolve it without having to get engaged. If I failed to resolve it she wouldmit treason against the Clementine family. Then Yuri would no longer be able to attend the Academy. But I had no intention of letting that happen. It would not be a happy ending for Yuri, or for me, or for Jeras. ¡­It was aplicated matter, touching on the session of a kingdom, but I had a n in ce. Just as he was contemting how to respond, the carriage came to a halt as we had arrived in front of the Academy¡¯s main building. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t get to talk at length, but I hope we can catch up another time. As for today¡­I¡¯d like to hear about the events of today.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± I bowed my head to Jeras and stepped out of the carriage. Yuri didn¡¯t dismount, indicating that she and Jeras still had somewhere to go. They were members of the Four Elemental Houses, so perhaps they had an early morning meeting. With that, I dismounted from the carriage and parted ways with them. The entrance to the main building was still crowded with people. ¡®I can¡¯t believe this is happening on the first morning of open sses.¡¯ I guess it won¡¯t be strange if something else happens in the future. With a small shake of my head, I cleared my thoughts and started walking toward the main building. *** As Zetto dismounted and the carriage was silent, Jeras looked out the window at his daughter, Yuri, who had been staring at him without speaking. After giving her a wistful nce, he spoke. ¡°The First Prince¡¯s pressure is mounting. I don¡¯t know how much longer I can hold out.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s why you¡¯re trying to drag Zetto into this.¡± ¡°I thought for sure you liked him, but¡­¡± Jeras stroked his beard as he said that. The First Prince wanted to marry Yuri. The House of Clementine belonged to the kingdom of Terracia, and the man who would be its ¡°crown prince¡± had taken an interest in his daughter. This was troubling. In fact, since Yuri was a young girl, she had been inundated with requests for her hand in marriage from a wealthy tycoon, a powerful nobleman, a young knight with a promising career ahead of him, etc. For House Clementine, who already had enough wealth, power, and strength, all they needed was to ensure their session, but each of these men approached her with a different desire. For them, marriage was a tool, a means, not the fruit of love and Jeras thought it might have been poison. It was around this time that his daughter¡¯s outbursts of anger became more frequent. As ofte, he had been refusing all requests for her hand in marriage. He felt that he was doing a terrible thing to his precious daughter. The first prince, however, was a different story. One day, if he asked her formally, it would be hard to say no. For now, he would have to make do with whatever he could, but there was no telling how the situation might change. ¡°He seems like a nice kid, though.¡± Jeras broke the silence. ¡°¡­He is.¡± ¡°What is it about him you like?¡± Jeras stroked Yuri¡¯s head affectionately and nuzzled it. ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t know, I just feltfortable.¡± Yuri said softly. She wasn¡¯t denying that she liked Zetto. Jeras thought she would but the look on Yuri¡¯s face as she looked at the child named Zetto was one he¡¯d never seen before, even as her father. It was just too bad he couldn¡¯t see her because he was blind. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Jeras thought to himself through gritted teeth. He hoped his daughter would marry the love of her life, as he had done. He was willing to give up so much to protect her from the First Prince and even had a confrontation with the royal family in mind. ¡®If they stand in the way of House Clementine¡­ I will burn them all to the ground.¡¯ *** It was an open ss, but it was nothing like the usual sses. All of the Academy¡¯s cadets were seated in a huge stadium, sometimes referred to as a coliseum, as well as visitors from outside the Academy. The public ss was, in effect, a stage for the Academy¡¯s cadets to showcase their skills to the world. The nobles would announce their families, and themoners without families would announce themselves. The nobles, and especially themoners, had to take advantage of this opportunity. To put it simply, it would get them a better job. ¡®The first day was a battle against monsters.¡¯ There would also bepetitions among the cadets, but whether they werepeting or fighting monsters, this time they would be fighting inside with protective magic. Although there is an illusion spell the families of the cadets would not want to see them decapitated. From the bleachers surrounding the coliseum, I could see that the dignitaries were gathered in what could be called the ¡°honorary seats,¡± which were located near the center and were quite high. I could see the faces of the principal, Julius us, and the chairman, Hubert Graham. In addition, all the heads of the four Elemental Families of the continent were present this year, so the guest seats were quite crowded. ¡®I don¡¯t see the saint.¡¯ For some reason, I couldn¡¯t see the saint¡¯s figure. I thought I would see her face this time. ¡®I¡¯m sure she met Anthony by now¡­¡¯ Well, I¡¯m sure we will meet someday but the saint had special powers, and as someone with so much to hide, I had to be very careful when I spoke to her. I had a n in mind for that and her powers were simpler than I thought. While I was thinking about the saint, the cadets around me began to shout. ¡°They say the Sword Saint is here.¡± ¡°Sword Saint?¡± ¡°Where is he? Where is he?¡± ¡°The one you see over there.¡± As Sword Saint appears in the audience, the host in the coliseum announces his arrival. [¡­¡­] Sierra, who was floating in the air, was also watching him but she didn¡¯t say anything, she just red at him. Before taking his seat, Sword Saint suddenly stood in front of the railing of the honorary seats and looked at the first-year cadets. The first-year cadets begin to cheer. ¡°Sword Saint!!!¡± ¡°Kaaaak!!!¡± ¡°He was looking at me!¡± ¡°He was looking at me, you idiot!¡± I nced over at Kaen, who was sitting where ss C was. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking her head vigorously amidst the cheering cadets. Perhaps it was because Kaen¡¯s hair stood out so much, but immediately Sword Saint¡¯s head slowly turned in the direction of the other grades. It seems that the rule of not giving away their rtionship is still in effect. Soon, Yuri, who had been watching Sword Saint, spoke up. ¡°¡­This is the first time I¡¯ve actually seen him.¡± ¡°I asked my father, and he told me that Headmaster Juliut gave him a special invitation.¡± Amon answered over Yuri¡¯s mutterings. As members of the Four Elemental Houses of the Continent, it was their first time seeing the face of the Sword Saint. ¡®He hasn¡¯t appeared in public in years¡­¡¯ It was understandable, given his temperament. Aizel, who was sitting next to me, wasn¡¯t even looking at him. It wasn¡¯t just because she wasn¡¯t interested in him¡­ she was looking at me. It¡¯s been like that ever since we met in the flower garden. I wondered if it had been a mistake to hug her and she sensed the Tear of the Dead. Soon after, Sword Saint standing at the railing turned his head smoothly, scanning the Colosseum when suddenly, he looked up and stared into space. I was very suspicious of his behavior. To others, it might have been a simple gaze at the sky¡­ nothing out of the ordinary, but I recognized it. His eyes were fixed on Sierra, who was floating in midair. ¡®What¡­?¡¯ Did Sword Saint see Sierra?¡­That didn¡¯t make sense. Then it must be a coincidence. He doesn¡¯t have the divine power of a saint, nor is he as familiar with spirits as Deidros, so why does he seem to be looking at Sierra? *** ¡°Take a seat, Chris. We should get started.¡± Julius said to Chris, who was standing at the railing, staring into space. But Chris didn¡¯t respond. Unlike when he had been wandering around in shabby clothes, he was now dressed in the fine uniform that Julius had prepared for him. Julius and those who knew him thought. His wandering ways are still the same. In truth, Chris was not wandering. He was staring into space, questioning. Soon, Chris let out a sigh. ¡°Heh¡­¡± The sound of his voice drew the attention of the other guests. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Juliet asks. ¡°¡­Nothing. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Chris replies, turning away and heading back to his seat. Still, the question lingered. Chris sat back in his chair, rubbing his chin and thinking. ¡®It¡¯s a very strong life. I can feel the life in the air, where there¡¯s no one¡­ It¡¯s strange, or perhaps my senses are rusty.¡¯ That¡¯s right. Chris¡¯s senses were out of the ordinary after being honed countless years on the battlefield and he could sense Sierra even though he couldn¡¯t see her. Chapter 79: Open Classes (2) Chapter 79: Open sses (2) The curtain is finally rising on Innocence Academy¡¯s ¡®open ss¡¯. ¡°The battles will be fought in a randomized order, regardless of grade, but I think you can expect a lot from this year¡¯s first-year cadets.¡± The academy¡¯s headmaster, Juliut, turned his head and spoke to those seated in the audience. The patriarchs of the Four Elements smiled at the mention of the first years but there was one who didn¡¯t smile. ¡°Hmph, hmph¡­¡± Cicely Windless, patriarch of House Windless, coughed. She was¡­ worried about Lucia. After Juliut brief exnation, the ceremony began quickly. The number of cadets wasrge and in order to speed up the process of defeating the monsters, they would send monsters that matched the level of the cadets as much as possible. In some cases, the cadets could even choose their monsters. ¡°The monsters for this open ss were prepared by the Guild President.¡± Juliut smiled as he politely pointed his palm at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild President on the other side of the room. The President smiles broadly. Then the voice of the instructor who was conducting the proceedings from beneath the coliseum echoes throughout the coliseum through the amulet of amplification magic. ¡°First up! Wow, a cadet from the four elemental families right from the beginning¡­Cadet Amon Caligus, ss A, Year 1!!!¡± Following the instructor¡¯s announcement, the coliseum erupts in cheers. However, the instructor¡¯s tone was a bit frivolous and the mood in the audience was a little chilly. Soon, Juliut removes his sses, wipes his brow, and gestures to the instructor across the room. He then speaks to the instructor, who quietly approaches him. Sword Saint Chris scratched his head and spoke up in the silence that had fallen between the cheers. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with everyone? It¡¯s a festival, and a good one. Tell me, Juliut, who¡¯s the master of ceremonies? I like him.¡± At Chris¡¯s question, Juliut turns his head. ¡°¡­My son, Edward.¡± ¡°Edward¡­? Edward is an instructor?¡± ¡°Well¡­ It just so happened.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know Edward had that kind of aura, but heh!¡± ¡°I suppose you could say that, but it¡¯s been nearly ten years since youst saw Edward, so¡­¡± Juliut and Chris¡¯s conversation rambled on. The other guests in the room are surprised to hear that the instructor, who had just been conducting a frivolous proceeding, is Juliut son, Edward. The first thing thates to mind when you think of Edward us is the ck Bloods, but the men in the audience are no ordinary people. Having seen war firsthand, they knew Edward by another name. ¡®The ck Horned Hunter.¡¯ Edward was a well kept secret, even from the general public since many demons were after him as the leader of a special anti-demon assassination unit. The Alliance¡¯s assassination squad had utilized Edward¡¯s specialty, Illusion Magic, to assassinate many of the most powerful and known ck Horned Demons. They had taken the heads of at least five ck-horned demons. Chris remembered Edward on the battlefield. Kaen was ten years old then and Chris had left her in the care of a stranger and gone to battle. Edward had been on his way back to camp, bundling up the heads of the demons he¡¯d cut off. ¡®He was such an emotionless kid back then,¡¯ Chris thought to himself, ¡®and now he¡¯s a funny guy. I wonder if he¡¯s undergone some kind of inner transformation.¡¯ Chris briefly wondered if he should try to find Edwardter and talk to him. Surely he would be quite surprised to learn that Edward was married. Just then, a man walked into the center of the Colosseum. It was Amon Caligus. Upon recognizing him, Jeras Clementine coughs once, then turned to Maxim Caligus, who was beside him. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I heard that Amon got in trouble on his cement test, is that true?¡± Jeras already knew that Zetto, a friend of his daughter, Yuri, had beaten Amon. Although Zetto wasn¡¯t even his son-inw yet, he couldn¡¯t help but brag about it. Maxim Caligus, Shield of the Empire, nced at Jeras. ¡°¡­He needed to be broken once in a while. I¡¯m sure my son would have grown stronger.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Jeras chuckles and the monster Amon must face enters the coliseum. As Edward continues, it turns out that Amon handpicked the monster. ¡°An ogre¡­ Sounds like a great opponent for Caligus¡¯ earth magic.¡± The president of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild nodded his head in affirmation. The ogre is twice the size of an orc, and naturally, his strength is iparable to that of an orc. Unlike orcs, ogres had a single horn on their heads and white skin. Of course, they were not much different from orcs in terms of ugliness. The ogres¡¯ weaknesses were that they were slow for their size and somewhat dumb but their destructive power was immense. Maxim nodded wordlessly. Amon enjoyed meleebat, so this would be a good opportunity to show off his skills. The ogre stepped into the coliseum, holding a massive axe with a dull de and as Edward snapped his fingers the illusionary spell on him broke¡­ -Aw!!! ¡­the ogre roared, and the crowd cheered even louder. The battle between the ogre and Amon began immediately but the ogre was unable to break through Amon¡¯s tough gauntlets. It wasn¡¯t the same as when Lycanthrope had nicked it. Amon had grown up. Amon then drives his stone spear into the ogre¡¯s shoulder de with a loud bang and the Colosseum erupts in apuse. ¡°As expected of my son.¡± Maxim Caligus ps and smiles wryly. ¡°You¡¯re calmer than usual, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cicelyments as she watches Amon fight. At this, Hubert, the Chairman of the Academy, who had remained silent until now, raises his index finger and speaks up. ¡°Haha, Innocence Academy somehow manages to bring out the best in its cadets, and I¡¯m sure this open ss will be an interesting experience for you as well.¡± Amon¡¯s calmer demeanor was purely due to the fact that he had encountered the out-of-standard strength Zetto, but it was also due to the Academy, so it could be considered a credit to the Academy. ¨C Boom!!! Amon crushes the ogre¡¯s skull with his Earth Gauntlet, ending the battle then raises his gauntlet, covered in the ogre¡¯s blood, in a triumphant disy of House Caligus might. Once again, Amon is apuded and the dignitaries in the audience turn to speak to those around them. ¡®As expected of a Caligus.¡¯ Chris, on the other hand, is quietly thinking. He is crazy about swords so if it wasn¡¯t a sword he didn¡¯t care. After Amon¡¯s battle, the other cadets¡¯ battles quickly followed but most of the battles ended quickly. The only exception was a third-year cadet who felt so overwhelmed by Amon¡¯s defeat of a first-year ogre that he chose the same ogre and died. Swordsmen often made appearances as well and one pdin, who could be considered a rarity, caught the eye of the vice-captain of the Silver Winged Knights in the audience. The pdin carried a massive two-handed sword and his choice was a horde of undead ghouls. Chris lowered his eyes to watch but the battle ended rather sourly since the ghouls were no match for the divine power and the deputy leader of the Silver Winged Knights discussed something with apanion. Chris clicked his tongue slightly. He was a cadet, after all, so he didn¡¯t resent the lowering of his eyes but his expectations were rising for the ¡®blind swordsman¡¯ who had defeated Kaen. If he doesn¡¯t live up to his name either¡­Chris might be a little disappointed. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll just have to assume that I came to see Kaen¡¯s face then.¡¯ Maybe he was going to kick Kaen¡¯s ass for suffering a defeat at the hands of a guy like that. Time passed, and it was now afternoon. The Colosseum was tired since there were many cadets but among them only a few stood out. ¡°¡­You¡¯re all tired, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯ll be given a break after this battle, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hungry and wondering where you¡¯re going to eat. But for now, you¡¯ll need to keep your eyes open and your attention focused, if you don¡¯t want to lose her.¡± At this point, Edward, who has taken over as master of ceremonies, suddenly livens things up. ¡°This cadet is not well known, but I, Edward us, assure you that her name will be spread across the continent in the days toe. When I saw her, I wondered¡­Why on earth did shee to the Academy? Because it seemed to me, at least, that she had nothing to learn here.¡± The people in the room might have thought he was frivolous at first, but he had a knack for holding their attention. Everyone was wondering who she was, even Chris. ¡°A supernova that has risen in the Innocence Academy, one of the strongest cadets in ss A, if not the strongest. Please give her a big round of apuse, Cadet Aizel Ludwig, ss A, first year.¡± After Edward¡¯s lengthy introduction, a rather petite girl with long tinum hair that gives her an air of mystery entered the arena. Her cynical expression drew the attention of everyone in the Colosseum but of those in the audience, only Headmaster Juliut and Chairman Hubert knew who she was. Her face was literally a new face and most of the guests wondered how strong could this girl, whose name he had never even heard, be for Edward to make such an assessment. Everyone in the audience wondered as the monster she was going to face appeared. The Aisin family¡¯s patriarch, Izad Aisin, spoke for the ¡°first time¡± at the event, as his eyes locked onto the monster that was crawling out of the coliseum. ¡°¡­A wyvern?¡± It was a wyvern, a so-called subspecies of dragon. Of course, if you said that in front of a ¡®real¡¯ dragon, you¡¯d be cut to the bone. The only thing it had inmon with a dragon was that it was a lizard with wings¡­ but that didn¡¯t make it any less formidable. While it doesn¡¯t have the brute force of a dragon, it has a reputation for being quite tricky and unruly among many monsters. The Wyvern¡¯s massive frame crashes into the Colosseum. It¡¯s thergest of the monsters, and by far the strongest. Especially since the wyvern could fly into the air, it instantly formed a circle around the Colosseum and struck with a snarl. ¡°Finally¡­Chairman Hubert specially ordered this one. It¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve ever captured a wyvern, so Instructor Edward personally assisted in the capture process. We¡¯ve captured two wyverns in total, and the smaller of the two will be facing this first-year cadet. I¡¯m looking forward to it, hahaha!¡± The president of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild boisterously exined as the people sitting in the honorary seats were feeling a bit perplexed. Even if Edward¡¯s ability to use illusionary magic on a wyvern that was said to be somewhat resistant to magic was a given, they were surprised that Aizel was so unconcerned with the wyvern in front of her. Aizel was just thinking about something else and even now, her mind was filled with thoughts of the curse on Zetto. She had found a demonic curse that was very simr to the one in the fairy tale she had readst night. Curses were usually lifted through a ¡°dispel¡± or by forcibly erasing them with vast amounts of divine power. Luckily, the book also described the process. However, the method was not pleasing for Aizel. ¡®The process is like kissing your beloved¡­?¡¯ Aizel repeated the words to herself. How a demonic curse could be involved in human emotions¡­ she couldn¡¯t believe it. She didn¡¯t know if it was because it was a curse from a fairy tale, or if the author of the fairy tale had borrowed it. As she pondered this, Edward, standing beside her, whispered, ¡°Shall we begin?¡± and snapped his fingers. The wyvern¡¯s illusionary spell was broken. ¨C KEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! The wyvern¡¯s ferocious howl echoes through the Colosseum but there is no cheering in the Colosseum. The crowd is overwhelmed with what should be a natural human emotion. Even though they knew they were safe and even though the lines were drawn, they felt ¡®fear¡¯ as they wondered if this slender girl was capable of killing a wyvern. ¡°You¡¯ll be safe with Instructor Edwards, so why don¡¯t you all stop looking like that and enjoy the ride.¡± Hubert¡¯s muffled words broke the silence. Aizel, who had been standing in front of the wyvern, pulled a short rod from her arm. As she imbued the rod with mana, it began to crackle and change shape as in an instant, it transformed into a brilliant golden spear and the eyes of those in the Coliseum are drawn to the sight. ¡®The Spear of Destruction¡­¡¯ Seeing this, Hubert smiled bitterly and bade farewell to the weapon. ¡°Hmph¡­?¡± Chris wished he had a sword that could transform like that. He was serious and was even thinking of visiting a famous dwarven cksmith. Meanwhile, Aizel, with her spear drawn, was seething with irritation. Kissing the one she loved to break a life-eating curse was fairly straightforward and that was a good thing, even for her. If kissing Zetto wasn¡¯t about her own desires, if it was just about fulfilling his curse, then it was a win-win for her but that was only when it was he, Zetto, whom she loved. ¡®What if¡­What if¡­What if¡­ kissing him doesn¡¯t break the curse¡­?¡¯ Aizel muttered to herself. The next moment, the wyvern¡¯s wild tail was pointed at her, and with a crackling spark, Aizel¡¯s newest weapon was airborne. Now there was a good one to take out her frustration on. Soaring over the Colosseum in a matter of seconds, Aizel prepares for an all-out assault. ¨C Boom!!! The golden spear shes with sparks and Aizel immediately brings the spear down on the wyvern¡¯s head¡­ ¡­with a loud crack, the wyvern¡¯s head crashes to the ground. ¨C Kiiiiing!!!!! The spear is followed by a sh of lightning and the light is so brilliant that it gives the illusion of darkness, even in broad daylight. The electricity flowing from the wyvern¡¯s head was overwhelming, and it eventually escaped from his body, forcing Edward, who was standing nearby, to leap backwards. Soon, the wyvern¡¯s body began to smolder from the electricity that burned it to the bone, and the smell of burning began to fill the Colosseum. -p p p!!! The sound of someone pping echoed through the silence of the Colosseum jolted the crowd out of their daze. Soon, a loud roar erupts, and the Colosseum is filled with apuse. With a single blow Aizel has struck down the fierce wyvern and the cadets and outsiders alike marveled at her power but Aizel, however, was not pleased. ¡®If the curse is not broken, then Zetto is in love with another woman¡­ That means she has to kiss him to save him¡­?¡¯ Aizel wondered if what she felt in his heart was a curse, and if it would be broken even if she kissed Zetto. None of these things were certain, but they were enough to shake Aizel to the core. Turning sharply away from the wyvern and walking out of the coliseum, Aizel¡¯s icy gaze fell on Zetto in the stands. My Zetto. How could he be in love with anyone else? The curse would be lifted, of course. Right, Zetto? Chapter 80: Open Classes (3) Chapter 80: Open sses (3) The battle of Aizel Ludwig sent the entire Colosseum into a frenzy and the excitement was palpable, even among those in the audience. Even Chrismented, ¡°That¡¯s pretty good,¡± so it¡¯s easy to see how everyone else felt about Aizel. Most importantly, she was a new face and there were a lot of people who came to see if there were any good talents. They had never heard of the Ludwig family name before, but they recognized it. If it was a small family from the periphery, she might be the first to be recruited. Although she was a first-year student, people figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt to get a head start. A variety of characters had their own opinions about her and they were adamant that whoever favored Aizel would be able tough at the end of this public lesson. Soon after Aizel¡¯s battle, the public ss is interrupted for a break. The officials scurry out of the room, keeping an eye on each other. At this time of day, it was customary for the cadets to eat with family members they hadn¡¯t seen in a while, but they took this opportunity to try and speak to Aizel. Then the heads of the four elemental families rose to their feet but Chris was unable to get up from his seat. ¡®¡­The life force is gone.¡¯ The liveliness that had been felt throughout the open ss had disappeared as if on cue as soon as it was time for a break, and he was wondering about what he saw earlier in the air. Chris thought about it, but he couldn¡¯te up with an answer, as there were plenty of people who could hold a grudge against him. As he leaned back in his chair, Juliut stood up and spoke to him. ¡°Chris, would you like to join us for a meal?¡± ¡°I have someone to see first but I¡¯ll try to find some time this evening.¡± Chris was going to see his apprentice, Kaen. ¡°I see, I see¡­It¡¯s been a while since you¡¯ve seen each other, so I hope you have a good time.¡± Juliut knew who Chris was talking about and left the room. Chris sat a little longer, but his troubles were not resolved. Eventually, he stood up and hummed to himself as he thought about going to see Kaen. *** It was time to share a meal with family members who had traveled from far away but I had no family so I filled my stomach by myself. The only person who was simr to me was Aizel, but I didn¡¯t see her because she was being harassed by the nobles and organizations, just like in the game. She even managed to kill a wyvern in one hit, so it¡¯s clear that she¡¯s much more powerful than in the game. On my way back to the Colosseum after the meal, I ducked into an off-the-beaten-path alley to talk to Sierra. ¡°¡­You think Sword Saint saw you?¡± [Yeah, I red at him a bit, and he was staring in my direction, probably sensing my life force.] ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s good news¡­¡± [Don¡¯t worry too much, I won¡¯t reveal myself under his nose.] ¡°Are you sure¡­?¡± [So you don¡¯t trust me?] As she said that, Sierra¡¯s eyes were still filled with vitality. She had tried to surpass the Sword Saint until she was about to die, and now she was a ghost who wouldn¡¯t even get the chance. She lost over seventy times¡­Every time she thought of the Sword Saint, she would be reminded of her shameful past. Facing the Sword Saint after decades Sierra said. [Show him the Reverse Heaven.] Sierra¡¯smanding voice echoed in my head as she crossed her arms. [Show him the swordsmanship that will defeat him, that will be his only threat.] I wondered what the point of showing a sword technique to the Sword Saint would be but¡­Perhaps Sierra wanted to reveal something. ¡®I have a sword technique here that was created to defeat you.¡¯ My answer was predetermined: I would use Reverse Heaven to defeat the Sword Saint on her behalf. ¡°I understand, but in exchange for¡­¡± [What?] ¡°Promise me that you won¡¯t reveal your life force as long as he¡¯s around? I don¡¯t want to be decapitated in an instant.¡± [Hmph, my disciple is a worrier.] Sierra snorts and tugs on my cheek. ¡®She¡¯s not answering.¡¯ While Sierra and I are having this conversation, two women suddenly enter the alley. [Hmmm¡­?] It was pitch ck in the alley, and they hadn¡¯t realized I was there. ¡°Sis, is that really it?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Someone said, and it was Lucia and her sister, Rikua. Rikua grabbed Lucia¡¯s shoulders and asked her, and Lucia shrank back. ¡°Where the hell did you lose it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Rikua pursed her lips in thought, and Lucia sulked. Rikua had a cute face that resembled Lucia¡¯s, but there was a calmness in her expression and tone of voice that Lucia didn¡¯t have. As they talked, I realized what had happened as I remembered seeing this scene in the game. Thieves¡­No, it seems that a ¡®thief¡¯ is slowly roaming the academy and Lucia was one of his victims. ¡°How is it possible to lose a pendant around your neck in a day? Tell me who took it from you, because I¡¯m going to beat them half to death.¡± Rikua¡¯s words were a little more murderous. ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­! I actually had it around my neck¡­! And then it just disappeared¡­ I¡¯m not being bullied or anything¡­! The cadets in my ss are so nice!¡± A frustrated Lucia stammered, retorting. Rikua could be calm, but when it came to her sister, her emotions took over. She was a big sister that liked and cared for her little sister very much, but she didn¡¯t show it in front of others. There was even a backstory to this. To others, it would look like the capable and ambitious Rikua had taken the position of heir apparent into her own hands but there is no such thing as ambition for Rikua. Even for her, the position was daunting. However, she became the heir because she found Lucia crying and depressed, saying she couldn¡¯t be the heir, and she offered to take over. Rikua and Lucia kept this a secret between them and began to pretend that they didn¡¯t get along. ¡®It¡¯s just that Rikua unterally kept Lucia away from her.¡¯ As a result, Lucia began to bepared to Rikua, and her ce in the family grew smaller and smaller, allowing Rikua to be the heir. ¡®She¡¯s a good girl.¡¯ Of course, it was when they were young, so it was imperfect and clumsy. That was information that could be gleaned from speaking with their mother, the patriarch of House Windless, Cicely Windless. For now, Lucia seemed a bit resentful, so I slowly approached them. ¡°¡­Who is it?¡± A gust of wind whips around Rikua¡¯s hand as she realizes I¡¯m here and Lucia, who spotted me soon after, shouted. ¡°Zetto¡­!¡± ¡°¡­Ms. Lucia, we¡¯re meeting here by chance.¡± Rikua, who was looking back and forth between me and Lucia, asked Lucia in a low voice if she knew me. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re in the same ss! Zetto was in the same group in the mock battle¡­ I got second ce thanks to him¡­! He¡¯s so powerful¡­ Don¡¯t you remember I told you about him in a letter the other day?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­ You said that he could cut a Wind Cutter with his sword¡­¡± Rikua looked at me, followed by Lucia, who shouted aloud despite whispering. Lucia must have exined to Rikua that I¡¯m a blind swordsman. ¡°My name is Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m Rikua Windless.¡± I smiled and offered my hand to Rikua, who shook it with a somewhat reserved expression. ¡°But why is Zettoing out of there¡­?¡± Lucia asked shortly afterward. ¡°It¡¯s crowded outside, so I was just taking a break here, I get a little tired when there¡¯s too much noise.¡± I said, tapping my own ears. ¡°Aha¡­¡± An exmation of understanding escaped Lucia¡¯s lips. Rikua, who was looking at me from the corner of her eye, seemed to understand so I immediately continued. ¡°It seems that I¡¯ve unintentionally eavesdropped on your conversation¡­ As I was listening, a rumor came to mind.¡± ¡°What, what rumor¡­?¡± ¡°During this open ss¡­ G?d? sent a notice to the Academy.¡± ¡± G?d?, G?d??! If it¡¯s G?d?, could it be¡­G?d? Yorfang!¡± Lucia waved her arms in the air. ¡°Yes, I was wondering if it might be G?d? who stole Miss Lucia¡¯s things¡­ Well, it¡¯s just a thought, but¡­¡± Lucia¡¯s eyes narrowed as if she had realized something. ¡°Well, then, I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± I bowed to them, hoping that was enough, and headed out of the alley but as I slowly walked away, I listened to their conversation. ¡°Uh¡­ I bumped into someone earlier, but¡­! Could it have been¡­?¡± ¡°Sis¡­ He¡¯s not an ordinary thief, I¡¯ve heard that whenever he steals something, he sends a notice, no exceptions.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that right¡­? But there could have been a notice¡­!¡± G?d? Yorfang always sends a notice before he steals, that¡¯s why he¡¯s called a thief instead of a bandit by the people who y the game¡­ ¡°Huh? What is this¡­?¡± Lucia can be heard in the alleyway, retrieving the letter from her bosom and reading it aloud. ¡°I really like your pendant, so in exactly 30 seconds from now¡­ I will take it from you¡­ G?d? Yorfang¡­?!¡± I¡¯d have to catch him, but there was still plenty of time. For now, I was overwhelmed with thoughts of my battle. *** Even though the sun hadpletely set and the sky was darkening, the first day of public sses was not yet over. Bright lights illuminated the Colosseum and the festive atmosphere of the Colosseum was still there, but it was only the beginning. Despite Yuri¡¯s fireworks disy against the resilient ¡®Trolls,¡¯ and Lucia¡¯s Calling Tornado, which sent the monster flying¡­¡­my turn hadn¡¯te. Even Kaen was done and she performed with the average skill of a C-ss cadet. It wasn¡¯t that I was impatient to fight, but rather that I had an ufortable feeling of unfinished business¡­ When I started to wonder when my turn woulde Mr. Kaliman, who was walking among the cadets sitting in the audience, called out to me. ¡°¡­Cadet Zetto, ss A, Year 1, you¡¯re next, so get ready.¡± ¡°Just follow me.¡± Following Kaliman¡¯s call, an academy staff member approaches me and leads me to the hall. I follow the staff to the hall, where I find Edward, who is presiding. With his back to me, I can see the passageway leading to the coliseum. He spots me immediately and opens his mouth. ¡°There you are, Cadet Zetto. I¡¯ve been waiting for you, and now you can choose which monster to face¡­¡± Edward¡¯s smile, which had been fading at the end of his sentence, now seemed even more suspicious than usual. Chapter 81: Open Classes (4) Chapter 81: Open sses (4) In the center of the coliseum sat a giant wyvern prepared for thest battle of the first day of public sses. Edward had brought the wyvern out beforehand, building up the crowd¡¯s anticipation, then stood in front of the wyvern and opened his mouth. His voice echoed loudly through the amplification magic ne he was wearing. ¡°And now for the final battle of the day. The cadet who will culminate the first day of open sses, the cadet who will defeat this hideous wyvern¡­ Who will it be?!¡± The President of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Association, who was in the audience following Edward¡¯s exciting proceedings, mumbles. ¡°I thought he wouldn¡¯te out¡­ But here he is at the end, Headmaster Juliut, is this a deliberate move?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, hehe.¡± Juliut was just assuming it was his son, Edward, doing. ¡°Who do you think it is?¡± ¡°A third-year cadet, I think. He seems to be muchrger than the wyvern Cadet Aizel took down.¡± ¡°¡­Were any of the cadets you sawst year better than Cadet Aizel?¡± Those in the audience were trying to guess who thest cadet would be, but only those inside the Academy had a vague idea of who it would be. ¡°He¡± had yet to appear. Sword Saint Chris and Jeras Clementine, who should have known of his existence, were thinking of him. As Edward paused, the Colosseum began to roar. ¡°¡­And since it¡¯s thest time, I¡¯m going to make it quick and to the point, so if you¡¯ll join me in apuding, I¡¯d like to wee¡­Cadet Zetto, ss A, First Year¡­Cadet Zetto.¡± Edward¡¯s voice boomed out. ¡°Gahhhhhh!!!¡± ¡°Zetto!!!¡± ¡°Zetto!!!¡± The cadets, especially the female cadets, were screaming his name, even though he hadn¡¯t even appeared in the coliseum yet. Within the academy, Zetto was already a celebrity but outsiders who didn¡¯t know him were asking, ¡°Who is Zetto?¡± Finally, he walked slowly out into the coliseum and immediately, apuse erupted. Outsiders, who had been apuding, now recognize him, and their surprise quickly turns to panic since Zetto¡¯s eyes are covered in white bandages. ¡°What is that bandage?¡± ¡°Is he going to take down a wyvern?¡± The outsiders stopped apuding and began to murmur, questioning those around them. As the coliseum erupts in apuse from one side, and murmurs of confusion from the other, Jeras opened his mouth. ¡°I heard he was strong, but I never thought he could take on a wyvern.¡± Jeras shrugged and turned to Maxim beside him. ¡°¡­¡± Maxim didn¡¯t say anything else, just watched Zetto carefully while the deputy leader of the Silver Winged Knights was wide-eyed. ¡®A blind acupuncturist with bandages over his eyes¡­They said it could be a swordsman¡­but it can¡¯t be an academy cadet, can it?¡¯ The deputymander was recalling a story told by Saint Bernice. She hadn¡¯t attended this open ss, but had gone in search of a ¡®blind acupuncturist¡¯. It struck her as odd that a cadet should have such a trait, but there were few who possessed all of them at once, so she figured she¡¯d contact the saint as soon as this battle was over. ¡®The blind swordsman¡­ Zetto¡­¡¯ Chris had finallye face to face with the ¡®blind swordsman¡¯ Kaen had told him about in her letter. The only question was¡­ ..As he approached the center of the coliseum, the life force in the air was getting closer. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Chris scratched his head in disbelief because the owner of the life force was that blind swordsman, a cadet named Zetto. Meanwhile, the President of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild approaches Juliut with a question that was simple, yet perhaps the most important. ¡°Headmaster Juliut, how is that cadet named Zetto able to walk so well¡­?¡± Juliut¡¯s head snaps back to look at him and answers. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard from the instructors¡­ He said he has a special ability so he doesn¡¯t have much trouble living or fighting.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Having learned of Zetto¡¯s information thanks to the Guild President, the others nodded. Meanwhile, Zetto, the center of their conversation, walked to the center of the coliseum and thought to himself. ¡®This is ridiculous¡­thest monster is a wyvern¡­¡¯ It was a little overwhelming to be thest to go, and to have so many eyes on him as he tried to kill a wyvern. Edward, who had set the whole thing up, was looking at Zetto as he walked towards him and smiling casually, as if nothing had happened. The crowd wasn¡¯t worried about him since they had already seen Aizel, a first-year cadet like him, take down a wyvern, so they knew that Zetto would be able to do the same. In fact, they were looking forward to seeing what he would do. Edward nced at the protective enchantments that should be on Zetto. ¡°Shall we begin?¡± Edward asked, and Zetto nodded once before snapping his fingers. -Keeeeeeeeeeee!!!! An ear-splitting wail echoed through the coliseum from the wyvern that had just been freed from the illusionary spell. Zetto ced his hand on the Spectral Sword at his waist and with a slight tilt of his head, Zetto¡¯s vision focused on Sierra. Sierra wore a fierce expression but Zetto wasn¡¯t sure if she was looking at him or the Sword Saint who was sitting in the audience. Sierra¡¯s voice echoed in his head, the only one he could hear among the many in the Colosseum. [Go and show him the swordsmanship that will defy and defeat him¡­Reverse Heaven] Zetto smiled weakly and pulled out Sierra. While most of the people watching Zetto were thinking of the words reverse grip, he was contemting whether to use chapter one or chapter two. ¨C Aaah!!! As he pondered this, the wyvern chose to use his wings to soar into the air instead of lunging at Zetto. The Colosseum was surrounded by Reina¡¯s magic circle, so there was no way he could escape. However, the wyvern wasn¡¯t trying to escape. It was a wyvern¡¯s habit to soar into the air and then swoop down to attack its foes. Zetto watched the wyvern p its wings and move further and further away from him while thinking what move to use. ¡®Chapter One.¡¯ Zetto repeated the words to himself as the flow of mana in his body twisted. The distance between him and the spectators was such that only the strongest could notice it, but those in the audience were strong enough to witness it without missing a beat. ¡°I¡¯m not mistaken¡­?¡± Cicely Windless¡¯ trembling voice echoed through the room but no one answered her question. They looked at Zetto, who stood unperturbed by the distortion of his mana flow, and theirmon sense failed them. ¡®The swipe of the sword was a move to distort the flow of mana¡­¡¯ Chris raised one eyebrow at Zetto¡¯s behavior, which he found quite intriguing. ¡®What will you show me?¡¯ Zetto tilted his head toward the wyvern in midair. In his field of vision, he could see a red circle in the wings of the wyvern. The ¡®weakness¡¯ was also visible on the wyvern¡¯s neck, but he thought it would be a bit too much to decapitate it as it was. Zetto¡¯s sword, held in a reverse grip, was quickly thrust out and his action caused everyone in the Colosseum to question him again. The first to recognize Zetto¡¯s intentions was, of course, Chris, the Sword Saint. ¡®sh.¡¯ He could feel it instinctively. But the question remained: how? Even for him, it was something he had never seen before. The wings of the wyvern that had been flying in the air immediately split open with a strange sound, and the wyvern that had lost one of its wings naturally began to fall to the ground. ¡®It¡¯s not even a sword, yet it shed at a distant enemy. ¡­That seems to be a direct attack, unlike a sword. Interesting.¡¯ At that moment, Chris nced at Zetto¡¯s sword, which was covered in wyvern blood. Zetto lowered his head and slowly walked forward and approached the spot where the wyvern had fallen. Stopping in his tracks, Zetto swept his hand across the de once more as the wyvern was falling with a screech from above where he stood. ¡®He¡¯s going to be crushed at this rate¡­?¡¯ The deputy leader of the Silver Winged Knights was confused, wondering if it was because he was blind that he hadn¡¯t noticed but she didn¡¯t even know how he had cut off the wyvern¡¯s wings in the first ce. The wyvern¡¯s body was about to crush Zetto and whether he realized it or not, Zetto, who had been casually inspecting his sword, suddenly gathered mana in his legs, twisted, spun, and leaped. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous¡­!¡± The deputy leader was so engrossed that she forgot about the protective magic and eximed as she pushed herself up from her seat. The cadet named Zetto could be the one the Saint was looking for, and she couldn¡¯t afford to have him get hurt but just as she stood up, Zetto swept his sword through the air just in time and the Colosseum froze. His body, soaring from his leap, was spinning at a terrifyingly high rate of speed as he twisted and turned in a sideways flip as his sword, held in a reverse grip, touches the head of the wyvern that is slowly falling towards him. Zetto¡¯s spinning blow sliced the wyvern in half as the wyvern¡¯s flesh cracked and blood gushed out, but it was slow enough that Zetto¡¯s body was not spattered with blood. It had only taken ten seconds by his estimation and Zetto nced at the Sword Saint that was seated in the audience. The Sword Saint below him looked up, visibly chasing after him, even as the passage of time slowed. ¡®¡­So this is your speed?¡¯ Zetto felt a slight chill run down his spine. *** ¡°It¡¯s dangerous¡­!¡± The deputy leader of the Silver Winged Knights cried out as Zetto had suddenly leaped upward from where the wyvern was falling. The others in the room assumed there was no danger, but they had their doubts. However that onlysted a few seconds as in the blink of an eye, something bizarre happened. Zetto, who had made a rather normal leap, suddenly disappeared from view. ¨C POOF!!!!!!!!! First, there¡¯s a loud bang, as if something is ¡®popping¡¯. ¡°Uh¡­?¡± The wordes out of the deputy leader¡¯s mouth, and she can¡¯t keep her mouth shut. She closes her eyes and opens them to see the wyvern falling towards Zetto, snapped in half. ¨C Thud!!!!!!! There was a dull thud as the two halves of the wyvern fell to the coliseum floor, raising a cloud of dust. ¨C Aaaah¡­ Then a red liquid, likely the blood of a wyvern, rained down from the sky but luckily, the cage was closed, so the blood didn¡¯t stter onto the crowd. However, Zetto¡¯s figure was nowhere to be seen. ¡°¡­¡± The deputy leader quickly scanned the field, trying to find Zetto and Chris, who had turned his head back to look at her, spoke up. ¡°¡­There he is.¡± As he said this, he moved his arm and pointed his finger at the sky. The deputy leader, who had been following her finger, was able to find Zetto in no time and he was somehow falling from the air. Soon enough, Zetto¡¯s feet touched the ground and he swung the sword he was holding, sttering blood on the ground, then immediately put his sword back into the sheath as a clear sound echoing through the Colosseum. There was a brief moment of silence afterward. ¨C Aaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!! But soon the spectators, the cadets, the outsiders and the ones who understood the situation after the fact, let out a loud cheer as thunderous apuse and shouts shook the Colosseum. ¡°¡­¡± Zetto smoothly turned and walked out of the Coliseum. ¡®Blood pours like rain.¡¯ Zetto was moving as fast as he could, not wanting to get hit by the downpour of wyvern blood¡­¡­and the onlookers were mesmerized by his easy going demeanor. While watching him, the guests of honor had different things on their minds. The deputy leader was feeling somewhat embarrassed by the words that hade out of his mouth, and his face was heating up. ¡°¡­¡± Jeras stroked his beard wordlessly, seriously considering making him his son-inw while Sword Saint Chris jumped to his feet and turned to Juliut, who had been rubbing his chin, and shouted. ¡°Juliut, I want you to arrange a meeting with this cadet named Zetto!¡± To save his life, Chris wanted to talk to him now. Chapter 82: Open Classes (5) Chapter 82: Open sses (5) The first day of public sses passed without incident. Meanwhile, Saint Bernice had stopped by a vige where a ¡°blind acupuncturist¡± had been visiting. As she investigated, she learned that he was called the Blind Saint in the vige, and that the vige chief had brought him in so Bernice found herself in the house of the vige chief. ¡°¡­So Thomas doesn¡¯t know much about him either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He was such a mysterious figure¡­¡± The man in front of her, the vige chief, Thomas, was a very young and handsome man for a vige chief. As she talked to him, she had a lot of questions. First, this man¡¯s name is not Thomas. When he introduced himself as Thomas, she could tell he was lying. She wondered if someone else was pretending to be the vige chief, but strangely enough, he wasn¡¯t lying about being the chief. Maybe he was using a pseudonym since there were plenty of people with pasts they wanted to hide. Thomas was a man full of mysteries like thevishness of his mansion, the fact that he had so much money, and the fact that he was the mayor of such a small town. The information Thomas spouted about the blind acupuncturist was also a mixture of lies and truth. It was a lie that he didn¡¯t know his name and it was also a lie that he wasn¡¯t close to him. But he was telling the truth when he said he had only known him for a short time, and he was also telling the truth when he said he didn¡¯t know the details. ¡®What kind of rtionship is this?¡¯ Bernice wondered. It was such a strange rtionship that she wondered if her abilities were wrong. However, she couldn¡¯t hold him ountable for lying. Anyway, through him, she learned that the blind acupuncturist was carrying a sword and perhaps the slim chance that he had in the demon in the theater had just gotten a little better. Her desire to speak with him, or to recruit him into her Knight Order, was her own, and he would not harm anyone else in order to do so. ¡°Holy Lady, I have a question, if I may ask?¡± Thomas, who was sitting across from her, asked as he set down his teacup and the Saint gave a small nod. ¡°¡­With all due respect, why are you looking for him?¡± ¡°Why am I looking for him¡­¡± She said, hesitating. Judging from Thomas¡¯ demeanor up to this point, he was deliberately hiding the existence of the blind acupuncturist from her. Did he think she was out to get him, the so-called blind saint? Or was he simply hiding him because he wanted to keep his identity a secret? Just as she was contemting whether or not she should answer. ¡°Lady.¡± After stepping out of the room for a moment, In¨¦s reentered the room and called out to her. ¡°Saint, I think you need toe here for a moment, we have a call from the ¡®crystal ball¡¯.¡± In¨¦s walked over to me and leaned in close to whisper in my ear. ¡°¡­Thomas, something hase up, and I was wondering if you had a quiet room I could borrow for a while?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I thanked Thomas and quickly left the room. As I was closing the door behind me, In¨¦s spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from Ecline, and she says she needs to speak to you urgently¡­Something about a blind acupuncturist.¡± ¡°¡­If it¡¯s Ecline, isn¡¯t she at the Innocence Academy right now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, and I¡¯m still not sure how this happened.¡± She wondered why Ecline, who would have attended the Academy events on her behalf, would want to talk about the blind acupuncturist. I followed Ines to a quiet room in the mansion and there, on a table, In¨¦s ced the crystal ball. It was a small crystal that allowed you tomunicate with someone over any distance, as long as they had a crystal as well. It¡¯s a very expensive item, and there are only a few in the Order, but Ecline, who is representing me in this official capacity, has one with her. It was obvious that she was in a hurry to get in touch with me, using a crystal ball that consumed an enormous amount of gems per use and per charge. ¡°Ecline, are you still there?¡± I called into the crystal ball and the crystal ball crackled as I heard Ecline¡¯s voice. [Saint¡­] Ecline¡¯s voice sounded a little tired. ¡°You seem very tired, did something happen to you?¡± [Sorry, I was up all night trying to decide if I should use the crystal ball or not¡­] ¡°Well, we have a new benefactor, so we have plenty of money, but we don¡¯t need to waste it, so I hope it¡¯s something important.¡± As a deputy leader, Ecline was a force to be reckoned with, but she was a bit of a troublemaker. In fact, much thought had gone into sending her to the Academy this time. [Information about the blind man with a bandage over his eye that the saint was looking for] ¡°¡­Let¡¯s talk.¡± I replied to Ecline and paced the room as I wondered what kind of information she would bring back from the Academy. [¡­I saw a man with a bandage over his eye at the Innocence Academy this time.] After a moment¡¯s pause, Ecline said. ¡°Is that true?¡± [Yes. It was a dark-haired man with a white bandage over his eyes, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the same person you¡¯re looking for.] ¡°Why did you think so?¡± [It turns out he was a cadet at the Academy, and if you¡¯re a cadet, you¡¯re not supposed to be wandering around outside the Academy¡­?] ¡°Well, it is a strange thing.¡± Ecline wasn¡¯t wrong as it would be difficult to leave the academy as a cadet since the Innocence Academy was quite a closed ce. ¡®If there¡¯s one thing that¡¯s holding me back¡­¡¯ I stopped abruptly and turned to face Ines, who was standing next to me. ¡°¡­Ines, what is the distance from this vige to the Innocence Academy?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯d have to look at the map to know exactly¡­¡± Ines trailed off, rubbing her chin, and her eyes widened. ¡°¡­I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s pretty close.¡± ¡°Then what about the city where the demon was found in the theater this time?¡± ¡°It might be some distance from this town, but¡­ It¡¯s close to the Academy. It should only be a few hours¡¯ ride on horseback.¡± ¡°I see, then¡­ I get the picture.¡± Soon, Ecline¡¯s voice, who had been listening to me and Ines¡¯ conversation from the crystal ball, was heard. [¡­What does that mean?] ¡°Hah¡­ Ecline¡­ The person we¡¯re looking for has only been seen in ces where even an Academy cadet can travel.¡± Seeing Ecline frustration at not understanding, Ines sighed and replied. [Really¡­? So you¡¯re saying that he could be cadet Zetto? Oh no¡­] With that, Ecline suddenly closed her mouth. ¡®Zetto¡­¡¯ It¡¯s a name I¡¯ve never heard before, but it has a nice ring to it, so maybe it¡¯s just my imagination. ¡°So how was that cadet named Zetto? You must have seen him inbat if he was an academy cadet, but did he use a sword?¡± I asked the crystal ball, which was silent. [He did use a sword¡­] Ecline, who had been silent, then bursts into a stream of gibberish, starting with those words. [¡­and not just any sword, but a very good one at that, because he was fighting a wyvern and something that wasn¡¯t even a sword ripped the wyvern¡¯s wings off, and then there was a poof, and a bang, and a fountain of blood¡­!] ¡°Ecline, calm down and speak slowly. Is it true that he took on a wyvern as a cadet?¡± Suddenly, Ines interrupted Ecline and calmed her down. [Cadet Zetto wasn¡¯t the only one who took down the Wyvern, but¡­ Chief, that¡¯s not the point right now, it was ridiculous speed, and I missed his move for a second, too.] ¡°Hmph¡­¡± In¨¦s gulped. For Ecline, who wasn¡¯t a regr member of the order but the deputy leader, to say something like that, it meant that he was definitely not at an ordinary level. ¡°If he¡¯s that good, there should already be a lot of people interested in him.¡± ¡°Though it remains to be seen if he¡¯s the acupuncturist we¡¯re looking for.¡± In¨¦s shrugged back at me. ¡°What do you think, In¨¦s, about the possibility that he¡¯s an acupuncturist?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Acupuncture and swordsmanship¡­And he was a cadet at the academy¡­ I think it¡¯s getting harder and harder to imagine.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ yeah, that¡¯s the funny thing about it.¡± I snorted, feeling like I¡¯d found a fun problem to solve. Soon, Ecline, who had been listening to our conversation, spoke up and with each word she spoke, the strength in her voice was draining away. [Sister, there is one more thing I need to tell you about Cadet Zetto that I was just describing¡­] ¡°Yes.¡± [¡­¡¯Sword Saint¡¯ expressed interest in Cadet Zetto] ¡°Sword Saint, no, you mean that Sword Saint came to the academy in the first ce?¡± Ecline mention of Sword Saint startled In¨¦s. In¨¦s is a follower of Sword Saint, and she knows a lot about him. She would often tell me stories about him and she told me that he had no interest in anything in the world and enjoyed wandering. I never expected him toe to the Academy. It waspletely unexpected, even for me. [I don¡¯t know why he came to the academy, but it seems like he has a rtionship with the headmaster. Anyway, as soon as Cadet Zetto¡¯s battle was over, he asked for a meeting¡­I don¡¯t think anyone else even approached Cadet Zetto.] A moment of silence followed Ecline reply and for some reason, In¨¦s was visibly shocked. After a few moments, I spoke up. ¡°The fact that he¡¯s coveted by the Sword Saint makes me even more curious. Even if he is the acupuncturist we¡¯re looking for, he¡¯s still a cadet, so recruiting him would be impossible¡­¡± Hearing my words, Ecline asks. [Sister, speaking of recruiting, something urred to me¡­] ¡°What is it?¡± [Wasn¡¯t our Silver Winged Knights an all-female order¡­? Or rather, weren¡¯t the Knights protecting the Saint supposed to be all women?] ¡°¡­We were, until now.¡± If there was a way to recruit him, he would be the only male member of the Knights of the Silver Wings. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll head over to the academy as soon as we can, it¡¯s close, so it shouldn¡¯t take too long.¡± I said to Ecline, quickly ending the conversation with her. Whatever it was, meeting him and talking to him face to face would solve everything. ¡®It¡¯ll be important to ask naturally so it doesn¡¯t seem like I¡¯m prying, but¡­¡¯ I told In¨¦s to get the crystal ball and headed straight for his room to finish up my talk with Thomas. Just a few more hours and I should be able to meet him. I wonder what he¡¯s really like. Is he really a saint? Why does he go around doing good deeds? He¡¯s not just mysterious or intriguing, but there¡¯s an unexinable charm about him that seems to be sucking me in. ¡°Zetto¡­¡± I muttered his name softly. For some reason, a part of my heart was fluttering¡­It must be the mood. *** The Gold Dragon, who had been listening to the conversation in the Saint¡¯s room with his extra senses, thought. ¡®Zetto was a cadet at the Academy?¡¯ He was young, but he hadn¡¯t thought of him as a cadet at all. Even as a dragon who had lived for hundreds of years, he had no idea who Zetto was. What the hell is this guy doing being a cadet and getting involved with a saint? Chapter 83: Open Classes (6) Chapter 83: Open sses (6) It¡¯s early morning on the second day of public sses but before entering the coliseum, I take a moment to meet someone. The room was eerily silent and across from me was Sword Saint Chris, who was staring at me with a smile on his face. In the game, if I could get his attention, he woulde and talk to me in the middle of the public ss but that¡¯s about it, he¡¯d just talk to me and give me tips on swordsmanship to improve my skill level. Still, it was to be expected, given the power of the Reverse Heaven. Sierra, as I expected¡­couldn¡¯t bear to see him. Her eyes, as she red at Sword Saint, were filled with a murderous intent, as if she wanted to pounce and bite him at any moment and even Sword Saint seemed to have sensed it. Still, I couldn¡¯t me her. ¡®I knew this would happen¡­¡¯ I was just trying to figure out how to get out of this situation because I knew I was going to have to confront him, but I wasn¡¯t sure what I was going to say. Eventually, it was Chris, who broke the cold silence without any formal greetings. ¡°Have you and I ever met before? You¡¯re radiating life force like we¡¯re enemies¡­or something. I can¡¯t remember.¡± Those were the first words out of his mouth without greeting me. I had no ill will toward him, but he, unable to recognize Sierra¡¯s presence, must have mistaken my feelings. I wonder if I¡¯m going to be enemies with him. No, it was natural. As Sierra¡¯s disciple, I could never be on good terms with him. The only thing that puzzled me was that the smile on Chris¡¯s face never left his lips as he spoke those words to me. [You¡¯re prettyid back, Chris¡­..] Then Sierra¡¯s murderous voice rang out. ¡°We¡¯ve never met but I just want to surpass Sword Saint¡­I hope you don¡¯t mind if I¡¯m overly ¡®motivated¡¯.¡± It was ame excuse, even for me. But Chris didn¡¯t seem to mind. In fact, his next words were more of a ¡°whatever¡± attitude. ¡°Hmmm¡­ You want to surpass me¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve called you here because I have a proposition for you.¡± ¡°A proposal¡­?¡± In response to my question, the Sword Saint smiles, baring his teeth. ¡°How about you be my disciple.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I can¡¯t help but be taken aback by his offer. ¡®Disciple¡­¡¯ If I want to surpass him, what kind of nonsense is it to ask me to be his disciple? In the first ce, I couldn¡¯t learn the sword arts of the Sword Saint in the game no matter what I did, and he wouldn¡¯t take on more students just because he had Kaen. [Disciple¡­draw your sword now¡­now¡­!] Sierra couldn¡¯t contain her anger and yelled at me to fight Sword Saint but despite her urging, I didn¡¯t draw my sword. [How dare you try to take my disciple¡­my Zetto¡­] Sierra growled as her emotions hadpletely red. ¡°Watching your swordy this time, I suddenly realized something. Your swordsmanship, my swordsmanship¡­If these two swordsmanships were to bebined, the strongest swordsmanship in history would be created.¡± But whether Sierra exuded life force or not, Chris continued nonchntly. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but you seem to hold a deep grudge against me. So I¡¯ve been thinking about taking you on as my apprentice to help you get past me. What do you think?¡± Chris¡¯s stern voice echoed in the room and his eyes were extremely serious. He was a very unique person, but it was clear that he wasn¡¯t joking now. ¡®If I learn his sword techniques, I will definitely be even stronger than I am now.¡¯ I didn¡¯t know if Sword Saint¡¯s swordsmanship and Sierra¡¯s Reverse Heaven could be merged, but from the way he said it, it seemed like he had an idea. Certainly, if the two swordsmanships were to merge, the strongest swordsmanship might be born. ¡®But¡­¡¯ That wasn¡¯t good. There was no point for Sierra tobine her swordsmanship with Sword Saint¡¯s and to follow that path would be to lose her. I knew my answer. ¡°I already have a Master, so I don¡¯t think I can ept your offer.¡± I drew a firm line in the sand. [ ¡­¡­] Sierra listens to my answer and then quiets down. She seems to be gathering her emotions. ¡°Hmph¡­ yeah, that¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t realize you had a teacher. I¡¯ve never seen such a sword technique before, so I thought it must be yours¡­¡± Chris¡¯s voice trailed off with a hint of regret. ¡°Of course not, all of my swordsmanship was created by my master.¡± ¡°¡­Then let me ask you onest question: who is your teacher? I¡¯ve traveled the continent and met countless swordsmen, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone use such swordsmanship. Does your hatred for me have anything to do with your master?¡± He was asking who my master is and there was no reason to hide it since I¡¯ve already talked about it with Sierra. ¡°My master is¡­¡± *** Zetto announced his teacher¡¯s name and left, saying that he would bete for the public ss. Chris is left alone in the room, unable to stand up from his seat. Soon after, his mouth is open in a daze and he suddenly startsughing. ¡°Haha¡­That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, someone did it, and it was one of her students¡­¡± Zetto¡¯sst words reveal the identity of his teacher. ¡°Purple Moon¡­ Are you alive? No, if you were¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯de looking for me.¡± As far as Chris was concerned, Sierra hadn¡¯t been forgotten after all these years. ¡®Sword Saint, Duel.¡¯ ¡°Breathe¡­I¡¯ll let you rest, but.¡¯ ¡®¡­Draw your sword.¡¯ Chris thought back to his past encounters with Sierra, when she had asked him to duel by drawing her sword and pointing it at him. ¡°Hehe¡­I didn¡¯t realize you had a student¡­¡± Chris muttered, smiling broadly. He had been curious about Sierra¡¯s sudden disappearance, but he wondered if her long-standing illness had caught up with her. ¡­And it seems that it did. Perhaps Sierra¡¯s body was no longer intact by the time she perfected her swordsmanship. ¡°Hmm, okay¡­¡± It made sense then. Now that Zetto was Sierra¡¯s disciple, everything made sense. Her presence, the powerful swordsmanship he had never seen before and the way he had tly refused to be his disciple. Had her will been passed down to him? Chris swallowed his bitterness at the thought of Sierra¡¯s passing, but he couldn¡¯t help but admire her unbelievable tenacity. ¡®It¡¯s strange, though, that her life felt so empty¡­¡¯ He wondered if there was a reason for Zetto¡¯s blindness. It was a mystery that even Chris could not fathom. Resting his chin on the couch, Chris shook his head slightly as he thought back to the situation. ¡°By the way¡­ was it because it was a sword technique she created to defeat me that I felt that way¡­¡± At this point, there was something he had to give up and Chris couldn¡¯t hide his disappointment. In one hand, he held his swordsmanship and in the other, Sierra¡¯s swordsmanship. ¡°To be able to call it perfect¡­ I thought I could see the strongest swordsmanship being created.¡± Chris clicked his tongue as the words came out. ¡®It was something I was so fascinated by that I would have killed to have him as a disciple¡­¡¯ Originally, Chris had no intention of taking on a student besides Kaen, until he met Zetto. Zetto made it a condition of his life to surpass him, given the life he sensed in him¡­Little did Chris realize that Sierra would be his teacher. ¡°Is there really no way¡­¡± He was obsessed with the sword. Sierra wasn¡¯t the only one with an obsession. ¡°Wait.¡± Chris, deep in thought, reached for something in his pocket. It was a letter from his student, Kaen, whom he had raised like a granddaughter. He recalled meeting Kaen at lunch yesterday and hearing her excitedly recite stories about Zetto. Chris read the letter again and this time, he paid closer attention, especially the part where Kaen mentions Zetto, the blind swordsman. Kaen seemed to know Zetto quite well and she seemed to like him quite a bit. After reading the entire letter, Chris thought to himself. ¡®It doesn¡¯t have to be Zetto.¡¯ It was only natural that the swordsmanship of mothers and fathers would be passed down to their children. After all, Kaen hadn¡¯t even told Zetto she was his student. With that thought in mind, he slowly formed a picture in his mind. A disciple of Sword Saint and a disciple of Purple Moon fall in love and they conceive a child. The child will grow up to inherit his parents¡¯ sword skills. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s just too good to be true!¡± Chris marveled at the idea he hade up with, then he thought about nudging Kaen to find a husband. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t have to give up the ultimate swordsmanship he¡¯d always wanted. ¡®It may take a little longer toplete, but¡­¡¯ Chris smiled with satisfaction at the thought. This was the same Chris who had spent his entire life looking only at swords, the same Chris who had never known love between men and women. He hadn¡¯t even considered Kaen or Zetto¡¯s wishes, he knew only the sword. Chapter 84: Open Classes (7) Chapter 84: Open sses (7) I¡¯m walking back to the Colosseum after meeting Sword Saint. There wasn¡¯t a soul on the street, as if everyone had gone to the Colosseum. I suddenly remember Sword Saint patting me on the shoulder andughing heartily before leaving the room. I remember that he was still alive at the end of the game, so he must have had a lot of time left before he died of old age. The question is¡­ ¡°¡­Master, I have one question.¡± [Hmm, what?] Sierra, who was leading the way, turned her head to look at me. She was looking cheerful, as if she had just returned from a deration of war against Sword Saint. ¡°I was wondering if I should be the one to slit Sword Saint¡¯s throat? Surely, Master¡¯s duel with Sword Saint was not a life-and-death decision.¡± Sierraughs at my question. [Phew, that¡¯s what¡¯s bothering you. Yes, it wasn¡¯t a life and death struggle between us. We¡¯re both excellent swordsmen, and the country needs us. They couldn¡¯t afford to lose such an important resource over a title¡­.I¡¯ve heard that there was a time, once upon a time, when it was simply a matter of who lived and who died.] ¡°So why?¡± I asked as I listened to Sierra. [Even if it wasn¡¯t life or death¡­I don¡¯t know what it was like for the others, but at least we fought like we meant it. Maybe it¡¯s just a habit.] After dueling dozens of times like that, it¡¯s no wonder they were so serious when they met. Even if it was always Sierra who lost. Sierra¡¯s expression darkens as she continues. [But only once¡­despite the dozens of times we¡¯ve battled, I¡¯ve never been able to defeat him¡­I¡¯ve been sick since I was a child and I realized that I didn¡¯t have much time left, so I went into seclusion to create a sword technique to defeat him¡­] Sierra swallowed the rest of her words since I knew the rest of the story well. Sierra was obsessed with the sword, and lived a life that knew nothing but the sword but the fact that she didn¡¯t manage to obtain the title of Sword Saint was enough to kill her, so I could see how it would be. [A thought thates to mind whenever I recall the old days, how fortunate I am to have been able to meet my student¡­] Sierra lunges at me and wraps her arms around me. Her face was radiant as she hugged me¡­but for some reason, I could feel a small tremor in her body as her cautionary voice echoes in my head. [So don¡¯t leave, no matter what happens¡­don¡¯t leave my side] ¡°You¡¯re worrying about the wrong thing, and it¡¯s not my fault¡­¡± I started to speak, patting her on the back, but Sierra interrupted me. [¡­don¡¯t die.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± I smiled bitterly at her words since I didn¡¯t have a response. Recent events must have worried Sierra. ¡®I¡¯ve been doing a lot of¡­dangerous things.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t stop myself since everything was for a happy ending but I wonder if that¡¯s possible, even if it means sacrificing my own life. ¡°¡­We should go now or we¡¯ll bete.¡± I turned and began to walk away slowly, still holding her in my arms and Sierra clung to me, unwilling to part for a moment. *** The public ss was in session at the Colosseum as one cadet stepped forward and called out an opponent to face him. One of the cadets¡¯ protective spells was broken. ¨C Aaaaaaah!!!!!! The cheers of the crowd fill the Colosseum as the dignitaries in the audience are waiting for the cadets who impressed them on the first day to appear. Normally, at Academy events that are open to the public, such as open sses and examinations, attention is focused on the graduating seniors, but at this year¡¯s open ss, all eyes were on the first-year cadets. In a way, it¡¯s not surprising since this year, the first year ss was unusually strong. From the continental four elemental families to the fresh-faced cadets who showed off their talents. The phrase ¡°golden generation¡± was on everyone¡¯s lips and among them were two rising stars, Aizel and Zetto. However, their names were rarely heard. There was no need for the cadets to challenge them when it was so obvious that they would be destroyed. Time passed, the sun was high in the sky, and the cadets had been talking about Zetto and Aizel for some time, and whether they were fighting or not. A woman enters the room, her snow-white hair flowing and her dress spotlessly white. She is followed by a female knight in silver armor. Someone in the audience, sensing their presence and being the first to catch sight of them, exims. ¡°Saint?!¡± His exmation draws the attention of everyone in the room to her. Saint Bernice has arrived at the Academy. Her pink eyes sweep across the room but her gaze lingers a bit longer on Sword Saint, who sits across from her. ¡®That must be Sword Saint, he¡¯s interested in Zetto.¡¯ She stops staring at him and ces a hand on her chest, bowing her head slightly in respect, then Bernice then looks up and speaks. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the dy, I¡¯m Bernice, the Saint of Innocence.¡± Juliut, who had already been informed of the saint¡¯s visit by Ecline, the deputy leader of the Silver Winged Knights, speaks up. ¡°No, saint, I am only grateful that you havee, and perhaps you would not mind if I informed the Colosseum of your presence.¡± Bernice sits down and answers him. ¡°Yes, you are wee to do so, but would you mind not disturbing the cadets? They are the ones who should be in the spotlight here, not me. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte, but I don¡¯t want to take away their chance at the spotlight.¡± ¡°Haha, of course, and even if you don¡¯t, we¡¯ll be taking a break soon, so I¡¯ll let them know you¡¯re here as soon as the break is over.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Bernice smiles faintly and a momentter, Ecline, who had been standing behind Bernice with Ines, leans in close to her ear. ¡°It looks like Sword Saint has made contact with Cadet Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­Has it alreadye to that?¡± ¡°Sword Saint¡¯s expression does not look good¡­ I wonder if it¡¯s already toote¡­ Rumors are circting that he has be Sword Saint disciple. I apologize. I should have contacted you sooner¡­¡± Ecline¡¯s eyes narrowed as she said that. The rumor that he had be a disciple of Sword Saint had dissuaded the officials from making a good offer to Zetto. Sword Saint didn¡¯t want to be part of any organization, let alone the Knights of the Round Table, so why should his apprentice be any different? He had even fought quietly in the war a decade ago. Chris, of course, had dutifully followed Allied orders during the war, and had done a remarkable job of holding off an entire in in the north. ¡°No, it¡¯s enough to talk to him, for now.¡± Bernice whispered to Ecline. There was still no confirmation that he was the acupuncturist called the Blind Saint, or that he had anything to do with the demon corpse that had been found in the theater. ¡°It¡¯s not toote to think about what happens after that.¡± Bernice turns her attention back to the Colosseum as a male cadet stood in the center of the coliseum. In¨¦s, who was standing behind Bernice, was staring at the Sword Saint. ¡®You haven¡¯t replied to the dozens of letters I sent¡­I didn¡¯t expect you toe to the Academy.¡¯ Despite her repeated invitations to join the ¡®Round,¡¯ he hadn¡¯t replied to any of them. Entrusting the letter to the Information Guild, the ck Hand, was not cheap; she was spending money to write to Sword Saint. Chris felt Ines¡¯s burdened gaze on him and he remembered her or rather, he was remembering her. She was one of the people on his list of people who annoyed the hell out of him. ¡®A Knight of the Round Table.¡¯ For him, the title of Sword Saint was enough to indicate his status, and he didn¡¯t really care about the¡­annoyance of maintaining order on the continent. As the Saint appeared, and a strange air flowed through the audience, a cadet in the center of the coliseum announced his opponent in a loud voice. ¡°I will be facing Cadet Zetto, ss A, First Year!¡± At the mention of his name, which everyone had been waiting for, the colosseum began to roar. Jeras, who was seated next to the Saint, addressed her in a friendly manner. ¡°Saint, it is an honor to meet you. I¡¯m Geras Clementine.¡± It was the first time Bernice and Geras Clementine had spoken, but they knew who each other was and Bernice smiled. ¡°¡­You must be Lord Clementine. It is a pleasure to meet one of the patriarchs of the Four Elemental Houses.¡± ¡°Haha, no, I¡¯m nothingpared to the Saint, more like¡­You seem to be a luckydy, to be able to see Cadet Zetto as soon as you arrive¡­¡± ¡°If it¡¯s Cadet Zetto, I¡¯ve heard of him from our vice-captain. She says he¡¯s very skilled with the sword despite being blind. Who is this cadet who called him out?¡± The question was who called him out, had the Colosseum buzzing and it just so happened that Jeras knew him, as he was from the same Kingdom of Teracia. His presence had been overshadowed by the excellence of this year¡¯s first years, but a year ago he would have been considered a promising cadet. ¡°This is the son of someone you know, Your Grace. His name is Keefe Okentia, and he¡¯s a third year cadet.¡± ¡°Oh, was he Sir Terlos¡¯ son?¡± ¡°Yes, although I have to say he¡¯s quite aplished in his own right¡­¡­¡± ¡®He is arrogant, like his father,¡¯ Geras said. Geras did not like Terlos because as far as he was concerned, Terlos Okentia was not only ipetent, but he had a nasty reputation. Not only that, but the entire Okentia family was up to no good. Even he wondered how Terlos Okentia was able to be the leader of the Order of the Golden Lion, and why the king had chosen him¡­ Jeras could only guess that it had something to do with the First Prince. Bernice was familiar enough with ¡®Terlos Okentia¡¯ that she understood what he meant by his slurred words and nodded in response. ¡°¡­I suppose that isn¡¯t too much to ask, then. Thank you for your kind exnation, Lord Clementine.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s always more enjoyable to know the characters.¡± Jeras smiled and gave a small nod. The crowd erupted in cheers as Zetto entered the Colosseum and hearing them, Bernice asked a question. ¡°¡­I wonder if Cadet Zetto is popr with thedies.¡± Among the cheers, young women¡¯s oohs and aahs of admiration are particrly loud. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from my daughter, who¡¯s close to him, that he has the power to make people feel at ease¡­ but even if that¡¯s not the case, I wonder if it¡¯s because of his extraordinary bravery that can¡¯t be covered by bandages.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Bernice thought, swallowing hard. ¡®I wonder why Jeras is heaping praise on him with such a beaming smile, as if he were his own son-inw.¡¯ She knew Jeras Clementine as a man of more gravitas but perhaps he, too, coveted Zetto. Anyway¡­Bernice could finally see ¡®Zetto¡¯ with her eyes. ¡®He¡¯s got a great face that even bandages can¡¯t hide¡­¡¯ Appearances were not important to her, but it was certainly a visual that made her think of the word handsome or handsome young man, even from a distance. Soon, Zetto slowly approached the center of the coliseum but as he approached, Bernice noticed something strange in her eyes. A woman dressed like someone from the East was approaching the dignitaries but the problem was that she was floating. That¡¯s right. Bernice had spotted Sierra. Sierra had merely wondered what the swordswoman¡¯s reaction would be to seeing her apprentice so she approached the VIP area but she hadn¡¯t noticed the Saint¡¯s presence yet. Sierra did not show her life force to the Sword Saint since there was no need to. He coveted Zetto but he was already her disciple so it could be said that Sierra had defeated Sword Saint for the first time. Of course, that was Sierra¡¯s personal opinion. Thus, she hade to see Sword Saint¡¯s face. [Hmph¡­] Sierra recounted what Zetto had told her, and augh escaped from her mouth. [I¡¯m Zetto one and only master.] As Sierra thought that, she moved closer to the guest of honor and looked at his face, and his face was as dark as she expected. However, he had maintained a smile until Zetto entered the Coliseum¡­ ¡®I see now that our Kaen¡¯s beauty means nothing to him¡­¡¯ ¡­It was because he was thinking about other things. Meanwhile, Bernice, who had been watching Sierra closely, realized what she was. ¡®Why are the spirits of the dead here?¡¯ Bernice could see the souls and spirits, and her near-infinite divine power allowed her to cross the boundaries between life and death. She could not only see them, but also hear them and they were often seen in ces that had a story to tell. Bernice would honor, purify, and ¡°sanctify¡± the spirits she could see. But this was the first time she had ever seen a spirit so clearly tangible. ¡®This is something I had only heard about¡­¡¯ Ghosts are not normal spirits, they¡¯re bound by a bond that gives them an evil aura. She could feel it in the woman she was seeing now. And now Bernice and Sierra, who had turned away from the Sword Saint with a satisfied smile, made eye contact. Bernice stared at Sierra in silence. ¡®Should I purify it because it might cause trouble¡­?¡¯ Sierra looked at Bernice with a puzzled expression. ¡®Who is that pure white woman who seems to be staring at me¡­?¡¯ Soon, In¨¦s, who was standing behind Bernice, spoke to the saint. ¡°Saint, is something wrong?¡± Zetto, whom Bernice had been looking forward to seeing, had finally appeared, and her behavior of staring off into thin air had been suspicious. Sierra hears the word ¡®Saint¡¯ and quickly mumbles. [A saint¡­did Deidros say she could see spirits¡­?] Her mutterings were meant to be heard only over Zetto¡¯s head, but they were heard by Bernice, who was also a saint. Bernice, who had been staring at her, responded with a faint nod. Suddenly realizing what was happening, Sierra pped her hands over her mouth and ducked under the wall of the guest room, hastily concealing herself. If she went back to Zetto¡¯s side now, the Saint would realize he was involved. Sierra could not allow her apprentice to be subjected to an inquisition by a Saint. Then, in the center of the Colosseum¡­Zetto, preparing for battle with Keefe Okentia, hears Sierra¡¯s voice and questions. ¡®The Saint?¡¯ Chapter 85: Ominous Energy Chapter 85: Ominous Energy -Aaaaaaaaah!!!!!! Followed by an ear-piercing cheer. ¨C Zetto! Zetto! Zetto! Zetto! The crowd in the Colosseum chants my name. ¡®My reputation must be rising.¡¯ Arge crowd has a big impact on your reputation and as a public ss, this will not only be talked about within the Academy, but also by outsiders whoe to the Academy. Given my characteristics, it¡¯s probably harder to operate undercover outside of the Academy, but if I keep a low profile, I shouldn¡¯t have any problems. I think fame can only be a good thing for my future endeavors. I had to look at most of the key people present as people who could help me in some way so it doesn¡¯t hurt to impress them. ¡°Wow, he¡¯s fighting with a third grader.¡± ¡°I was counting on you, Zetto!¡± ¡°Zetto! Zetto! Zetto! Zetto!¡± ¡­except that it¡¯s a little overwhelming. As I stood there, shaking from the deafening cheers and chants, I heard the voice of the guy I¡¯d been dueling behind me. ¡°I believe you are supposed to lose¡­?¡± Keefe Okentia, I knew his name. More urately, I remembered thest name. When I realized he was calling me, I asked what was going on, and he offered me a ¡°fix¡±. ¡®Why don¡¯t you lose this duel to me, quite naturally? I promise you a great reward in the name of Keefe Okentia, a tempting proposition for you, a meremoner. He whispered those words to me just before the duel began. ¡®¡­Sounds good.¡¯ I smiled at him and nodded. Well, he¡¯s always been like this. I dodged his attacks as long as I could, and when I got tired of that, I went for his throat, and soon enough, his protective magic shattered and his body rolled across the coliseum floor. ¡°Oh, yes, I forgot.¡± I scratch my head, trying to belittle him and he res murderously at me and threatens me. ¡°You have nothing to fear because you can¡¯t see me, but do you think you can do this to Okentia and get away with it? No, you don¡¯t¡­You don¡¯t even know what or who Okentia is¡­that¡¯s why you did this.¡± Despite what he thought, I knew very well who his father was. Terlos Okentia, the leader of the Knights of the Golden Lion, an order of the Kingdom of Teracia. The reason I remembered Terlos is not because he was a great man or a terrible viin. Terlos is an ipetent character. He was a puppet, and the real power behind the Order was someone else. ¡®The problem is that the real leader of the Order is a demon¡­¡¯ In any case, Terlos was a problem that would have to be dealt withter, and there were other matters at hand. ¡°¡­¡± I casually ignored the man on the ground and turned my head to nce at the room where the important figures would be. There, a woman with snow-white hair that I hadn¡¯t seen before was staring at me intently. It was Saint Bernice. I wasn¡¯t surprised she¡¯de to the Academy. She should havee, but it was strange that she waste. Herte arrival was the problem because Sierra approached the seats of honor, presumably to watch the Sword Saint but as she approached, she uttered a suspicious phrase. ¡®Saint¡­ Didn¡¯t Deidros say she could see spirits¡­?¡¯ With those words, she disappeared through the lower wall of the audience chamber. ¡®She must have made eye contact with the Saint¡­¡¯ I think Sierra handled herself well. In fact, given the circumstances, it would have been better for her to be found next to me. Maybe I should talk to Sierra for now. I finished my calctions and headed out of the Colosseum but as I entered the passageway, Sierra popped out of the wall, just as I expected. [My, my student! I¡¯m in trouble!] Sierra exims as she is hugged by me. ¡°¡­I think I know what¡¯s going on, the Saint is here, right?¡± I soothed her with a calm voice. [Yes, we made eye contact, and I even heard her voice¡­] Sierra stopped herself from speaking and wondered if the Saint could hear our conversation. Sierra¡¯s closing of her mouth was so cute that it didn¡¯t seem to fit in with her spirited demeanor, so augh escaped me. ¡°Haha, she won¡¯t hear it now, otherwise the Saint would have gone mad long ago, because the voices of all the dead in the world would be heard at once.¡± [I see¡­] Sierra slips out of my arms, apparently having calmed down. [Now, what if¡­ what if the Saint sees me with you¡­?] In truth, the Saint is no threat to Sierra. Even though Sierra is a spirit body, her soul is already sealed in the Spectral Sword, so she cannot be ¡°purified¡± unless the Spectral Sword is broken and all its remains are destroyed. However, at the time I was treating Anthony¡¯s daughter, I had no idea this would happen so it seemed like a good idea to keep Sierra hidden for now. If all went ording to n, the Saint wouldn¡¯t turn against me. In that sense, I had already sown the seeds. Order is important in life and there was a simple way to hide Sierra¡¯s appearance. ¡°¡­Even if it¡¯s ufortable, why don¡¯t you go into the sword for a while?¡± I said to Sierra, who was unable to hide her anxiety as I patted the sword on my waist. [Yes, I have the sword¡­thank goodness.] Sierra muttered something like that, and then entered the sword. Somehow, I thought, I was going to meet the Saint since the way she looked at me a moment ago was uncharacteristic. Bernice, the Saint of Innocence, with her wless white silhouette may conjure up images of innocence, but she also symbolizes ¡°innocence¡± in another sense. A saint or saintess, the one and only apostle of the Lord, is loved by the Lord and can wield near-infinite divine power, but that¡¯s not all they are. Saints are each endowed with one special ability, called Power. Bernice¡¯s power as a saint is the Eye of Truth, a sort of lie detector. Her eyes could tell if someone was telling the truth or a lie. However, they could not use their powers without risk. God¡¯s apostles live with the constraints associated with their powers and Bernice can never tell a lie because of the constraints of her power. That¡¯s why she¡¯s known as the Saint of Innocence. ¡®It looks like we¡¯re going to have our first meeting anyway¡­¡¯ I had a lot to hide since I was full of lies. If she knew who I was, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry too much, since her favorability rating had already been raised by Anthony. So¡­there¡¯s a way out, unless she¡¯s trying to interrogate me. Bernice¡¯s powers are pretty simple, so there¡¯s a lot to dig into. The Saint¡¯s influence in the game was quite strong so taking this opportunity to establish a good rtionship with her would make things easier for me in the future. ¡®I hope this conversation ends well¡­¡¯ Powers aside, there were some other things that bothered me. ¡­Well, the dice has been rolled, and I can only make the best of it, as I always do. ¡®Time for a break.¡¯ I walked down the street again, barely able to organize my muddled thoughts. *** The break came at just the right time, and Bernice hurried to find Zetto. ¡°Cadet Zetto just finished a battle, so he¡¯s probably near the waiting room.¡± Echlin, who was following me from behind, said. As I watched Zetto fight, I struck up a conversation with Jeras and learned that he practiced ¡°acupuncture.¡± Jeras Clementine, he, too, had seen Zetto for the first time at this public ss, but he had a lot more information about Zetto than I expected. Most of it, he said, he¡¯d heard from his daughter¡­I wondered why he, a member of a four-element family, would be interested in him. In any case, it was bing almost certain that the Academy cadet with the white bandage over his eye was the ¡°blind acupuncturist¡± I was looking for. Now it was just a matter of how to casually ask about it. ¡®By the way, what was that woman from the East that I saw¡­?¡¯ What kind of grudge did she have that she was wandering around the Colosseum? Has there ever been a fatal ident in the Colosseum? ¡­I thought it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable for the Innocence Academy, which was said to be extremely meritocratic. With that, I was guided by Ecline to the waiting room. ¡°Oh! There he is!¡± Ecline eximed as she spotted Zetto. There he was, walking down the street, fiddling with the handle of the sword at his waist. Ecline called out to him. ¡°Cadet Zetto!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s legs stop at her call, and he turns, then his head tilts. I wonder if he¡¯s surprised to hear a voice he¡¯s never heard before. Immediately, a few of us slowly approach him. Ever since Anthony told me about him, he¡¯s been in the back of my mind, nagging at me. What kind of person was he? How could he be called a saint, even though a Saint is already alive, and yet he is so kind, and so mysterious to a merchant who has met so many people. ~Mysterious~ I loved the tickle of the word. I wanted to know more and to dig deeper. Maybe it¡¯s because of my God-given ability to categorize everyone in the world into two distinct categories: those who tell lies and those who tell the truth. Not many people could maintain their mystery in front of me so I had very high expectations. ¡®What is it¡­?¡¯ But the closer I got to him, the more mysterious my doubts became and it wasn¡¯t until I waspletely in front of him that I realized what it was. When I was finally face to face with him, I realized that¡­¡­I could feel an ominous energying from him. There were even more of them. They were faint enough that I didn¡¯t notice them if I wasn¡¯t paying attention, but they were definitely not positive. I raised my arm and snapped my fingers as a dazzling radiance, a ¡®holy¡¯ radiance, poured over Zetto¡¯s body. ¡°Holy¡­?¡± Ines, who was beside me, said in a questioning voice. ¡°Ah¡­¡± His aura bothered me so much that I cleansed my surroundings out of habit. I couldn¡¯t answer Ines¡¯ question since I couldn¡¯t tell a lie. If I opened my mouth to speak, I¡¯d have to blurt out the rude truth that I¡¯d sensed an ominous energy from Zetto. I¡¯m sure it was done out of the goodness of my heart to cleanse the air of bad vibes, but¡­¡­it wasn¡¯t the best thing to do before we¡¯d even introduced ourselves. I opened my mouth to apologize to him, feeling sorry for my actions. But even though I thought I had cleansed him enough. ¡®Why¡­?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t get rid of the negative energy I was feeling from him. I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it, but something about him was ¡®interfering¡¯ with the divine power. Chapter 86: False Truths Chapter 86: False Truths The bandages covering the eyes of the man in front of me were as spotlessly white as my dress and gloves. His hair was the kind of jet-ck that could easily be found in the East. Combined with the ck, sleekly designed coat draped over his shoulders and his uniform, he looked like a ck-and-white masterpiece. I offered Zetto a quick cup of tea, and he readily epted. A cool breeze was blowing in the air with the smell of grass. What kind of ce had Ecline found to have tea in the tranquil forest? I told In¨¦s and Ecline to keep an eye on the area for a while. Although In¨¦s stopped me, I wanted to talk to him alone. I felt like I could dig deeper into him. ¡°¡­The fight went well, Cadet Zetto.¡± Zetto, who was at the head of the table, set his teacup down on the table and smiled faintly. ¡°I¡¯m d you enjoyed it.¡± There was still a hint of foreboding in his tone, but I decided to put it aside for now. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I purified him as soon as we met. I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡¯ I asked him to forgive me for my rudeness, and he said that it¡¯s alright. After a moment¡¯s consideration, Zetto didn¡¯t ask any questions. Although from his perspective, this was an unannounced visit and he must have a lot of questions. It was as if he had been waiting for this meeting. ¡®I wonder why he doesn¡¯t have many questions¡­¡¯ A saint is a difficult person to meet in her own right but he didn¡¯t seem very interested in her, even though she was expressing interest in him. He was just being as friendly as she¡¯d been told by Jeras so she returned his smile with a silent one. It probably meant nothing to him, but the corners of my mouth twitched upward. ¡®The power to make people feelfortable¡­¡¯ My gaze fell on the corner of Zetto¡¯s eyes, who was sitting across from me and tilting his head. I couldn¡¯t see his pupils as the white bandages around his eyes had taken their ce. Yet he was ¡®looking¡¯ at me. His head was always turned towards the other person, giving the impression that he was listening to the conversation. I thought to myself, ¡®All of these little things must be the result of his hard work¡­¡¯ I¡¯d heard that he had a special ability called precognition, but I doubted it was something he was born with. ¡°This may sound a bit obvious, but Cadet Zetto doesn¡¯t seem to have any trouble because of his eyes, and yet he¡¯s quite skilled with the sword.¡± ¡°My eyes are¡­¡­fine but it¡¯s all thanks to my Master that I can handle a sword.¡± ¡°Master¡­You have a really good teacher.¡± It wasn¡¯t so strange to have a teacher. But the word ¡®fine¡¯ bothered me. It wasn¡¯t just a reassuring word, spoken in the sense of not to worry, but strangely enough, I could tell it was a solid ¡°truth¡±. He was really saying that his eyes were fine. ¡®What kind of life have you been living¡­¡¯ ¡­can you really say you¡¯re okay with losing the light of your world? I don¡¯t know what happened to him, or what caused him to lose his sight, but I do know that he doesn¡¯t hold any resentment towards it. When I looked at his condition from a distance, I realized that it was incurable. ¡­Of course, somehow, some way, it was already toote. ¡°Saint?¡± After I was silent for a while, Zetto called out to me. I¡¯d only shared a few words with him, and he was already pulling me out of my thoughts. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them once to clear my head before continuing. ¡°¡­I apologize, but let¡¯s cut to the chase: I¡¯m looking for none other than Cadet Zetto¡­ Actually, I was looking for a man with a white bandage over his eye¡­An acupuncturist.¡± ¡°An acupuncturist¡­May I ask why you were looking for an acupuncturist?¡± Zetto asked me cautiously so I wondered if he was worried that I was here to capture him for a crime. Iughed at how cute his question sounded. ¡°Hmph, it was just to express my gratitude. I was feeling very grateful to you for healing the sickmb on my behalf, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel like I owed you a favor.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°As it happens, I heard about Cadet Zetto from Ecline, who attended the open ss on my behalf, and I have a strong suspicion that he¡¯s the one I¡¯m looking for, and I was wondering if you had any thoughts on that.¡± At my question, Zetto taps his fingers on the table, looking troubled. I wonder if he¡¯s wondering how much I know. When he¡¯s finished, he speaks up. ¡°¡­How is Ms. Emilia doing?¡± Zetto said slowly, he seems to have decided not to hide it. Maybe he decided he didn¡¯t need to hide it anymore. In response, I took a sip of my tea and smiled. ¡°So it was you, Cadet Zetto. I would have felt morefortable if you had given your name, but now I understand why you didn¡¯t. I never would have guessed you were an Academy cadet¡­ Anthony¡¯s going to freak out when he finds out. Hmph. Thankfully, Miss Emilia is in very good health.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that mana exhaustion could be treated with acupuncture¡­ Cadet Zetto, you must be quite knowledgeable about acupuncture?¡± ¡°¡­Not so much, I was lucky enough to have treated it before.¡± The words that came out of his mouth were the truth. ¡®I know it¡¯s a fairly rare condition, but you¡¯ve treated it before¡­¡¯ The more I got to know him, the harder it was to figure out his path and who he was as a person. His ¡®mystery¡¯ wasn¡¯t going to go away even if she talked to him. ¡°But Cadet Zetto¡­How did you find your way to Anthony?¡± ¡°I just knew that the poormb was there¡­and I had to give her some medical attention.¡± Then Zetto smiled a bitter smile. He rarely told lies. It would be fair to say that most people would tell lies, big or small, in a conversation, but he was telling only the truth. He was like a piece of transparent ss, revealing everything without hiding anything, and it was hard to get aplete picture of him. But with that said, I can understand why he was called the Blind Saint wherever he went. There was one thing that was consistent about his behavior. He healed the sick without asking forpensation. After curing Anthony¡¯s daughter Emilia, Anthony agreed to pay him the reward he had promised, but he refused to take it. Anthony finally convinced him to ept the payment. He also traveled from vige to vige, curing the people who were still sick but didn¡¯t get paid for that either. The chief, Thomas, said he never paid him. ¡®A saint from the fairy tale!¡¯ I remember Emilia¡¯s words as she thrust the storybook at me with her tiny hands. It was a famous children¡¯s book and maybe people saw a fairy tale saint in him. Zetto and the fairy tale saint gave people hope. ¡®The way he talks¡­ A bit simr¡­¡¯ ¡­But maybe it¡¯s just my mood. In any case, it became clear that he was the blind acupuncturist and the meeting with him was more satisfying than I expected. ¡°In any case, I thank you for your good deed, Cadet Zetto. May the blessings of the Lord be upon you.¡± I ced my hand on my chest and bowed to him respectfully. ¡°I did what I had to do.¡± I wonder if he has a mission like I do. The peaceful chirping of birds passed by, the grass rustling in the breeze as I set my teacup down after a sip and opened my mouth to speak. I still had one important question to ask. ¡°Cadet Zetto, are you¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°This is an important question for me, and for the Knights, so I think it¡¯s important that you answer it correctly. Cadet Zetto has recently¡­¡± I trailed off, and my question flew at him. ¡°Have you ever killed a demon?¡± My serious voice echoes through the silence of the forest. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Whether or not he had any connection to demons was a very important question. There was information that a man with a bandage over his eye had been seen in the city where the demon¡¯s corpse had been found. Zetto turned his head and looked out into the forest. Then his lips parted. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you take the Demon Horns with you¡­¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t belong anywhere.¡± Everything he said was the truth. ¡®Aside from the fact that he, an academy cadet, single-handedly destroyed a demon¡­¡¯ I asked, leaning a little further toward him. ¡°We had no idea that the theater actor was a demon, either.¡± I say, and the smile fades from Zetto¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ve been after him for a while.¡± There¡¯s an unidentifiable bitterness in his voice. ¡°¡­Is it a personal grudge?¡± The corpse of the demon we encountered in the field was messy. If it was due to a grudge, it was understandable. Whatever his history with demons, it wasn¡¯t umon for someone to hold a grudge against them. There was a war ten years ago. It happened from time to time that people who weren¡¯t affiliated with any organization were simply driven by the emotion of revenge and wanted to capture the demons but Zetto¡¯s answer was a little different than I expected. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I hold a grudge, but¡­ The most important thing is to save lives¡­..¡± Zetto tilted his head as he spoke as if he was stating the obvious. He was still telling the truth. ¡®To save people.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t wrong. Demons feed on human life to increase their power. Where they are, death inevitably follows. That¡¯s why I, too, want to destroy as many demons as possible. ¡°¡­While there is nothing wrong with exterminating demons that lurk in humannds, it is best to keep them under the control of the state or an organization.¡± Maybe it was because he was a saint, and he was seeing things the same way I was. Demons harm humans that¡¯s why the idea of exterminating demons is simple. I should be curious about the source of the information¡­but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair to ask since he was not yet mine I¡¯d been thinking about something for a while so I opened my mouth, gently grasping Zetto¡¯s hand across from me. ¡°¡­In that spirit, I would like to recruit Cadet Zetto into my Order, the Order of the Silver Wings.¡± ¡°¡­Recruit?¡± ¡°Yes. Considering Cadet Zetto¡¯s character and strength, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s too much of a stretch, but I need someone like you.¡± I said, smiling brightly and Zetto shakes his head in disbelief. I can feel his emotion in his grip but he doesn¡¯t push my hand away. He scratched his head with his other hand and opened his mouth. ¡°Are you telling me you¡¯re going to allow me¡­I mean, a man¡­into your Order?¡± ¡°That would be unusual, a male knight in the Order of the Saint¡­¡± ¡°No, more than that, I¡¯m a cadet of the Academy. I have no intention of leaving the Academy, but¡­¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ That¡¯s right. Since an academy cadet can¡¯t be a member of the Knights¡­ so I¡¯ve been thinking¡­ why don¡¯t you join our ¡®secret¡¯ organization?¡¯ It seems like Cadet Zetto has been going around outside the Academy anyway¡­ If Cadet Zetto is going to be hunting demons in the future, wouldn¡¯t he at least need a safe ¡®fence¡¯?¡± ¡°A fence¡­¡± Zetto muttered, thinking back to what I said. I wonder if he¡¯s on to something however I can¡¯t help but think that this could only benefit him. ¡°Oh, I heard that Sword Saint has expressed interest in Cadet Zetto¡­is it because of Sword Saint?¡± ¡°No, no. Nothing happened with Mr. Sword Saint.¡± ¡°¡­Good, then.¡± It seems that Sword Saint hasn¡¯t taken Zetto away yet. As for the demon¡¯s information, it would be better to ask him when I¡¯m more familiar with him. ¡°Well, there¡¯s still some time left in the open ss period, so take your time.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Zetto replied somewhat hesitantly so I decided to give him a little more time. It would be too sudden for him, and he might feel overwhelmed if I pushed too hard. I talked about everything I wanted to talk about, and the conversation came to a close. After that, I listened to Zetto tell me a bunch of boring stuff about the Academy before letting him go. The conversation was quite enjoyable, Zetto was a mysterious man. He never told me the slightest lie until the end. It was almost strange, but it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no such thing as a man who is truthful in every moment. This was true of In¨¦s alone. And since I felt so strongly that I wanted to hold him in my hands, I made up the whole ¡°secret organization¡± thing without consulting Ines and Ecline¡­ but I guess it won¡¯t matter. ¡°How was your conversation with Cadet Zetto?¡± In¨¦s asked,ing up to me after Zetto had left. I stretched myself and stood, then I answered In¨¦s in a cheerful voice. ¡°¡­He was just like the saint in the fairy tales.¡± ¡°You mean the fairy tale you were reading¡­¡± Yes, I think I might have a ¡®saint¡¯ friend, hehe.¡± ¡°Saint, you¡¯re talking too much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how much I liked him.¡± I looked past In¨¦s, who was making an impression, and starred in the direction where Zetto had disappeared. ¡®Though there is a catch,¡¯ I swallowed hard. ¡®The negative energy didn¡¯t disappear all the way¡­¡¯ It was rather disturbing that the aura was so faint that it was almost imperceptible, as if it had been refined. ¡®I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to use his evil powers to defeat demons.¡¯ I¡¯ll need to get to know Zetto a little better to find out. There were few men around. Still, they probably know more about men than I do, especially Ecline, who I remember seeing asionally discussing men with the other members. ¡°¡­So, how do you get close to a ¡®guy¡¯?¡± Chapter 87: Everyone’s son-in-law Chapter 87: Everyone¡¯s son-inw On my way back from my meeting with the saint, Bernice I stroked the jewel on the head of Sierra¡¯s sword as I recall the conversation I had with her earlier. The conversation probably went better than I thought it would, but¡­ ¡®Cadet Zetto¡­ killed a demon.¡¯ ¡­The saint¡¯s intelligence had exceeded my expectations. I never thought she¡¯d connect me to Krektar. Bernice was merely asking questions, but she had the power to know when I tell the truth. I had intended to take this opportunity to make a modest acquaintance and ask for her help when I needed it, but Bernice was trying to recruit me into her Order. I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing, considering my future activities. However, there was something I was hesitant about. It wasn¡¯t a matter of conversation or excuses, but¡­ It was what the saint had done to me. As soon as Bernice saw me, she unleashed her holy power on me. She must have sensed an ominous aura from me immediately. It didn¡¯t do much damage, as it wasn¡¯t something that could be cleansed away, but before that could happen, her holy power was blocked by the ¡®coat¡¯ I was wearing. The Night Shroud had a holy magic resistance attached to it. Since the original owner of the coat, Varsum, was a vampire, the resistance itself was high. ¡®I didn¡¯t think it was a very useful option, so I hadn¡¯t considered it¡­¡¯ Fortunately, Bernice doesn¡¯t seem to have gotten too close to any of it¡­at least not yet. As far as the Spectral Sword goes, we¡¯ll see when the timees, Bernice isn¡¯t that inflexible. Given Deidros¡¯ misconceptions when he created the Spectral Sword, I think she might be able to sympathize and understand. But when ites to the tears of the dead¡­ I have no exnation. I can¡¯t just say, ¡°I killed a lich and took what I got from him and put it in my heart,¡± and move on. Aside from the inevitable closeness to Bernice, joining the Knights of the Saint still seemedfortable in many ways. As I pondered this, my Sierra began to hum and vibrate, and soon after Sierra opened her mouth. [Disciple, disciple¡­ Can you stop touching me¡­] Sierra, who was saying that in a shy voice, was twisting her stomach as if she didn¡¯t know what to do. As I pondered, I unwittingly fondled the sword at my waist. ¡°What part of your body is it connected to¡­?¡± I said, tapping the jewelry on the hilt. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure she didn¡¯t mind the handle.¡¯ Sierra¡¯s body immediately shuddered. [Hmph¡­ that, stop¡­stop it¡­] ¡­Judging by her reaction, it¡¯s a very sensitive area. ¡°¡­I see.¡± I took my hand away from the sword and held up my palm as Sierra steadied herself and red at me. It seems that Sierra is more sensually connected to me when she¡¯s inside the sword than when she¡¯s outside. In any case, it seemed unlikely that I would not be able to travel around the academy with her for the time being. ¡°Master, could you please bear with me even if it¡¯s frustrating, I don¡¯t want you to be seen by the saint right now.¡± [¡­So, it¡¯s okayter?] Sierra asked with a pout, cing her hands on my shoulders and nudging me. ¡°As long as it goes the way I think it will.¡± I assured her, and we started down the street toward the Colosseum. I wondered if Bernice¡¯s ¡°powers¡± would work on the dead Sierra. *** The climax of the second day of open lessons was undoubtedly the duel between the Rising Star Eisel Ludwig and Yuri Clementine of the Continent Four Elemental Families. It began with Yuri¡¯s call, who with a confident expression, invited Aizel to join her. The two then unleashed an overwhelming disy of skill, sending the Colosseum into a frenzy. The result was a victory for Aizel. Yuri was strong but unfortunately not yet strong enough to ovee the giant wall of The Regressor. Still, the duel between the two had already far exceeded the expectations of a first-year cadet, and Yuri¡¯s defeat did nothing to diminish the reputation of the Four Elemental Families. Even Yuri¡¯s father, Jeras Clementine, was quite pleased with his daughter¡¯s performance. Normally, he would have scolded her, but he was in a good mood. It was an unexpected stroke of good fortune for him to meet a cadet named Zetto as he was deep in thought about the First Prince. The second day¡¯s events havee to a close, and for the next few days, outsiders will be allowed to observe the cadets¡¯ lives at the Academy. Thus Jeras found himself in Yuri¡¯s dormitory. Yuri¡¯s room wasn¡¯t much different than her room back home. It was neat and tidy, with nothing out of ce and not a speck of dust in sight. On the other side of the room, he could see his beautiful daughter, Yuri, sitting on her bed, looking determined. A book sat at the head of the bed. ¡®You still love fairy tales.¡¯ His daughter¡¯s childlike innocence brought a wry smile to his lips. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be in a good mood.¡± He asks as he approaches Yuri. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t be in a good mood after losing.¡± Yuri shook her head. She could barely contain her rising anger but this was no time to be annoyed with her father. ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s my daughter. Yes, if there¡¯s a wall, burn it down and jump over it, because that¡¯s Clementine.¡± Jerasughed out loud. At least he¡¯d done a good job raising her. ¡°¡­For some reason, you don¡¯t say anything bitter about your father.¡± Yuri clenched her jaw. ¡°Miss Aizel is as strong as I¡¯ve heard ¡­ .a ¡®Ludwig¡¯ who wields lightning magic¡­I¡¯ve never heard of them.¡± ¡°I never asked about the family either, I just figured there must be one somewhere on the continent¡­ Anyway, she¡¯s a weird one, she alwayses back from somewhere hurt¡­¡± Yuri begins to ramble on about Aizel. Looking at her, Jeras stroked her hair with a wry smile. Zetto may not have been Yuri¡¯s only friend. It was nice to have some friendlypetition too. After all, he¡¯d spent most of his childhood bickering with Maxim Caligus. ¡°¡­And when did you and Zetto be so close?¡± Yuri ran a hand through her red hair as she spoke and her words prompted a question from Jeras. ¡°¡­Was Ms. Aizel also close to Zetto?¡± ¡°She seemed to be?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Jeras clears his throat and runs a hand through his beard and thinks that maybe for Yuri, Aizel is not a friend, but a ¡®love rival¡¯. The brief glimpse he¡¯d gotten of Zetto had shown him to be quite popr with the female cadets. It wasn¡¯t unreasonable for him to think so. ¡°Haha, my daughter is going to have some trouble.¡± Yuri¡¯s head tilted at the offhand remark. She crosses her arms and looks at him as if she doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about. ¡°Yuri, my dear daughter, if I may say so, this father has a word for you¡­ Love is a hard thing toe by when you don¡¯t have it.¡± ¡°Love¡­? Father, what are you talking about¡­?¡± Only then does Yuri realize what her father is talking about. ¡°Zetto¡­he¡¯s¡­he¡¯s just a friend.¡± Yuri stammered, pushing Jeras away. ¡°So you wouldn¡¯t mind if Miss Aizel and Zetto would dere their love in front of you?¡± ¡°That, that¡­ There¡¯s no way Aizel and Zetto would do that¡­¡± Even as Yuri said that, she remembered the look in Aizel¡¯s eyes as she looked at Zetto. It was deep, dark, and yet somehow¡­ It was a strange gaze. Yuri couldn¡¯t finish the sentence. Jeras smiled at the bowed head, then turned and left the room, saying something incoherent. ¡°With a son-inw like Zetto, this father is always in favor.¡± As Jeras left the room, he was confident that Yuri would be able to handle herself. Yuri remained in the room, still in shock. ¡®A son-inw¡­¡¯ Even so, it was a step too far. ¡°Zetto¡¯s just a friend¡­ We haven¡¯t even held hands, so how could it be a marriage¡­¡± Yuri, who was mumbling something like that, made an ¡®ah¡¯ sound. ¡®Didn¡¯t we already hold hands¡­?¡¯ Yuri immediately approaches the drawer next to the bed and takes something out of it. As she closes the drawer, she holds an ice cube in her hand. It was a souvenir that Lucia had given everyone when they went to the North. She sits down on the bed and imbues the ice cube with mana and for a long time afterward, Yuri smiles at the stored memory. *** Meanwhile, the same thing was in the hand of a pink, pigtailed girl in the same dorm as Yuri. Kaen naturally reached for the ice cube at night. She was about to channel her mana into the cube as she thought to herself, ¡®I¡¯m not going to get a nosebleed today¡¯ when the sound of a window opening was suddenly heard in the dark room. ¡®What is it¡­? A thief? There were rumors that a thief had entered the Academy¡­¡¯ He had the wrong target since Kaen was a disciple of Sword Saint and she immediately drew her sword from beside her bed and tried to sh at the mysterious thief but with a clear sound, Kaen¡¯s sword was knocked away by the intruder¡¯s fingers. ¡°¡­Your skills are rusty.¡± The voice was very familiar to her and Kaen cries out in a panicked voice. ¡°Grandpa?!¡± ¡°Who would be intimidated by such a weak sword thrust?¡± The attacker was none other than Kaen¡¯s teacher and master, Chris. With that, Chris clicked his tongue and began to look around his granddaughter¡¯s room nonchntly. Perhaps it was because she had been wandering with him since childhood but the room was sparse, with not much else in it. ¡°No, you can¡¯t juste through the window¡­¡± Kaen nced at Chris and immediately understood why he had done what he had done. After all, she and Chris had kept their rtionship a secret. ¡°Hmmmm¡­ So, Grandpa, what brings you here at thiste hour?¡± Kaen said to him as she sheathed her sword and returned it to its ce. Then, looking around the room, Chris answers. ¡°I met with Zetto this morning.¡± ¡°You met Cadet Zeto?¡± ¡°Yes. I was watching his swordsmanship and had some questions, so we chatted a bit. Now I understand why you lost.¡± He didn¡¯t bother to mention that he had tried to take Zetto as a disciple. ¡°¡­If we fight again, I can win.¡± Kaen said, thinking that Chris was scolding her. But his reply was not what she expected. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I think it¡¯s best to keep it a secret that you¡¯re still my student, especially from Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s a reason for that.¡± Chris waved away Kaen¡¯s question but in response, Kaen narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. Chris was such a peculiar character and Kaen couldn¡¯t fullyprehend his actions or words. As he studied her, his eyes caught the ice cube in her hand and asked. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s just ice¡­ ice that I eat. Ehehe¡­ I eat it whenever I¡¯m thirsty!¡± At Chris¡¯s question, Kaen hastily pops the ice cube into her mouth and scratches her cheek. ¡®Zetto¡­ I swallowed it¡­¡¯ With the ice cube in her mouth, Kaen wanted to cry, but she couldn¡¯t help but grin like an idiot. She just hoped it wouldn¡¯t melt. As he watched Kaen put the dirty ice cube in her mouth, Chris wondered why he hadn¡¯t taught her more about manners. As he scratched his cheek, a ring on Kaen¡¯s finger caught his eye. ¡°Hmm? I¡¯ve never seen that ring before.¡± Chris asked Kaen and Kaen nced at the ring. ¡°Oh, this is the ring I got from Cadet Zetto¡­¡± Kaen excitedly showed Chris her finger. In fact, the clothes Kaen was wearing now had also been bought for her by Zetto before. Contrary to what Zetto had thought, she had worn it once and didn¡¯t throw it away since it was afortable outfit. ¡°You got a ring?¡± Chris¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Uh, that¡¯s¡­ Somehow¡­¡± Kaen said, her words somewhat slurred by the ice cube she had in her mouth. She couldn¡¯t say that she got it from capturing a blood mage with Zetto since it was a secret between them. Hearing this, Chris was stunned. ¡®Does that mean they¡¯ve already been exchanging rings¡­?¡¯ Even if Chris didn¡¯t know much about love between men and women, he knew that exchanging rings meant a lot. The corners of Chris¡¯s mouth turned up so much that his teeth were visible. ¡°Good, Kaen, keep up the good work!¡± ¡°¡­Good work?¡± Kaen¡¯s confusion was evident in her voice, but Chris didn¡¯t seem to care. He hade to Kaen to find out how to connect Kaen and Zetto, but despite his worries, it seemed that his student had already taken care of it herself. He didn¡¯t feel like he¡¯d made a mistake. As he left the room, leaving Kaen with a question mark on her face, Chris put his foot on the window and spoke to her. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t wait to see my grandchildren¡­.No, great-grandchildren. He already gave you the ring, so that¡¯s all that¡¯s left.¡± He rambled on for a while. ¡°Great-grandchildren?!¡± Kaen¡¯s questioning exmation is immediately followed by Chris slipping through the window. ¡®You¡¯re still a little shy, Kaen.¡¯ Chris thought to himself as he flew lightly through the air. ¡°Eh¡­¡± Having been humiliated by Chris¡¯s unexpected visit, Kaen spits out the ice cube and thankfully the ice didn¡¯t melt. She¡¯d been told it wouldn¡¯t melt, but it would be terribly unfair if it did, and she worried unnecessarily. She rolled her eyes and muttered to herself. ¡°Great-grandchildren, no way¡­¡± Kaen wondered if perhaps her grandfather, Chris, was firmly mistaken, but the fact that he would say such a thing also meant that he had taken a liking to Zetto. ¡®Zetto¡­ Me¡­¡¯ Heat shed across Kaen¡¯s face as she thought about the process of making what Chris called a ¡®great-grandchild¡¯. She flinches and mps her mouth shut¡­.Anyway, washing the ice cubes came first. Chapter 88: Beautiful Chapter 88: Beautiful ¡°You mean to tell me you¡¯re going to ask Cadet Zetto to show me around the Academy! I thought an instructor was supposed to guide us?¡± Ecline¡¯s voice had been rumbling since morning. Well, maybe there was a time when she wasn¡¯t. ¡°Didn¡¯t Ecline tell me that men like it when a woman takes the initiative?¡± Her eyes widened, and I replied in a nd voice. In¨¦s, who was crossing her arms, red at Ecline and growled. ¡°Ecline, what the hell were you talking about with the saint¡­¡± ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s just that¡­ The saint kept asking me questions, so¡­ so I answered her as best I could.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad Ines, you didn¡¯t tell me anything after I told you that I was curious.¡± I ruffled her hair, cutting off their conversation. ¡°It¡¯s not that, it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve never really been into boys¡­ But I do realize that what Ecline is saying is ridiculous.¡± ¡°Forget it¡­ In any case, the bottom line is that Ines doesn¡¯t know how to do it either¡­ I have no choice but to go along with what the deputy-leader says.¡± I shed a bright smile at In¨¦s, whose eyes narrowed as I said that. In¨¦s frowns and Ecline¡¯s head is down and she¡¯s fiddling with her fingers, but then her head snaps up as if she¡¯s remembered something. ¡°But how is Cadet Zetto supposed to show us the Academy? Isn¡¯t he¡­ ufortable with his eyes¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, he is. To say the least, I think we¡¯re asking Cadet Zetto to do a difficult job.¡± Ecline was followed by Ines, who chimed in with her opinion. I wonder if everyone is doing this because they hate Zetto? Or was the whole ¡®bullying¡¯ thing really a big mistake? ¡°Cadet Zetto seems to have gotten around the Academy without too much trouble, so In¨¦s has a point.¡± My answer echoes around the room, and In¨¦s and Ecline breathe a sigh of relief. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to ask him myself.¡± ¡°¡±You?¡±¡± They exim in unison at my response. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m curious about the Academy, or that I want to see anything in particr. I just wanted to walk around with Zetto. That shouldn¡¯t be too much to ask of him. It would hurt a little to be rejected, but I thought it wouldn¡¯t hurt to be brave. Above all¡­Last night, while I was praying to the Lord, he gave me a ¡®revtion¡¯. ¡®Finish chasing what you¡¯ve been chasing. If you miss it, it will be toote.¡¯ It was an unusually short revtion but sometimes, the Lord would point out the way beforehand. My first thought after the revtion was to ask if there was something I was chasing. Then my thoughts reached Zetto and I¡¯ve been thinking about it ever since. I wondered why the Lord was telling me not to lose sight of Zetto. I thought¡­The answer was simple. Zetto had captured a demon so I was going to recruit him into my Knight Order. If Zetto joined my Knight Order, it would mean that he was powerful in the eyes of the Lord. ¡®He would be at least as influential as Ines¡­¡¯ So far, Ines had been the only recruit that the Lord had brought in through his revtions. She was a very good pdin and I couldn¡¯t imagine the Silver Winged Knights without her, her influence was so strong. Furthermore, she had helped me establish myself as a saint. ¡°¡­Then let¡¯s go find Cadet Zetto.¡± Ines and Ecline did not stop me as I stood up from my seat. *** Zetto granted the saint¡¯s request. He smiled and said something confident like, ¡°A tour is not an issue.¡± In¨¦s and Ecline looked at the bandages around his eyes and wondered if this was a good idea, but the Saint said it was so they had no choice. Afterward, the saint, Bernice, said she wanted to take a walk with Zetto alone, and suggested that Ecline and In¨¦s take a day¡¯s rest. ¡®Saint!¡¯ In¨¦s immediately interrupted Bernice. ¡®That¡¯s a great idea!¡¯ Ecline eximed, raising her hand in excitement at the mere mention of a break. In the end, Ecline got her break but In¨¦s didn¡¯t follow suit. In¨¦s and Ecline were sitting in a caf¨¦ and across from them were Bernice and Zetto, touring the academy. ¡®In¨¦s¡­ We¡¯re inside the Academy, so there¡¯s no danger, and even if something were to happen, Cadet Zetto is right next to the saint, right?¡¯ Bernice¡¯s persuasion was too strong for her to argue. It was an order, after all. Nevertheless, as the leader of the Silver Winged Knights, she couldn¡¯t refuse the saint¡¯s order, which was why she hade to this point of sneaking around. ¡°Leader¡­ Are you sure it¡¯s okay for us to do this? If the saint finds out about thister¡­¡± Ecline, who was sipping coffee beside her, asked In¨¦s, who was pping her bruises. ¡°This is¡­escorting.¡± Ecline nodded at the seriousness in In¨¦s¡¯ voice. On the other side, Bernice and Zetto seemed to have entered a restaurant and were waiting for their food. Just then, Bernice, who was talking to Zetto, burst outughing. Ecline, who was watching, muttered. ¡°I wonder if this means we¡¯ll be able to see the saint¡¯s wedding¡­?¡± ¡°Wedding¡­?¡± In¨¦s narrows her eyes and res at Ecline until finally, Ecline speaks up. ¡°Have you ever seen the saint smile like that before?¡± ¡°¡­Not exactly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­! She¡¯s suddenly asking me how to get along with men¡­ There must be something to it.¡± ¡°Still, I don¡¯t think marriage is a step too far.¡± As apostles of the Lord, saints were free to marry. In fact, the Holy Land actively encouraged it since their weddings were a kind of great festival in the Holy Land. And for good reason. Saints were considered to be blessed and loved by the gods. If their love came to fruition and a child was born, that child would also be blessed by God. Each child of a saint or saintess was born with great divine power. Therefore, the Holy Land wees marriage. However, there was one condition that had to be met, true love. This was known because in the past, the foolishness of using this trait of a saint to force her to bear children had urred and something terrible was said to have happened afterward but the history books don¡¯t go into detail. ¡®The Lord was very angry.¡¯ With that brief sentence, thirty years of records were lost to history. Thus, it had long been taboo to meddle in the marriages of saints or in their love affairs. ¡°Thest wedding was before I was born, do you remember it leader?¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably close to when I was born. I was a child, so I don¡¯t remember, but¡­¡± The saint before Bernice had died in the war and never had the chance to marry, but the saint before him had. ¡°Saint¡­¡± In¨¦s clenched her jaw as she muttered. There was something odd about that. The saint Ecline had just mentioned had kept his post-marriage life a secret. She didn¡¯t know what happened then. Even now, as the head of the saint¡¯s knights, she still had no ess to that information. As Ecline and In¨¦s were discussing marriage a strange sound came from Ecline¡¯s seat, it sounded like something hard was being shredded¡­ Turning her head, Ecline¡¯s eyes caught sight of a tinum-haired girl. ¡®Cadet Aizel¡­?¡¯ Aizel, who, along with Zetto, was supposed to be the star of this open ss, was sitting there and looking out the window. On her table was a ss of ice cold water. ¡®I thought I heard a noise, but it was ice chewing.¡¯ Ecline dismissed it and turned her attention back to Zetto and Bernice. She didn¡¯t know Aizel, so she wasn¡¯t sure if she should speak to her. Aizel¡¯s expression as she stared out the window seemed to indicate that she was ufortable. Meanwhile, Bernice was eating with Zetto. From a distance, Bernice looked quite happy. Maybe it was In¨¦s, but Ecline felt that Bernice¡¯s smile at Zetto was out of character. ¡®Maybe we can see¡­¡¯ It had been one of Ecline¡¯s smallest wishes since childhood, to witness the wedding of a saint. *** Time passed without me realizing it. The sun had long since set and the moon was already shining down, illuminating the Academy. Despite thete hour, there were still quite a few people wandering around the Academy¡¯s main building. Most of them seemed to be cadets and their families. I asked Zetto about it. If he had a family, it was only right that he spend time with them. He said in a low voice, ¡°No.¡± It was obvious, but it was the truth. It was times like this that I felt a little overwhelmed by my ¡®powers¡¯. Anyway¡­Zetto eagerly showed me around the Academy, as he so confidently said he would. I followed him around and asked him how he remembered the way so well and he exined that it felt like he had a map of the entire city in his head. I was intrigued but as I watched him, I realized that he had other senses besides sight. He said he could even hear the heartbeats of passersby¡­ ¡­I thought he was making a joke, but it turned out to be true. ¡°How was it?¡± Zetto asked, walking beside me. ¡°It was really good.¡± I replied, looking at the floor. The truth was, I wasn¡¯t really interested in the Academy. Still, I wasn¡¯t lying. I just loved being with him. Being around him made me feel things I hadn¡¯t felt since bing a saint. Comfort, pleasure, exhration, and more. Oh, and a little bit of happiness. ¡°Kraken legs¡­? That was really good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d, I thought you might like it.¡± Well, this was a man who meant what he said. He was full of truth in a different sense than In¨¦s. I wondered, ¡°Was actively ¡®pushing¡¯ the right way?¡± I was able to get close to Zetto very quickly. He was so in tune with me that I felt like he had already figured out what I didn¡¯t like and what I liked. The closer I got to him, the closer the distance became. Eventually, I was able to identify a faint sense of foreboding. It was just a location¡­ but the location was the problem. The negative energy was emanating from the sword at his waist and near his chest. The sword¡­yes, but why would such an aura lurk near his chest? It could have been life-threatening but I couldn¡¯t ask. The longer I was with Zetto, the more strongly I felt that I wanted to have him. I didn¡¯t know what to expect, and I was afraid that if I asked too many questions and he didn¡¯t like me, the whole thing would go down the drain. He didn¡¯t seem to be in any danger yet, he was in great shape. So for now¡­ it might be better as it is. ¡°¡­I think it¡¯s gettingte, so I should probably get going.¡± I paused and looked back at Zetto. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Thanks, it¡¯s been a pleasure.¡± ¡°No, I had a good time too.¡± By the time I was smiling faintly at the ¡®truth¡¯ he¡¯d spoken again. [Kugung¡­!] Suddenly, a booming sound came from the other side, and the lights that had been illuminating the surroundings disappeared in an instant. My vision went ck and I couldn¡¯t see anything. I looked around and saw that the entire city was plunged into darkness. Zetto seemed to be tilting his head since he couldn¡¯t tell if it was getting darker or brighter around him, and for good reason. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The lights went out, all of a sudden!¡± ¡°Honey, where are you?¡± This was followed by a chorus of voices from the others inside the main building. ¡°¡­Apparently, the entire city¡¯s power supply was cut off at once.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, could you hold on to me, I¡¯m fine.¡± In response to his exnation, Zetto pats my hand. I let him hold my hand. Then I hear a familiar voice calling to me from across the hall. ¡°Sister¡­? Where are you?¡± It was In¨¦s and from the sound of her running footsteps, I could tell she had Ecline with her. I told her to rest, but she¡¯s been secretly following me all this time. ¡°¡­Why don¡¯t we hide for a while?¡± Thinking about how closely they must have been watching me and Zetto, I felt a little ufortable, so I decided to y a little prank on them. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s such a good idea¡­?¡± At Zetto¡¯s shaky reply, I smiled and took his hand in mine, leading him to an obscure corner. Zetto followed me without much resistance. We moved a bit to the side, and there was a door, so I opened it and stepped inside. ¡°Whew¡­¡± I closed the door quietly and breathed a sigh of relief. Then, Zetto, who was standing in front of me, spoke up. ¡°¡­Are you sure this is okay?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ Well, we should probably get out of here before something big happens, right? Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s a small punishment for them for not listening to orders, hehe.¡± ¡°Well, if it¡¯s only for a little while¡­¡± Zetto seems to agree. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m a saint that he can¡¯t say much so I leaned against the door and stared nkly at Zetto in front of me. Even though the light was gone, I could still see him in the dimness as my eyes got used to the darkness. ¡°By the way¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve been seeing what I want to see all day¡­ Does Cadet Zetto have any questions for me?¡± It suddenly urred to me that he had never been asked a question before. Zetto¡¯s head tilts at my question. ¡°Hmm¡­ I was wondering¡­¡± Was this really a question that required him to pause? To think that there was nothing he was curious about that he had to worry about¡­ I felt a little bit, just a little bit, sad. ¡®Men like it when women are aggressive.¡¯ The thought struck me and I immediately grabbed his hand then brought it to my face. ¡°For example¡­ what did Bernice, the Saint of Innocence, look like¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Maybe this way, Cadet Zetto can know what I look like¡­¡± He trailed off as I took his hand and ran it across my face, exining. ¡°This is¡­ The nose. My nose looks like this.¡± I paused, following my touch and tracing my face. ¡°And¡­ Lips¡­¡± I stared at his face, faintly visible in the darkness, trying to figure out what to describe on my face. ¡°Uhm¡­ eyes¡­ I can¡¯t touch my eyes, so maybe my eyelids.¡± From there, it was on to eyebrows, cheeks¡­ I went through everything I could find on the face. Eventually, the sudden ¡°groping¡± came to an end. To be groped by a man¡­ Maybe it was more embarrassing than I thought. I was even more embarrassed because Zetto didn¡¯t say anything. How was it¡­? My face¡­¡± I asked Zetto, my voice sounding unnecessarily cautious as I smiled casually and waited quietly for his answer. I wasn¡¯t expecting much, since I couldn¡¯t tell the difference between sincere praise and lip service due to my ¡®powers¡¯. It¡¯s hard to say how he feels about it. That¡¯s what I was thinking when a faint smile appeared on Zetto¡¯s lips. ¡°The saint¡­is very beautiful.¡± Zetto¡¯s sweet voice seeps into my ears and in response to his words, an involuntary exmation escapes my lips. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Zetto¡¯s answer is a muffled whisper but it couldn¡¯t have been clearer that he was telling the truth. Chapter 89: G?d? Yorfang Chapter 89: G?d? Yorfang When Bernice asked me what she looked like, I told her the truth. After my answer, Bernice became very quiet. She would simply hang her head, cupping her cheeks and taking deep breaths. It wasn¡¯t until I heard In¨¦s¡¯ voice in the hallway that she was able to hastily say goodbye and part ways. I¡¯d done my best to make Bernice¡¯s day, so she must not have had a bad impression of me. As long as she was interested in me, there would be no turning back. Sierra didn¡¯t pop out of the Spectral Sword until after she was sure Bernice was gone for good. [What about you? Don¡¯t you have questions of your own, like what Sierra the Purple Moon looks like¡­?] Sierra brought my hand to her face¡­ She was imitating Bernice. She then describes her features in the same way Bernice did. When all was said and done, I spoke up. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful, too, Master.¡± [¡­too?] Sierra¡¯s eyebrows rise in response. Sierra ps my hand away and her lips curl into a sneer. [Disciple, I want to ask you who is more beautiful¡­?] ¡°¡­¡± Even if she asked me that, I was speechless. It was true that both Bernice and Sierra were exceptionally good-looking, and it was very difficult to say who was more beautiful. ¡°Definitely you¡­¡± I replied, scratching my head. Since Sierra was in front of me right now, it would be wise to give her the nod. [¡­How dare you lie in front of me¡­?] Suddenly, Sierra pointed a finger at me and red¡­.I had told her that Bernice could distinguish between lies and truth. ¡°Haha, of course not¡­¡± Sierra¡¯s eyes, which had narrowed at my reply, showed no sign of returning to their original state. They were even radiating life, simr to the way they did when she was looking at Sword Saint. I coughed in disbelief and continued on my way. As always, changing the subject was the answer. ¡°Hmmm¡­ There¡¯s something I need to do before I head back to the dorm.¡± Sierra trotted along beside me and poked her head in. [Need to do? At this hour¡­?] ¡°I heard the lights went out in the whole city¡­ I have a suspicion about something. ¡­Wouldn¡¯t a thief choose a time like this?¡± [ Hmmm¡­Ah, so you¡¯re referring to the one that used to be known as Yorfang. Certainly in this situation¡­¡­But was there really such a rumor?] ¡°Yes. As far as hearing rumors¡­ it¡¯s not that difficult.¡± Sierra, who had been looking at me quizzically, stared at my ear. Well, it was information I knew from the game, but she wasn¡¯t wrong about the fact that I could actually hear rumors. Picking up on whispers in a crowd of people shouldn¡¯t be a difficult task, but my level 10 Superior Senses made it possible. Sierra then crossed her arms once more and said. [¡­as to how you knew his whereabouts] ¡°From the sounds of it¡­ he gave us a heads-up that he was going to steal something ¡®precious¡¯ from the Academy.¡± G?d? Yorfang had the same clich¨¦d traits as other media portrayals of thieves, such as predicting what they would steal. This time, however, he didn¡¯t specify what he was going to steal. This was supposed to be an embarrassment to Yorfang, but he decided that if he didn¡¯t do this, he wouldn¡¯t be able to steal what he wanted. In retrospect, he had a point. Due to the nature of Innocence Academy, it was opened to outsiders only during the open ss period. Archmages, swordsmen, saints, and other unusual beings roamed the Academy and even Yorfang would have preferred to avoid confronting them. [Precious¡­I don¡¯t know about precious, but when I think of things that are valuable to outsiders, the armory is the first thing thates to mind] ¡°The armory would be one thing, but¡­¡± I trailed off, pacing. Sierra was right, the Academy¡¯s armory, with all its mystical weapons, would be worth a fortune. Indeed, the Academy would be guarding its armory closely with this in mind. Yorfang had his sights set on it. The armory is sorge since many people are invested in it and security elsewhere would be rtivelyx. Yorfang target was a type of ¡°magic stone¡± called the Dew of the World Tree, which was responsible for powering an entire city. Located somewhere underground in the city, it was worth a fortune, as you can imagine from the fact that a single stone could power an entire city. Of course, money isn¡¯t the most important thing to him. Even from the academy¡¯s point of view, few people even knew it existed, so I remember thinking, ¡°Why would anyone want to steal this?¡± and not paying much attention to it. Even I, an avid yer of the game, don¡¯t know the exact location of the Dew of the World Tree. The power supply had long since stopped, so I assumed Yorfang had sessfully stolen it. Still, I was able to rx because I knew that Yorfang would not leave the academy immediately, but woulde back to steal one of the paintings hanging in the main building. For him, it was a bonus. The painting, so old that neither the cadets nor the instructors know why it hung there, was famous for its mystery. It depicted the hero party in the olden days; perhaps it was hung by the Sage long ago. And the painting of the hero party was just a few steps away from where Bernice and I parted ways so I was on my way there. Actually, not catching Yorfang doesn¡¯t really do much. Somehow, in the game, both the Dew of the World Tree and the painting of the Hero¡¯s Party that he stole are restored in less than a day. Not to mention the other things he stole. There was no news of Yorfang capture, though, so I suspect that someone at the Academy had quietly resolved the matter. I had my sights set on something else. After capturing Yorfang in the game, I was able to ransack his belongings, and there was one item in particr that I found to be quite valuable, the Subspace Pouch. For yers who already had an ¡°inventory,¡± it was an inventory slot extension, but¡­ I didn¡¯t have an inventory, and this meant a lot to me. ¡®So how do I knock out Yorfang?¡¯ You couldn¡¯t kill Yorfang in the game so maybe I shouldn¡¯t kill him. He didn¡¯t fight in the first ce, and he was always running around, so no matter how much I tried to drain his health, I could only make him faint. He was a famous thief, so I couldn¡¯t kill him for his stolen goods or to clean up after him. ¡®But right now, I think I can easily kill him with my sword.¡¯ Yorfang was excellent at fleeing, but not a strong fighter. No matter how I thought about it, if I were to slit his throat, I would see a fountain of blood gushing from his neck. I didn¡¯t really have any means of trapping him. The best I could do was to use Reverse Heaven and quickly cut off his ankle¡­I had an idea in mind. But I don¡¯t think I need to see blood. As Sierra and I walked toward the painting, I decided to give it some more thought. Sierra followed silently, looking at me as if she were about to do something again. TL Note: ¡®He¡¯ was used when referring to G?d? Yorfang because their gender was unknown but now we know it¡¯s a woman. *** ¡°Hmm~ hmm~ hmm~¡± A woman was humming as she walked down the street. In her hand, she held a fist-sized jewel, Dew of the World Tree. That¡¯s what she heard it was called but even she couldn¡¯t believe that this little thing could light up an entire city. She looked around slowly as the entire city was in darkness. It was all the result of her work. ¡®G?d? Yorfang.¡¯ That¡¯s what the world used to call her. But even this name was only known because of the notices she sent, and no one knew if she was a man, a woman, an old man, or anything else. Yorfang was an aplished thief. As a child, growing up in the slums, she had pickpocketed on the streets just to get by. She was quite talented andpared to other orphans her age, she had dexterity. Ever since she stumbled upon a ¡°magic thread¡± that she could manipte at will, she¡¯s had bigger goals. Not just to make it through the day¡­ To have everything she wanted. It was a kind ofpensatory psychology. There were so many things she wanted and the more she learned about the world, the more she wanted. She didn¡¯t know contentment. No, she was not satisfied. In acquiring the magic thread and gaining material wealth faster and easier than ever before, Yorfang had lost something. She had lost the exhration that had filled her to the brim when she pickpocketed in the slums. Yorfang was a pervert. She didn¡¯t feel it when she had enough stimtion, but now that it was gone, she craved it. So one day, she decided to send a notice before she stole the goods. When she did, the guards were on high alert, and she felt the thrill, the exhration, again. From then on, she became more daring and before she knew it, her name was spreading across the continent. She was now living up to her name, not by stimtion, but by people¡¯s expectations. Then Yorfang¡¯s eyes were drawn to the Innocence Academy. It was an institution that brought together promising young people from all over the continent, but it was so secretive that not much information was avable to the public. Yorfang decided to take advantage of the ¡®open ss period¡¯ when many outsiders flocked to the Innocence Academy. But even she hadn¡¯t been able to write down what she was going to steal until now. The ¡°outsiders¡± were too much even for her. It was all her intention to do it on the third day, not the first, nor the second, but the third. From what she could gather, everyone would be in the Colosseum by the second day and there would be no audience for her ¡°show. Then came the third day. The corners of her mouth turned up, and Yorfang ced the Dew of the World Tree in her subspace pocket. The cries of those who had no idea what had happened rang sweetly in her ears. As she had promised, she had stolen something precious from the Innocence Academy. She had stolen the Light from the Academy. The people, especially the mages, begin to use their magic to light up the city. There were even quite a few people carrying torches. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± She snorted at how primitive the scene seemed. Then, amidst the chatter around her, her name is mentioned. -Yorfang. -It must be Yorfang. Yorfang casually walks by the group. Sensing her presence and making eye contact with her, they turn back to their conversation. None of them suspected her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yorfang gaze drops down to look at his attire. It was the uniform of an unnamed cadet she¡¯d snuck into the dormitory and stolen before the incident. It wasn¡¯t exactly the right size for her, especially around the chest. There was plenty of room around there. Yorfang paused for a moment. She wasn¡¯t exactly confident in her own body, but she wondered if this was too much of a difference. After clearing his head, Yorfang resumes her steps. She hadn¡¯t intended to stay at the academy for long but she couldn¡¯t give up the ¡®painting¡¯ she¡¯d seen on the first day. It was a very old painting, and she couldn¡¯t resist touching it. ¡°¡­That was it.¡± Yorfang muttered to herself as she turned the corner of the corridor by the light of the moon. Just as she remembered, there was a painting on the other side of the hallway. But there was a man standing in front of it. ¡®He¡¯s looking at a painting in the middle of all this?¡¯ Yorfang approached him with that question in mind and studied him in the dim light of the moon, which illuminated the hallway. The calm-looking dark-haired man had a white bandage over his eye. ¡®Ah, so this is him.¡¯ She heard there was a blind cadet, so he must be the one. Yorfang had never been to the Colosseum herself, as she was not interested in the cadets¡¯ battles. She¡¯d only ever been able to guess at his identity from the conversations she¡¯d overheard while stealing small items from the streets. Suddenly, Yorfang understood why this man was here. Since he was blind, he would have no way of knowing if it had gotten dark around him but she had one small question. Approaching him cautiously, she asked. ¡°Excuse me, but what are you doing here¡­?¡± The sight of a blind man looking at a painting was very puzzling, even for Yorfang, and she couldn¡¯t let it go. Then the blind man looked up from the painting and turned his head toward Yorfang. ¡°Here?¡± The man¡¯s head tilts. ¡°You were standing in front of the painting¡­?¡± Yorfang asks again. The man points his finger in front of him, and there¡¯s a hint of bewilderment in his voice as he asks what that means. ¡°¡­Was there a painting here?¡± Chapter 90: Master of the Purple Moon Chapter 90: Master of the Purple Moon ¡°¡­Was there a painting here?¡± Yorfang felt like she¡¯d been hit over the head with the words. In a way, it was natural. As a blind man, he would have no way of knowing if there was a painting in front of him. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Yorfang let out a small whimper. She thought it would be annoying to have someone standing in front of the painting, but it would be much easier if the blind man didn¡¯t even know the painting was there. Yorfang took a step closer to the painting, leaving the puzzled man behind and from her right hand a thread shoots out. It moves of its own ord and touches the painting then the slender thread silently lifts it. It was the power of the magic thread. ¡°It¡¯s a painting with many figures¡­It looks like it¡¯s very old, but curiously, the colors haven¡¯t faded.¡± Holding the painting in front of her, Yorfang slowly examined it and began to describe it. It was nothing more than a show of her knowledge. ¡°I see.¡± The man with the bandage over his eye, still thinking there was a painting in front of him, nodded, his chin resting on his shoulder as he stared at the empty wall in front of him. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Yorfang gives a smallugh, realizing how ridiculous the scene was. Anyway, she runs her fingers over the painting, checking the material, and marvels. ¡®It¡¯s not decades old, is it?¡¯ It was painted hundreds of years ago but it wasn¡¯t cracked or faded, and the canvas was made of the same material as ancient scrolls. She wondered if the painting itself had some kind of magic to preserve it for so long. Paintings like this are rare. Yorfang smiled faintly and took the subspace pouch from her arms. She opened it, and the painting slipped into the tiny pouch. She then roughly tossed the notice she had prepared onto the floor at the base of the wall where the painting had been. It¡¯s a bit out of order, but it doesn¡¯t really matter since there¡¯s no one to see it. Yorfang decided to shrug it off as part of the Academy¡¯s treasured possessions. She nced at the man next to her who hadn¡¯t even noticed the whole thing, just continued to stare at the wall. ¡°Anyway¡­ It¡¯s a good painting.¡± After saying that, Yorfang casually walked away but her eyes were drawn to the sword at the man¡¯s waist: the jewelry on the hilt, the embroidery of flower petals on the handle. As a thief, Yorfang had an eye for fine materials and luxuries. Even to the untrained eye, the sword looked refined and it didn¡¯t take her long to realize how much money had been spent. Eventually, Yorfang couldn¡¯t stand her nasty ¡®habits¡¯. ¡®Since the academy is myst, I might as well take one as a bonus¡­¡¯ As soon as she thought of it, she pulled out a piece of paper and a fountain pen to write a notice. Normally, this process wouldn¡¯t need to be revealed, but since the man in front of her was blind, she was shamelessly scribbling down the notice right in front of him. ¡®How many seconds should I write? Five seconds? Ten seconds¡­?¡¯ Yorfang presses her lips together with her fountain pen as she deliberates. ¡®Ten seconds would be good.¡¯ When Yorfang finished, she folded it up. The man standing next to her was still silent. His head was turned toward the wall where the painting was. Yorfang gazended on the bandage around his eye once more and she scratched her head. ¡®¡­Doesn¡¯t the notice mean nothing?¡¯ He won¡¯t be able to read it, so it¡¯s useless. Yorfang pondered this simple thought for a moment but just then, he turned and looked at her. ¡°You haven¡¯t spoken since earlier¡­.Are you still here?¡± As he tilts his head, the moonlight catches the sword at his waist and the jewel on the hilt shines brightly. Watching this Yorfang makes a decision. ¡®So what?¡¯ He¡¯s just unlucky. It¡¯s a belief she¡¯s held since her days in the slums, and it¡¯s not like¡­ Even if he can¡¯t read it, others will read it to himter. ¡°The¡­ Your tie is a little off, excuse me¡­¡± There was nothing wrong with his tie, it was immacte, but she approached him as if she were going to fix it. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± The man smiles at her kindness as she ties his tie. ¡®Why are you so unnecessarily handsome when you¡¯re blindfolded¡­?¡¯ Watching the man very closely, Yorfang blushes slightly as she admires his handsomeness, but she is doing her ¡®job¡¯ after all. Yorfang slipped the notice into his arms. ¡®If it weren¡¯t for the cadets¡­¡¯ When it was all said and done, Yorfang let go of his tie and stepped back. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± As she said this, a thread slipped from Yorfang¡¯s cuff and touched his sword. As she watched the man bow his head in gratitude, Yorfang was pleased with the cleanliness of the end. ¡°Until next time, then.¡± As she turned and walked out of the hallway with a quick goodbye, she counted. Ten seconds passed, and the sword that had sprung from the threads was suddenly at her side. As she examined it, she realized that the money had been spent as she had expected. Why this man, barely a cadet, was wearing such an expensive sword was beyond her, but she¡¯d heard that the Academy attracted some of the most ster people, so she stopped caring. Luckily, the owner of this uniform was also a swordsman, and he had a belt around his waist for his sword. A sword at her waist would make her act more natural as a cadet. Yorfang nced behind her and the man was looking at her¡­.Or rather, his head was turned in her direction. ¡®At this distance, I can¡¯t hear a thing.¡¯ As she reaches for the sword to examine the de, shees to a question. ¡®But why was he staring at the wall when he didn¡¯t even realize there was a painting there¡­?¡¯ It¡¯s not a big deal, but it¡¯s a faint suspicion. At the same time, Yorfang¡¯s hand touches the hilt and was about to draw the sword to check the de. The sound of the sword being pulled from its scabbard was heard and her vision blurred for a moment. *** Yorfang, who had been clutching her head, came to her senses. Blinking hard, she slowly turned her head and looked around. The first thing he saw was¡­ ¡®¡­the moon?¡¯ A huge full moon was visible in front of her but it felt very foreign. The moon¡¯s position was too close. Especially the color of the moon that dazzled her eyes was unreal. ¡®A purple moon¡­¡¯ ¡­Such a thing doesn¡¯t exist in this world. Yorfang¡¯s foot, which had been moving casually, touched the water, causing a sound to echo in the silent space. There was a very shallow pool of water at the bottom. The water that filled this vast, endless space was calm and reflected the dark night sky and the moon on the surface. The atmosphere was indescribably dreamy when suddenly Yorfang shook her head. No, she shook it vigorously. It was too foreign to be real, but the sensation of water on her feet was all too real. As her head grew foggy, Yorfang gritted her teeth and tried to stay calm. She had met a blind swordsman and stolen his sword¡­and now she was in this situation. Sure enough, she was walking down a dark hallway. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in from behind Yorfang, and a thick purple smoke enveloped her. She quickly covered her mouth and nose from the unidentifiable smoke. ¡°It¡¯s huge¡­¡± Yorfang moved her legs to get out of the smoke. But the smoke wouldn¡¯t let her go, so she ran and ran and ran. It was the best she could do in a situation where she didn¡¯t understand what was going on. ¡°Fuha¡­!¡± Yorfang somehow made it through the smoke and copsed on the ground. She let out the breath she¡¯d been holding and inhaled deeply. Immediately, Yorfang¡¯s eyes catch a glimpse of her own distorted reflection hovering above the rippling surface. How did this happen, how did this happen, for what reason? She couldn¡¯t figure it out. The sound of wading through the water came from the other side and Yorfang quickly looked up in the direction of the sound. Standing on the water was a woman. She had long, dark hair and was dressed in blood-red Eastern robes, and around her was a sinister, violet smoke. The woman approached her slowly and with each step, the water rippled and touched her wrists, which were gripping the floor. Then the woman¡¯s lips part. ¡°You are an unexpected guest.¡± A voice, both strong and soft, pierces Yorfang ears. The woman¡¯s eyes, the same color as the moon in the sky, meet her own and Yorfang instinctively realizes that she was the owner of this space. ¡°Ah¡­¡± A stuttered word escapes Yorfang¡¯s mouth. She was feeling ¡®fear¡¯. Her body froze, and she hadn¡¯t moved in a long time. Flee? Is there a way out? Fight? The overwhelming sense of dread was such that none of those options were avable to her. She could only ept her fate. Eventually, the woman came close to her. Yorfang kept her head down, not daring to make eye contact, but the woman¡¯s hand lifted her chin. ¡°Uh¡­¡­Uh¡­¡± The look in her eyes urged her to say something, to apologize, but no words came out. The woman¡¯s lips slowly opened as she stared at her, her eyes fluttering wildly. ¡°No matter how insensitive his ¡®master¡¯ is¡­I did not ask for this¡­even if it was such a terrible fate.¡± Yorfang could not make out the meaning of the words since it sounded like the woman¡¯sment. ¡°This is unpleasant.¡± The woman¡¯s next words echoed in his ears as she released her grip on her chin. ¡°Go away.¡± The woman turns her back on her then an unintelligible sound hits Yorfang¡¯s shoulder. Something sharp cuts through the air and falls into the water, it was Yorfang¡¯s arm. Blood leaked from her arm as it hit the bottom, staining the crystal clear water red. Yorfang wanted to scream, but the woman immediately cut her throat. ¡°¡­!!!¡± Yorfang was sliced to pieces by a hail of swords from nowhere. She could barely move his fingertips, and she let out a muffled cry of pain as the attacks continued unabated. Turning away, as if unable to bear the sight, the woman stares up at the moon. ¡°For she is the ¡®sword¡¯ of only one man¡­¡± *** I approached Yorfang, who was writhing on the ground, clutching my Spectral Sword. As I got closer, I realized she was in pretty bad shape. She was covered in foam, writhing, andpletely engulfed in the spirit energy that was spewing from the Spectral Sword. Her eyes were open, but she didn¡¯t appear to be conscious. Sierra¡¯s spirit energy had only been refined through the seal, not lost. ¡°Sierra¡± was a state that belonged to me and if someone touched it in that state they would be consumed by it. As soon as she grasped the sword, Sierra¡¯s form vanished. Yorfang had probably entered Sierra¡¯s mind or something. ¡°Mmm¡­ Mmm¡­¡± Yorfang finally opens her mouth and lets out a groan of despair. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening to her, but it looks like she¡¯s in a lot of pain. I pried Sierra out of Yorfang¡¯s hands. If she was left alone, her mind mightpletely break down. Yorfang¡¯s body, which had been shaking violently, calmed down. Then Sierra slithers out of the sword. Her exquisite violet eyes are unusually bright today. As soon as Sierra exited the sword, she crashed into me and I pointed to Yorfang, whoy stunned with her eyes open. ¡°What did you do¡­?¡± Sierra, looking back and forth between me and Yorfang, covers her mouth somewhat. [¡­I was merely saying hello to her.] Sierra¡¯s eyes narrowed as she said this, and I could tell it was a lie. Chapter 91: Him…or ‘her’ Chapter 91: Him¡­or ¡®her¡¯ On the other side of the room, Yorfang was still unconscious so I snatched the subspace pouch from her arms. [It¡¯s a subspace pouch, I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s carrying something so precious. Is it stolen?] From what Sierra had said, it was most likely stolen because it belonged to a thief, which meant it had an owner. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, because if she stole something as rare as a subspace pouch, she¡¯d be recognized.¡± If I grabbed Yorfang in the game and tried to take her subspace pouch or magic thread¡­ ¡®That¡¯s not stolen! It¡¯s mine!¡­I swear!¡¯ ¡­so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have to worry about that. At that point, the yer could say something like this to Yorfang. ¡®I guess you have bad luck, huh?¡¯ Unfortunately, Yorfang is now unconscious, so I can¡¯t say that line. The subspace pouch and magic thread were the rewards for capturing Yorfang. I slipped my arm into Yorfang¡¯s subspace pouch. It was a curiously small pouch, but it was spacious enough to fit my entire arm. I found the painting in there and took it out, then approached the wall where the painting was and groped for a nail. I found the nails and hung the painting in ce. Both Sierra and I knew there was a painting here. I had walked down this hallway before and Sierra had said something to me. She stays by my side and asks me a question. [Did you know that Yorfang woulde here?] ¡°Well, I knew she was collecting art¡­ but I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d actuallye here.¡± [Is this painting really that great¡­?] Sierra cupped her chin and studied the painting. It depicted the hero and members of his party. They were huddled together as if they were taking a group photo. The world was currently bnced without both the Demon King and the Hero, but as soon as either of them showed up, the scales would tip right back over. The Hero is the only one who can stand against the Demon King. Throughout the game, there are frequent allusions to the fact that this being, who has fallen into the clutches of demons, will one day reappear in the world. Heroes are ¡°reincarnated.¡± In reality, he has already been reincarnated but he¡¯s still too young to defend himself. How do you protect a young hero who can¡¯t handle the holy sword? Protecting the reincarnated hero from the demons was a big part of the main story and an important key to reaching a happy ending. The face of the hero in the center of the painting, a blond man, grinning so wide you can see his teeth, stands out. I must protect him¡­or ¡®her¡¯¡­I must protect. I stare at the painting for a long moment, then turn and walk back to where Yorfang was. Now it was time to ¡®clean up¡¯. ¡®First, I have to use the subspace pouch¡­¡¯ I pulled therge sack I had prepared from my arms. The sack contained all of the items she had stolen from the Academy this time. Trinkets, jewelry, and anything else that could be considered valuable spilled out of the tiny pocket. The items Yorfang has stolen so far are probably stored away in her secret stash. Even subspace pockets can only hold so much. I sling the now-heavy sack over one of Yorfang¡¯s copsed arms. It didn¡¯t matter if it was a sack or a subspace pouch, since I didn¡¯t know who Yorfang was anyway. However, Yorfang¡¯s poor condition did make me worry about her ability to locate the warehouse. ¡°Um¡­¡± I pulled the thread from Yorfang¡¯s cuff and examined it. Sierra recognized the thread as soon as it touched the Spectral Sword and alerted me but I decided to leave it there, and this is what happened. ¡®Was it Arachne¡¯s thread?¡¯ I decided to keep it for now, as it mighte in handy. ¡­I¡¯ll leave the exnation of how it was stolen to Yorfang. [Hmph, thieves get away with it¡­] Sierra merely smiled in satisfaction at the irony of the situation. And with that, I gobbled her up, grabbed her arm, and dragged her down the hall. It wasn¡¯t long before I ran into Kaliman, who was fumbling around with a torch. ¡°Cadet Zetto, what¡¯s that behind you¡­?¡± Kaliman asked as he approached me. ¡°There was a thief wandering around.¡± I replied, shing him a sunny smile. *** -Knock. ¡°Come in.¡± A man¡¯s stern voicees from inside the room as a woman opens the door and walks in. The room, which looks like an office, is quite dark, lit only by a hastily ced candle. As she approaches the man sitting at the desk, scribbling away, she speaks. ¡°My lord, G?d? Yorfang has been captured.¡± ¡°Who captured him?¡± ¡°Cadet Zetto.¡± ¡°Hehe, that name again. Seems like he¡¯s the one who solves all of the Academy¡¯s problems.¡± The Sage, in the guise of Hubert Graham, the Academy¡¯s president, smiles broadly. The Sage was currently in the director¡¯s office, not in the depths of the Labyrinth as he normally would have been, since it was an open ss period. They had already been made aware of the presence of G?d? Yorfang. The Sage tried to stay out of the Academy¡¯s internal affairs as much as possible, so he was willing to let it go, but touching the Dew of the World Tree had crossed a line he had drawn. Therefore, he had sent Itea to handle the matter quietly. Itea may have looked like a mere maid or secretary, but she was a golem that contained the essence of the Sage¡¯s magical engineering. Not to mention herbat capabilities but apparently, it wasn¡¯t necessary. ¡°I returned immediately after I saw Yorfang faint after touching Cadet Zetto¡¯s Spectral Sword, but this time it may not be a coincidence.¡± Itea reported, tilting her head slightly. ¡°She must have been eroded by the spirit. Coincidence or not, he has a lot of connections. The Sword Saint, the Saint¡­How did he run into G?d? this time?¡± Putting his fountain pen down on the desk, the Sage turned to Itea. ¡°He was touching a painting of you and yourpanions in the main building when Yorfang appeared.¡± ¡°A painting¡­?¡± The Sage¡¯s brow furrowed at the mention of tampering with a painting with the hero party. The painting was precious to him. It was a painting that he had framed when he founded the Innocence Academy and hung in their honor. Of course, the people at the academy didn¡¯t know that the painting depicted the Hero Party. This was because, despite the presence of statues of the members of the Hero Party in the Labyrinth, the Sage¡¯s aesthetic sense was quite entric, and they bore no resemnce to the painting. ¡°Luckily, they were caught right away.¡± Itea said, trying to calm the Sage¡¯s anger. ¡°Huh¡­ Well, since it happened inside the Academy, I suppose it falls under our jurisdiction.¡± The Sage sighed, and Itea nodded in agreement. Since the Innocence Academy was not affiliated with any country, it had the power to handle such matters independently. ¡°Then¡­I¡¯ll send her to ¡®Gehenna¡¯.¡± ¡°I see, I¡¯ll make sure to tell Principal Julius us that.¡± As Itea bowed her head in response, the magicmp on the ceiling lit up, brightening the room. The Sage looks up and stares into themp, then speaks. ¡°You must have gotten back on track quickly.¡± ¡°Master, since it will officially be Cadet Zetto¡¯s capture, how do you n to reward him?¡± Itea asked as she looked at the Sage. Despite their intentions to keep things quiet, Zetto, the academy cadet, had intervened and made it official. The Sage cleared his throat at her question. ¡°Hmm¡­ A reward¡­¡± *** The carriage, with no windows to look out, was chilly. The carriage was traveling toward Gehenna, thergest prison on the continent, where only the most heinous criminals are held. It was so notorious that no one had ever managed to escape from Gehenna, and it wasmonly said that death was the only way out. In the carriage, a woman sat shaking her legs in annoyance, and across from her was Yorfang, whose arms and legs were bound. Even the uniform she was wearing when she was captured had been removed, and she was wrapped in rags. The brown-haired woman in front of her, Reina, muttered. ¡°Why can¡¯t I win¡­?¡± Yorfang was apanied by someone from the Academy as she was transported to Gehenna. There was no way she could escape or be attacked by bandits during the transportation, so they needed someone who would make her feel as safe as possible. Naturally, the Three ck bloods were mentioned, and the job fell to them. They were instructors, but since it was open ss time, they weren¡¯t required to teach. Even for them, traveling to Gehenna was a hassle. Eventually, at Reina¡¯s suggestion, they yed a childhood game of rock, paper, scissors. ¡®Edward is one thing, but why is Kaliman so lucky to get away with this kind of bet¡­¡¯ Once again, it was Reina who lost. She¡¯s never had much luck with bets like this. She leaned her head back and looked at Yorfang, who was trembling in front of her. The realization that she was a younger woman than she had expected was a shock of its own. From the tone of the notice, she¡¯d expected him to be a man with a mustache. ¡®More than that¡­¡¯ At that moment, Reina and Yorfang¡¯s eyes met. ¡°¡­¡± Then Yorfang bowed her head deeply, avoiding Reina¡¯s gaze. Her body was still trembling. ¡®They said Zetto was the one who caught her.¡¯ It was one thing for a blind man to capture a thief who wasn¡¯t even amon thief, but what had happened during the capture? Yorfang looked like she had been tortured, but there was no sign of it, not even a scratch. She couldn¡¯t imagine Zetto torturing anyone in the first ce. There didn¡¯t seem to be any reason for him to torture her. When she came to her senses, she quickly admitted that she was Yorfang and gave the location of the warehouse. She didn¡¯t deny anything. The warehouse was brought to the attention of the local guards, who immediately began to investigate, and the secret warehouse of Yorfang, one of the continent¡¯s most famous marauders, was revealed to the world. However, when she was asked to exin her capture, Yorfang suddenly became violent. When she asked Zetto about it, he said that he only lightly knocked her out. Prisci then checked on Yorfang and assured her that there was nothing wrong with her health. At this point, Prisci realized that the spirit energy was still in Yorfang¡¯s body, but she didn¡¯t reveal it. Eventually, Edward dismissed the others¡¯ questions by saying, ¡°The criminal has been caught, and that¡¯s the end of it.¡± Reina was still privately curious, so she turned to Yorfang in front of her. ¡°Did you have anything to do with Zetto¡­?¡± At the mention of Zetto¡¯s name, Yorfang¡¯s eyes widened and she quickly covered her ears and muttered. ¡°Purple¡­ Purple¡­ Purple¡­ Purple¡­¡± Her body was shaking violently and Yorfang could only repeat the unintelligible words. ¡°¡­¡± Watching her, Reina clicks her tongue once, and then closes her eyes. *** In a small town on a continent, in a small orphanage, there was a girl. The other children in the orphanage were running wildly through the fields, shouting ¡°Hey!¡± and ¡°Stop!¡± but the little girl didn¡¯t seem to care. The orphanage¡¯s director, a woman, sneaks up on her. ¡°Rei, aren¡¯t you interested in ying with your other friends?¡± The director was worried that the girl wasn¡¯t getting along with her friends. ¡°¡­Not Rei.¡± The girl with her arms crossed replied briefly, looking at the director with a pouty face. ¡°Oh, I see. You asked me to call you Leon. Rei, no¡­ Leon seems to suit you a lot¡­?¡± Rei looked up at the sky, ignoring the Director¡¯s affectionate voice. ¡®¡­I can still feel the Holy Sword¡¯s reaction.¡¯ The girl felt the aura of the Holy Sword in the sky, solidifying her presence once again. She remembered that in her previous life, she had been Leon the Hero. He had been reincarnated as a girl named Rei, with Leon¡¯s blonde hair and red eyes. However, the change from a healthy adult male to a newborn baby was extremely painful for him. Now, yearster, as a young girl, he was better off. Though the ¡®girl¡¯ part was still a problem. Rei was contemting on what to do when the headmaster approached, a serious look on his face. For some reason, she hadn¡¯t been able to control the holy sword properly yet. She couldn¡¯t even summon it. Had the Holy Sword decided that this body was still too weak to handle it? Rei had been secretly practicing outside the orphanage every night, but maybe it was just a matter of time. ¡°Rei¡­ Why don¡¯t you y with me?¡± A boy her own age approached Rei, scratched his head, and cautiously asked in a shy voice. It was a boy who had recently shown an interest in Rei, a ¡®reasonable¡¯ interest. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ look at me like that!¡± Rei threw her arms out in front of her, drawing a firm line in the sand. The director covered his mouth with his hand in shock at her behavior. Rei¡¯s personality had be much more entric than the ever-smiling hero Leon had been. It was unavoidable, even for him, for her. It was a matter of keeping up appearances, of not losing something important to him as a man. Chapter 92: Feelings Chapter 92: Feelings The situation with Yorfang was resolved quickly and the Academy got most of the work done that night. I was told that Yorfang had been ced in a carriage early in the morning bound for Gehenna, the prison and I was also summoned in the morning by Hubert Graham, the chairman. When he told me that a formal announcement would be made and what reward I wanted, I asked that my name be left out of it. Yorfang was too famous and at this point, I didn¡¯t want ¡°blind cadet Zetto¡± to be too famous for catching her. Fame was enough to make my presence known to the authorities in public sses; any more than that and it would be difficult for me to sneak around. Hubert was puzzled by my decision, but eventually agreed to grant my request. However he insisted that I should be rewarded. In fact, I wasn¡¯t too concerned about the Academy¡¯s reward, as I was already rewarded enough for robbing Yorfang. ¡®They should have given me a medal or something.¡¯ I remember that the Academy awarded me a medal, and my reputation grew on a continental scale. But now that my name wasn¡¯t in the official announcement, I expected Hubert to ask if I wanted anything¡­ but he said he had something special for me. Hubert¡¯s secretary slides a small sk across the table. It looks like a potion or elixir. ¡°¡­What is this?¡± As I fumble with the sk, Hubert speaks up. ¡°I was at an auction recently and saw a strange elixir, so I bought it, thinking it would be perfect for you.¡± Hubert unwinds his crossed legs and bends down to poke his head into the box. ¡°It¡¯s an elixir made by the alchemical guild, Midas. Apparently it amplifies the senses.¡± I¡¯d never seen anything like it in the game but I don¡¯t think Hubert would lie about something like this, and Midas is the top alchemy guild on the continent, so I¡¯d trust them, but¡­ The color was a bit odd. ¡°¡­That¡¯s curious, have you heard anything about what the ingredients are?¡± I asked Hubert, sounding moderately curious. Hubert hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke up. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, it¡¯s made from the brains of congenitally blind monsters¡­¡­though I¡¯m not sure of the proportions or anything.¡± ¡°Monster brains¡­¡± ¡°Well, as the old saying goes, bitter is good for the body, hahaha!¡± Hubertughs out loud at my trepidation. I don¡¯t know if it will work for me, who already has ¡®Superior Senses¡¯, but¡­I don¡¯t think I need to refuse¡­ *** ¡°Are you sure you can just use Midas¡¯s name like that, it was just something you found in the warehouse.¡± Itea said to the Sage, who had been staring at the door Zetto had exited through but the Sage waved a hand. ¡°Well, I suppose it doesn¡¯t really matter. The effects are simr.¡± ¡°There is a difference between a mysterious solution of monster brains and an elixir that is only legendary among the elves.¡± The truth of the elixir spilled out of Itea¡¯s mouth. The elixir that the Sage had given to Zetto was none other than the elixir of the Earth Mother Goddess. ¡°Earth Mother Goddess¡± is another way of saying World Tree. As you can see from the word god, this often causes friction between the Holy Land and the Elves. The World Tree was not actually a deity, but rather a folk belief of the Elves. Originally, the elixir was only avable to High Elves, whose mission was to protect the World Tree until death. This elixir, which could be extracted from the World Tree, was something that younger elves hadn¡¯t even seen yet, as it only came out once every few hundred years. A few hundred years was a long time even for the elves, who were a long-lived race. The elixir had been given to the Sage by the elves in the past, when he was a member of the hero party, after he had cured the World Tree of illness. The Dew of the World Tree, which Yorfang almost stole this time, was also one of their gifts. ¡°¡­Those elves are strange, giving a mage an elixir that¡¯s only useful to archers, no matter how good their bows are.¡± The Sage rambled on to Itea. Thinking that giving money as a reward to Zetto was boring, the Sage searched through the warehouse and found the elixir. ¡°After all, isn¡¯t it exciting to see what he¡¯lle up with next, having grown stronger after taking the elixir¡­¡± The Sage would wait and see, as he always did. Somehow, he had a feeling that he would see him again, and often. *** Today was thest day of public sses and the city had been buzzing with talk of Yorfang for some time. The Academy¡¯s reputation had been greatly enhanced by the overnight capture of Yorfang during the disruption of the magic supply. My name was never mentioned. The Academy only announced that they had captured him, but not who exactly. Rumors circted that Instructor Kaliman had captured Yorfang. Along the way, Kaen, who was carrying a uniform in her arms, was able to recognize Yorfang¡¯s uniform as her own. I didn¡¯t know that, so I was intrigued and chatted with her for a bit. She told me that the window was open, and that Yorfang must have taken advantage of the time when she was showering. I didn¡¯t get to talk to anyone else since everyone seemed to be busy interacting with their family members. The only one with time to spare was Aizel, who I hadn¡¯t seen since the Colosseum. Well, I suppose that¡¯s her nature. Before I knew it, it was night, and I had returned to the dormitory after seeing the Saint off as she left the academy. Entering the room, I set my badge down on the table and took off my coat. The badge was emzoned with a silver wing. It was the badge of the Knights of the Silver Wings. In the end, I epted Bernice¡¯s offer. With my status as a cadet, I wasn¡¯t fully affiliated with the Order, just a foot in the door¡­. It was a hastily concocted rank called ¡®Honorary Temr¡¯. Now, if I had to kill a demon, I could do so as a member of the Silver Winged Knights and let the other knights do the dirty work. Besides that, it would be a good identification device if I ever got into trouble outside the Academy. Bernice started calling me ¡®Zetto¡¯ instead of ¡®Cadet Zetto¡¯ as soon as I epted the offer. She left with the words, ¡®I¡¯ll see you around, Zetto,¡¯ before telling me that Deputy Leader Ecline would being by in the near future to give me the location of the branch near the Academy. [Hmmm¡­] Sierra, now free of the Spectral Sword since Bernice¡¯s departure, nced at her badge and snorted. ¡°Is it because I epted her offer?¡± I asked, stepping closer to her. From Sierra¡¯s point of view, Bernice could see her, and she was understandably reluctant. [No, the Saint is right, with what my apprentice is doing, you would have needed a ¡®fence¡¯¡­] Sierra¡¯s voice trails off, and she nces at me. ¡°Haha¡­right¡­¡± Frowning, I scratch my head. [¡­and when are you going to drink the elixir?] Sierra was referring to the sk on the table, the elixir I received from the Chairman. It was an elixir made from the brains of monsters¡­I hadn¡¯t even opened the lid to smell it yet. ¡®Senses amplification¡­¡¯ Hubert¡¯s words were as if he had a special reward in store for me; he must have known in advance when he would need it. He must have taken a liking to me from the start. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll take it¡­?¡± I reached for the sk on the table. They grinded up the brains of blind monsters to make elixirs that amplified the senses, that¡¯s just what one should expect from alchemists. Still, they wouldn¡¯t sell something that didn¡¯t work. I lifted the lid of the sk. ¡®It doesn¡¯t smell that bad¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a clean ash color¡­but a weird gray color, like a mixture of different colored ys, and I thought it would smell terrible, but this¡­ ¡­Yes, it was the smell of the forest. I wonder if they ground up some fragrant leaves to make it work. [Hmph, if your taste gets weird again, I can cook for you again. Don¡¯t worry, just drink it in.] Sierrapensated for my frustration in not taking the lid off and drinking. I took a long gulp from the sk. ¡®Why is it refreshing?¡¯ It didn¡¯t taste like monster brains, instead it reminded me of a certain pine needle tea-inspired beverage. ¡®Not exactly my favorite.¡¯ I thought it was too good to be true. ¡°¡®Midas¡¯ is different after all¡­¡± I tapped the empty sk and marveled. I could see why they were the go-to alchemy guild on the continent. The way they cared about potion drinkers as alchemists touched me. [Does it taste good?] Sierra asked, ncing at me in distress. ¡°It¡¯s the best elixir I¡¯ve ever had.¡± [I wonder how effective it is.] Yes. It was important that it worked. ¡®I don¡¯t really feel any different¡­¡¯ I tried to focus on my ears to feel the effects of the elixir, but it didn¡¯t work so I thought about opening the status window. e??¡±e??¡±e??¡±e??¡±e??¡±e??¡¯:!!!! Suddenly, sharp tinnitus pierces my ears. My head whips around and I¡¯m about to fall when Sierra catches me. Luckily, the tinnitus quickly subsided. [Disciple, are you okay?!] Sierra¡¯s eyes widened as she picked me up. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Her voice sounded exceptionally loud in my head when suddenly, I saw the status window in front of me. I nced at it and couldn¡¯t hide my puzzlement. Lv.39 Skills: -Ghost yer Technique Lv.22 -Sierra Reverse Heaven (Iplete) Lv.5 ¨C [Ghost yer Technique] in effect ¨C Ki Sense Lv.5 -Weakness Detection lv.MAX ¨C [Blindfold That is Beyond Reason] in effect -Acupuncture Lv.5 -Night Vision Lv.MAX Skill Points remaining: 4 Items in use: ¨C Blindfold That is Beyond Reason [Legendary] ¨C Bracelet of Origin [Epic] -Spectral Sword Sierra [Inheritance] -The Hero¡¯s Favor Ne[Epic] -Tear of the Dead [Engraved] -Subspace Pouch [Unique] My level remained the same at 39, having risen two levels from 37 after capturing the wyvern. It was the skills that mattered¡­.In the ce of Superior Senses was another skill. Sometimes skills would advance to higher grades if certain conditions were met but that was one skill that I had never seen before, even as a longtime gamer. However, it was a word I was all too familiar with. Ki Sense. ¡®Why is that¡­?¡¯ *** Meanwhile, Yuri saw her father, Jeras Clementine, off and went to the library. Yuri was showing him around the Academy when he kept saying, ¡°Son-inw¡­Hmm¡­Zetto¡­¡± and other Zetto references. The worst was when he met Maxim Caligus, Amon¡¯s father. ¡®Maxim, I may have a son-inw soon, hahaha!¡¯ After embarrassing her so much, Yuri managed to get Jeras to leave at night. And so it was that Yuri came to the library to return the book. The Saint and the Princess was a fairytale with a simple title but it had been so popr that it had even been turned into a novel in this extended version. It was a fairy tale she had loved since she was a child and after reading the book, she understood why she had been looking for ittely. There was an ovep between the Saint¡¯s and Zetto¡¯s personalities and speech patterns. It was a secret that Yuri couldn¡¯t tell anyone that she was immersed in the book, thinking of the princess as herself and the saint as Zetto. ¡®I¡¯m crazy¡­ Really.¡¯ Yuri cleared her head and stepped into the library. ¡°Huh?¡± Then Yuri saw a familiar tinum-haired girl. It was Aizel. She was sitting in the same seat as thest time they met. At the time, she had asked to read the book first, and Yuri thought she had found someone who shared her taste but Aizel returned the book within a day. Yuri would have liked to have gotten a review, but she didn¡¯t ask because she didn¡¯t like the look on Aizel¡¯s face when she returned the book. ¡®Last time, she was reading a book about curses.¡¯ Yuuri wondered if she was reading such a book again since Aizel¡¯s expression was quite serious. She hadn¡¯t seen her smile in a while. Aizel didn¡¯t usually smile, but her expression was more serious than her usual sullen expression, and she seemed to be worried about something so Yuri cautiously approached her. Aizel was so focused on her book that she didn¡¯t notice Yuri¡¯s approach and Yuri cautiously poked her head in and skimmed the pages of the book she was reading. ¡®¡­To kiss, it¡¯s all about the mood, the atmosphere¡­¡¯ After reciting a line to herself, Yuri tilted her head. ¡°Aizel¡­?¡± Yuri called out to Aizel. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Aizel looked at Yuri, who was now in front of her, and quickly lifted the book. Was she trying to hide the contents by lifting the book? But now she could see the title on the cover. Without thinking, Yuri read the title. ¡°101 Ways to Win a Man Over¡­?¡± Yuri and Aizel¡¯s eyes met so Yuri smiled somewhat coyly and thought. I wonder why Aizel is reading this book¡­. Chapter 93: Methods Chapter 93: Methods Ki Sense was a new skill I learned after taking the elixir Hubert gave me as a reward. I hadn¡¯t seen this skill in my time ying the game, nor in themunity where users share information with each other. As a result, I¡¯m not sure exactly what the requirements are for this skill. What I do remember is that ¡®Superior Senses¡¯ is not a highlypatible skill. Maybe that¡¯s because it hasn¡¯t been found yet. Two things bothered me. The existence of the Blindfold That is Beyond Reason, and the Sensory Amplification Elixir, which I¡¯ve never seen in game. I was pretty sure it was the elixir. However, the problem is that the toppatible skill for ¡®Superior Senses¡¯ is ¡®Ki Sense¡¯. As I¡¯ve been saying, it¡¯s not really a skill for gaining visual information through simple interpretation. However, the list of senses enhanced by Superior Senses clearly includes sight. Hubert had said he¡¯d bought the elixir at an auction, but it seemed more likely that he¡¯dmissioned it personally. That would exin why I hadn¡¯t seen it in the game. The ingredients were the brains of congenitally blind monsters. If they were blind and were at least ¡°surviving¡± instead of being culled, their brain structure might have been unique. The alchemist who created the elixir may have had this idea in mind. I don¡¯t have any knowledge of alchemy, so it¡¯s hard to tell if it¡¯s really a useful recipe. I also didn¡¯t like the idea of learning a new skill through alchemy. The ¡°unknown¡± often leads to fear, but when the ¡°unknown¡± seems to be something positive, the fear quickly turns to anticipation. I let go of the somewhat ¡°unfriendly¡± status window since there was no information to be gleaned from it. I had already reached level 5 of Ki Sense when the 10th level of Superior Senses was transferred to Ki, so it was easy to figure out which skill it was. What was most disturbing was that as Superior Senses faded, so did their effectiveness. It was a shame, because it was useful to me in so many ways. Fortunately, my senses were still there. Maybe it was just a mood thing, but I often felt like they were a little sharper than before. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of the effect. It went from being a passive enhancement to an active skill. I could use it to create a ¡°wave¡± that centered around me and spread out into the distance. The wave seemed to be felt only by me at first and there was no cooldown or energy cost. It was simr to a radar, where everything that touched the wave was turned into information and sent back directly to my head. It¡¯s just that the form of information is very different from the five senses and gives me much more information than what I could normally see with my eyes or hear with my ears. It could recognize the material of a wall when it touched it, or how old it was, or something else that you couldn¡¯t see, like the bread in Crank¡¯s pocket on the other side. Just in time, Crank quietly pulls out the bread and takes arge bite without Edward noticing as he exins the lesson since he is hidden behind Amon¡¯s broad back. ..Crank often did that. Anyway, to summarize, the information I receive from my Ki Sense seems to be strongly influenced by my knowledge and memory. When I sent a wave, I could recognize people around me, even if I wasn¡¯t really looking at them. What gave me goosebumps was that it would give me urate information about people whose names I couldn¡¯t quite remember if I¡¯d heard their name at some point. And it was basically just enough information that I could pick up on if I paid attention. For example, I had heard the rustling of the bread bag in Crank¡¯s pocket before, so I could recognize it as a hunch. This confirmed that it was a fact, not a guess. Even if I wasn¡¯t paying attention to my hearing, my intuition didn¡¯t miss it. It seems to be a mechanism whereby raising the level of the feeling increases the sensory ability steeply, just like the previous ¡®Superior Senses¡¯ did, and the performance of the waves sent by Ki Sense also increases steeply. In any case, I was very satisfied with the performance. Since I got it for less than a day, I sat in the middle of ss sending waves. This was kind of fun even though the amount of information wasplicated by therge number of people in the ssroom, I was killing time by organizing it all. I mentioned to Sierra that I felt like my senses were heightened. There was no way I was going to be able to say, ¡°I can actually feel it!¡± now. I sat in ss with my arms crossed, sending out waves. Edward had decided that the cadets had gotten a little too rxed during the open ss period, and he was going to give them a run for their money. In the woods of the academy, we had to capture a small monster called ¡°Muster¡± for Edward to release. Musters were small, weasel-like creatures that didn¡¯t harm humans and were often kept as pets by noblewomen, making them quite expensive. Edward said it was a trained creature and would be quite tricky to capture. As it crawled across Edward¡¯s body, it had a small bell on its hind leg and the cadets giggled at how cute he was. There is only one rule: we can¡¯t kill the muster. This was a huge penalty for the cadets, who were essentially learning to kill monsters and deal with demons. Plus, the forest is quiterge. If you¡¯re a mage, you¡¯ll be able to use non-attribute magic like ¡®Chain¡¯, but for cadets like me and Crank who aren¡¯t mages, it¡¯s like being forced to run. It¡¯s also not that easy to remove attributes from a basic spell like Chain in the first ce. ¡®It¡¯s about learning how to deal with situations that require non-lethal or incapacitating force.¡¯ Whether it¡¯s the capture of Yorfang, or the Adventurer¡¯s Guild capturing the monsters the cadets faced in the Coliseum. It wasn¡¯t always about killing your opponent. There would be four musters on the loose and if we couldn¡¯t catch them all, there would be a make-up physical fitness ss. ¡°So let¡¯s group up in teams of two.¡± Edward said, holding up two fingers as he finished exining today¡¯s lesson. Apparently Edward didn¡¯t organize the group this time. If we¡¯re in pairs, at least half of us are guaranteed a make-up ss. ¡°Zetto.¡± Aizel spoke up before Edward could finish his sentence. Turning my head to her, I felt Yuri on the other side of me flinch. ¡°Do you want to join me?¡± I wonder if she wants to catch Musters because Aizel¡¯s eyes were very serious as she said that. ¡°¡­Sure.¡± *** I was walking through the forest with Zetto. The forest was very spacious and quiet, and it was nice to feel like we were the only ones in the space. I didn¡¯t pay attention to what the muster was doing¡­.He was kind of cute, but that wasn¡¯t the point right now. My mind was filled with thoughts of Zetto¡¯s curse. Then, in the middle of the open ss period, I caught Zetto on a private ¡°date¡± with the Saint. I was shocked, to say the least. In previous episodes, Zetto had be friendly with the Saint, but they hadn¡¯t been walking around the Academy together like that. Zetto used his Master¡¯s sword, Krektar death was premature and there was a curse I hadn¡¯t felt before on his heart. It didn¡¯t matter now how twisted he was, or what he was twisted by. Now I had to act. I had survived, but for what? In the end, it was for my own good so I couldn¡¯t lose Zetto. My rtionship with Zetto was now in a very twisted state and unlike in the previous episode, Zetto didn¡¯t approach me as much. ¡®In the previous episode, he woulde to me no matter where I was¡­¡¯ Partly out of frustration, partly because I couldn¡¯t hold back my twisted desires a few times, I thought he felt the pressure. But when I talked to him in the flower garden the other day, I realized something. It wasn¡¯t Zetto who had changed¡­it was me. Last time, I had to ¡°rebuild¡± the rtionship with him that Zetto had naturally built. In order to break his curse Zetto had befriended the Saint, but¡­There was no telling if she would unleash her immense divine power, or if she would discover the curse and kiss him. ¡®Kissing the one you love¡­¡¯ I didn¡¯t like the idea of Zetto kissing another woman so maybe I could make him love me. If I could make Zetto love me, I could make him look at ¡®only¡¯ me. First, I needed knowledge since I didn¡¯t know anything about approaching men. Until I met Zetto, I was just trying to survive, and I didn¡¯t pay attention to the people around me, let alone men. I didn¡¯t have anyone to ask about these things and the only person I could think of was ¡°that girl¡± from ck Hand. ¡®Aizel, you have a crush? Really? Who is it? I want to see him!¡¯ I couldn¡¯t imagine her reaction, so I went to the library. The Academy¡¯s library had a vast collection of books, so I figured there would be at least one book on romance. ¡­There were more than I expected and among them, I found a book with an unusually catchy title. [101 Ways to Win a Man Over], was written by an author named Gio¡­It seemed to be a famous book. So here I am, practicing one of the methods I saw in the book. ¡®If you want to know whether a man is interested in you or not, don¡¯t talk to him first. You¡¯ll know right away.¡¯ Don¡¯t make the first move. It was simple. ¡®Zetto often made the first move, so I wondered if it meant something¡­¡¯ I nced at Zetto next to me. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He mumbles to himself, stopping every now and then. He hadn¡¯t said anything else to me since we entered the forest and exchanged a few simple words. ¡®¡­Why?¡¯ There¡¯s no one else around, just the two of us, and it¡¯s so quiet in this forest that the only sound I can hear is a bird chirping in the distance, and yet¡­ ¡­he didn¡¯t speak to me. ¡®Zetto really isn¡¯t interested in me¡­? No, that can¡¯t be¡­¡¯ In the end, I came to the conclusion that he probably had a reason. I had felt the distance from him when I came back from dealing with Varsum. Nothing happened¡­He doesn¡¯t like me. Now I had touched a wall that I hadn¡¯t touched before, a wall that was about to crumble. But I didn¡¯t give up. It was a ¡®rebuilding¡¯ in that sense. ¡®What¡¯s the best way¡­¡¯ I read the book and there were 101 ways to capture Zetto. I nced at Zetto and saw the white bandages around his eyes. The ¡°visual methods¡±-sometimes to stare at a man without saying a word, sometimes to sweep my hair behind my ear, sometimes to tie my hair in front of him-didn¡¯t work for him. It was then. ¡°¡­I found it.¡± Zetto eximed briefly, then grabbed my hand to follow and started running. He had found the muster. I felt a little disappointed that he was so focused on the muster without me, but Zetto was so eager and I couldn¡¯t help it. Somehow, I was content to hold hands with him. The sound of a clear bell came from the treetops. I looked up to see the muster sprinting up a branch that was quite high up. ¡°I¡¯ll catch him.¡± I said to Zetto and flew into the air. ¡®Fake idental physical contact.¡¯ I remembered a trick I¡¯d seen in a book. ¡°¡­Uh!¡± Sparks flew, and I flew through the air, falling downward with my best ¡®acting¡¯ skills, narrowly missing the muster. When I was already in the air, I had calcted the direction Zetto was in and where he wasing from. And my calctions were perfect. Zetto looked at me and was about to catch me. He didn¡¯t have to, but his body always made the first move. Soon, my body was falling towards him but thending was all that mattered. I couldn¡¯t let him catch me safely. Before I know it, Zetto¡¯s body is tangled up with mine. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I let out a spontaneous groan and pushed myself up. ¡®The stronger the contact, the more embarrassing it is, if not idental, the more effective this method is. This will be an excellent stimulus for the man.¡¯ It was perfect. A literally embarrassing position. ¡­I sessfully climbed onto Zetto¡¯s body. Zetto pulled himself to his feet. ¡°¡­Ms. Aizel, are you okay?¡± Clearly, it was Zetto who should be embarrassed, not me¡­ ¡°This¡­I mean¡­¡± ¡­I was the one who became terribly embarrassed, and I was overwhelmed by it. My hips were in full contact with his and the stimtion was too great. I need to get up, but my legs are weak and I can¡¯t stand. Heat also rises in my face. ¡°¡­¡± I bowed my head in silence. *** ¡°How am I supposed to find that little thing, muster or whatever, in this big forest¡­?¡± Yuri¡¯s irritation was unnecessarily directed at the muster. Soon, Lucia, who was in the same group as her, spoke up, smiling brightly. ¡°Why, it¡¯s a nice, sunny day, and the air is fresh¡­!¡± In her hand she held the bread Crank had given her. Lucia took it out and ate it, saying it was a nice day for bread, not caring about the muster. Meanwhile, Yuri was worried since Aizel took Zetto away before her eyes. ¡®I should have told him first¡­¡¯ Yuri wanted to join Zetto as much as possible but she hesitated, conscious of her father, Jeras,ments. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Yuri sighed in frustration. Ugh! Ugh¡­!¡± Lucia, who was eating her bread, suddenly pointed to the far side of the forest. Lucia¡¯s eyes narrowed, and Yuri, wondering what was going on, quickly approached her. She looked in the direction Lucia was pointing. ¡°What, what, are they¡­? What are they doing¡­?¡± Yuri stuttered, unable to hide her embarrassment at the sight. She could see Zetto and Aizel in the distance, but their posture was troubling. Aizel was perched on top of Zetto¡¯s body in an ufortable position. They weren¡¯t moving much and whatever conversation they were having was too far away to hear. Soon, Lucia¡¯s mouth was open, unable to bite into the bread, and she cautiously opened it. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s a grown-up thing¡­ it¡¯s a grown-up thing¡­! Yu, Yuri¡­ Should we cover our eyes¡­?!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lucia turned her head to look at Yuri, wondering why she didn¡¯t have an answer but Yuri was stunned, looking at her in disbelief. Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Aizel sits still for a long moment, face down, before finally pulling herself up. Zetto follows, picking himself up off the floor and shaking off his coat. ¡°That was dangerous.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aizel still couldn¡¯t look up. Meanwhile, Sierra was clinging to Zetto¡¯s shoulder, ring at Aizel. ¡®A thoroughly calcted move¡­ Not normal.¡¯ Even if she could fool Zetto, she couldn¡¯t fool herself, Sierra thought. Zetto wasn¡¯t exactly fooled either. ¡®Why didn¡¯t she catch him?¡¯ He had a small suspicion as to why Aizel hadn¡¯t caught the muster. ¡°I realized at thest minute that I shouldn¡¯t kill him¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s understandable, so why don¡¯t we change things up?¡± Zetto says, and they move on. Meanwhile, Yuri and Lucia, who were secretly watching them from the other side of the forest¡­ ¡°Yu, Yu, Yuri-san, there¡¯s a fire! There¡¯s a fire! The forest will burn down if we keep this up!¡± Lucia¡¯s voice was urgent, and she was iling her arms around wildly. Embers crackled and popped around Yuri, who was staring nkly at Zetto and Aizel. It was something subconscious. Magic is not naturally susceptible to emotions, but Yuri was born with a talent for fire magic and grew up eating fire-rted elixirs such as Smander¡¯s Tail, so her aptitude for it was high. As a result, Yuri¡¯s fire magic was highly influenced by her emotions. Anger, in particr, made good firewood. That¡¯s right. Yuri was very angry right now. It was an emotion she hadn¡¯t felt in quite some time. The ¡®anger¡¯ that she¡¯d naturally forgotten when she¡¯d met Zetto and spent time with him earlier was burning brightly inside her. She had to hold it in. She couldn¡¯t lose her temper in front of him. There was no reason for it in the first ce. It had to be a coincidence. He was just a man who could be called her best friend. Last night, she got tangled up with Aizel who was reading a book called ¡®101 Ways to Capture a Man¡¯ or something¡­ ¡®¡­Is it a coincidence?¡¯ Yuri suddenly remembered something her father, Jeras, had told her. ¡®Love is a hard thing toe by when you¡¯re not in the right ce at the right time.¡¯ At the time, Yuri didn¡¯t know why Jeras had said that when he was asking about Aizel. ¡®You wouldn¡¯t mind if Aizel-chan and Zetto-kun were whispering their love in front of you, would you?¡¯ But now it seemed to make sense. For some reason, she felt a surge of anger. When she realized that Zetto and Aizel were on their feet, Yuri took a deep breath. ¡°¡­Whoa.¡± As if to extinguish her anger, ash-colored smoke escapes her mouth. Yuri was confused. Does she really like Zetto? Was it selfish possessiveness on her part? She was confused because she could feel that this love was very different from the fairy tale love she had seen since she was a child, that it was very twisted. So it was really confusing. *** ¡°Peep!¡± The mustard, perched on top of Zetto¡¯s head, let out a cute little cry of excitement. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you caught him so easily¡­¡± Aizel said, looking up at the muster. There was a faint hint of disappointment in her voice. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard that musters like honey a lot.¡± Zetto said as he fed the muster above his head a piece of honeb that was dripping with honey. It was something he¡¯d learned while ying the game as a monster tamer. With a few twists and turns, Aizel and Zetto sessfully captured the muster and as an added bonus, Zetto learned how to control the ki waves. Gathering ki and sending out a wave would spread it farther, but there would be a dy in the informationing back, and it wouldn¡¯t be as detailed. On the other hand, if he spread the waves narrowly, he could get more information. The maximum range of the wave was quite wide. Zetto assumed that if he invested skill points, he would be able to get a wider range and more detailed information. Next, Zetto¡¯s vision focused on Aizel, who was staring at the muster with an intense gaze and offered her the honeb in his hand. ¡°Would you like to try it, Miss Aizel?¡± Seeing that the honeb was in her hands, the muster quickly leapt from Zetto¡¯s head into Aizel¡¯s arms. Aizel kept her mouth slightly open as she focused on muster, who was adorable. She had a weakness for cute things and her hand trembled slightly as she held out a piece of honeb. Soon enough, the muster lets out a cry and takes the honeb. Zetto smiles at the cuteness of both the excited muster and the cautious Aizel. As they walk back to Edward with the muster, Aizel grabs Zetto¡¯s arm. ¡°ss ended early¡­Would you like to join me for lunch?¡± Aizel asks him, tilting her head slightly. The muster, who was riding on top of her head, was tilting his head as well. Zetto thought for a moment. ¡®I was thinking of going to learn some skills¡­¡¯ There was plenty of time for a meal. ¡®Would she like to try the Herald¡¯s curry?¡¯ He still hadn¡¯t gotten used to the spicy vors of the Herald¡¯s food, but¡­He hadn¡¯t spent much time with Aizeltely. At that moment, he was about to answer her but as he opened his mouth to speak, Zetto suddenly jerked his head to the back. His senses told him that someone was approaching them at high speed. Aizel followed suit and turned her head and it wasn¡¯t long before she sensed them too. One of them, a bluish-haired girl, gasps for breath and opens her mouth. ¡°Hey¡­ Yu, Yuri¡­ Slow down¡­ Please¡­¡± It was Yuri and Lucia. ¡°Hmph¡­ Uh¡­Zetto, Aizel!¡± Lucia¡¯s eyes widened as she spotted Zetto and Aizel. She smiled and waved as if she hadn¡¯t had a hard time. Unlike Lucia, Yuri next to her had a nonchnt expression on her face. ¡®Finally.¡¯ Lucia was happy to see Zetto and Aizel, but Yuri¡¯s approach was intentional. ¡°¡­What a coincidence, running into each other in a ce like this. We were just on our way back.¡± As Yuri said this, she held a muster in her hand. After realizing that Zetto and Aizel had caught a muster, Yuri desperately grabbed one too and ran after them. ¡°Piii¡­¡± The muster let out a mncholy cry as Yuri grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. ¡°Kyaak!¡± In response, the muster on top of Aizel¡¯s head snarled, as if sensing its kin¡¯s plight. ¡°¡­I see. What a coincidence.¡± Aizel, who had grown impatient in response, said. ¡®Why interrupt?¡¯ Aizel barely resisted clicking her tongue but Yuri ignored Aizel¡¯s response and went straight to Zetto. She threw her arms around Zetto¡¯s neck. This time, she wasn¡¯t going to let go. Yuri¡¯s mind had gotten the better of her, and she found herself pressing her chest into Zetto¡¯s arms. ¡°Hey, Zetto,e eat with me after ss.¡± When Yuri asked Zetto, she wasn¡¯t really looking at Zetto, but at Aizel, who was sitting next to her. Soon after, Aizel wrapped her arms around Zetto¡¯s remaining arm. ¡°Um¡­Zetto was supposed to eat with me.¡± Aizel red at Yuri. ¡®Get out of my way.¡¯ Aizel was saying that. ¡°That was when you were alone¡­Now that I¡¯m here¡­Maybe you should ask Zetto again.¡± Realizing this, Yuri turned to Zetto and asked. ¡°¡­¡± Zetto was speechless. [Why are these bitches doing this as a group¡­? Forget it, disciple, you ate the elixir yesterday, so I¡¯ll cook for you today.] In the midst of all the chaos, Zetto heard the voice in the distance muttering, ¡±I¡­ I¡¯m hungry too¡­¡­¡± It was Lucia¡¯s creeping voice. ¡°Haha¡­ then why don¡¯t the ¡®four of us¡¯ eat together¡­?¡± Zetto smiled as brightly as he could at them. It was the best option for him. ¡°Okay¡­!¡± Lucia¡¯s face suddenly brightened. *** A woman in an immacte white dress stepped into a room that reeked of acrid odors. Waiting for her was Ecline, the deputy leader of the Silver Winged Knights. ¡°¡­Saint.¡± Bernice gives her a faint smile. ¡°Ecline, I hope I¡¯m notte?¡± ¡°As youmanded, I left them breathing.¡± As she says this, Ecline¡¯s silver armor is spattered with the ck blood of a demon. ¡°¡­You had a hard time.¡± At Bernice¡¯s words, Ecline bows her head. The Order received information that there was a warlock who would curse certain people for a price, and when they investigated, they found that it was a demon. Demons who cast curses were not verymon. Most of them specialized in closebat, either through magic or physical enhancement. Bernice had ordered the demon to be kept alive for a while so she could personally question him. Following Ecline¡¯s lead, Bernice entered the room. ¡°Hmph¡­ Hmph¡­ Kuluk¡­!¡± A demon with both of its arms severed on one of the walls was gasping for air as a nasty ck liquid spewing from its mouth. ¡°¡­I¡¯d like to speak with him alone for a moment.¡± Bernice said as she turned to look at the demon. At Bernice¡¯s words, Ecline and the others immediately leave the room. Bernice approaches the demon and bends down to meet him eye-to-eye. The demon knows very well who the pure white woman before him is, and what a ¡°Saint¡± means to him. Then, as it stares into Bernice¡¯s burning left pupil, an overwhelming sense of dread washes over it. As the shes of light flickered through the demon¡¯s mind, she tilted her head and asked him a question. ¡°I heard you deal with curses.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The demon barely nodded. He didn¡¯t want to answer, but the holy power that was slowly emanating from her was coloring his skin with a pain that threatened to burn. ¡°Then¡­ Do you know about a curse inscribed on the heart?¡± ¡°¡­¡± When the demon once again failed to answer, Bernice increased the intensity of her holy power. Demons were easier to interrogate when they were still in their human form. The demon screamed in pain. ¡°Answer.¡± The demon¡¯s body trembles violently, and its mouth finally opens. A few moments pass and Bernice walks out of the room. ¡°¡­Will you retrieve the horns?¡± At the sound of her calm voice, a young knight, new to the Order, enters the room. The demon was burned beyond recognition and the knight held his nose against the foul odor as he retrieved the horns. Ecline, leaning against the wall, turns to Bernice, who walks out with a nonchnt expression. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well¡­at least I got something.¡± Bernice says with a beaming smile. She got the answer she wanted but it didn¡¯t solve the question. Outside, Bernice taps her lips and ponders. ¡®He said that there is only one curse that can be carved into the heart¡­I wonder if that¡¯s true?¡¯ Chapter 95: The Deepening Darkness (1) Chapter 95: The Deepening Darkness (1) The meal with Lucia, Aizel, and Yuri was rather enjoyable¡­.At least Lucia and I enjoyed it. Aizel and Yuri were too busy ring at each other to realize they were even eating. I wondered if they hadn¡¯t gotten along since the duel at the Colosseum. Yuri was the morepetitive one. I patted my stomach like Lucia, who had grown a couple pounds, and returned to the dormitory for a while after finishing my meal. Today, I was getting ready to leave the Academy early because I had to go a little farther away. I had to get a new skill. Ever since I got the Hidden Pieces from the Labyrinth, I¡¯ve been thinking a lot about what skills I should learn. I had a limited amount of time and skill points, so I had to be selective and focused. The first thing that came to mind were skills rted to critical hits. Since the chance of a critical hit is already overwhelming, I thought about skills that increase the yer¡¯s luck. ¡®I couldn¡¯t cut the golem down after all.¡¯ There are some enemies that physical damage doesn¡¯t work well against, like the golem I faced in the Labyrinth. The Ne of Hero¡¯s Favor allowed me to convert physical damage into light attribute attacks, but there were limitations. I could only do it once per day, and there was a time limit. I also considered the ¡®Berserk¡¯ skill, a passive skill where your physical abilities increase by leaps and bounds when your health drops below a certain level. But what do I need to do to lower my health? I need to bleed. In order to use Berserk intentionally, I would have to let enemies attack me and get hurt. In the game, this was not the case, but in the real world, it¡¯s a very risky skill. It would also be painful. However, I had two health-consuming Reverse Heaven techniques. As a high-performance skill, it was limited and I couldpensate for this by maxing out my health with elixirs, but once I¡¯m in battle, I can¡¯t avoid the battle of attrition. Berserk is the only way to ensure that I¡¯ll be able tost longer. Even if I maximize the time limit of two techniques and still fail to defeat an enemy, I will naturally trigger Berserk because my health is depleted. But¡­ ¡®¡­It¡¯s not like I can cope with all kinds of situations.¡¯ My eyes were drawn to the Hidden Piece I had obtained in the Labyrinth before the public ss. This time, I got two items: the Spirit King¡¯s Whistle and the Red Dragon¡¯s Orb. I kept them both in my subspace pocket. The orb is a mage-only item, meaning it¡¯s magic-rted, so it¡¯s not something I could use. I don¡¯t know how to use magic, and it would be difficult for me to learn with my blindfold on. This was a gift for Yuriter. Although Aizel was also a wizard this was more suited to Yuri than her. It was not a gift to be given away lightly, so it would be a matter of how it was presented¡­ In any case, it¡¯s better to give it to Yuri before she¡¯s in danger. Next up is the Spirit King¡¯s Whistle, a one-time item that¡¯s more of a ¡°shot¡±. When you blow it in an emergency, it immediately summons the most powerful of the spirits, the Higher Spirits, to help you in battle and disappear as soon as the battle is over. I came up with a clever ¡°trick¡± for the whistle. It was a brilliant idea that would add a great deal of power to my arsenal while still being useful. It was something that would only be possible in the real world, not in the game. To do this, I needed to learn the art of Spirit Sealing. While Elementalism is usually about summoning spirits and making legitimate contracts, Spirit Sealing is a skill that is more about human ingenuity. It uses a seal to forcibly borrow the power of a spirit. You don¡¯t need to have an affinity for spirits or any knowledge of necromancy to use this skill. You don¡¯t even need to interact with the spirits or have a conversation with them. Such powerse with a price, and the same goes for Spirit Sealing. You had to know the ¡°true name¡± of the spirit you wanted to seal. The true name of a spirit was not something that could be easily figured out like the true name of a dragon. Of course, I had yed as an elementalist a few times, so I knew the true names of the higher level spirits. The Spirit King¡¯s whistle brings forth spirits with attributes tailored to the person who blows it. I knew the four elements, and I knew the names of the higher spirits for the other elements. The only ones I didn¡¯t know were the light spirits associated with heroes and the dark spirits associated with demons. I¡¯m neither a hero nor a demon, so at least they¡¯re not going to show up. I don¡¯t really care what kind of attributes I end up with since I was confident that I could make good use of them somehow. It¡¯s a one-sided deal, and the spirits won¡¯t be happy about it, but they don¡¯t have real names for nothing. It¡¯s a ¡°trick,¡± but I figured it was a much better way for me, the possessed, to use the one-time item, the Spirit King¡¯s Whistle. It didn¡¯t cost any skill points, and the process didn¡¯t seem too difficult, which I thought was a plus. Now, the only question was who would teach me how to do this rather nefarious and, from a spirit point of view, harmful skill called Spirit Sealing. Sealing was supposed to be a rare skill. The man who taught me this was a man who wasn¡¯t even considered an elementalist among elementalists, and was treated like a freak or a fraud. ¡®I don¡¯t know what to say¡­I guess he was just a geek.¡¯ Just as I¡¯m about to grab my backpack and leave the room, Sierra asks. [Where do you think you¡¯re going today?] She¡¯s long since gotten used to me leaving the Academy and doing my own thing, so she doesn¡¯t ask me what I¡¯m doing today. I smiled at her and replied. ¡°The gambling house.¡± *** ¡°He got it again!!!¡± In a small gambling hall in the basement of a city, the room was abuzz with excitement as a blind man appeared out of nowhere. The blind man was ying yabawi, a game of guessing which of three bowls contains marbles. The blind man, who had a bandage over his eyes, could not see the bowl with the marble in it, but he could hear the sound of the marble hitting the bowl and guess the bowl with the marble in it. When the blind man walked into the gambling hall, sat down in front of him, and pulled out a pouch full of money, the croupier thought he was going to have a good time today. It didn¡¯t matter to him how the blind man guessed the bowl of marbles but now, a cold sweat had broken out on his forehead. This was the thirteenth time and out of the thirteen yabawis, the blind man had never been wrong. It was unbelievable, even with the speed with which he could fool a sighted man with his eyes open. ¡®Fuck¡­ What am I going to tell the boss¡­?¡¯ The giant fist of the man who owned the gambling house and was the head of the organization loomedrge in front of the yabawi croupier eyes. The windbag, a member of the same organization, kept trying to add wind, but the blind man paid no attention to the windbag and kept hitting the bowl of marbles without any wavering. About the time the coin in front of him changed color to gold the organization that ran the gambling house also made a move. Losing money is losing money, and the ¡°hogus,¡± or customers who had to put their money down, were all huddled around the blind man, not even gambling, but watching this strange spectacle. It was a headache for the gambling establishment. -Bam! Someone pped the back of the head of the croupier sitting in front of the blind man. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Tears welled up in his eyes from the sudden pain and he looked back. The person who pped him on the back of the head was a balding, huge man who was the vice captain of the organization. He was also a croupier but unlike his nimble hands, he had more nefarious tricks up his sleeve. ¡°Get out of the way, the boss wants to see you.¡± At the sound of the gruff voice, the croupier scrambled out of the way, his mind racing and the vice captain sat down, and turned to the blind man. ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I take over, do you? Your ears are in good shape, unlike your eyes¡­ A fighter¡¯s gotta fight a fighter.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind¡­¡± The smiling blind man trailed off as he replied nonchntly. He then thrust the money bag in front of him and all of his winnings forward. ¡°Oh, all in¡­!¡± ¡°Yikes!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got one, I¡¯ve got one!¡± As the blind man bet all his money, the onlookers gathered around him in awe. ¡°Huh¡­¡± The vice captain muttered in disbelief, then quickly hid the marbles in one of the bowls. ¡®Stupid asshole. Going all in against me without a care in the world?¡¯ The bowls are quickly shuffled by his hand and the onlookers gasp at his skill. ¡°Oh, I missed it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about this one either¡­?¡± ¡°Right, right.¡± At the same time, the windbag was diligently doing his job. Finally, the vice captain¡¯s hand stops. ¡°Now, choose.¡± His confident voice continues, and the silence fills the room with the tension of the onlookers. Will the blind man guess right this time? ¡°Hmph¡­¡± The blind man drools and clenches his jaw. He had just guessed the bowl with the marbles, but now he was having trouble. This was not a good sign. One of the bystanders clicked his tongue, saying, ¡°There he goes, there he goes.¡± The corner of his mouth twitched upward. ¡°Pick one!¡± The blind man finally spoke, encouraged by the windbag. ¡°¡­No. All three bowls¡­There are no marbles in them.¡± The blind man¡¯sst words stun the gambling house. ¡°None? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Are you saying he cheated? I thought he was being weird ever since he switched croupiers.¡± ¡°Bullshit. Are you afraid you¡¯re going to miss?¡± But the vice captain, who had been watching, was still smiling. ¡°Hey, now that you mention it. Can you take responsibility¡­¡± That¡¯s when the vice captain, taunting the blind man, reached around the bowl with an almost natural movement. ¡°¡­¡± Suddenly, the blind man stretched out his arm and blocked the vice captain¡¯s hand and in the next moment, the blind man overturns the three bowls with his remaining arm. ¡°¡­Nothing!¡± ¡°Nothing?¡± ¡°What!¡± The marbles were nowhere to be found and the onlookers were stunned. ¡°The marbles are¡­Here.¡± The blind man said and patted the hand of the vice captain he had blocked. Instantly, the bead fell from his palm. ¨C Ping! With a clear sound, the iron ball fell to the ground and the heads of the onlookers naturally followed the marble as it rolled on the ground. Then, the vice captain shouted in frustration. ¡°Shut the fucking door!¡± A gang member near the door ms it shut. It was a very bad thing for a gambling establishment to be caught cheating. At least there shouldn¡¯t be any witnesses. ¡°What!¡± ¡°What are you doing!¡± ¡°Are you guys crazy?!¡± A few bystanders, unaware of their predicament, shouted but around them, the gang members rushed forward. The vice captain, scratching his bald head, speaks up. ¡°It¡¯s better to lose a few hoodlums than to lose the chief. Too bad we don¡¯t have any women¡­ Well, don¡¯t kill the ones that look healthy. We need to sell them for ck magic ingredients.¡± As he spoke, the gang members drew their weapons from their holsters and the bystanders, finally realizing what was happening, scrambled to their feet. Their upations were varied, but none of them carried weapons since the gamblers had to leave their weapons near the door to gain ess. And by the time they got there, the gang members had drawn their weapons and were approaching. ¡°Wizards? Wizards?!¡± A bystander, desperate to get out of the situation, grabbed a random mace in front of him and shouted. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? I don¡¯t want to die with you!¡± With that, he breaks away from the crowd of onlookers and stands next to the vice captain. He was one of the gang members. ¡°Fuck¡­ I can¡¯t believe they¡¯ve got a fucking smoker¡­¡± A stunned bystander curses, but it doesn¡¯t change the situation. The vice captain chuckles at the insults of the lowly bystander. Only one of them, however, remains rxed. The blind man, who was the cause of the whole situation, sat in his seat with a smile on his face, unperturbed by the tense situation in front of him. The windbag standing next to him whispers to the vice captain. ¡°But brother, why is heughing¡­?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not.¡± He doesn¡¯t realize that his life is in danger because he can¡¯t see anything, that¡¯s what the vice captain thinks. ¡°What the hell!¡± Suddenly, a member of the organization standing guard at the door asked. Soon after, something came from the doorway and rushed at the blind man at high speed but the blind man caught it with precision. It was his sword. Everyone in the gambling house was skeptical since it looked like the sword had levitated out of thin air and flung itself at the blind man. They couldn¡¯t see it, but there was an imperceptibly thin thread attached to his sword and the entire gambling hall was tinged with bewilderment as the unbelievable happened. The smiling blind man stood up from his seat and drew his sword. *** ¡®One minute it¡¯s loud, the next it¡¯s quiet.¡¯ The old man in the dungeon below the gambling house ran a hand through his beard. He was caught for using spirits to defraud gambling houses. ¡°Hmm?¡± Suddenly, he sensed a movement as someone wasing down the stairs. He tilted his head to look in the direction of the stairs. Then a man came all the way down the stairs. It wasn¡¯t the gang member he was used to seeing, the one who fed him filthy, tasteless scraps of food. ¡®Blind?¡¯ The man¡¯s eyes were wrapped in pure white bandages. ¡°¡­Who are you?¡± He could smell the scent of blood wafting from the blind man who turned his head in his direction and started speaking. ¡°This voice¡­does it belong to you, Mr. Magredo, the famous Elementalist?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, for now.¡± Magredo replies in a shaky voice. ¡®Famous enough for me to recognize me by my voice?¡¯ ¡­Famous in a bad way. It had been a long time since anyone had called him an elementalist. The blind man before Magredo smiles broadly. ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re still alive.¡± ¡°Well, they say there¡¯s no use for an old man¡¯s body but I figured there¡¯d be a use for me since I¡¯m an elementalist, so I want to live.¡± Magredo had no idea who the blind man in front of him was, but he epted without hesitation. True to his word, the others in the cell disappeared one by one. Most of them were innocent people who had been defrauded by the organization and were in debt. ¡­It might not be fair to say that they were innocent at the point of gambling. Listening to their conversations, it sounded like the women were being used as puppets and sold to brothels, and the men were being sold to warlocks and blood mages. ¡®If it weren¡¯t for the Imperial Casino, I wouldn¡¯t have had toe to such a dangerous ce¡­¡¯ Thus, Magredo was looking for a chance to escape his prison. For some reason, he was currently unable to deal with spirits above intermediate level. He was, as they say, ¡®weak¡¯. Then the blind man came. From themotion in the gambling hall and the thick scent of blood wafting from him Magredo knew he was a man full of unknowns but at least by the look of his kind smile¡­he was not an enemy. Chapter 96: The Deepening Darkness (2) Chapter 96: The Deepening Darkness (2) ¡°Huh¡­¡± Magredo, who had followed me, sighed at the carnage in the gambling hall. The gambling hall was neatly organized but I knew what kind of organization they were from the game. Criminal organizations like this were quitemon. They allowed warlocks and blood mages to grow in power in safety. It was a vicious cycle. The bystanders paid a modest sum of money and were escorted from the gambling hall. They were easy to control with my Order badge. I told them to stay away from gambling, but I¡¯m not sure they listened. Any money that was left in the gambling hall or in the vault was put into my subspace pocket. Calling the Order to return it would be a good idea, but I had no way of contacting them yet. It¡¯s not often that I can get this much money out of them. ¡°¡­But have you had any run-ins with me?¡± Magredo asked as he nced at the bodies of the gang members. Sierra looked curious as well but I had an answer for that. There was a big one he¡¯d pulled off years ago. ¡°Ah, that was once in the Empire¡­¡± ¡°¡­You mean the casino. I don¡¯t remember it well.¡± ¡°Haha, it was a big deal.¡± I agreed. ¡®How could anyone think of scamming a casino of that magnitude¡­?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t figure it out. I walked out of Magredo and the gambling hall and judging by the moon in the sky, it was now dawn. Magredo breathes in the chill of dawn as he exits the gambling house. He looked like a man who had just made a dramatic escape from prison. ¡®Dramatic in its own way.¡¯ Magredo¡¯s mouth opens as he looks up at the sky. ¡°Yes, it is. You said you wanted to learn the art of sealing, but is there any need for you to learn it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that there is no end to learning.¡± ¡°Phew, you¡¯re greedy, but I don¡¯t mind. I have a house nearby, so why don¡¯t we talk some more there?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I replied, shing him a bright smile. Well, it was going the way I was used to seeing in the game. If I wanted Magredo to teach me Elemental Sealing, I¡¯d have to rescue him from prison. It wasn¡¯t a difficult process since the criminal organization in the gambling hall wasn¡¯t very high level. Magredo had been captured because he was too weak to take them all on. He had been robbed of his spirits by a higher ranking necromancer, and he had a long list ofplications and enemies. I traveled with Magredo to his home. He didn¡¯t seem surprised that I followed him, even though I had a blindfold on. I guess he assumed I must have some kind of special power, since I was able to take down a gambling ring in one fell swoop. That¡¯s how I learned the art of spirit sealing from Magredo. ¡­As it turned out, Magredo was a good teacher, even though he wasn¡¯t much of an elementalist. Fresh out of prison, he eagerly taught me the art of elemental sealing, steeped in his own theories. We started with the basic theory of spirits and moved on to a discussion of why spirit sealing is worthwhile. Elemental Sealing, unlike normal elemental arts, is not dependent on elemental affinity. Magredo examined my body and gave me an untteringpliment about my poor Elemental Affinity, saying that it was a good body to learn Elemental Sealing. He also told me that myck of sight wouldn¡¯t be a problem as long as I could sense the aura of the summoned spirits. Unlike spirit sealing, which involves using spirits as minions, spirit sealing involves sealing a part of the spirit into your body so that you can harness its power directly. The benefits of this are indescribable. Essentially, the higher your affinity with the spirits, the better you could manipte them. Inyman¡¯s terms, a high affinity means that spirits are more likely to listen to you. The question is how to increase this affinity. But there was no way to intentionally increase your affinity since elemental affinity was an innate ability. ¡®Actually, it¡¯s not that there¡¯s no way, but¡­¡¯ In general, anyway. Magredo had low Elemental Affinity, as evidenced by the fact that he was practicing the bizarre elemental art of Elemental Sealing. This frustration led him to seek out a long-lost elemental art, Elemental Sealing. By reciting the ¡°true name¡± of a summoned spirit, he forcibly seals the spirit¡¯s power into his body. This allows you to harness the full power of the spirit, regardless of affinity. The process itself was fairly easy and straightforward. That¡¯s why I was able to master the skill so quickly. However, the need to recite the true name was a big problem. How could a mere mortal, who was only a few years oldpared to the spirits, possibly learn their true names? Magredo could only scour the ancient texts on spirits. No wonder he had so many old and worn books in his house. But even after a lifetime of study, Magredo had only learned the true names of a few mid-level spirits and a few low-level spirits. If only he could find out their true names he would be able to wield, in Magredo¡¯s words, ¡°immense power out of all proportion.¡± Sealing a being with the alien aura of a spirit into a human body was tricky enough so there were downsides too. A spirit that was meant to live in the Elemental Realm would need to drain the mana of the elementalist to maintain its form in the human realm, but sealing a spirit doesn¡¯t drain mana, it drains the body, or life force but not lifespan. In the first ce, Magredo was an old man who was supposed to be living a long life in this dangerous world. It was just that his health was being eroded, and he needed to take potions to stay alive. As soon as he got home, Magredo downed three bottles of cheap health potions. I knew this from the game but since I had the bracelet, it didn¡¯t matter. The only question is when I¡¯m going to give it back to Raina. After teaching me a few more things about sealing, Magredo told me he had virtually nothing more to teach me. He has no intention of teaching me the true names of the spirits he has spent a lifetime discovering. When I asked if he knew how to summon spirits, he said he knew how to summon them. Of course, I don¡¯t know how to summon spirits, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get any good spirits through summoning since my affinity is terrible¡­ I didn¡¯t need to learn summoning because I had a whistle. It was enough since all of this was just a matter of adding a skill to the status window. Listening to Magredo¡¯s chatter, who hadn¡¯t had someone to talk to in a long time, I wasn¡¯t able to leave his house until after the moon had set. Once out of Magredo¡¯s house, I made my way to the carriage. As I expected, I didn¡¯t need much time to get there. *** I stepped out of the carriage and wandered through a deserted forest. In the distance, I could see the fence that marked the Academy¡¯s grounds. [Hmmm¡­] Sierra, who was floating in the air, was silently following beside me. ¡°Is something bothering you?¡± I turned to her and asked. [¡­The elemental you said you were going to seal, will he recognize my presence?] ¡­Sierra was confused when I told her I wanted to learn how to seal a spirit, asking what kind of spirit it was. More precisely, she said, ¡°Why would I need the power of a spirit when I have my own sword skills?¡± But when she heard Magredo¡¯s exnation of spirit sealing, she nodded in admiration. She liked the idea of being able to manipte spirits instead of being bound to them. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it would be able tomunicate with master. You said you could see the spirits around Magredo, right?¡± I scratched my head as I answered Sierra¡¯s question but I wasn¡¯t exactly sure either. ¡®Is it possible to interact with them because they are the same spirit, or is it impossible because of the nature of their energy¡­¡¯ ording to Magredo¡¯s exnation, sealing a spirit does notpletely eliminate its existence. It just changes them from a human form to a beastly form that you can¡¯tmunicate with. [Yeah, I guess it¡¯s because they¡¯re lesser spirits. They¡¯re small, and they don¡¯t seem to recognize me.] Magredo¡¯s spirits didn¡¯t recognize Sierra. I wondered if the spirits I had sealed in my body might be able to interact with Sierra, who had been ¡®attributed¡¯ to me. Soon, as I strolled through the forest, I realized that this would be a good time to stop. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll just have to find out now.¡± I whispered to Sierra, reaching into my subspace pocket and pulling out a whistle. [Hmmm¡­? Why the whistle all of a sudden¡­?] Sierra questions my behavior. I had already exined to her that this was the Spirit King¡¯s whistle. Considering my behavior and the hidden pieces Sierra often asked me if I am a ¡®prophet¡¯. ¡­I would neither confirm nor deny anything. I¡¯ve been mysterious since I first met her, and my mystique hasn¡¯t waned. I¡¯d have to be very close to her to even think about telling her about reincarnation or regression. Anyway, when I told Magredo that I knew how to summon spirits, she didn¡¯t seem to expect me to use the whistle. I put my mouth to the whistle but I don¡¯t know what spirits wille out. ¡®Attributes that rte to me¡­?¡¯ Honestly, I hoped it wasn¡¯t the Four Elements since it would ovep with the four elemental families. Even if it was the Four Elements, at the very least, it would be good to have Lucia¡¯s Wind attribute, which would help me in battle. Immediately, I blew the whistle loudly. All that came out of the whistle was the sound of a weak wind but it wasn¡¯t a mistake. I had blown the right whistle and the sound of the whistle would have resonated loudly in the spirit world, not here. Sierra tilts her head in response. [¡­There are no enemies, and there is no danger, so what are you doing all of a sudden?] I exined to Sierra, waiting for the spirit to appear. ¡°There are spirits I know by name.¡± Sierra finally realized what I was trying to say. [Surely¡­¡­you don¡¯t mean higher spirits will show up?] ¡°Right.¡± As I was talking to Sierra, the forest began to shake. The sun was rising, but in an instant, the surroundings were filled with fog, obscuring the light. Soon, a shapeless mass of ck energy began to coalesce in front of us. ¡®ck¡­?¡¯ Something was going on here and I could feel a chill in the air. Soon, the ck energy took shape. It was a human form. In an instant, the spirit was fully formed. As soon as my eyes caught sight of the dark armor that appeared out of thin air, I knew. The spirit, it turned out, was d in a magnificent full-body suit of inky ck armor and his red eyes red at me. Soon¡­I hear a scratchy voice. ¡°Shade of Shadows, I answer the call of the King¡¯s whistle¡­¡± This was a dark elemental, no questions asked. The Shade speaks, then questions. ¡°¡­I see now that you are human. A human calling to me¡­Strange. How strange.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I have no answer for him. As he said, the dark spirits are the spirits of demons. The fact that a dark spirit came out when I blew the whistle means that they sensed an aura simr to that of a demon. ¡­It¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t have a point. ¡®Tears of the dead, Spectral Sword¡­I never thought it would be applied like this¡­¡¯ I becamecent but most importantly, I didn¡¯t know the true name of the Dark Spirit so I couldn¡¯t use the Spirit Sealing Technique. ¡°By the way, where is the enemy? I thought I¡¯d see some blood after all these years, but there¡¯s nothing. Did you blow the whistle without knowing what it was?¡± Shade questioned again, looking around and beside me, Sierra tilted her head at my silence. I blew the whistle loudly once more. ¡°¡­¡± Shade is left speechless by my actions. It had no effect, of course, but it was a good way to deny reality. ¡°Hah¡­¡± I put the whistle down and sighed heavily. What happened next¡­was something I¡¯d gotten into the habit of doing recently. I sent out a wave of energy that soon reached Shade. Then, something truly bizarre happened. Usually, when a person touches the wave, their name or informationes into my head but this had never happened before. Shade¡¯s ¡®true name¡¯ as a spirit was transmitted through my mind. ¡®¡­What?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t figure out why right now but that wasn¡¯t important. ¡°Was he a fool who didn¡¯t realize the effectiveness of the whistle¡­? I¡¯ve wasted my time.¡± Shade was about to return to the Elemental Realm. ¡°Wait.¡± I halted Shade in his tracks and he turned his head to look at me. *** The fog had long since dissipated, and the sun was rising, illuminating the forest with its warmth. [¡­What shall I name him¡­? He must have a name, mustn¡¯t he?] Sierra pondered, looking at the pile of fur sitting on a rock. ¡°Kerrrrr¡­¡± The ck furball looked at Sierra and let out a cute purr. His red eyes were very charming. ¡°¡­Shady, how¡¯s Shady?¡± Chapter 97: The Deepening Darkness (3) Chapter 97: The Deepening Darkness (3) I discovered Shade¡¯s true name, and was able to seal it safely. It was a dark spirit, and I was reluctant to do so but it was better than blowing the Spirit King¡¯s whistle for nothing. The name was quite difficult to pronounce, but that didn¡¯t stop me from sealing it. The moment I sealed Shade, he muttered something that sounded like the spiritnguage, but judging by the intensity of his pronunciation¡­profanity. What followed was excruciating pain. To ¡®forcibly¡¯ seal a spirit into a body was not something to be taken lightly. Shade was now Sheddie, the ck furball. She recognized Sierra and couldmunicate with her. That¡¯s right. She could speak, though it was very simple words. Perhaps being a Higher Elemental had something to do with it. That¡¯s how Shade became Shady. The creature¡¯s eyes widened, and its mouth opened but the first words that came out were¡­ ¡°¡­Fuck.¡± From a spirit¡¯s point of view, the loss of free will in an unfair contract made in an instant is enough to make one swear. Magredo told them to be prepared to be hated by the spirits. Sheddie muttered a bewildered curse, and when Sierra saw it, she pped him on the head for his bad manners. She must have gotten about five ps before Sierra realized that she hadn¡¯t stopped cursing. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Shady went suddenly quiet. He could contact Sierra, and he could hear her voice. [Sheddie¡­Sheddie sounds like a girl¡¯s name, doesn¡¯t it?] ¡°Spirits don¡¯t have a gender in the first ce, so it should be fine, right?¡± [Yes, Sheddie. Do you like your name?] Sierra asked, looking at Sheddie, who was perched on top of my head. ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Sheddie red at Sierra once, before turning his short neck to ignore her. [Ha.] Snorting, Sierra shook her head. They might not get along right now, but they¡¯d grow on each other. Sheddie was cute overall. Her fluffy fur was cozy, and she had a small body and a big face. If there was a golden ratio for cuteness, she would fit right in. ¡°Eat.¡± Sheddie¡¯s voice came from above my head. His voice was high-pitched, like a child¡¯s, but it still had the gruffness that characterized him as Shade. ¡°Do spirits eat? Just as I wondered what to feed him I heard the unearthly sound of something sharp mming into the top of my head. Then Sierra turns to me with a dark expression. [Are you¡­alright¡­?] ¡°What?¡± [He¡­he sank his teeth into your head¡­are you okay¡­?] ¡°Ah.¡± That must have been the sound of Shady sinking his teeth into my head. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel any pain, but¡­ The next thing I know, she¡¯s making a clicking sound as if she¡¯s trying to draw blood but I still didn¡¯t feel any pain. [What is he eating¡­?!] Sierra frantically tried to pull it off my head. But her teeth sank deep, and Shady wouldn¡¯t budge. I stopped Sierra in her tracks and opened my mouth. ¡°It¡¯s probably taking life force, so I think we can leave it alone.¡± [I see¡­] ¡°Haha, it doesn¡¯t hurt, so it¡¯s okay.¡± I said and smiled to reassure Sierra but she still gave me a reluctant look. [I¡¯m d to hear it doesn¡¯t hurt¡­.but you should probably wipe the blood from the corner of your mouth.] ¡°Blood?¡± Immediately, Sierra reaches down and wipes the blood from the corner of my mouth. I¡¯m pretty sure my life force is being eaten away. In many ways, the symptoms were simr to those of Chapter 2, which drained my stamina. Sierra¡¯s soothing voice echoed in my head as I left Sheddie¡¯s ¡®meal¡¯ behind. [By the way¡­I didn¡¯t know that you even knew the true name of a dark spirit, you really do know a lot, my disciple¡­] ¡°¡­Yes.¡± I nervously replied, scratching my head but I couldn¡¯t figure out how I found out his true name. Shade was touched by the wave, but¡­ I didn¡¯t even remember seeing the Dark Elemental¡¯s true name in the game or in the yermunity. The only thing I could think of was the existence of the Blindfold That is Beyond Reason. There must be a reason why the blindfold wasbeled as such. But what I knew about the effectiveness of the blindfold was that it tended to go hand in hand with the phrase ¡®beyond reason¡¯. The effect itself was unreasonable¡­like ridiculous growth, or the destructive power of a critical hit. What if we took a broader view of ¡°reason¡±? The reason of the world or the reason of all things. The way of things, the root, the source, the essence, the truth. ¡®If the blindfold was able to see the spirit¡¯s ¡®true name¡¯ bybining it with the Ki¡­¡¯ So far, it was only a guess. But there was a simple way to see if this approach worked. There was a dragon in charge of a small vige and dragons, like spirits, have true names. Since his true name is not revealed in the game, I figured he¡¯d be a good test. I strolled through the tranquil forest, deep in thought as Sheddie had finished her meal quickly and was grumbling softly. I don¡¯t know exactly how much she ate, but it wasn¡¯t as much as Chapter 2 consumed. I don¡¯t think she¡¯d gnawed all the way to the top of her stamina. Sierra then asks. [So you have the power of spirits since the seal seems to have been sessful, judging by that furry thing.] ¡°Ah, the power of the spirits¡­¡± I said, stopping in my tracks. Now that I had the power of a higher spirit at my disposal, the amount of knowledge that flowed into my head was considerable. The headache I felt immediately after the seal was a result of this. I also had a skill in my status window called Shade of Shadows that was maxed out, and I had forgotten to test its power. Shade¡¯s powers were rted to shadows, hence his name. He had a variety of techniques, but I thought I¡¯d try one that seemed useful in most situations so I focused on my shadow on the floor. Soon, the shadow shimmered, and in an instant, it engulfed me as my vision was filled with an unending darkness. In an instant, I disappeared into the shadows. ¡®Shadow hide-and-seek.¡¯ That was the name of the skill that popped into my head, but I couldn¡¯t tell if it was Shade¡¯s or the status window. It was pitch ck inside, but since I had ¡°night vision,¡± I had to assume that the color of the room itself was ck. ¡°Keryung! Kerung!¡± As I stepped into the shadows, Sheddie jumped up and down in excitement. I couldn¡¯t figure out why he was excited since he was obviously angry. I could see Sierra next to me but since the Spectral Sword was in my waistband she could follow. Sierra looked around and opened her mouth. [Hmph, a technique for hiding one¡¯s body¡­Or should I say, another dimension¡­ Maybe it¡¯s more urate to say that it goes beyond simply hiding oneself.] She recognized the technique quickly. ¡°At least I can feel it.¡± I said, and slowly walked out of the space. The ripples of my senses reached outward and I was able to distinguish enough of the objects outside. I could slip out whenever I wanted, but there was a catch. I could only leave through the shadows. It was a tenuous constraint. How many ces don¡¯t have even the slightest shadow? A vague feeling in the back of my head told me that I would have more freedom in the dark. After a few more steps, I decided to step out of the shadows. Soon enough, my body rose from the ground where the tree¡¯s shadow had been. Sierra followed me out of the shadows. Once I waspletely out of the shadows, I looked at her and opened my mouth. ¡°Well, this is what it feels like.¡± ¡°Kerung!¡± Sheddie cries out in a boastful manner following my words. [¡­Sounds like it could be useful.] Sierra merely shrugged. There were many other techniques, ranging from direct attacks using shadows to defense and entrapment. As I looked through the skills, I suddenly remembered Kaen. ¡®Erase Shadow¡­ or was it¡­?¡¯ I realized that Kaen¡¯s dialog in the game made it sound like she had her own secret weapon, but she didn¡¯t actually have a skill like that. It was just a fancy name for something that could be used to hide. ¡­Anyway, there were a lot of cool skills that suited Kaen¡¯s tastes very well. The only problem was the darkness element. If someone saw me using Sheddie¡¯s power and assumed I was a demon, there was nothing to say. It wasn¡¯t something I could easily disy in front of others. ¡®I can show it to those who are about to die.¡¯ Especially since the shadow hide-and-seek I¡¯d just used was a great skill for avoiding prying eyes. It allowed me to move more stealthily. ¡®As for the aura¡­¡¯ ¡­I¡¯ve sealed the dark spirit in my body, so I can sense a faint aura. For now, Magredo says it¡¯d be best for my sanity to avoid encountering elementalists. In the story, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever encountered an elementalist with a high enough affinity to recognize a higher level elemental. ¡®At least a Hero?¡¯ Heroes have a very high affinity for spirits and I was recently working on a n for the Hero. Still¡­No, she could easily tell if I was a demon or not, so that was fine. It was clumsy, but the result was good. Maybe it¡¯s a good thing it¡¯s a dark spirit. At least our attributes don¡¯t ovep, right? ¡­or so I decided to think. This was for my mental health. It was a small price to pay for the ability to cope with various situations. With that, I gathered my thoughts and headed back to the Academy to resume my normal routine. *** I was looking forward to a nice meal with Zetto, but my ns were ruined. ¡®Because of that redhead.¡¯ I silently red at Yuri, who was sitting next to me. Usually, Zetto was the one who stood between us, but today, for some reason, he was runningte. Yuri rolled her eyes and red back at me. ording to ¡®101 Ways to Win a Man Over¡¯, in a situation like this, you need to make sure you¡¯re attractive. ¡®I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m attractive¡­ I have.¡¯ What do I have? What do I have to offer? ¡®My body¡­?¡¯ Even if it¡¯s Zetto, he¡¯s still a man¡­I can touch and feel him as much as I want. The other day, I felt a very embarrassing touch that was disguised as an ident. Although at the time, Zetto didn¡¯t think anything of it, his ears were red. ¡°¡­¡± She trailed off, ncing at Yuri¡¯s chest. ¡®Fortunately, there¡¯s not much difference¡­Maybe even better on my side.¡¯ No one would be able to tell the difference in terms of body shape if it weren¡¯t for the ¡®pink prongs¡¯. Being active is not enough. And so it was that I was reminiscing about the previous episode and thinking about what Zetto might like. A man enters the ssroom and the corners of my mouth naturally turn up as I recognize his face. He walks over and sits down in his seat, next to me. ¡°Zetto, why are youte?¡± Yuri says to him. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯mte.¡± Yuri and Zetto continue to chat affectionately. I wanted to speak to them, too but I couldn¡¯t find my voice. I¡¯ve had a lump in my throat ever since he got close. In one day. Just one day. The ominous aura I¡¯d been sensing from Zetto intensified. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ Suddenly, I heard Yuri¡¯s urgent voice. ¡°Uh, Zetto¡­ There¡¯s blood¡­!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Zetto eximed, and wiped the blood that was dripping from his mouth with his thumb. ¡°Are you hurt¡­? Do you want to go to the infirmary with me?¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve just been pushing myself a little too hardtely.¡± Despite the concern in Yuri¡¯s voice, Zetto simply smiled brightly. ¡°But there¡¯s no reason for your mouth to be bleeding just because you overexerted yourself¡­¡± Yuri was muttering, but I could almost see the cause. The thickening ominous aura, the red blood and that attitude of trying tough it off as if nothing happened made me jump to conclusions and I felt lightheaded. I don¡¯t know why but¡­Zetto¡¯s ¡®curse¡¯ seems to have worsened. Chapter 98: Date (1) Chapter 98: Date (1) We were on the way back from the infirmary after Prisci checked Zetto¡¯s condition. ¡®There¡¯s nothing wrong with him.¡¯ She said, Then, referring to Zetto¡¯s swordy, she suggested that his body might be overloaded and asked him to rest for the time being. ¡®I¡¯m sure¡­ Even in mock battles¡­¡¯ Suddenly, the scene of Zetto spewing blood from his mouth and copsing shed through her mind. Even though it was an illusion, he still felt dizzy from the experience. What was wrong with Zetto, she wondered. What was the point of using such a dangerous sword technique? ¡°¡­Ms. Yuri.¡± While I was deep in thought, I heard Zetto¡¯s voice next to me so I turned my head to meet his eyes. He was smiling, as always. ¡°¡­¡± Despite Prisci¡¯s assurances, an unexined reluctance settled in the back of my mind, making my head spin. When I don¡¯t answer, Zetto finishes the sentence. ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡± ¡°What else¡­¡± I hung my head low. He had a knack for embarrassing people. I thought, ¡®He must have simply fallen ill.¡¯ But then, the body I¡¯d seen on the airship¡­it wasn¡¯t that frail. Zetto¡¯s toned muscles shed before my eyes. It was so stimting that I couldn¡¯t think of anything else. I nced over at Zetto, who was walking beside me and even in uniform, his body was not hidden. ¡®From his broad shoulders¡­¡¯ I swallowed hard and shook her head, trying to clear it. This was not the time for that. Barely clearing my head, I turned to Zetto. ¡°¡­Zetto, what are you pushing yourself so hard for?¡± ¡°Too much¡­¡± Zetto trailed off at my question. I had been wondering about this for a while, but I finally got around to asking. He ponders something, then opens his mouth. ¡°¡­To protect the people I care about.¡± ¡°Important people¡­¡± As I¡¯m mulling over Zetto¡¯s answer, he stops walking so I stop, too, and turn around to look at him. ¡°Ms. Yuri is one of them.¡± ¡°¡­Me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Do I matter to you?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± There was no hesitation in Zetto¡¯s voice as he said that. It was as if he didn¡¯t know why I was asking. He said he would protect me, like a knight in a fairy tale. My heart leaped for joy, but my embarrassment made me blurt out a strange answer. ¡°I, I don¡¯t need you to protect me, I¡¯m strong enough¡­and who protects whom¡­!¡± I turned my head quickly. It was hard to look at him. My heart was pounding in my chest, and the tremors wouldn¡¯t subside. Then I heard Zetto¡¯sughter behind me. ¡°¡­Hurry up. You¡¯re going to bete for ss.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Zetto replied, his voice filled withughter as he stepped up beside me and I walked down the hall with him once again. I stared nkly at his face and thought to myself. I want to be the one to protect him. First, I need to take care of his bleeding body. ¡®¡­I wonder if there are any elixirs left in my family.¡¯ *** ¡°nc, I need to talk to you about something.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ You¡¯re calling me by my first name for some reason. Something important?¡± The head of the ck Hand Guild¡¯s southern branch asked, setting aside the papers she had been reading. nc was curious about could this tinum-haired girl possibly want to know? Her demeanor didn¡¯t suggest she was here for information as usual. She was making her curious. nc, who had cleared her desk to focus on her, set her jaw and stared at Aizel longingly until finally, Aizel¡¯s mouth opened. ¡°Is that¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°¡­I was wondering what it takes to win a man over.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Aizel¡¯s words made nc doubt her ears. It wasn¡¯t just the fact that Aizel hade to her, the head of the southern branch of the continent¡¯s most prestigious intelligence guild, for rtionship advice. ¡°Aizel, you¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aizel quietly turned away, avoiding nc¡¯s gaze. ¡°Do you have a crush on¡­?!¡± Aizel¡¯s eyes narrowed at nc¡¯s excitement since she was unusually interested in her. Aizel was not normal. Whenever she tried to pry information out of her, but nothing came out, this mysterious girl would give her the information she needed. In return, she would get the information she wanted from nc. As such an excellent source of information, Aizel was endearing herself to nc. ¡°So, who is it?¡± ¡°A secret. At least, I don¡¯t want to tell the Information Guild.¡± ¡°You know I¡¯ll find out somehow, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s just¡­¡­a cadet in my ss.¡± Aizel, blushing, ducks her head and nc¡¯s interest is piqued. She realized that Aizel could look so inly embarrassed. At least the Aizel she knew had always kept a straight face, even when asked for information about demons, information that even the ck Hand could not easily obtain. ¡°You¡¯vee to the right ce, Aizel. I think I can give you the answers you¡¯re looking for.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Aizel¡¯s eyes widened. She hade to nc because she thought Zetto¡¯s curse had gotten worse and she needed to try something quick and sure. nc¡¯s cocky expression was enough to give Aizel confidence. After all, the Information Guild was a profession that dealt with information and people. Looking at nc¡¯s exquisite dress in front of her, Aizel realized that she must be much more familiar with ¡®love¡¯ than she was. ¡°Hmph, how to win a man over¡­¡± nc trailed off, smiling slightly. ¡°But is that really necessary¡­? I mean, what guy wouldn¡¯t fall for your looks, you¡¯re so pretty and cute?¡± ¡°¡­Never mind, I¡¯m in a hurry.¡± ¡°What do you mean urgent?¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s a girl in my way.¡± Aizel, who didn¡¯t bother to mention Zetto¡¯s curse, blurted out. ¡°Oh.¡± nc merely found the situation amusing. The stories of young cadets going through the turbulence of youth were a wee distraction from her work. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± nc asked Aizel. ¡°The situation¡­?¡± ¡°You must have done something.¡± ¡°¡­Nothing, really. One-sided contact¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­What about the kid you¡¯re supposed to be keeping an eye on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she did anything either¡­¡± ¡°If neither of you did anything, then what kind of restraint was there¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Was there?¡± Aizel scratched her cheek at nc¡¯s question. ¡°Still¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re after the same guy.¡± Aizel thought back to what Yuri had done to Zetto in the previous episode. This time was no different. Only this time, she was far behind. Looking at Aizel¡¯s serious face, nc burst outughing. In her eyes, Aizel was cute. ¡®I knew it¡­¡¯ Aizel red at nc and thought. ¡°¡­Hmmm.¡± nc stoppedughing and cleared her throat. ¡°Anyway, I guess that means you¡¯ve never been on a date, right?¡± ¡°Date?¡± Aizel asked, cautiously. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t mean you don¡¯t know what a date is?¡± ¡°No, I know about it, but is it really that important? We¡¯re in the same ss anyway, so we see each other all the time¡­ Sometimes we run into each other alone¡­¡± ¡°Oh my God¡­¡± Aizel¡¯s words made nc¡¯s mouth drop open, stunned. Wiping her forehead, nc opened her mouth. ¡°Aizel¡­ Isn¡¯t love about getting to know each other?¡± ¡°¡­I know more about that man than anyone else.¡± ¡°Then, what does he know about you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aizel was silent. She knew a lot about Zetto, and had countless memories of him from the previous rounds. It urred to her that Zetto probably knew very little about her. Being a regressor, she was hiding a lot. Or maybe it was because he¡¯d figured out her tastes so quickly that she didn¡¯t need to. ¡°Together. That¡¯s the important part, isn¡¯t it? Love doesn¡¯t just happen when you force yourself on someone?¡± ¡°Together¡­¡± This was so different from the information Aizel had gleaned from the book. It had to be¡­The book Aizel had read was really about how to win a man over, or ¡°seduce¡± him. It was a far cry from ¡°love.¡± nc had always known that something was very muchcking in Aizel, mentally and emotionally. With her powers of observation, she read her demeanor and quickly realized what she needed and what she really wanted. ¡°It¡¯s too soon to talk about love without even a casual date. Confessing your lovees after that, no matter what.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The mention of confessing love stung Aizel unnecessarily. It reminded her of the time she¡¯d blurted out a non-confession to Zetto in the flower garden, using her love of flowers as an excuse. ¡°It¡¯s easy, just ask him out on a date. You can do that, right?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Aizel nodded. She had the somewhat absurd notion that if she did as nc said, she could make Zetto fall in love with her. ¡°This is your first date, right?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Good, then I¡¯ll help you out this time.¡± nc said and stood up as Aizel¡¯s head tilted at her words. ¡°We¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Hmph, there is such a thing, service, service. It¡¯s a date, so you¡¯re going to have to put your best foot forward.¡± Aizel didn¡¯t know what it was, but she agreed. Whatever it was, it had to be enough to keep Zetto captivated. nc smiled at Aizel, who looked at her nonchntly. Listening to Aizel, she realized that just making a date feel different from ¡°normal¡± would go a long way so she decided to give her a ¡°flower makeover¡± for her first date. ¡®I think she¡¯ll look good in any outfit¡­¡¯ What kind of man wouldn¡¯t be attracted to Aizel¡¯s appearance? *** After Edward¡¯s ss, Aizel asked me if we could talk alone for a while, and we walked out of the ssroom together. I wondered what she¡¯s going to talk about so I followed her silently until we reached a secluded spot where there were no people. Aizel, who was leading the way, turns around and looks at me and with her arms behind her back, she¡¯s mulling something over. I tilt my head, and she opens her mouth. ¡°Da¡­¡± ¡°Da?¡± ¡°¡­go on a date with me.¡± Aizel¡¯s words trailed off and I¡¯m at a loss for words as she asks me out on a date. [¡­¡­] Sierra was also speechless, her mouth was open and her pupils were dted while Aizel was staring at me, waiting for my answer. When she couldn¡¯t wait any longer, she opened her mouth again. ¡°¡­Do you not want to?¡± ¡°¡­¡­No?¡± Chapter 99: Date (2) Chapter 99: Date (2) ¡°No, I really don¡¯t need ¡®this¡¯¡­?!¡± ¡°Aizel, I don¡¯t think you know what you¡¯re talking about, but the whole point of a date is to spice things up.¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡± Despite nc¡¯s kind coaching, Aizel could only sigh. ¡°Hmph, too shy¡­ Let¡¯s see.¡± With that, nc walked over to Aizel, who was looking at herself in the full-length mirror. Aizel, who had turned her head to avoid nc¡¯s gaze, was blushing with embarrassment at her reflection. ¡°This is much better than the drab Academy uniform.¡± nc said as she smoothed Aizel¡¯s hair. The dress she was wearing and the ribbon she tied in her hair were enough to change her image. ¡°So you¡¯re our social director again?¡± nc jerked a thumbs-up and winked at the ck-haired social director, one of the people she¡¯d brought in for Aizel. ¡°Huh¡­We¡¯ve got the whole continent coveredtely. I thought I¡¯d bring something fashionable, not too old-fashioned, but¡­¡± With a satisfied smile, the social director twitches his ¡®gentlemanly¡¯ mustache and approaches Aizel. ¡°But this ridiculousplexion of yours, Miss Aizel¡­Ecstatic and electrifying¡­Perhaps it was a mistake on my part to try to calcte her aesthetic value, to fail to capture the full extent of her beauty, her charm¡­Ohhh¡­this is a great mistake. Please forgive me¡­¡± The social director, who had been admiring Aizel¡¯s beauty, bows his head and nc waves a hand in response. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s a first date, don¡¯t go overboard.¡± Meanwhile, Aizel is tilting her head, wondering what¡¯s so offensive. ¡®I wonder how we¡¯ll get along¡­¡¯ nc and the social director didn¡¯t pay much attention to her reaction; they simply assumed she was out of ce and embarrassed, since this was the first time she¡¯d ever been dressed up like this. ¡°It looks good on you, Aizel. You¡¯ve be a very lovely girl, haven¡¯t you?¡± nc patted Aizel on the shoulder as she stood in front of the mirror and whispered to her. ¡°¡­Lovely.¡± Aizel repeated nc¡¯s words in a low voice. ¡°Would I lie to you?¡± ¡°Why are you doing this for me?¡± nc tilted his head to make eye contact with her and looked at Aizel, who was looking at her shyly, and opened her mouth. ¡°You¡¯re the reason I¡¯m chapter leader, so what can I do for you?¡± Aizel nods, ¡°Thank you¡±¡­ and mumbles a little. nc, who hadn¡¯t missed it, smiled broadly. Now it was time to go to the appointment. Aizel wondered what was bothering her so much, and her eyes were filled with worry. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry about it. I know you¡¯ll be fine.¡± nc reassured her. With that, Aizel left, while nc and the social director headed to the roof of a nearby skyscraper. Once on the roof, the social director pulled out a magical telescope from his pocket. It was an extremely valuable item, used by the ck Hand of the Information Guild for ¡°work¡±. It was too expensive to be used for anything more than observing Academy cadets¡¯ dates, but Miss nc, the head of the southern branch, was powerful. The social director unfolds the magical telescope and looks through the lens to see Aizel walking down the street in the distance. They nned to roam the building¡¯s rooftops and observe her date to make sure she¡¯s doing well¡­was the excuse. It was supposed to be a break or a diversion. After all, when you work for the Information Guild, you see things you don¡¯t want to see and know things you don¡¯t want to know. For them, the story of a lovely young girl¡¯s budding love was a wee distraction. nc silently recalled the first time he met Aizel. She was a very different person then than she is now. She hade to her out of nowhere with valuable information and she sensed something strange about her. Her eyes were devoid of any emotion and she couldn¡¯t imagine what this diminutive girl could have been through to reach such a state of emotional wear and tear. But now she knew how to blush, and she knew how to think about love. nc thought that Aizel needed to be a little happier. It was a small part of nc¡¯s desire to give her the happiness she hadcked in her own childhood. At that moment, the social director, who had been studying Aizel through his binocrs, opened his mouth. ¡°¡­Shit.¡± A question mark appears on nc¡¯s face. What¡¯s going on, she wonders, with a profanity spewing from the mouth of a man known for his gentlemanliness? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± nc asks him, frowning. ¡°¡­I apologize, ma¡¯am. I¡¯ve been very embarrassed¡­I think you¡¯d better check it out for yourself.¡± Shaking his head, the social director held out the telescope to nc. ¡°What is it¡­¡± Muttering to herself, nc takes the telescope and peers through the lens. She immediately recognized Aizel, who looked just as adorable as ever. Aizel was talking to a man but when nc saw the man¡¯s face her mouth dropped. ¡°Uh¡­¡± They suddenly understood why she had said she didn¡¯t need ¡®this¡¯, even though they had given her a makeover. It was a moment of rity for them, as they realized that they hadn¡¯t been fooled by Aizel¡¯s appearance. There was a bandage over the man¡¯s eyes. nc looked away from the telescope and frowned as Aizel¡¯s words shed through her mind. ¡°¡­We¡¯re in the same ss.¡± ¡°Yes, it seems that Ms. Aizel¡¯s partner was Cadet Zetto, the blind swordsman who was active in this open ss¡­That¡¯s a big deal.¡± They were members of the Information Guild after all and they had simple information about the cadets who had made a name for themselves during the open ss. ¡°Hah¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s a problem.¡± Aizel¡¯s carefully prepared flower arrangement was now meaningless. She hadn¡¯t told her who her date was, but it was understandable that she didn¡¯t want to know. After all, the ck Hand was an information guild. nc had no intention of handing over even the slightest bit of information about Aizel to the guild, but it seemed that Aizel didn¡¯t have that much trust in her. ¡°Then¡­ And the ¡®firecrackers¡¯ we prepared¡­¡± The social director said cautiously, watching nc¡¯s eyes. This meant that the ¡®special event¡¯ they had nned for Aizel¡¯s date was now in ruins. nc clicked her tongue in disbelief and looked at Aizel but her face brightened as she realized how well the conversation was going. ¡°Well, at least I¡¯ll be able to see her¡­¡± From now on, it was all up to her. *** It was a weekend in the Academy city, and the streets were bustling with people. Normally, Academy cadets wear their uniforms on weekends and weekdays. ¡®I used to do that too, but¡­¡¯ It¡¯sfortable. The only clothes I wore other than my uniform were clothes for movement and robes to hide from prying eyes when I went outside the academy. I was worried about the shortness of the dress since I¡¯ve never worn anything like this before. I checked through the shop window as I walked to make sure the ribbon wasn¡¯t out of ce. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that Aizel Ludwig?¡± For some reason, the eyes of the people around me were focused on me differently than usual. Maybe I look strange to them too. nc, who had provided the clothes, said that I look good. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t know what she meant, but I couldn¡¯t get used to it, so it just seemed strange, at least to my eyes. Even if it was true, it meant nothing to Zetto anyway since appearances had no value to him. Still, it did mean that nc hadn¡¯t done any more research on me, for which I was grateful. This was the first time I¡¯d been on a formal date with Zetto, including the previous rounds. I hadn¡¯t even met him yet, and my whole body was shaking. ¡®How did I usually walk¡­?¡¯ Now I was worried about my stride. How many more steps had I taken? The bell of the clock tower chimed, signaling the time of our meeting and I could see him in the distance. ¡®¡­I thought he¡¯d be in uniform.¡¯ The Zetto in my eyes looked quite different from his usual self. He was dressed in neat and tidy inclothes, his hair slicked back as if he had spent a lot of effort on it. My heart tickled in my chest. To be honest, Zetto was very handsome. ¡®The way he makes girls swoon in the first ce¡­¡¯ Normally, by the time I reached that thought, I was annoyed¡­ but not today. Not today. ¡°Zetto, have you been waiting¡­¡± I called out to him as I approached him. ¡°No, I just got here, too.¡± He smiled as he said it. The next person in the store, Herald, overhears Zetto andughs heartily. The meeting point was in front of Herald¡¯s store. ¡°Kahaha! He didn¡¯t just arrive¡­He was here half an hour ago, asking for the time. I was wondering who you were meeting, but it was Aizel?¡± Zetto scratched his head at the Herald¡¯sment. Zetto didn¡¯t carry a watch, so he¡¯d based his appointments on the chimes of the clock tower¡­He must have been waiting for me. This was why I wasn¡¯t annoyed. The fact that he had made arrangements for me, that he was waiting for me, gave me a sense of security. It was a small thing, but it made me feel very good. Then I noticed Zetto¡¯s hair. It was a little sloppy, maybe because he¡¯d never brushed his hair before. Maybe I could just brush over the hair that was sticking up there so I stepped closer to him. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Zetto was so much taller than me that I had to lift my feet up to touch his hair. He stood still and waited for me so I was able to safely pass a strand of hair that was sticking out. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡­.¡± My gaze naturally went to Zetto¡¯s face. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I¡¯d only just realized how close our faces were. Zetto¡¯s lips stand out. It felt like we were about to kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡± Zetto¡¯s sweet voice was right in front of my nose, and as he said that, he suddenly grabbed my wrist and sniffed it. ¡°Is that perfume¡­? It goes well with Ms. Aizel¡­ It¡¯s a subtle scent, simr to the one I smelled the other day¡­¡± My face burned at his flowing words. The perfume was one of the ¡®floral arrangements¡¯ nc had prepared and I chose the perfume made of obsion from among the others. ¡®Heh¡­how did you know it was the most expensive?¡¯ nc said to me after I chose the perfume. ¡®Zetto¡¯s got a good nose.¡¯ He had an excellent sense of smell. I felt very embarrassed that he smelled the scent on my wrist, on my body so I quickly pulled my wrist out of his grasp and hid it from him. He turned his head and said. ¡°¡­Well, let¡¯s go.¡± Everything was for breaking Zetto¡¯s curse and winning his love. As Herald watched from inside the shop, he muttered to himself as he wiped down the table. ¡°Youth, youth, youth.¡± Chapter 100: Date (3) Chapter 100: Date (3) The effect of ¡°dating¡± was amazing. At least for me, it was. It was a normal walk down the street, but something about it felt so different. The echo of his footsteps behind my back tickled my ears. How could we be so different, just walking down the street in in clothes, not in uniform, on a date? My heart was fluttering. It was one of those feelings that I¡¯vee to realize over the course of my time with Zetto. Zetto has given me so many emotions. Positive emotions likefort, pleasure, joy, and happiness. ¡®It¡¯s all good¡­¡¯ I didn¡¯t like the way the female cadets on the street were sneaking nces at Zetto. Maybe that¡¯s why I grabbed Zetto¡¯s hand as he followed me. I couldn¡¯t let go of his hand because I thought it would be hard to let go so I held on. ¡°¡­¡± Zetto only tilted his head slightly but he didn¡¯t shake my hand away. And so, hand in hand, I walked down the street with him. ¡°First¡­Shall we eat first?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t we already passed by the Herald¡¯s?¡± Zetto questioned my words since it was no secret that I loved Herald¡¯s curry. But today was not a date for me. It was a date for Zetto. ¡°¡­Not curry today, but this time I wanted to tell you about a good ce I know¡­¡± Zetto and I entered a narrow alley since the restaurant was tucked away in an inconspicuous location that could be considered hidden. ¡°So there¡¯s a restaurant in a ce like this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a recent discovery¡­I personally enjoyed it.¡± ¡°Haha, I look forward to it.¡± Zetto smiled brightly, and I followed him into the restaurant. ¡®He¡¯ll like it, right?¡¯ He would have to like it. This was a secret restaurant that I and Zetto had discovered together in the previous installment, and I remembered he liked the food here very much. The restaurant was deserted. I don¡¯t know why anyone would think to build a restaurant in a ce like this, but¡­ It was even better when it was just Zetto and me. ¡®It¡¯s all about the mood, the atmosphere.¡¯ I was now ¡°dating¡± with nc¡¯s help, but I was also utilizing the tips I¡¯d seen in 101 Ways to Win a Guy. Sitting down at a modest corner table, I ordered food for Zetto, who couldn¡¯t read the menu. There were a lot of unfamiliar dishes in the restaurant and shortly after ordering, a server approached the table and ced sses with drinks on the table. ¡°Your drink is here first.¡± This particr drink was transparent in color. It had a very unique characteristic¡­and Zetto liked it very much. ¡°You can use this straw here to drink it.¡± The staff member smiled and disappeared back into the kitchen. ¡°¡­A straw?¡± Zetto questioned. ¡°Oh, this drink is served with something called a straw¡­You put your mouth on it and suck on it¡­¡± And so I went on to exin what I already knew about straws. ¡®¡­There¡¯s only one straw?¡¯ I wondered what had happened to the two straws I¡¯d been given thest time I was with Zetto. ¡®Well, we can share a drink with one.¡¯ I held the straw from the drink up to his mouth. ¡°You can suck on this one.¡± Zetto drinks through the straw. Now it¡¯s time to watch his reaction. ¡°Uh¡­?¡± Zetto¡¯s mouth opens in a small gape and a chuckle escapes my lips at his cute reaction, the same as in the previous episode. ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s called ¡®cider¡¯¡­ At first I thought it was water, too, but it¡¯s so tangy¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s very interesting.¡± ¡°Right? How does it taste?¡± ¡°It¡¯s very tasty. Mmm¡­Maybe it¡¯s lemon or lime.¡± The corners of Zetto¡¯s mouth turned up in satisfaction and his reaction prompted me to take a sip of my cider. The straw was moist¡­ I wondered if it was Zetto¡¯s saliva, but it didn¡¯t feel dirty at all. ¡®An indirect kiss¡­¡¯ I¡¯d heard there was such a thing. Still, it wouldn¡¯t break the curse. The main dish was called ¡°Boneless Chicken,¡± which was a deep-fried, deboned chicken that was easy to eat. This was another favorite of Zetto¡¯s. After we finished our meal, my mouth was watering for some vani ice cream from a street vendor. I held onto his hand and we kept walking. There were so many things I wanted to do with Zetto, and the day seemed to fly by. Our main destination was the ce that held all the memories from our previous trip. We climbed the clock tower together and breathed in the air, and ran around on the roof like little kids without people noticing. This wasn¡¯t just to reminisce about the previous Zetto. These were memories that only I had, memories that he didn¡¯t have. It used to be so painful and at first, I couldn¡¯t even look him in the face. I couldn¡¯t let go of memories that meant nothing and should have been destroyed. They were too precious to me. But it was foolish. As nc had said, love was about being together, like I¡¯m with Zetto right now. Maybe we could recreate even happier memories than we had before. Maybe I could start painting again, even if the paper was faded. That¡¯s what I thought. The sun had already set, and it was getting dark around us so I took Zetto up a hill outside the academy. I heard Zetto¡¯s voice as he followed me, holding my hand. ¡°What are we doing here?¡± Zetto was asking me, since I was taking the lead for the day. ¡®What do we do?¡¯ I don¡¯t really have a n since this was another one of those ces that held memories for me. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do anything here, I just¡­¡­It¡¯s my favorite ce.¡± I squatted in the hillside field. The familiar spot had a familiar view. In fact, it had been my favorite spot since before I met Zetto in the previous episode. It was quiet. There was no sound, except for the breeze in my ears. In front of me was the Academy, and a panoramic view of the city. It was a different feeling from the clock tower in the center of the city. Despite the fact that it had been a long time since I¡¯ve been here, everything felt familiar, except for one thing. ¡°¡­It¡¯s nice and quiet.¡± Zetto, who hade over and sat down next to me, spoke up. This was where I¡¯d first met him in the previous round. Or maybe it¡¯s more urate to say that it was the first time I had ever spoken to him. At the time, I had spotted him at the entrance ceremony and was intrigued by him. In a future that no one could change, a variable that appeared out of nowhere. I was exhausted, but harboring a faint sense of anticipation. ¡®I¡¯ve never seen you before¡­¡¯ I spat out those words to Zetto as we approached the hill. Of course, he couldn¡¯t possibly know what I meant. ¡®Today is the entrance ceremony¡­Aren¡¯t you seeing everything for the first time?¡¯ He tilted his head, and I couldn¡¯t help butugh at his response. He approached me so naturally and that was also the reason I didn¡¯t want toe here. If I didn¡¯te here, there would be no spontaneous encounter with him. Was everything with him just a coincidence? I wanted to make sure. ¡®Well, I couldn¡¯t resist and approached him first, but¡­It was all meaningless now. ¡®What matters now is¡­¡¯ I turned my head and saw Zetto¡¯s face in the moonlight. What mattered now was that he was here, in this ce, next to me. That was enough. If the moments I¡¯d shared with him here were so precious, now I could make them even more so. Zetto had shown me the future, defying fate, so I can only try not to lose him. As I stare at Zetto¡¯s face without speaking to him, I see his lips again. ¡®¡­It¡¯s too much.¡¯ If I leaned in to kiss him right now, he wouldn¡¯t dodge. ¡­It just felt right. The problem was that it was a kiss with a ¡®loved one¡¯. If kissing me didn¡¯t break Zetto¡¯s curse¡­I wasn¡¯t sure I could handle that so it seemed like a good idea to try when I was absolutely certain that Zetto was in love with me. I still don¡¯t know when that will be, or how I¡¯m going to find out. I just hoped I wouldn¡¯t be toote. Because if I was¡­then all the memories I¡¯d built with him would be gone, just like before. Of course, before Zetto died, I would visit the Saint¡­ ¡­Yeah, she¡¯d find his ¡®beloved¡¯ and make her kiss him, not me, but that was okay, for now. I still had a chance. In the first ce, there was no guarantee that Zetto would show up in the next regression; he was a variable. As a precaution, I tried to find out where Zetto had been beforeing to the Academy, but he¡¯d said he¡¯d been traveling the continent with his master¡­It won¡¯t be easy for me to track him down from the safety of the Academy. Attempting to regress myself only goes so far when Zetto is dead and there¡¯s no way to bring him back. That was thest resort. At that moment, as I stared into Zetto¡¯s face, I was making a promise to myself. -Ping! A beam of light shot out of the city with a loud crackle. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Zetto, who was quietly standing still, questioned at the sudden sound, Then the light exploded in midair. The light was a firecracker. ¡°Fireworks¡­¡± I muttered, and another firecracker rose up and exploded loudly. This was a hill with a panoramic view of the city, so I had a very good view as colorful fireworks lit up the night sky. ¡°¡­Fireworks.¡± Zetto muttered, catching my mumbling. I was able to capture the sight with my eyes, but he couldn¡¯t. So I tried to ¡®show¡¯ him somehow. ¡°Fireworks go up in the sky, and then they go boom, and they¡¯re so colorful¡­¡± I exin, apanied by the sound of firecrackers and Zetto smiles slightly as he listens. As my long-winded exnation of how the fireworks started Zetto stays still and focuses on my voice. In fact, not just now, but for the rest of the day, he waspletely focused on me. I wondered if that was enough. There was no way he could see them with my exnation, but I hoped it conveyed my feelings. At a loss for words, I stopped staring at the fireworks and turned to face Zetto and opened my mouth. ¡°¡­Anyway, it¡¯s really pretty¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s head was turned toward me, not the sky. I don¡¯t know if it was because he didn¡¯t need to look at the sky, or if he was looking at me simply because I was talking. ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± I was so close to his face for a moment that I was speechless. Zetto¡¯s lips opened as he ¡®looked¡¯ at me. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re really pretty.¡± Chapter 101 Chapter 101 ¡°Is it over¡­?¡± I turned away to examine the night sky where fireworks were going off out of nowhere. I couldn¡¯t tell what they were celebrating, but it was a nice sight. A part of me wished I¡¯d stayed with Zetto, but I¡¯ve been in the Labyrinth all day, and I was exhausted so I threw my worn-out body onto the bed. The fluffy bed gently embraced my body. I hated the Labyrinth but most of all I hated the difficulty of finding my way around. I didn¡¯t feel like the monsters were stronger because I was frustrated with them and took it all out on them. However, after getting lost and running out of health, I was forced to leave the Labyrinth. On my way out, I checked the Labyrinth¡¯s exploration rankings, and the gap between me and Zetto was still staggering. ¡°I wonder when I¡¯ll catch up¡­¡± I muttered to myself while lying on my bed, reaching for the air. Unsurprisingly, I caught nothing. ¡®To protect Zetto, I need to be at least¡­¡¯ I had to be stronger than Zetto. In a way, it was obvious. But it wasn¡¯t easy to keep up with a man who was so eager to improve, and who trained so hard that his mouth was bleeding. There has to be a better way. I tried my best, but I realized that I would never be able to keep up with him at this rate. -Thump, thump, thump. Someone knocked on the door. ¡®At thiste hour¡­ Who is it?¡¯ I opened my mouth, stepping to the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°I have a package for you.¡± A package? The voice behind the door reminded me of my father, Jeras Clementine. I had just asked him if he had any extra elixirs in the house. Anyway, he was very¡­fond of Zetto, so I told him to give it to him. A female Academy employee stood at the door. She was a familiar face in the dormitories. Whenever a cadet received a letter or package, it was forwarded to the Academy and delivered by a staff member. ¡°You must be Miss Yuri Clementine, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Here, this is the letter that came with your package.¡± The seal sealing the letter was the Clementine family sigil. I wondered if my father had sent the elixir. ¡°¡­Thank you, but what about the parcel?¡± I asked the clerk, who only handed me a letter, not a package. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a big one¡­I left it in the dorm yard for a while.¡± ¡°¡­Big?¡± I asked, my eyebrows raised. I didn¡¯t think there were any elixirs sorge that they couldn¡¯t be carried inside the dormitory. ¡°It would be quicker if you checked it out yourself, so I¡¯ll leave you to it. Oh, and if you need it ¡®dismantled¡¯, please let us know.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The staff member shes me a warm smile after my shaky response, and then walks off down the hall. ¡®Dismantling¡­?¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t send me a whole Smander just for the tail. Deciding to check the letter first, I enter the room and break the seal. I read the letter slowly. It was from my father. ¡°¡­¡± He hadn¡¯t sent the elixir. It was his opinion that it would be too much for him to give the elixir to Zetto, who was only a ¡®close friend¡¯ and hadn¡¯t even be a ¡®son-inw¡¯ yet. Following that sentence, he suggested another option. ¡®¡­There is nothing more imusible than the idea that Cadet Zetto is weak, but if he is indeed weak, there is something that would be good for him to have, and that is the Clementine family¡¯s Nourishing Form.¡¯ Wait a minute, so you sent it by parcel¡­ ¡®Why don¡¯t you cook our family famous meal for him? A woman¡¯s heartfelt, warm meal is a man¡¯s heart. I¡¯ve included the recipe in case our dear daughter has forgotten it. Oh, and you¡¯d better do the dismantling yourself, because I think it¡¯s a nice touch.¡¯ ¡­I read the entire letter, and my jaw dropped. I was all too familiar with the ¡®famous¡¯ Clementine family meal. When I was younger, I ate all that stuff. Still, it was delicious, and in my experience, there¡¯s nothing like it to rejuvenate the body. In particr, the family¡¯s head chef, Mr. Hutton, told me that it was very good for a ¡°man¡¯s body.¡± ¡®Was it really that good¡­? I wonder¡­¡¯ Anyway, if that¡¯s true, it must be true because Zetto is a man. The nourishing form could revitalize his frail body but the only problem is¡­¡­that I¡¯m not very good at cooking. I tucked the letter away and headed straight for the dormitory courtyard where the ¡®package¡¯ was supposed to be. ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this a magma bear?¡± ¡°Who left this here?¡± There was already a crowd of female cadets in the yard. For good reason, there was a huge, charred Magma Bear lying in the middle of the yard. This is¡­one of the ingredients. I pushed my way through the cadets and whispered, ¡°It is for me.¡± The onlookers, figuring out the answer, slowly disperse. I crossed my arms in front of the Magma Bear and contemted. Cooking for Zetto seemed like a good idea. But just because it was made with love¡­Would it matter if the food was tasteless? I wasn¡¯t sure I could make it as good as Hutton¡¯s. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice behind me. ¡°Yuri! What are you doing there?!¡± It was Lucia, who came running up to me, jumping up and down. She spots the Magma Bear in front of me and is surprised. ¡°Magma Bear¡­!¡± ¡°Thank you for sending me home, but why are you up at this hour?¡± I asked, curious to see Lucia, who always went to bed early,ing in from outside the dorm. ¡°Hehe, I came back from watching the fireworks¡­ Did you see them too, Yuri?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah¡­I saw it from my room. It was pretty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lucia said excitedly. She didn¡¯t know what the fireworks were for but she had woken up and rushed outside. Maybe that¡¯s why she was still in her pajamas. The meaning of the fireworks was still a mystery to her and behind her, another familiar face walked into the dormitory. ¡®Aizel¡­?¡¯ There was something very different about her. As she shuffled into the dormitory, Eisel Ludwig was¡­¡¯all dressed up¡¯. Her hair was tied up with a ribbon. What was that short dress that was off-the-shoulder, emphasizing her soft curves? It was different from her usual look, but¡­Well, there was no denying she was pretty. ¡°Uh, Miss Aizel!¡± Lucia waved as she turned around, feeling Aizel stir. Aizel turned her head toward us. Her face waspletely flushed, and it wasn¡¯t her usual sullen expression. ¡­When she didn¡¯t answer, she looked like a girl who waspletely in love. Was it possible for her to look like that? Just as that thought crossed my mind, I locked eyes with Aizel. ¡°¡­¡± With a flush on her cheeks, Aizel nced at me and gave me a satisfied smile. ¡°¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t understand what she meant, but I frowned because I felt very bad about something. Soon, Aizel disappears into the dormitory, and Lucia, who was next to me, sneaks up on me and whispers. ¡°By the look on her face, Ms. Aizel, you must have had a lot of fun!¡± ¡°Had fun?¡± I ask Lucia, frowning even more. Lucia puts a finger to her lips and looks up, trying to remember. ¡°Uh¡­I mean, it was¡­I saw Zetto and Aizel walking hand-in-hand during the day, and then when they grabbed the muster¡­ and¡­ I wonder if it¡¯s the ¡®date¡¯ I¡¯ve been hearing about¡­?¡± ¡°¡­A date?¡± ¡°Yes, everyone said they looked good together!¡± My face hardened at Lucia¡¯s cheerful response. ¡®They went on a date, Zetto and Aizel¡­? And that satisfied smile¡­¡¯ It was a triumphant smile. As Ie to this conclusion, the image of Aizel¡¯s face that I just saw shes across my mind and my teeth = clenched tightly. ¡°So¡­ that¡¯s what it was¡­¡± I had one question, but it was quickly answered. I didn¡¯t immediately understand why she was wearing old makeup on her date with Zetto, but the smile on Aizel¡¯s face exined it. It¡¯s not that she was trying to impress him, but that she was thinking about how she would look to others next to him. A~! ¡°¡­¡± Suddenly, a cool breeze blows in from the side. When I turned my head, I saw that Lucia was blowing at me with a terrified face. It looks like she¡¯s been sshed with embers. ¡°Yu, Ms. Yuri, the fire¡­! You¡¯re doing it again¡­! If I¡¯ve done something wrong, at least tell me¡­!¡± Despite Lucia¡¯s sobbing and struggling, the heat in my body didn¡¯t seem to be cooling down so I turned my head and looked at the fallen Magma Bear. A date. I suppose cooking and spending time together could be considered a date. It was just a matter of where. ¡°Lucia, I¡¯d like to cook a meal for my friend, but I was wondering where we should go.¡± ¡°What? Cooking all of a sudden? Mmm¡­¡± Lucia, who had been blown away by my question, pondered. After a moment, her eyebrows rise and her mouth opens. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it better to eat in your room? Unless you¡¯re going to go to a pic¡­?¡± ¡°Room? You mean my room¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, then we can eat what you cooked in the kitchen, and it¡¯ll be warmer and more delicious!¡± Lucia replied, smiling brightly. Spending some time alone in my room¡­¡­was a pretty good idea. It would be enough to beat Aizel¡¯s date. The only problem would be how to get Zetto, a man, into my room¡­ I scratched my disheveled head. ¡­I¡¯ll figure it out. *** Having made it through my date with Zetto, I managed to stumble back to my dorm on legs that were beginning to give out. Opening the door and entering my room, I flopped onto my bed. Immediately, my body rxed as I buried my burning face in the bed. ¡°¡­¡± The words that Zetto had said while ¡®looking¡¯ at me on the hill were still echoing in my ears. ¡®Yeah, you¡¯re really pretty.¡¯ Pretty. He had definitely said I was pretty. Even though I knew he wasn¡¯t saying it to me, he was just responding to my long-winded exnation. I felt terribly embarrassed because I thought he was telling me I was pretty. I was mistaken, but I wanted to be mistaken so I decided to be mistaken. It felt so good and I barely held back the urge to lunge at Zetto and hug him. ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± I felt someone poke me lightly in the stomach. My whole body tingled, and I pped the bed and stomped my feet. So this is what dating is like. Zetto had gifted me with another emotion. Love. This was love. My heart thumped in my chest just looking at his face, but it was different from thefort I¡¯d felt while talking to him before. Should I be this happy? I wanted to go somewhere and brag about it. ¡®Maybe I should tell nc¡­¡¯ I tried to imagine nc¡¯s reaction, but quickly dismissed the idea. She¡¯d probably think I was stupid. Maybe it¡¯s best to keep that conversation between Zetto and me, just the two of us. I should also thank nc from the bottom of my heart for letting me know about dates. ¡®¡­I wonder if nc was responsible for the unannounced fireworks.¡¯ Zetto couldn¡¯t see it, but¡­ Thanks to her, I made a good memory. I jumped with joy, but then my mind drifted to Zetto¡¯s curse. Even now, the curse was gnawing away at his heart, at his life force. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± I roll over and stare at the ceiling, trying to calm my excitement. This was just the beginning of making Zetto ¡®my¡¯ Zetto but I couldn¡¯t wait to fill his head with me. It was the only small greed I had left, an uncontroble desire. The redhead, Yuri Clementine, bumped into me as I entered the dormitory and I showed her a satisfied smile. Zetto¡¯s lips were mine. ¡°Hmph.¡± I smiled weakly and rolled over on the bed like a child. Maybe sleeping wasn¡¯t the best idea tonight. Chapter 102: Under Your Desk Chapter 102: Under Your Desk [You look troubled.] As I stood in the center of the silent room, mulling over what had just happened, Sierra¡¯s soothing voice echoed in my head from far away so I quietly turned my head toward her and locked eyes with her. [Was it bad?] ¡°Of course not, I enjoyed it. Very¡­¡± I trailed off, a bittersweet smile on my face. Sierra was less than thrilled with the idea of Aizel and I going on a date, but that was it. She looked at Aizel, who showed up on time for our appointment, and muttered something like, ¡°Hmmm.¡± Soon after, Sierra told me that it was a ¡°date¡± after all, and that I shouldn¡¯t think about anything else tonight, and to focus on her. Apparently Sierra thought her presence would be a distraction, which wasn¡¯t necessarily the case. My date with Aizel was good and although I had all sorts of thoughts and concerns distracting me, I did as Sierra said and tried to clear my head and focus on her. She¡¯s a regressor after all and she knew of a restaurant hidden in the Academy that I didn¡¯t. It was a restaurant that served modern food, but I had never seen it in the game. I couldn¡¯t figure out why it existed, but I wondered if it was some sort of unimplemented Easter egg. I hadn¡¯t had soda in a long time¡­It was indescribably satisfying. All in all, it was a happy and enjoyable time¡­.And that was the problem. My anguish deepened. The game didn¡¯t have any sort of dating or romance part. Even if you had a crush on a character of the opposite sex, it was only a friendship, and there was no way to develop that crush into love. You couldn¡¯t cross the line. Of course, now that the game has be a reality, there is no such thing as a line. Well, that didn¡¯t mean I was under the illusion that Aizel was in love with me. It was absurd to jump to that conclusion after only one date. Still, it¡¯s hard to categorize it as a friendship, and the experience made me think a lot. For example, why would Aizel, a regressor, try to get close to someone else, namely me? I had many other questions, but in the end, I had to do the same thing. The person I wanted to protect, the person I wanted to save, became even more precious. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t feel pure joy. If I failed, I wondered if I could live with the consequences. The human spirit is more easily broken than we think, especially when the cause is loss. To be frozen in ce or to stay where you are, it was the same as death for me. It¡¯s none of my business what happens to them. I am more important. I could have given up and gone into seclusion, telling myself that. But I couldn¡¯t. Or maybe I should say, I didn¡¯t want to. I¡¯ve spent thousands of hours with them and although to them, I¡¯m just a stranger, to me, they¡¯re all old friends. I knew their stories so I could not ignore them. If I didn¡¯t move, if I didn¡¯t act, if I didn¡¯t take action, there was a very good chance that I would have a bad ending wherever I was hiding in this world. It was my responsibility as a yer that ultimately drove me. ¡®Love is another story¡­¡¯ Whatever it was, it was enough that Aizel seemed happy. The fireworks were spectacr, especially from her favorite spot on the hill. ¡®The view was spectacr, but¡­¡¯ She was so adorable trying to exin the fireworks to me as best she could. The date went off without a hitch, except for Sierra nudging, which caused me to turn my head away from her and back to the night sky where the fireworks were going off. I was standing in the middle of the room, trying to organize my thoughts, when Sierra approached me. [There you go again, smirking¡­A swordsman by nature must maintain hisposure at all times¡­] She covers the corner of her mouth with her sleeve as she says this, and immediately throws Sheddie from her arms at me. Sheddie flies through the air andnds in a circle above my head. [Go, Sheddie] ¡°Kerung!¡± Sheddie lets out an adorable cry, followed by the sound of his mrs sinking into my head. Sheddie sucked blood without even trying. Sierra said she was going to take him away, because she couldn¡¯t have me bleeding out in the middle of a date. I asked her where she was going to take her, and she said the Spectral Sword so I wondered if it was because he was a spirit after all. Sheddie must have had an intimate conversation with Sierra, because the creature that went in and out of the Spectral Sword became very close to her. When I asked Sierra about it, she said she was just ¡°sorting things out.¡± Sheddie hadn¡¯t eaten any life for the day, so she was excitedly sucking it out. There wasn¡¯t much blood, though. So far, it seemed to be covered by the Bracelet of Origins. I hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to use his power, but Magredo said that the more you use it, the more life it demands. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to look for elixirs or other items to bolster my health recovery. As I wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth, the wave I¡¯ve just sent out catches my attention. I could always sense the presence of cadets in other rooms around the dormitory, but the person I sensed was not someone who should be in the boys¡¯ dormitory. ¡®Well, it¡¯s not my ce to say, having been in and out of the girls¡¯ dormitory, but¡­¡¯ She silently approached and stopped in her tracks in front of my door. I waited, but nothing happened. She was obviously looking for me, but she wasn¡¯t knocking on the door so I decided to open the door. I walked up to the door, trying to be as quiet as possible so she wouldn¡¯t hear me and when I opened the door it immediately collided with her head. -Boom! ¡°¡­Ouch.¡± She groaned in pain and held her forehead where the door collided with her head. As she rubbed her forehead, I asked her in a small voice. ¡°¡­¡­What are you doing here, Ms. Kaen?¡± *** Kaen had seen Aizel and Zetto walking down the street holding hands earlier in the day and as soon as she saw them, she ran after them. Why she did it, she didn¡¯t know. It was an instinctive behavior that flowed like water. They looked like lovers on a ¡®date¡¯ as Kaen watched them through the crowd. ¡­They seemed to be enjoying themselves. It wasn¡¯t a shock to Kaen; she¡¯d always known they were close. But for some reason, she felt a wistfulness in the back of her mind. It was a feeling of resolve, simr to emptiness or loneliness. Lately, Zetto hadn¡¯t been looking for Kaen. She wanted to go on another secret mission with him, but¡­ nothing was said. Eventually, just as it was getting dark around them, Zetto and Aizel made their way to the outskirts of the Academy, where there were few people¡­ Kaen had to give up trying to follow them. Any more than that and she¡¯d risk being found out. As Kaen trudged along the streets, the fireworks suddenly began. The fireworks were dazzling against the inky night sky. Even the people on the street couldn¡¯t understand the meaning of the fireworks, but everyone enjoyed it. They seemed to think it was something to celebrate. Kaen was not amused. She felt like someone was giving them a blessing on the date she¡¯d seen earlier. Lately, Kaen¡¯s mind had been filled with thoughts of Zetto. Whether it was the words Sword Saint Chris had said to her or the sight of his body in the ice crystal¡­There were many factors. Then, the scene of Aizel dropping Zetto off at the dormitory and sneaking into the dorm quickly shed through Kaen¡¯s mind. It was a ¡®sneak¡¯, to say the least. ¡®Is she doing it again today¡­?¡¯ It was a wild guess, but Kaen wanted to confirm it somehow. ¡®It¡¯s not because I¡¯m curious about the soundsing from Zetto¡¯s room¡­¡¯ That¡¯s what she told herself. Sneaking into the dormitory in the dark wasn¡¯t a problem for Kaen. However, there was the problem of not knowing where Zetto¡¯s room was¡­but this was solved by meeting up with a well-meaning male cadet around the men¡¯s dormitory. She had met Crank, whom she knew from their field trip to the north. ¡®Do you happen to know what room Cadet Zetto is staying in?¡¯ Kaen asked cautiously, and Crank answered sinctly, without questioning. ¡°Zetto is staying in room 505.¡± With that, Crank gave Kaen a thumbs up, finished his bread, and walked into the dormitory. The dormitory hallway was already dark, with all the lights out but Kaen found Zetto¡¯s room without being seen by anyone. It was a very easy task for her. ¡®Room 505.¡¯ Standing in front of Zetto¡¯s room, keeping the sound to a minimum, Kaen hesitated for a moment. ¡®¡­Am I allowed to do this?¡¯ It was a simple confirmation, just to check if Aizel had entered Zetto¡¯s room. With that, Kaen put her ear to the door. She was blushing, wondering what she would do if she heard something when suddenly she heard the door open. ¨C Boom! Without even a moment to duck, the door opened, and she was hit in the forehead by the open door. ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What are you doing here, Ms. Kaen?¡± Rubbing her forehead in response to Zetto¡¯s question, Kaen was trying to think of an excuse. ¡®Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have eavesdropped on Zetto after all¡­¡¯ She was sure she hadn¡¯t made any noise, but Zetto¡¯s sensing abilities were beyond herprehension. So Kaen lowered her head, unable to think of anything to say. Eventually, Zetto¡¯s mouth opened. ¡°¡­Pleasee in, it¡¯s better than standing in the hallway.¡± Kaen¡¯s eyes narrowed at Zetto¡¯s words. She wondered if she really should. ¡®So¡­cadet Aizel is not here¡­?¡¯ Kaen couldn¡¯t look up as she entered the room, realizing that she had made a huge mistake that would make her seem rude to Zetto once again. It was dark in Zetto¡¯s room, as there was no light. Looking around, Kaen came to the simple conclusion that Zetto was blind and didn¡¯t need a light, and nodded weakly. With that, she stood in the center of the room, shuffling about as if guilty while Zetto closed the door behind her and approached her, his mouth opening once more. ¡°¡­So what brings you to me at thiste hour?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that¡­¡­I was wondering if you had any information¡­?! Mo, my body¡­ I need to do something¡­¡± ¡°Aha.¡± Zetto, who was rubbing his chin at Kaen¡¯s answer, who had barelye up with an excuse, nodded. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have any information yet, but in a way, no news is good news, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­I suppose so.¡± At Zetto¡¯s unquestioning response, Kaen wanted to breathe a sigh of relief that she had gotten away with it. She managed to stifle a sigh and rolled her eyes at the silence that followed. Then her eyes caught sight of the pure white bed in the room. ¡®Zetto¡¯s bed¡­¡¯ It was an ordinary bed, neat and tidy with the futon neatly arranged. But as Kaen looked at it, a million erotic images shed before her eyes. It was abination of a need that had been building up in Kaen and a shockingment Chris had made to her. Chris¡¯sments had made Kaen sexually conscious of Zetto. Well, she had been for a while, anyway. ¡®Zetto¡¯s child¡­¡¯ Shaking her head, Kaen broke the silence that had fallen over the room. ¡°Well, then, Cadet Zetto¡­I should probably get going¡­I apologize for barging in at such ate hour.¡± Kaen said, stepping hastily to the door. She felt like she was going to lose her mind if she didn¡¯t get out of here soon but as she was about to leave the room, Zetto grabbed her hand and a small moan escaped her lips at the unexpected contact. ¡°Hmph¡­?!¡± Kaen¡¯s body had already heated up from her ¡®terrible¡¯ delusion while Zetto grabbed her hand and leaned in close. ¡°What, what are you trying to do¡­?¡± Zetto whispered in Kaen¡¯s ear as she narrowed her eyes and asked the question. ¡°¡­Ms. Kaen, I think you should probably hide yourself, we have a visitor.¡± ¡°¡­A visitor¡­?¡± Kaen wondered what he meant by a visitor, but then realized that someone approached the door. It wouldn¡¯t be a good situation for a girl to be caught in a boy¡¯s dormitory, much less in his room so Kaen decided to take Zetto¡¯s word for it. ¡®Where can I hide¡­?¡¯ Quickly scanning the room, Kaen¡¯s mind raced, trying to figure out how to hide. Zetto was calm, though Kaen was not and he quickly took her hand and led her to a table against one of the walls. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her down and Kaen sank to the floor without much resistance. ¡°¡­Can you hide under here?¡± Zetto whispered again, this time in a low voice. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Kaen nodded, still dumbfounded by the situation. ¡®How did this happen¡­?¡¯ The next moment, Kaen ducked under the table, puzzled and just as Zetto had said, there was a knock on the door. Then the door opens and the sound of Zetto and the ¡®guest¡¯ talking on the other side can be heard. Kaen then realizes that the window is wide open. ¡®¡­Should I have jumped out the window?¡¯ Just like Chris had once done but it was toote now. ¡°Really? You¡¯re sure there¡¯s no girl in there?¡± For some reason, the guest hadn¡¯t left right away, but wasing into the room. It turned out to be the dorm security guard and Kaen mped her mouth shut, trying not to make a sound. ¡°¡­There really isn¡¯t.¡± Zetto said, walking over to the table where Kaen had been hiding and casually sitting down on the chair in front of her. ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­They said they heard a woman¡¯s voice¡­¡± The guard scanned the room and clicked his tongue. ¡°¡­¡­¡± But Kaen¡¯s mind was distracted by the sight of Zetto in front of her. Chapter 103: Immoral Behaviour Chapter 103: Immoral Behaviour My ears were wide open, but I couldn¡¯t make out a word of what Zetto and the guard were saying. All my attention was focused on¡­on Zetto¡¯s lower body. I¡¯d seen it in the sauna and it in the ice crystal memory, except he wasn¡¯t wearing a towel likest time, so his pants covered it well, but I could still make out his silhouette. What was worse was that I couldn¡¯t see exactly what it was so my vivid imagination was painting a picture in my head. My face was heating up but I hadn¡¯t felt like my head was going to explode like this since I¡¯d been with Zetto at the inn. ¡°Hmph¡­ Hmph¡­¡± My breathing became ragged and I struggled to breathe properly as my head grew fuzzy. The security guard, holding antern and peering into Zetto¡¯s darkened room, approached him. I wondered if I should hold my breath as the guard¡¯s voice is heard first, as they are still talking. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not umon for noble children to y with fire. I hear Cadet Zetto is quite popr with the female cadets, though¡­¡± The guard nced at Zetto and trailed off. ¡°Haha, popr? I don¡¯t deserve it, so¡­ Amon filed a report?¡± The guard leans in closer as Zetto says this nonchntly, and then slyly pushes his chair toward the back of the table, toward me. I was well aware that he was doing this to hide me from the guard, but because he was sitting on the chair with his legs spread, my face ended up between his legs. His ¡®it¡¯ was now right in front of my nose. ¡°Okay, so I¡¯ve been circling around a bit. Cadet Amon is in the next room, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. I think so.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t usually do this, but we¡¯ve been getting our asses handed to us since Yorfang.¡± The guard was a talkative man. I thought I¡¯d seen enough of the room, but their conversation showed no signs of ending. As a result, I was going to be in this position for a few more minutes. I silently swallowed the saliva that had been pooling in my mouth and I could feel it all as it slowly traveled down my throat. Every sense in my body felt heightened. I desperately tried to hold on for dear life and I felt like I was going to bury my face in Zetto¡¯s lower body if I did anything wrong. I took a deep breath to match the sound of Zetto¡¯s voice as he answered the guard¡¯s question. At least I could breathe. I wanted to smell it, to smell Zetto. My nose sucked in the scents around me, and my brain analyzed them thoroughly. It was nothing too special. Zetto was wearing pants, after all, and they smelled like the usual soap scent of washed clothes. ¡°Ha¡­¡± I inhaled deeply and exhaled. The smell was nothing special, really but a tingling sensation ran through my body, and I shivered. ¡®¡­Kaen, aren¡¯t you crazy?¡¯ I asked, horrified at my body¡¯s reaction. In this situation, where Zetto was trying to hide me, I was trying to smell him somehow. I¡¯ve always been delusional and mistaken about him. Eventely, I¡¯d been running my hands over my body, reliving memories through the ice crystal. Zetto was sweet, good-natured and sturdy. I trusted him enough to leave my back to him in the middle of a battle. He took good care of me and never said a bitter word to me, even when I was being unruly and causing him trouble. He always treated me with kindness. ¡®And yet I¡­¡¯ ¡­Yes. I had to admit it now. I wanted Zetto¡¯s body. Suddenly, the image of Cadet Aizel holding Zetto¡¯s hand shed through his mind. ¡­I wasn¡¯t like her. My rtionship with Zetto hadn¡¯t even reached the point of friendship, let alone love, yet here I was, sullenly coveting his body. I knew something was terribly wrong with this and that I was a terrible human being. The truth was, Zetto had no interest in my body. This was something I hade to realize through my time at the inn. I wanted to bow my head in guilt, but I couldn¡¯t. If I did, my face would touch something of his. It was myst conscience, myst goodness. And that¡¯s when I strained my neck, trying to keep it as straight as possible when the guard talking to Zetto asks a question. ¡°¡­Then why are you sitting at the table?¡± Judging from the guard¡¯s posture, his gaze seems to be on the table where Zetto was sitting and where I was hiding. As far as I could tell, there was nothing on the table. I wondered if Zetto was looking a little out of ce sitting at an empty table chatting away so I crouched down as low as I could. After a few moments, Zetto spoke up. ¡°Oh, well¡­I just had a lot going on today. I was resting, and I wasn¡¯t clean enough to go to bed¡­Haha.¡± At the same time, Zetto naturally sank into the chair, his legs pressing a little further into the table. Eventually¡­They touched. I crossed the line but it wasn¡¯t my will. However I buried my face between Zetto¡¯s legs. ¡®¡­It¡¯s touching.¡¯ It was touching the bridge of my nose and the sudden contact snapped the rope I was barely holding on to. I knew I wasmitting a great sin, but for some reason it felt good and my guilt was turning into a feeling of immorality. Regret and remorse turned to pleasure or exhration and it was terribly stimting. And now¡­I don¡¯t know. I strained my neck, which had been upright and buried my face in my hands. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I heard Zetto¡¯s exmation, tinged with embarrassment but I didn¡¯t care. ¡®I held on as long as I could¡­¡¯ ¡­I decided to be a little brazen and soon enough, the guard responded to Zetto¡¯s rant. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you forget something?¡± ¡°Oh, um¡­No, it¡¯s nothing, and since you¡¯re done with my room, shouldn¡¯t you go check out the others?¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡± The sound of their conversation drowns out my ragged breathing. I had to hold it in, but I couldn¡¯t and my body was responding. I buried my face in my hands and smelled something different. A strong odor, different from the scent of the clothes I¡¯d smelled earlier. My heightened sense of smell picked it up without missing a beat. ¡®This¡­ Zetto¡¯s scent¡­¡¯ It was instinctual, just like a female beast is distracted by the scent of a male beast. Living with my grandfather, I grew up as a young swordsman, not a woman. I just wanted to be cool and strong, and up until that point, I had no interest in male creatures but that was until I met Zetto. After meeting Zetto and being around him made me realize this over and over again. Eventually¡­I¡¯m a girl. I couldn¡¯t see Zetto¡¯s face right now, but his gentle smile shed through my mind. The guard responded to Zetto¡¯s words, but then his chatter began again. I wondered if he was always that talkative but what mattered now was¡­¡­that something was swelling against my face. ¡®Zetto¡­?¡¯ My eyes widened. ¡®What¡­The size¡­¡¯ In the ice crystal memory, I couldn¡¯t see it properly through the thick steam of the sauna, so I had to fill in the rest with delusions but now I could see it clearly. I was a little confused, but quickly understood what was happening. I had unknowingly rubbed my face against ¡®it¡¯, and I had irritated him. This was proof that Zetto was a healthy adult male after all. Moreover, his senses were sharp so a small irritation¡­might have been a big one for him. It was the same for me and I found myself looking down at my hands. ¡®I must be losing my mind¡­..¡¯ His gentle smile shed before my eyes, and then immorality washed over me like a high tide. My face feels hot but I couldn¡¯t tell if it was my own heat or the heat that radiated from Zetto. ¡®It¡¯s so¡­Hot¡­¡¯ I couldn¡¯t think anymore and my head waspletely filled with Zetto. My eyes felt like they were going to roll back in my head and I couldn¡¯t breathe properly. However my hand never stopped moving downward¡­¡­and then my vision went ck. *** The guard was just as talkative as Sierra was the first time we met. Maybe it¡¯s because he doesn¡¯t have many people to talk to because of his job. I was surprised that people heard a woman¡¯s voice. I thought I had good soundproofing. Even then, our conversations tended to be quiet and I didn¡¯t even talk to Kaen that much. So maybe it wasn¡¯t Kaen, but another cadet actually brought a girl. Anyway¡­I sensed things weren¡¯t going well and somehow managed to send the guard back. I couldn¡¯t do much but at least I managed to keep Kaen from getting caught. ¡¯My body reacted first, and I thought I was in for an embarrassing situation¡­¡¯ Kaen was under the table¡­She was curled up in an awkward position and seemed to be asleep. I was surprised she was able to sleep in that position, but I was relieved. Well, it waste, and¡­Kaen was a light sleeper. But Sierra¡¯s reaction was strange. [My, my disciple¡­ this, this child will do you harm¡­!] ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡­?¡± As far as I could tell, Kaen hadn¡¯t done anything out of the ordinary; the most I could tell was that her breathing had be ragged from hiding. [That¡­I can¡¯t say¡­] Scratching my head, I walked over to the prone Kaen, with Sierra covering her mouth with her sleeve, and wrapped my arms around her legs and neck, lifting her up. She wasn¡¯t particrly heavy and Iid her gently on the bed. ¡®I think we did thisst time¡­¡¯ Pulling the covers over her, I pulled up a chair near the bed and sat down. This was the second time I¡¯d done this with Kaen, so it felt familiar. [¡­Hmm. She sleeps well.] Sierra, who had been staring at Kaen in bed, snapped her head around and came over to me. I yawned, probably because Sheddie drained a lot of my life force at once. Sierra leaned against my shoulder and stroked my cheek. Then I hear Kaen muttering in her sleep. ¡°¡­I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯ll take responsibility¡­¡± ¡­Kaen seems to be having a strange dream again. *** ¡°¡­Uh.¡± I quickly pulled myself up to the unfamiliar ceiling that I saw as soon as I opened my eyes but before I could take in my surroundings, a familiar voice rang in my ears. ¡°Are you awake?¡± Zetto, who was sitting up in a chair and crossing his arms, tilted his head. ¡°Well, did I fall asleep? Did I?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. You must have been very sleepy. I let you sleep in my bed for as long as I could. Oh, and don¡¯t worry, you didn¡¯t get caught.¡± Zetto¡¯s exnation was enough for me to realize what had happened but I hadn¡¯t actually fallen asleep, I passed out. It was simr to what had happened at the inn and once again, Zetto didn¡¯t touch the defenseless me. In fact, he wasn¡¯t even angry and offered me his bed. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± I muttered in a low voice and bowed my head. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s okay, nothing happened, so whatever.¡± Zettoughed, and I couldn¡¯t help but feel deeply guilty. It was a way of saying I was sorry for taking the bed from him, but it wasn¡¯t just that. ¡­I must have had another terrible dream with such a gentle man as Zetto. The lingering dream in my mind made me blush. I had to control myself, but it wasn¡¯t easy. ¡°As for the information¡­ I¡¯ll let you know as soon as I get it, but don¡¯t be too impatient. I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s been a lot of movementtely.¡± Zetto finished what he hadn¡¯t been able to sayst night. ¡°¡­I see.¡± I gave a small nod and slid out of bed. ¡°Cadet Zetto, I¡¯m sorry aboutst night.¡± I offered him a sincere apology before leaving the room. At least I was sober. ¡°Not really, we share a secret.¡± ¡°Share a secret¡­?¡± As I reyed Zetto¡¯s words, I had a question for him and at this point, I wanted to make sure. ¡°Uh, I was wondering¡­What kind of person is Cadet Aizel to you, Zetto?¡± ¡°What kind of person¡­¡± Zetto clenched his jaw at my question but it didn¡¯t take long for his mouth to open. ¡°¡­A friend, a dear one, I suppose.¡± It was an ambiguous statement but she was not a lover, then? ¡°¡­Then.¡± The words slipped out of my mouth and Zetto tilted his head in response. I didn¡¯t want to be the one to confirm¡­ ¡®Good, Kaen, keep up the good work!¡¯ The meaning of my grandfather¡¯s words still eludes me but one thing was for sure, I wasn¡¯t going to make any progress like this. ¡°¡­And what about me¡­?¡± I asked, squeezing my eyes shut, unable to even look at Zetto but then I heard his voice as he answered without any hesitation. ¡°A colleague I can trust with my back¡­someone I value and an equally important person.¡± The corners of my mouth twitched as I realized that his words were more than just words, they were a solid statement. That was enough and I felt like I could approach him without fear. ¡°¡­Uh, I¡¯ll be off.¡± Before I left, I turned around and caught onest glimpse of Zetto who was smiling at me as friendly as ever. I left the room, closing the door behind me, and immediately leaned against it, cupping my face in my hands. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± As soon as I left the room, all the horrible things I had done in this room shed through my mind. First¡­I should probably change my underwear. Chapter 104: Initiation Ceremony (1) Chapter 104: Initiation Ceremony (1) I was walking nonchntly, not even bothering to avoid the puddles as I was pelted with hard raindrops. The sky was full of rumbling dark clouds. As I stepped over the fence and out into the open, I saw a woman dressed in a robe and mounted on a horse, just like me. She was sheltering from the rain under arge old tree but when she spotted me she called out to me. ¡°You¡¯re early, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ecline¡¯s cheerful voice cuts through the rain. Today was the day of my introduction to the Silver Winged Knights¡¯ branch near the Academy. The meeting ce and time had been agreed upon with Ecline. When she asked me how I was going to get there on time, I told her that I would simply ask around. It was a long weekend, and I had a lot to do. ¡°Eh¡­ Eh¡­ Eek!!!¡± Before I could respond, Ecline sneezed and then blew her nose. ¡°How long have you been waiting for me, Ms. Ecline, I thought I was early.¡± I ask, pulling my robe down over my head. Ecline had been under a tree, apparently sheltered from the rain, but her robe was soaked through, as if she hadn¡¯t been able to avoid it entirely. ¡°The Saint told me to leave earlier since you¡¯re the type to be out early and waiting for me. Cough, it¡¯s just a cold, I can ask the Saint to heal it, woohoo.¡± Ecline flicked her nose and smirked. ¡®I see she still has a thing for Bernice.¡¯ She was as innocent as I¡¯d gotten used to in the game. [I¡¯ve noticed this before¡­but she looks quite young for a deputy leader of the Saint Knights Order.] Sierra¡¯s voice echoed in my head as she studied Ecline¡¯s face. Yes, she is. This pale-faced girl was the deputy leader of the Knights. The silver armor that peeked through Ecline¡¯s robes confirmed her status. At a young age, around the same age as Bernice and me, Ecline had risen to the position of deputy leader through hard work and grit, without any special talent. Because of her background, she is well respected within the Order, and I know she is often cited as a role model for new recruits. Her swordsmanship is unremarkable, but her fundamentals are very solid, urate, and concise. That¡¯s all I know about her. ¡°By the way, is she in the branch we¡¯re going to?¡± I stomped through the mud and approached Ecline. ¡°Yes. There¡¯s still the initiation ceremony.¡± ¡°An initiation?¡± ¡°Did you think it was going to end with me giving you a badge and saying, ¡®Wee to the Order¡­Well, given the circumstances, it won¡¯t be a formal initiation, so it¡¯ll be quiet.¡± I nodded at Ecline¡¯s exnation. ¡®It¡¯s an initiation, nothing out of the ordinary.¡¯ Just then, I catch sight of Sheddie wading into a puddle and sshing around. She couldn¡¯t float like Sierra, but she could tread water. But since she was a spirit, the puddle, the falling rain, and her fluffy body had no effect on her. Theck of moonlight made the darkness around even more intense and the more darkness around, the stronger she seems to be. Anyway¡­Bernice would be able to sense the furry creature¡¯s aura, even if only vaguely. Prisci had also sensed it, albeit without direct contact and she whispered to me, barely audible to Yuri, who hade to the infirmary with her. ¡®You¡¯ve brought a lot of strange things with you, haven¡¯t you?¡¯ I hadn¡¯t seen her in quite some time. We hadn¡¯t seen each other during the public sses because Prisci shunned the Holy Land, especially the Saint, because of a past she wanted to keep hidden so I didn¡¯t probe further. ¡®Still, it¡¯s better to keep my distance from Prisci, but¡­¡¯ I wasn¡¯t able to predict Bernice¡¯s reaction, but I had prepared for it. The important thing is that even if the dark spirits are rted to demons, the mana and energy of the dark spirits are quite different. At least they can¡¯t be mistaken for demons. In any case, Bernice has definitely built up a crush on me, and I think that if I use that to my advantage and be flexible, there¡¯ll be a way out. ¨C Pfft. The horse Ecline was riding reared its head and whinnied while Ecline patted the spot behind her. ¡°Shall we go? I didn¡¯t bring a spare horse because I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to ride one. You can¡¯t ride a horse, can you?¡± Ecline asks questioningly, holding out her hand to me. ¡°I can¡¯t ride a horse¡­.yet.¡± I took Ecline¡¯s outstretched hand and climbed onto the horse. This was true, as horsemanship was a skill, after all, and I hadn¡¯t really learned it. There was no ce to keep a horse, and given my ¡®quirks¡¯, in many ways it was better to use a carriage. Still, the process of learning the skill wasn¡¯t too difficult, so I figured it would be worth learning. ¡°¡­ It sounds like you can ride a horse as long as you learn it.¡± ¡°Haha, you never know.¡± My cheekyugh continues while Ecline grabs my arm and pulls me along. ¡°¡­You have to hold on to my waist.¡± I follow Ecline¡¯s cautious voice and wrap my arms around her waist. Despite her armor, her thin waist leaves a lot of room but I wasn¡¯t the only one who needed to get on the horse. Sierra came up behind me and hugged me. ¡°Kerung.¡± Sheddie, who had been ying in the puddle, rushed over and clung to my feet. ¡®I think she¡¯s going to fall off¡­¡¯ I wondered if Sheddie, like Sierra, would be able to teleport to my side if she got more than a certain distance away. Sierra grabs Sheddie¡¯s head and ces him on top of mine. [Your ce is here.] Sierra¡¯s lilting voice follows. ¡°Kerung!¡± And Sheddie chirps contentedly. Soon Ecline started to lead the horse and as we made our way through the raindrops, I asked her. ¡°Are we heading straight to the branch?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s something I need to do first.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°The initiation test. Even though I said it didn¡¯t seem necessary, the branch leader said I couldn¡¯t break tradition.¡± ¡°An initiation test¡­It must be ying a demon.¡± ¡°Yeah, we found the location of one of them. Normally, four or five new recruits gather to y a demon and bring back its horn for the initiation ceremony¡­I assume you¡¯re good enough to do it on your own?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The demon to be in for the initiation test wouldn¡¯t be a strong demon, and there was no problem since I had Reverse Heaven. With that, we traveled quickly, with the sound of harsh hooves and rain in our ears. *** In order to prepare for Zetto¡¯s initiation test, I visit the demon¡¯sir, which we¡¯ve already scouted out. ¡°Everything went well?¡± I asked the Knight guarding their, and she bowed her head in response. ¡°Yes, the ¡®target¡¯ is currently inside the hideout and hasn¡¯t made any other movements as of yet. There have been no other entrances or exits, and the nearby residents have been evacuated.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± I said, looking at Zetto beside me as I listened to the Knight exnation. ¡°You¡¯re more thorough than I thought.¡± Zetto said as he dismounted the horse. ¡°Normally, I wouldn¡¯t go to such lengths to capture a single demon, but¡­ It¡¯s a test, so I can¡¯t help it. Normally, I¡¯d do a final check before the battle.¡± ¡°Everything went well?¡± ¡°A final check?¡± Zetto¡¯s voice sounded strangely cute, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Here, take it.¡± I tossed Zetto a pouch of small crystals. ¡®I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll take it in moderation.¡¯ However, contrary to my expectations, the pouch hit his body directly and fell to the ground without any force. ¡°¡­Vice-Captain?¡± A nearby knight stared at me in disbelief at my behavior. It was a look that said, ¡°What are you doing to a man who is blind?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡­ thought¡­ that¡¯s¡­ what I¡¯d get¡­ Sorry.¡± I scratched at my cheek in embarrassment while Zetto picked up the pouch from the floor. ¡°Haha, no¡­ I was just distracted for a moment, so what¡¯s in this pocket?¡± Zetto shrugged it off and reached into the pouch he¡¯d picked up. ¡°It¡¯s a simple gemstone that allows you to cast a binding spell. It works like a scroll. You imbue the stone with mana, drop it on the ground, and you¡¯re done. How¡¯s that for simple?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ What about the effects?¡± Zetto asked, fiddling with the gemstone as he pulled it out of the pouch. ¡°Nothing much, just soundproofing magic and¡­a bit of physical weakening to make it harder for demons to escape.¡± ¡°It¡¯s reacting to magick, I see.¡± ¡°Still, it won¡¯t do much if the demon is strong, so be careful.¡± ¡°I see.¡± With that brief exnation, Zetto and I quietly approached the building where the demons were supposed to be lurking. Apparently, the inhabitants had been evacuated, so it was better to make quick work of it. As we approached thepound, Zetto was silent for a while. I wondered if he was nervous. ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous. The demons are weak because they can¡¯t hide their magick so they shed it all over the ce. It makes them easier to deal with.¡± Zetto, who had been listening to my voice, nodded. If his swordsmanship is anything like the one I saw in the open ss, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be able to finish the demon off quickly and without too much trouble. As we approach the building, Zetto speaks up. ¡°You said there was only one demon, right?¡± Zetto asked and his question was somewhat meaningful. ¡°There¡¯s only one demon we¡¯ve been chasing. Why? Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± His words trailed off, and he ced his palm on the door of the hideout. He removes his hand and his mouth opens again. ¡°Earlier, I thought I might have been mistaken because of the rain, but now I know for sure: there are not one, but six demons in the building.¡± ¡°Six?¡± I immediately questioned as Zetto continued. ¡®irvoyance¡­¡¯ I heard it was a special ability of Zetto, however I didn¡¯t know what kind of feeling it was, but at least it allowed him to live and fight smoothly despite his blindness. However, there were reports from the Knights that there were no other visitors. Judging by the magick scattered around the building, it was obvious that it was a demonicir. But even I couldn¡¯t tell the exact number of them without entering the building itself. I kept my eyes on Zetto in silence. His robe covered his face in the rain, revealing a pure white bandage over his eyes and a dark hair not often seen. He was a blind man wielding a sword and that alone made him special, but he was also the first ¡®man¡¯ the Saint had ever taken an interest in. A man of her own choosing, a man who might one day stand beside her and spend the rest of his life with her. Assuming Zetto was right about that¡­ ¡°¡­¡¯Nest¡¯.¡± Not all demons who lurked in humannds were strong; there were countless weaker demons who set foot in humannds to umte power. Some of them, recognizing their weakness, banded together and in such cases, theirirs were called nests. ¡°Isn¡¯t a nest a bit much for a test¡­?¡± I said, scratching my head. No matter how weak they are, the difficulty of defeating them naturally increases as their number increases. I was about to say that I would help when Zetto pulled out his sword. ¡°No, no. I think that¡¯s enough for a ¡®test¡¯.¡± He said that with a coy smile and slowly ran his hand down the de and as I¡¯ve seen before, he held his sword in a reverse grip. I knew instantly that this was the stance of his bizarre swordsmanship. But the only thing that puzzled me was that he hadn¡¯t even entered the building yet. Standing in the rain, Zetto swept his sword across the doorway and immediately his mana flow distorted. It was unnatural, but I¡¯d seen it before, and it didn¡¯t surprise me anymore. I kept my eyes on Zetto but inwardly I was full of anticipation for what he would show me. It was amazing how focused he was in the pouring rain. Then Zetto swung his sword hard. ¡®Is that the same move he used to cut off the wings of the wyvern¡­?¡¯ As I watched him, I called out in a low, urgent voice. ¡°Zetto, is it necessary to destroy the building¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Shrugging off my words, Zetto continued his smooth motion without any faltering and shed five times. Now the swords were supposed to fly and the doors were supposed to shatter¡­however seconds passed, but no damage was done to the building. ¡®What the hell¡­ Did he really just sh through the air¡­?¡¯ I was watching him, wondering if he was going to use the ¡®non-sword technique¡¯ I sawst time. My gaze was drawn to the sword in Zetto¡¯s hand. ¡®Demon blood¡­¡¯ For some reason, Zetto¡¯s red de was stained with the ck blood of a demon, and it was being washed away by the rain that was pouring down. ¡°Haha¡­¡± A weakugh escaped my lips as I finally understood the situation. This was ridiculous but it meant that Zetto shed the demons inside the building from outside. And without leaving the slightest scratch on the exterior walls. ¡®This is not swordsmanship¡­ It¡¯s magic¡­¡¯ While I was marveling at Zetto¡¯s swordsmanship, he was still standingzily at the door and seemed to be waiting for something. What was he waiting for? Soon enough, the sound of urgent running came from inside the building. Zetto, who had been listening, swung his sword at the door and it burst open. ¨C Boom! The sound of the door being kicked in is followed by several moments. First, we see the face of the demon that came out of the door. His face is scarred with fear as a crimson horn grows on his forehead. Then, before I could get a good look at it, its head was¡­..severed cleanly by Zetto¡¯s sword. The severed head rolls to the ground, and the headless creature¡¯s torso tumbles forward, which Zetto side steps. The demon¡¯s body and neck were separated, and it is only then that it is able to fully exit the building. ¨C Aaaah. Time, which seemed to be passing slowly, soon began to flow normally with the sound of pouring rain. It was a seamless, wless movement. At a loss for words, Zetto¡¯s head turns toward me, and his mouth opens. ¡°Everything is done.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± I ask in a shaky voice, and we enter the building through the door that the demon opened. The building smelled of stale rain and a piercing stench. It was the all-too-familiar scent of demon blood. Slowly, I surveyed my surroundings and all around the house were the corpses of demons whose throats had been slit before they could make a move. There were five corpses in total and each had a red horn growing out of their foreheads. Demons are said to be able to hide their horns, but when they die, they eventually reveal them. Counting the one that died in front of the door, there were exactly six, just as Zetto had said. ¡°What¡­¡­?¡± I started to mutter, but ended up swallowing my words. He had monstrous senses that allowed him to get an urate headcount before you even enter a building and the ability to cut through obstacles and strike from far away. Even when I think back to when he fought the wyvern, I realize that¡¯s not all there is to him. Zetto follows me into the building and asks me a question, the head of a demon in his hand. ¡°Deputy Leader, do you happen to have a dagger?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Apparently, he needed a dagger to cut off the horns so I handed him the dagger in my waistband without a word. I looked at Zetto, who was casually chopping off the demon¡¯s horns, and thought. ¡®He looks like he¡¯d make a good husband for the Saint¡­¡¯ Chapter 105: Initiation Ceremony (2) Chapter 105: Initiation Ceremony (2) Clearing out the demons wasn¡¯t as difficult as I expected. It was my first battle since I¡¯ve got Ki Sense so I was pleased with the test. I was especially pleased with the first chapter of Reverse Heaven. Sierra, who had been watching the battle closely,mented that the elixir given to me by Hubert Graham had worked quite well. The Knight on watch counted the number of horns I had brought with me and asked if I had killed them alone. Ecline shrugged and said yes, and she muttered something along the lines of, ¡°The Holy Lady¡¯s chosen one¡­¡± or something like that. Apparently, the Order had some information about me. With the horns in hand, I immediately traveled with Ecline to the Order branch closest to the Academy. I didn¡¯t have to clean up after myself since Ecline told me that there was a separate group that was responsible for cleaning up. All we had to do was tell them where to go and they would do the rest. Still, she rmends not destroying too many buildings since it¡¯s a lot of work for them to repair damaged buildings. So Ecline and I went to the branch, which was in an obvious location. It was well hidden, but¡­After all, neither the Silver Winged Knights nor the Saint are part of the Holy Land. We found the cathedral dedicated to Lord Henerys within the city. Once inside, Ecline and I avoided the crowded chapel and made our way through a narrow passageway to the confessional. There were several doors lined up in a row, and Ecline¡¯s footsteps led us to the one at the head of the row. She opened the door and stepped into a small room. Apparently, the confessional was designed to allow only one person to enter at a time. At the front of the room is a woman who appears to be a priest. From theyout, it looked like the door to the priest¡¯s office was in the opposite direction, not down this aisle. The priest hadn¡¯t said anything to us as we entered, and there was a cloth between her and us, like a shield, so we couldn¡¯t see each other¡¯s faces. ¡°¡­You can show your badge here.¡± Under the cloth, Ecline held out her Order badge. I wondered if I should show mine, but then the priest handed it back to Ecline, and I heard the sound of a lever being pulled. The next thing I know, the wall next to me creaks open. [Ohhh¡­] Sierra stares at the open wall and lets out a short exmation. A dark staircase leading down to the basement appeared and Sheddie, who was at my feet, jumped down the stairs in excitement, only to fall. ¡°Kek¡­! Keng¡­!¡± Sheddie lets out a strange cry as she falls down the stairs. Soon, Ecline takes the lead and begins to walk down the stairs. ¡°Is this the same for the other branches?¡± I asked Ecline as we started going down the stairs. ¡°It depends. If you¡¯re not sure, just show your badge to a priest at the cathedral, and if there is a branch there, they¡¯ll give you directions, and if not, they¡¯ll tell you where the nearest one is.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°¡­This is the entrance, and there¡¯s a separate exit. This ce is a bit unique.¡± Ecline says as she walks down the stairs and opens the door to reveal the branch. It¡¯s bright and spacious for a subterranean space, and like the cathedral, it had been around for a long time, so the passage of time was evident in the exterior walls. Sierra entered the Spectral Sword, eager to meet the saint, and took Sheddie with her, just in case. There were more people inside than they expected. It seemed that the number of people had increased because the Saint was staying at the branch. Well, as I knew it¡­ It was a branch of the Order of the Saint, the Knights of the Silver Wings, so all the people in the branch were women. As I walked inside with Ecline, , I caught the attention of the other knights. ¡°¡­Who is that man next to the deputy leader?¡± ¡°He was brought here by the Saint herself.¡± ¡°Bandages¡­He must be a real blind man¡­¡± ¡°Could he possibly be a fake blind man?¡± Just being a man was already strange enough, and I followed Ecline through their chatter, trying to make sense of it all. I was worried they might be hostile, but so far they don¡¯t seem to be. I don¡¯t think anyone could argue against the choice of the Saint. Humming a tune, Ecline turns around to face me and speaks. ¡°You need to get ready for your initiation.¡± Ecline snaps her fingers, and before I know it, the other Knights are leading me away as if I needed to prepare for the initiation ceremony. *** ¡°An initiation test and a solo nest raid¡­Indeed, there was a reason for the Lord¡¯s revtion to the Saint.¡± Ines turned her head to look at me with a satisfied smile since I had already told them about the revtion. On the desk, the six pairs of demon horns Zetto had brought with him wereid out on a thin cloth. He must be preparing for his initiation ceremony now. It¡¯s a shame we couldn¡¯t meet right away, but it¡¯s gettingte¡­ In many ways, it seemed better to move quickly. ¡°How was he, Ecline?¡± Ecline snorted at my question, flicked the horns once on the desk, and then opened her mouth. ¡°Well, he was great. They were red horns, but he realized it was a nest before he even entered the building¡­ And he took them all out without even setting foot in the building.¡± ¡°¡­You mean you used his swordsmanship?¡± In¨¦s interrupted Ecline¡¯s exnation. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it swordsmanship¡­ It was very different¡­¡± Ecline¡¯s words trailed off, and she and In¨¦s began discussing Zetto¡¯s swordsmanship so I left them alone, and quietly recalled my encounter with Zetto at the Academy. ¡®The saint is¡­very beautiful.¡¯ I could still hear his voice echoing in my ears. It wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯d beenplimented on my appearance, but it meant a lot to me because he was a blind man¡­or simply because he was blind. But there was something I didn¡¯t like about him. I tried to deduce what it could be, but I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it. ¡®If it¡¯s a curse, I¡¯ll just have to break it¡­¡¯ While I was waiting for Zetto, I asked the Lord a question. What the hell was in that man¡¯s body¡­ ¡­I didn¡¯t do it because I thought the answer woulde back to me. It was more of ament. But just yesterday God answered my question and he said, ¡®Its identity is a destiny of its own making. My beloved child, do not tamper with it or you will incur great wrath. It would be neither good for you nor good for me¡­¡¯ The Lord told me not to intervene. He didn¡¯t tell me the exact nature of the energy. No, it would be more urate to say that He couldn¡¯t. Rather, He said it was something Zetto earned. What does that mean? Fate is a meaningful word. The sound of Ecline¡¯s voice shattered the thoughts in my head. ¡°Anyway¡­¡­I¡¯ve been looking into the honorary knight, Zetto, and I think he¡¯d be a great addition to our Order¡­maybe even to the Saint¡­? Hmph¡­¡± Ecline, who was talking to Ines, shed me a wry smile. ¡°Ecline¡­¡± Ines lowered her voice as if to warn me to be careful so I gave her a wry smile and replied. ¡°¡­I hope so.¡± *** Initiation into the Order of the Silver Wing was a process simr to taking a vow or oath of sorts, where the Saint would ask a candidate a set of questions and the candidate would answer them. Up until this point, it was just a formality steeped in history and tradition but that changed when Bernice became the Saint. Bernice, Saint of Innocence, with her power to distinguish between truth and falsehood made the initiation ceremony more meaningful. My initiation was not a formal initiation, so there weren¡¯t many onlookers. The minimum number of people required to perform an initiation ceremony was sufficient. In¨¦s, the leader of the Order, Ecline, the deputy leader, and Bernice, the Saint were the only ones present. In the silence of the room Zetto¡¯s right knee was on the floor, his hands on his chest, and his head bowed. His dark hair matched the pure white robes of the Holy Land. Surely it could have ended there but Bernice had sensed the negative energy that had been lurking in Zetto¡¯s body for some time now. It was ominous and off-putting, and it had grown stronger in the days since she¡¯d seen him. It seemed to have gone beyond his heart and now permeated his entire body so Bernice took a moment to examine Zetto¡¯s body, and she could tell that his life force had dwindled slightly. At this, Bernice started to feel dizzy. What was his fate that the Lord had told her about? Was she not to intervene in any way? And why would it be bad for her? Bernice was confused and despite her dizziness, she could barely find her voice to continue the initiation ceremony. ¡°¡­Do you swear that you will be the sword of me, Saint Bernice the Innocent, to destroy all evil in this world?¡± ¡°I swear.¡± Zetto answered Bernice¡¯s question and of course, it was the truth. ¡°¡­¡± Now it was time to ask the next question, but Bernice hesitated and the silence that followed Zetto¡¯s answer must have been puzzling to everyone except Bernice. However, no one was urging her on. Closing her eyes tightly and gathering her thoughts, Bernice opened them. Then she asked her next question. ¡°Will you keep your oath¡­ even if it means giving up your life¡­?¡± Her lips parted, but before they could close, Zetto spoke up with a nonchnt answer. ¡°I will dly honor my oath, even if it costs me my life.¡± Zetto¡¯s voice echoed through the hall. In truth, it¡¯s not often that even this statement is true. To be willing to give up one¡¯s life is something no human can do easily and even if the answer was a lie, it didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t ept the new member. Bernice gritted her teeth. But why was this true? Why couldn¡¯t she interpret Zetto¡¯s oath as simple loyalty? ¡®What is his fate¡­?¡¯ Why did he choose to carry such a dark aura in his body, when his life force was so obviously drained? For the first time, Bernice resented her power. For the first time, she resented her power, something she must repent of to the Lord, but Zetto initiation was over. Now it was time for the final blessing, ¡°I am so happy to have you as my sword, and may God¡¯s blessings be upon you.¡± The ceremony wasplete and Bernice¡¯s mouth opened. ¡°Thank you for being my sword¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­so¡­¡­¡± Bernice could not open her mouth since her power stopped her from lying. She was not pleased but she could not continue. Chapter 106: Worries Chapter 106: Worries The initiation ceremony was in progress. The process had been fully exined by the members¡­or ¡®seniors¡¯, so all that was needed was onest word from Bernice and the initiation ceremony would be over. ¡°¡­¡± But Bernice couldn¡¯t continue. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± A chilling silence settled over the empty hall as I stood motionless, waiting for Bernice¡¯s voice. However, it was not her voice that I heard, but the sound of her shoes as she walked down the hall as Bernice had abruptly exited the hall. ¡°Saint¡­!¡± I hear In¨¦s¡¯ urgent voice, and Bernice rushes past me. As she passes me, she¡¯s muttering something so low that I can¡¯t hear it unless I listen closely. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Bernice was apologizing to me. I couldn¡¯t see her face because she had her head down, but at least she didn¡¯t look happy. In¨¦s immediately ran after her as she left the hall. ¡®¡­What¡¯s going on?¡¯ The situation was so sudden that I chose to remain still rather than make any hasty movements. As I¡¯m pondering my options, Ecline, who was on the other side of the room, approaches me. ¡°Um¡­¡­¡± She was surprised and was slowly choosing her words. ¡°Let¡¯s just say¡­ the initiation is¡­ over.¡± At her words, I jumped up from my knees. ¡°Is that okay?¡± Ecline raises an eyebrow at my question. ¡°Aren¡¯t I the vice-leader of the Order?¡± ¡°¡­More than that, shouldn¡¯t you go after the Saint?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s okay since the leader went and I don¡¯t really know what the situation is. Whatever it is¡­¡± Ecline trailed off, her green hair tousled as she turned her head and her eyes traveled in the direction Bernice had left. ¡°¡­there was an unprecedented event at the initiation ceremony that prevented a member from receiving the blessing.¡± After she said that, Ecline muttered, ¡°I wonder how that happened¡­¡± and then sighed. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but¡­I¡¯m worried about the Saint, I wonder if something happened to her¡­?¡± ¡°¡­She hasn¡¯t forbidden you to join, I can assure you of that.¡± Ecline pats me on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much. It¡¯ll be fine.¡± When I don¡¯t say anything else, sheforts me. I smiled bitterly at her kindness and thought back to what had just happened. The downside of Bernice¡¯s power is that she can¡¯t lie so thest words she was unable to utter were¡­¡­I¡¯m d. I¡¯m d you¡¯ve joined the Order, and I¡¯m d you¡¯re my sword. It was a mere formality, but to Bernice, it was the only word she could utter if she were truly happy at this moment. Which means she wasn¡¯t happy just a moment ago¡­It was hard to tell exactly what it was. Was she really unable to speak because of her constraints, or was there something else that made it difficult for her to speak? For example, it could be the energy from my body. There were countless other possibilities. ¡­Still, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the worst case scenario that she suddenly lost interest in me or turned her back on me considering Ecline reaction. *** We were walking back to the dorm after the initiation ceremony. Sheddie is a spirit, after all, and Bernice, who doesn¡¯t have much to do with spirits, wouldn¡¯t recognize her, but Sierra was different. I would have to exin this to Bernice sometime, but the timing didn¡¯t seem right this time. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t have a reason to.¡± I said with a shrug. With Bernice gone, the wee party was naturally postponed. Ecline, Ines, and Bernice are the only ones I can think of for a wee party, but they¡¯re all major figures in the Order, so it was a pretty important opportunity to get to know them. [A saint is not a person to be taken lightly¡­] ¡°Who can understand the life of a saint?¡± Sierra covered her mouth with the cuff of her hand and smiled faintly in agreement. I made small talk with her and started walking but the darkness I was walking through was none other than Sheddie shadow. The master of this world was currently hovering over my head, sucking the life out of me. ¡°Rice. Delicious.¡± Sheddie, who was eating ¡®rice¡¯, said that. Delicious¡­ I wonder if there¡¯s a difference between vored and unvored life force. I wanted to ask her in her ownnguage, but she still only speaks simple words, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get the answer I¡¯m looking for. Being in the shadows wasfortable in many ways. Most importantly, it¡¯s a simple way to get out of the public eye and it allowed me to talk to Sierra as easily as I do now. Whether traveling in and out of the Academy or around the city, it was proving useful in real life but I have yet to test it inbat. The current use of Shadow Hide and Seek didn¡¯t take much of my power so I had a rough idea of how much each skill cost. The most expensive of them all was Sheddie¡¯s Manifestation since it could be considered a ¡®summon¡¯ that broke out of the spirit state. Roughly speaking, its destructive power seemed to be enormous¡­and I don¡¯t think I can manifest the Sheddie I saw earlier. That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯mcking in destructive power or force, so I wonder if there¡¯s a use for it, but I was curious. It¡¯s a gamer¡¯s curiosity. Why didn¡¯t I try out my first skill in an empty field with no enemies? ¡®Unless I¡¯m in a really urgent situation, I think I can only use it when I¡¯m moving alone¡­¡¯ Sheddie¡¯s powers should be used with caution since it¡¯s an openly suspicious power, so it¡¯s best to hide it from others if I can. The next ¡®episode¡¯ was fast approaching. In this episode, I would be fighting alongside like-minded yers and it was kind of like a raid. Since I was going to be traveling far away, I figured I might as well experience Sheddie¡¯s power before I left so I went over the n, piece by piece, organizing it in my head. I kept walking, making small talk with Sierra, and before I knew it, I was in front of my dorm. Shadow Hide and Seek makes it easy to scale the high floors since I¡¯m in the shadows, but the structure of the building is still there. Soon, my body emerged from the shadows next to the bed and I immediately flung myself onto it. Sierra sneaks up on me and strokes my cheek. [¡­You look uncharacteristically tired.] Sierra¡¯s soothing voice echoed in my head. ¡°She¡¯s a bloodsucker.¡± I rubbed Sheddie¡¯s fluffy fur against my chest. It wasn¡¯t painful to have my life force drained, but it was tiring. I wanted to stay in bed and try to get some sleep, but I had to head to the Academy in a little while. *** Meanwhile, on the night of Zetto¡¯s initiation ceremony, Yuri Clementine was in the midst of a culinary trance. She was preparing a ¡°delicious¡± nourishing meal for Zetto herself. ¡°¡­I¡¯m done.¡± Yuri swallowed hard as he mmed the bowl down on the table but the kitchen was a chaotic mess from all the cooking she had done. The food she had made was now out of her hands. All that remained was the ¡®objective assessment¡¯. Next, the blue-haired girl at the table picked up her fork with a very serious expression but her hands were shaking violently. There was something in the bowl that could hardly be called food. The food was wiggling and the girl wondered how this was possible, but she barely swallowed her question as she watched Yuri¡¯s face. The next thing she knew, her mouth was filled with Yuri¡¯s food. The girl chews the food and shakes her head but after a few more chews¡­ ¡°¡­¡± ¡­There is silence. Yuri purses her lips and waits patiently for Lucia¡¯s mouth to open. Lucia, innocent and good-hearted as she was, tried to smile as brightly as she could, but her face had long since been stiffened by the indescribable taste of the food. Finally, Lucia¡¯s mouth opened. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Lucia¡¯s body shudders. It didn¡¯t matter if the food was delicious or not. ¡°How about it, how about it, is it okay this time?!¡± ¡°This, something that humans shouldn¡¯t eat¡­¡­Not anymore¡­It¡¯s too much¡­¡± Lucia left the terminal and dropped her head on the table. Still, it was a tolerable level of chewing and trying to swallow the food without spitting it out. ¡°¡­I failed again? What¡¯s wrong with me¡­?¡± Yuri looked at the food and wondered. ¡®I thought for sure I followed the recipe exactly this time¡­¡¯ Cooking was not easy and Yuri had wanted to make Zetto a nourishing meal herself, but taste was a problem. It seemed absurd to her to serve something tasteless and hope to win his favor. But no matter how hard she tried, her poor cooking skills were showing no signs of improvement. So she brought Lucia, who was in a culinary exchange program, over for some advice. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Yuri took a bite of her food, frowned, and spat it out. Even for someone who had cooked it, the vor was unbearable. But she thought she had figured out what wascking. ¡°¡­Okay, then, just one more time¡­¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Yuri¡¯s muttering startled Lucia, who had just gotten up and was munching on bread. ¡°Yu, Yuri-san¡­! I¡¯ve been thinking about this for a while, but you don¡¯t hate me, do you¡­?¡± Suddenly, Lucia cries while Yuri tilts her head and smiles brightly, as if she doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s talking about. ¡°Clementine¡± is not going to be broken by this much. ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± However, Lucia, who is supposed to be in charge of the ¡®objective tasting¡¯, seems to be about to break. Chapter 107: Surging Power (1) Chapter 107: Surging Power (1) ¡°My lord, I have heard the news. You sent the recipe to Lady Yuri.¡± House Clementine¡¯s chef, Hutton, asked Jeras, who was sitting at the table eating his meal. Jeras, who had just finished eating, wiped his mouth with a napkin and ced it on the table. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°¡­With all due respect, does Lady Yuri finally have a suitable partner? There¡¯s been an uproar in the marketce. I wonder if she¡¯ll be getting married sooner orter¡­¡± ¡°Haha, it would be nice if she could¡­but she¡¯s not there yet.¡± Said Jeras, smirking. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t understand Hutton¡¯s words since it was a time-honored tradition of House Clementine¡¯s use of magma bears in their diet. The current patriarch, Jeras Clementine, had stumbled upon it as a child. A young Jeras, who was very thin and dissatisfied with the world, asked his father, who was the head of the family at the time, Yuri¡¯s grandfather, about it. What is all this food for? The patriarch¡¯s answer was very simple. ¡®The day I ate it, you were born.¡¯ He didn¡¯t understand the words at the time, butter, on his first night of marriage, he fully understood their meaning. Simrly, the day he ate the nourishing food, Yuri was born. Just because you want to have a child, it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re going to be able to do it, even if you have to go through a lot. In that sense, it was a miracle and that was the tradition and history of Clementine¡¯s fostering. In that sense, Hutton was deeply worried. It was his lord¡¯s order, and he would obey it, but he hadn¡¯t expected to send the recipe to Yuri, who wasn¡¯t even engaged, let alone married, yet. He wondered about Jeras intentions but Jeras knew this, and he spoke again to answer Hutton¡¯s question. ¡°Consider it a lesson. It won¡¯t do much good if she can¡¯t cook properly anyway, and I can¡¯t speak for her, but¡­ you know how well she can cook.¡± This was just a ¡°warm-up¡± for Yuri, who would soon be a man¡¯s bride. One day, she would have to cook for her husband. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t just send partial ingredients but sent a whole magma bear just to practice. After all, magma bears are very nutritious on their own, so he figured it would be a good way to soothe Zetto¡¯s hunger. Even if it didn¡¯t taste as good, it was still homemade, and that¡¯s what counts. A quick nce at Zetto convinced Jeras that he was the kind of person who would appreciate such things. ¡°¡­I suppose so.¡± But even with his exnation, Hutton was still nervous and he wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. In fact, the Clementine family¡¯s nourishment was so unique that it would be difficult to perfect, and the recipe would be ineffective without the various elements that had been left out. It¡¯s just a very nutritious food. Besides, Hutton was well aware that Yuri is a bad cook. But there was one thing he overlooked. Once before, Yuri hade into the kitchen to talk to Hutton. The Yuri of today has grown to be so graceful that she¡¯s been given the name ¡°ming Flower,¡± but back then she was a tiny little girl carrying a teddy bear that fit perfectly in her arms. ¡®Hutton, I want one of those!¡¯ At the time, Hutton was baking a very ordinary fried egg. Hutton smiled and said, ¡°Then the fried eggs on the table today will be made by you.¡± And so began Yuri¡¯s fried eggs. He showed her how to do it and although sloppy, the fried egg was ready in no time. But when Yuri looked at it, she said it was too different from what Hutton had made, from the shape to the baking, and she wanted to make it again and Hutton let her. Having three children of his own, he knew that children of that age tend to want to solve problems without help. Once again, he heard the tapping of the eggs and Yuri began to fry them. Whether it was her youth or herck of dexterity, it was not easy to create a fried egg that looked as good as Hutton¡¯s. Eventually, Hutton¡¯s fried eggs made it to the table but when Hutton returned from eating, Yuri was still in the kitchen, making fried eggs. That¡¯s when Hutton saw Yuri¡¯s, and Clementine¡¯s, ¡°tenacity.¡± Yuri¡¯s hands didn¡¯t stop until day turned to night, and then Yuri eximed. ¡°It¡¯s perfect¡­!¡± She had managed to create a fried egg that looked just like Hutton¡¯s and cooked to a certain perfection. And that¡¯s just for a very simple fried egg¡­Hutton was a very skilled cook. A young girl¡¯s persistence alone could overtake a perfect fried egg. That day, Yuri used up all the eggs in the house. Looking at the countless piles of eggshells in the kitchen, Yuri raised a short finger to her lips and said to Hutton. ¡°Shhh¡­! Keep this a secret from father.¡± Hearing the girl¡¯s whisper, Hutton could onlyugh weakly and had to rush to the market at dawn the next day to buy eggs. In any case, the secret was kept, and Jeras never found out but he praised Hutton for getting Yuri to sleep so soundly when she was so energetic. ¡°A career is different, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡± He muttered under his breath. Hutton ducked his head and narrowed his eyes at Jeras, who smiled at the meal, which was as satisfying as ever. Still, it would be okay if she didn¡¯t have enough ingredients this time, if she couldn¡¯t remember the vor of thest time she¡¯d eaten it. May she not be able to perfect the food this time. Hopefully, the news would never reach his ears that Clementine¡¯s youngdy had gotten ahead of herself. *** To Hutton¡¯s dismay, the wordse out of Yuri¡¯s mouth in the kitchen. ¡°¡­Perfect¡­!¡± Yuri eximed as she took a bite of her finished dish that was very simr to the nourishing food she had eaten before. Yuri smiled with pride and looked around. The kitchen was a mess while the day had been bright for a long time and Lucia had practically fallen asleep on the table. It would soon be time to go to school at the Academy. Yuri had every right to be tired after pulling an all-nighter, but she was just happy to be able to serve Zetto some ¡®decent¡¯ food. As she cleaned up the kitchen, Yuri felt a pang of anxiety. The cooking seemed to be done but there was still the matter of Lucia ¡®tasting¡¯, which she¡¯ll ask her to do as soon as she wakes up. Now all that remained was to invite Zetto to her room but this was not going to be easy. Bringing a guy into a girl¡¯s dorm was one thing, but the wording was another. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to cook him a meal¡­¡± Yuri shyly muttered to herself, then shook her head. The words slipped out of her mouth, thinking that no one would hear them since Lucia was asleep, but coincidentally, Lucia was awake. She was only pretending to be asleep because she was so full that she thought Yuri was going to feed her. ¡®What the¡­? What happened¡­?¡¯ The friend that Yuri wanted to cook for was none other than Zetto but wasn¡¯t Zetto dating Aizel? Lucia was very confused, but she decided to continue pretending to sleep. *** I was tired, but I made it to school on time. Today¡¯s ss was an outdoor ss in the back mountains dubbed a jointbat drill, it seemed to be preparing the cadets for an all-out warter in the day. The cadets had to coordinate with their teammates to deliver a meaningful blow to Edward. Once again, the groups were randomly assembled by Edward. My group was the first to challenge Edward, and between Yuri and me, we were able to end the battle fairly quickly. Well, except for the fact that Edward didn¡¯t use his signature illusions. Following my n, Yuri unleashed a barrage of fire magic, obscuring Edward¡¯s vision with smoke from the mes¡¯ aftermath while the rest of the group tried to distract him by firing spells and arrows at him, hoping he would be trapped by the smoke. It was then that I, who had used my Ki Sense to pinpoint Edward¡¯s exact location, used Chapter 1. With the protective spell broken, Edward said, ¡°It¡¯s not as easy as I thought to dodge a sword that I can¡¯t see or feel, huh¡­¡± and smiled wickedly. Sierra judged Edward to be a sullen fellow for deliberately allowing himself to be hit by an attack that he could have easily avoided. As we watched the other teams fight, Edward seemed to allow the cadets to attack casually, as if he were giving them a pass if they showed a goodbination. While our group watched the rest of the group battle. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot at me!¡± Amon shouted in anger as he was knocked into the air by Lucia¡¯s wind st. I don¡¯t know if Edward is using this opportunity to eliminate Lucia¡¯s weakness of fear, or if he¡¯s just picking on her and making things difficult for his teammates, but he¡¯s targeting Lucia intensively. Her teammate, Aizel, was dodging Lucia¡¯s wind spells and trying to get at Edward somehow but it was only a personal move and Edward wasn¡¯t letting her off the hook so easily. ¡°It¡¯s not as easy to use Lucia. Hmm¡­¡± Crank, who had been munching on his bread while watching them, gave his assessment. Crank was in the same group as me this time. Not having anything to throw at Edward, who was engulfed in smoke, he let his shield fly. I don¡¯t know where Crank came from¡­but for that moment, I could call him Captain Terracia. He was an A-ss tank, after all, so I was beginning to wonder what kind of defense he had. Anyway¡­The battle of Aizel group doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s going to end anytime soon. Edward was getting angry because Aizel was acting alone but Yuri, who had left the field earlier, hadn¡¯t returned. I waited for her to return, but she showed no sign of doing so. ¡®I thought we¡¯d go for a bite to eat afterwards¡­¡¯ I wondered where she had gone without saying a word, so I let the feeling drift away. ¡®¡­There she is.¡¯ I could detect Yuri¡¯s movement from the other side of the forest so I stood up from where I was sitting in the tree and started walking towards where she was. As I got closer and closer to Yuri, I could hear her voice without having to listen. ¡°Zetto¡­ I was thinking of cooking for you¡­¡± ¡­For some reason, Yuri was talking about me. [Cooking¡­?] Sierra, who was next to me, was also puzzled by her voice. Suddenly, Yuri mmed her fist into the tree in front of her. ¡°This isn¡¯t it¡­! Whoa¡­ What should I say?¡± Whether she was concentrating or not, Yuri hadn¡¯t yet noticed me approaching and her voice rang out once more from the center of the forest. ¡°Zetto, are you bleeding again? Oh, no. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to cook for you¡­ or anything¡­ Hmph¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what the hell was going on but it wasn¡¯t until I heard another p on the wood that I could see Yuri. She pushed the tree away with her left hand and stood against it like a wall. Her mouth opened once more as she didn¡¯t see Zetto, who was between the trees. ¡°Huh¡­ Zetto, I¡¯ll cook for you. Come to my room in the afternoon.¡± Yuri¡¯s rather charismaticments continue. -Oops. At that moment, I stepped on a branch as I approached Yuri since I was too embarrassed to pay attention to the ground. ¡°¡­Who is it?¡± Yuri¡¯s head snapped around at the sound and soon after she saw me. ¡°Zetto¡­?!¡± ¡°¡­Haha.¡± I smirked and scratched my head. ¡°Were you¡­ listening¡­?¡± Yuri¡¯s body trembled as she bowed her head so I walked over to her and replied in a nonchnt voice. ¡°I¡¯m excited to hear about cooking, so can we go to Ms. Yuri¡¯s room?¡± As soon as I answer, Yuri raises her head and asks in a shy voice. ¡°¡­Really?¡± [¡­Disciple?] Sierra asks in disbelief. ¡°Yeah, see youter.¡± I smiled and nodded since it was the only way to get out of this embarrassing situation. Chapter 108: Surging Power (2) Chapter 108: Surging Power (2) ¡°I guess clothes don¡¯t matter after all¡­?¡± I muttered to myself as I looked at the clothes I had taken out of the closet and thrown away. Aizel date was outside, but my date with Zetto was in my room. ¡®Okay, let¡¯s save the clothes forter¡­¡¯ I stared at my pants, which were so short it looked like I wasn¡¯t wearing any pants, and then looked away. Clothes didn¡¯t matter to Zetto anyway so I hurriedly gathered my clothes and moved to the kitchen. Keeping everything ready to cook at a moment¡¯s notice, I remembered the incident in the woods earlier. Deep in the woods Zetto heard me when I was debating whether or not to invite him to eat in my room. ¡®I never thought he¡¯de looking for me¡­¡¯ It was a giddy moment, even in retrospect. I was practicing my speech, thinking he was right in front of me, when he suddenly appeared. If it was Zetto with his sensitive ears¡­It was very likely that he heard everything I said. ¡°Ha¡­ I must be crazy¡­ What can I do¡­?¡± Coming to a conclusion, I stomped my foot and stopped chopping ingredients. ¡®Cooking sounds exciting, so should Ie to Ms. Yuri¡¯s room?¡¯ Well, that went over well, but¡­There was no romance. No matter how much I tried to charm him, I still came up short. ¡°Whoa¡­ At least there¡¯s food¡­¡± I took a deep breath and pushed myself back up from my squatting position in the kitchen. Anyway, when is Zettoing? He said he¡¯de by on his own, but he didn¡¯t set a specific time. When I asked him how he was going to find my room, he said he had a feeling it would work out. He could tell if someone was in the room or not. His ability to ¡°feel¡± was amazing so in a way that was the most important thing but since he was so casual about it, I let it slide. The sun was setting and it was getting dark, but Zetto hadn¡¯t shown up yet. This gave me plenty of time to prepare, but I was starting to get antsy. The thought of meeting Zetto in a few minutes made me impatient, and the ticking of the clock, which I would normally have ignored, was pressing on me. ¡®Was it too much to eat in my room¡­?¡¯ I was deeply worried that Zetto had been caught by the security guard while trying to enter the dormitory. After I finished cooking, I sat down on my bed with my legs crossed and decided to wait for him. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve ever waited so anxiously for someone in my life. Zetto was the first. Still, I doubted I could call it love. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t like him, but was it right to feel this way about him so suddenly? I had met him by chance, and it hade so naturally to me. I never once felt ufortable with him in all the time I was close to him. If I did, I was confused as to whether it was because he couldn¡¯t see my appearance, which other men were obsessed with, or simply because he was ¡®Zetto¡¯ but as I¡¯ve been thinkingtely, I don¡¯t think Zetto would have made me ufortable even if he could see. I don¡¯t think I sensed any ckness in him. It just felt that way. If only he wasn¡¯t blind¡­What if he wasn¡¯t blind? Would he have been more open to me? Would he have approached me as an ¡®opposite sex¡¯ instead of a ¡®friend¡¯? ¡­It was a stupid thought. -Knock. There was a knock on the door so I jumped out of bed as soon as I heard it and opened the door since I was worried if Zetto had gotten here in one piece. Eventually, the door opened fully and the figure standing in front of it slowly came into view. White bandages¡­ck hair¡­It was Zetto. He hade to the right ce and as soon as I saw him, the corners of my mouth turned up. ¡°¡­¡± I started to call out his name in delight, but Zetto put his index finger to his lips as if to silence me. That¡¯s right. Zetto was a boy, and this was a girl¡¯s dormitory so I quietly let him in and quickly closed the door behind him. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting, but I thought it would be a good time when the hallways would be less crowded.¡± Zetto spoke first, smiling. ¡°Oh, no, I wasn¡¯t really waiting, I was just sleeping¡­?¡± The words tumbled out of my mouth as I felt embarrassed by his gentle voice and kind words. It was a ¡®habit¡¯ I¡¯d acquired from Zetto, who had been embarrassing metely. ¡°Haha, the door opened pretty fast for someone sleeping, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­How did you get here, other than that, you didn¡¯t get caught on the way, did you?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ Not really, I was hiding in the shadows.¡± ¡°Shadows¡­?¡± Zetto shrugs at my question. ¡­Well, I suppose that means he traveled stealthily. ¡°Well, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± Soon, Zetto was standing in my room. ¡°This is Yuri¡¯s room. I¡¯ve never seen a girl¡¯s room before¡­¡± After walking around the room, Zetto leaned his sword against one of the walls, and then stood in the center of the room, his head turned toward me, waiting for something. ¡°¡­Oh, do you want to sit on the bed?¡± I was puzzled by this, but quickly ushered him over. He was the guest, not me, but the thought of being alone with him in this cramped room made it hard to stay calm. Sitting on the bed, Zetto¡¯s mouth opened. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re cooking all of a sudden, I didn¡¯t know Yuri could cook.¡± ¡°Hmm, hmm¡­ Cooking is nothing special.¡± At Zetto¡¯s question, she let out a hollow cough before bluffing. ¡­I didn¡¯t need to tell him that I had been practicing cooking all day so I headed straight to the kitchen to prepare the food. As I prepared the food, I turned my head and caught sight of Zetto, who was sitting still on the bed. As usual, he was looking like a picture sitting on the bed, blending in with the darkness of the night reflected in the window behind him. I wanted to say something, but it wasn¡¯t easy. I was embarrassed to be in a room with just the two of us, as if we were a married couple. I pulled my gaze away from Zetto and focused on the food again. The food was ready in no time since I had prepared it in advance, and the process had be second nature to me because I had repeated it so many times. Toward the end of the cooking process, I heard Zetto¡¯s voice in the distance. ¡°¡­It smells good. Are you cooking meat?¡± Zetto looked up and sniffed. ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve been bleeding profuselytely, and your body seems to be weak¡­ so I¡¯ve been preparing a specially prepared nourishing meal handed down from my family.¡± I guess I don¡¯t need to tell him what kind of meat it is. ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s okay to feed such precious food to an outsider like me¡­¡± ¡°Phew, don¡¯t worry. This is probably the first time I¡¯ve ever served a non-family member, but¡­ Well, I have my father¡¯s permission.¡± ¡°Your father?¡± ¡°Yes. In a letter¡­He also gave me the ingredients.¡± I answered Zetto¡¯s question and poured the food into a bowl. ¡°Zetto, it¡¯s ready¡­¡± I called out to him as I set the bowl on the table and he got out of bed, and came over to sit at the table. There were two people, but only one bowl and one cutlery. I looked at Zetto, who was sitting at the table, tilting his head, and opened his mouth. ¡°This, this is going to be tricky to eat because of the bones, so I¡¯m going to help you¡­¡± I said, and used the knife to remove the bones from the meat. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s nice of you to cook for me.¡± Zetto waved his hand away, but my hand didn¡¯t stop. ¡°And while we¡¯re on the subject of frailty¡­ Never mind. Take it.¡± Zetto smiled weakly at my words and gave up trying to resist. ¡®It¡¯s only for the sake of the blind Zetto, not to satisfy my own selfishness¡­¡¯ With that thought in my mind, I slowly pushed the meaty fork to the corner of his mouth. ¡°Ah. Do you want to try¡­?¡± At my words, Zetto opened his mouth. Just like that, the meat is in his mouth, and his mouth immediately closes. When he¡¯s finished chewing and swallowing, I ask him carefully. ¡°How is it¡­?¡± I taste it in the middle, and it¡¯s not too bad. When I fed it to Lucia when she woke up in the morning, her eyes were wide as she said it was fine¡­ Maybe it was done well, but everyone¡¯s tongue has different preferences. I couldn¡¯t let go of the tension. But unlike my worries, Zetto, who had been scratching his head, asked a pleasant question. ¡°Miss Yuri is a good cook, isn¡¯t she¡­?¡± ¡°Is it delicious¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that it was made by a skillful chef.¡± As I listened to his words, I felt my heart leap for joy. I was satisfied that my efforts were not in vain and I felt a sense of aplishment that I had fed him ording to n but most of all it meant a lot to know that I¡¯d been able to bring a smile to his face. ¡°Ah.¡± I pushed the meat to his lips again. ¡°¡­¡± The corners of my mouth twitched upward as I stared at Zetto, with his clenched jaw. ¡®¡­Cute.¡¯ Zetto¡¯s obedience to my words was so different from his usual demeanor that I found him cute. I¡¯ve never been a big fan of cute things, but I guess this isn¡¯t a bad thing sometimes. ¡®We look like a real couple¡­¡¯ I¡¯ve never been married, but this date was definitely special and as I thought about it, I pushed the meat toward him again. ¡°It seems like I¡¯m the only one eating¡­¡± Zetto grabbed my hand and gently took the meaty fork from me. ¡°I made this food for you, so you should be the only one eating it.¡± ¡°¡­Because food tastes better when we eat it together, even if I can¡¯t get it to your mouth¡­Yuri, try it.¡± Zetto said as he held his fork near my face. Apparently, he was bothered that I wasn¡¯t eating. ¡°¡­¡± I stammered, embarrassed by the turn of events but Zetto was still waiting for me. ¡®To be fed by someone else¡­it¡¯s very shameful¡­¡¯ I rolled my eyes and popped the meat into my mouth. The only sound in the quiet room was my mumbling but for some reason, I felt even more embarrassed. I swallowed the meatpletely, and Zetto smiled at me. ¡°What do you think? Is it good?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± I replied weakly, unable to look up for a moment as my face burned. Chapter 109: Surging Power (3) Chapter 109: Surging Power (3) As Zetto and I fed each other, the food quickly disappeared. I wondered if it was okay for me to eat it since it was made for his frail body, but I realized that it would be a rare opportunity for him to feed me, so I gobbled it up. ¡°How¡¯s that, do you feel stronger¡­?¡± I asked Zetto as he sat on the bed, while I was cleaning up the dishes after our intimate meal. ¡°Strength? I feel like I¡¯ve been gaining strength since earlier, so I guess that¡¯s why I¡¯m feeling a little feverish, but¡­¡± ¡°Fever¡­? Mmm¡­¡± I muttered at Zetto¡¯s next words. Still, it¡¯s a nutritious food, so it only gave me a little energy, but I wonder if it¡¯s better for men, as Hutton said, but it seems to have a greater effect on Zetto. The first ingredient, the Magma Bear, is a monster that lives in theva fields. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was because it was a fire magic Clementine family nourishment or because it was an ingredient, but it seemed to have increased his strength. While I was thinking about it, I heard a strange sounding from the direction where Zetto was. -Plop It was the sound of something falling on the fluffy bed. I felt puzzled and immediately turned my head and the next thing I knew, Zetto was lying on the bed. ¡°Zetto¡­?¡± I called out to him, but he didn¡¯t answer. I wondered if he was ying some kind of prank on me so I walked over and called out to him again. ¡°¡­Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Still no answer. At least, the Zetto I knew wasn¡¯t the type to just lie down in a woman¡¯s bed without saying a word. Sensing the oddity of this, I shook his shoulder slightly. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± His body stirred without much resistance to my touch so I thought he might have fallen asleep but I couldn¡¯t be sure. His eyes were covered with bandages, so I couldn¡¯t tell if they were closed or open so I kept calling out to him and shaking his shoulder. How could he be sleeping in this situation? ¡­I think Zetto must have passed out. ¡°Did I¡­Did I make the wrong food¡­?¡± rmed, I checked Zetto¡¯s pulse and found that it was still there, albeit a little too fast. It hadn¡¯t happened before since neither Lucia nor I had any health problems. So what the hell was going on? *** When Hutton, the Clementine family chef, realizes that a whole magma bear has been sent to Yuri, he rushes to find his master, Jeras Clementine. ¡°¡­So you¡¯re worried about Yuri¡¯s obsession with perfecting the dish?¡± Hearing Hutton¡¯s exnation, Jeras leisurely flipped through his papers. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Hutton, on the other hand, had his head down and was pondering. ¡°Hahaha! ¡­Hutton, don¡¯t worry too much, even if Yuri does perfect the food, it won¡¯t do what you¡¯re worried about. You know the true effects of nourishing food¡­¡± ¡°I do, but¡­¡± ¡°When I met her not long ago, she still had a fairy tale book on her bedside table. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to catch it, even if given the chance.¡± ¡°What do you mean, unfortunately, my lord¡­?¡± ¡°She should have realized how much she likes him. He¡¯s a decent enough man and I¡¯m sure you¡¯d agree if you met him.¡± At Jeras words, Hutton could only scratch his head with a shaky smile. The man who consumes Clementine¡¯s nourishment feels a surge of ¡®strength¡¯, but he is unable to ovee it and falls asleep. It is not until muchter that the big event takes ce. Hutton, too, was surprised to learn of the potion¡¯s effectiveness, and spected that perhaps a woman had been the patriarch of Clementine¡¯s family when it was created. ¡®A fairy tale.¡¯ Hutton was a little relieved, as he was well aware of the innocence of Yuri. After all, a woman¡¯s ¡°active movement¡± is required to fully enjoy the benefits of the potion. *** In the darkness of the unlit room, I stared at Zetto, who slept peacefully by the light of the moon. It was so quiet in the room that he could hear Zetto¡¯s breathing in his ears if I stayed still. ¡®You went to sleep without saying a word¡­¡¯ Zetto had been working himself to the point of exhaustiontely so I wondered if he hadn¡¯t been able to withstand the overwhelming fatigue. With that thought in mind, Iid Zetto down on the bed and covered him with a quilt after he fell asleep in an awkward position. I rolled my eyes and nced to the side. ¡°¡­¡± Something was rising up near Zetto¡¯s lower body, and even with the futon covering it¡­its presence was overwhelming. It was something much different from my shallow knowledge. To put it bluntly¡­ugly. I had no idea how it had gotten there, but I was determined to pay it as little attention as possible so I quickly put a nket over my face, knowing that if I didn¡¯t, my face would explode with heat. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but stare at it and suddenly I remembered what my father had said to me before he left. ¡®With a son-inw like Zetto, this father is always in favor.¡¯ What if¡­my father¡¯s words were true, if I were to be engaged to Zetto and marry him? It was a what-if, but I swallowed hard. ¡®I¡¯ll have to deal with that every night¡­?¡¯ I buried my face that was burning just by thinking about it in the bed. How in the world could I possibly be fantasizing about doing something to a sleeping Zetto? ¡°Whoa¡­¡± I looked up and took a deep breath, quickly clearing my head. ¡®No matter what¡­¡¯ I couldn¡¯t bring myself to make such an unscrupulous disy of lust against someone who was asleep from exhaustion. Soon enough, his face came into view once more. His eyes were hidden by the bandages over his eyes, but he had a sharp jawline and a straight nose. He was very popr with the female students, as he was quite handsome, and even the bandages couldn¡¯t hide it. This was undeniably true, even for the girls who used to ogle and flirt with him when he was performing acupuncture. Then he came to my room,id down on my bed, and fell asleep, defenseless. As I slowly reyed the events, one by one, my heart kept tickling. ¡®Lucia told me that Zetto was running his hands through his hair when he was on a date with Aizel¡­¡¯ My hand naturally went to check his forehead but I stopped it. I wondered if it was okay to touch him when he was so defenseless and unresponsive. ¡®But at least his forehead¡­¡¯ No one would see and no one would know. The thin walls of my mind crumbled, and I gently brushed back the hair that covered his forehead. In the next moment, Zetto¡¯s smooth forehead is revealed. ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± I smiled slightly as I studied him. This was definitely something different. Gathering my courage, I leaned in close to his face. My lips lingered, but that wasn¡¯t my intention. Soon, I could hear his breathing in my ear. It was the first time I¡¯d ever heard him this close. It was nothing, just a small rush of breath, but¡­ I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s my mood or what, but for some reason, my body and mind are rxing. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Maybe I was just sleepy so I decided to put my head near his and try to sleep. Even if we didn¡¯t sleep together, it was the closest I could get. Although we didn¡¯t get to talk as much as I would have liked, I feel like I was able to spend more than enough time with him. Before closing my eyes, I whispered something to Zetto and although I knew he wouldn¡¯t hear me, it was something I wanted to say at least once. ¡°Good night, Zetto.¡± *** Meanwhile, as Zetto wakes up and quickly grasps the situation, Ecline is in trouble. Saint Bernice hadn¡¯t eaten in days and the reason was Zetto¡¯s initiation as an honorary knight a few days earlier. ¡°Sister, surely Zetto said he was fine¡­¡± Ecline said sternly to Bernice, who was still refusing to eat and Bernice¡¯s pursed lips slowly opened. ¡°¡­That¡¯s the problem, I¡¯ve ruined his initiation ceremony so I don¡¯t deserve a meal¡­a one-time initiation ceremony¡­without a blessing. Without a blessing¡­¡± Bernice trails off, bows her head deeply and her soon-to-be-dead voice is heard. ¡°I am the worst¡­¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to say that¡­¡± Ecline couldn¡¯t tell, but Bernice¡¯s words held many meanings. It was bad enough that she had ruined Zetto¡¯s initiation ceremony, but she realized that the dark aura on Zetto¡¯s body, and the helplessness with which she had to ept his ¡®fate¡¯, which could never be known, was the worst. Still, she couldn¡¯t go against the revtion of the Lord since she was told that if she messed with it, she would not escape punishment. But the aura that had taken up residence in his body was growing in size. At first nce, it seemed to be spreading from his heart to his entire body. Even Zetto¡¯s life force had been drained from him, as if it had been gnawed away by something but Bernice could not detect any trauma or internal injury in him. The implications of that fact were obvious. So far, so good, but would it be the same afterward? Bernice was afraid of that unknown future. For the first time in her life, she had something to fear. The curse, or whatever it was, Bernice had the power to break it but she could not interfere with the fate of the man named Zetto and because of that Bernice felt she was the worst kind of woman. Bernice began to sob again since thinking of Zetto overwhelmed her with emotion, and the tears kepting. ¡°Saint¡­¡± Ecline could only wonder that even if she had ruined the initiation ceremony, was it really that painful¡­ Isn¡¯t it too early to say that they¡¯ll die without each other? Eventually, Bernice¡¯s frustration got the better of her, and Ecline drew her sword. ¡°Saint, if you¡¯re going to be like this, you should meet. How long are you going to sit there and wait?¡± ¡°You want me to go see him¡­? But he¡¯s at the Academy¡­¡± Bernice interrupted Ecline¡¯s rambling. ¡°¡­We¡¯ll have to put on a disguise or something.¡± ¡°Disguise¡­? But¡­Do I have the right to go to him¡­?¡± ¡°The Saint is the master of the Knights and you¡¯re also the master of the Honorary Knight Zetto, so you have plenty of qualifications, don¡¯t you think?¡± Bernice nodded at Ecline¡¯s answer while Ecline crossed her arms and continued. ¡°If you¡¯ve done something wrong, you can ask for forgiveness¡­It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve broken off your rtionship with Zetto because of this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t change Zetto¡¯s cruel fate, but she could be good to him, as Ecline had said. It was only right, Bernice thought, to make him as happy as possible. Though she didn¡¯t know how long that wouldst. Still, she felt it was the best she could do. ¡°¡­I was being silly, thank you, Ecline.¡± Bernice regained herposure. ¡°Well, well¡­ If you¡¯re grateful, please eat first.¡± Ecline turned away from her and scratched her head in frustration. Despite this, Ecline was very fond of Bernice and followed her closely. It was a little sad to see Bernice in that condition, but as long as Bernice was happy, that was enough for her. Chapter 110: The Scene of a Massacre (1) Chapter 110: The Scene of a Massacre (1) I scramble to my feet, rolling Sheddie off my chest. I tried to regain myposure, but I could hear someone¡¯s gentle nudging next to me. However I didn¡¯t have to turn my head to know who it was. ¡­It was Yuri. She was sitting in a chair beside the bed, curled up on the bedspread, sound asleep. ¡®I ate the nourishing food that Yuri prepared for me yesterday¡­¡¯ ¡­I didn¡¯t even remember how I fell asleep. I wasn¡¯t tired enough to lose consciousness so it must have been the food that made me feel so feverish. Then Sierra came into view. [¡­] I expected her to be angry likest time, but she wasn¡¯t. ¡­No. From the way her face was contorted, it was clear she was upset. Still¡­ I realize that not much happenedst night. Soon, Yuri rolls over on her stomach, apparently awakened by my presence. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She must have fallen asleep in an awkward position and her body must be very stiff. ¡°¡­You must be very ufortable, I think I took your bed away from you¡­¡± I said that to Yuri, who was still lying on the bed, rubbing her eyes. ¡°Ugh¡­ It¡¯s okay.¡± Yuri pushed herself up and leaned back in her chair to stretch. Now it was time to organize the situation. *** I thought Yuri couldn¡¯t cook but the food was delicious. That was strange, but then something even stranger happened. As I leaned back in the carriage that was now as familiar as my bed, I nced at my status window. In the list of skills I have, I see a new one. ¡®Surging Power¡­ Like Ki Sense, was a new skill to me.¡¯ It must havee from Yuri¡¯s cooking. As simple as the name suggests, it¡¯s a passive skill that strengthens you to the point of bursting with power. It was just a matter of what that ¡®power¡¯ was but as usual, when a skill appears in the status bar, I¡¯ll naturally get a sense of what it is. The enhanced strength was not muscle strength¡­It was a man¡¯s strength. In other words, it was a skill, but it felt like a boost. ¡®It¡¯s called the Clementine family¡¯s nourishing food¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a food I was familiar with, but at least I knew what it was for. Well, that doesn¡¯t mean that Yuri, who fed me the food, knew the effect. I couldn¡¯t resist the drowsiness that overtook me after eating the food but unlike thest time, Sierra didn¡¯t get angry. She simply told me to rest assured that nothing had happened and continued to praise Yuri for her self-control. I¡¯m not sure what kind of self-control that is, but I¡¯ll take it. It was a somewhat unprotected sleep, but nothing happened. Yuri didn¡¯t know about the effect of the supplement, so there was no one to me and no need to me. I had to apologize to Yuri for taking her bed away from her because of my unexpected sleepiness. Just the day before, I had heard the same apology from Kaen, but this was different. Yuri was grateful and I hadn¡¯t expected her to prepare a meal for me just because I had a little blood dripping from my mouth. I had something for her, too but the item was so valuable that I had to have a good reason to give it to her. ¡®If I could, I would have given it to Yuri before she was in danger¡­¡¯ This time, I gave it to her because I really appreciated the food she had prepared. ¡°Zetto¡­Even though you said you got it from the Labyrinth, is it really okay to give it away like this¡­? Yuri hesitated, as if the item was a burden. It was understandable, but it would be harder to give it away if it wasn¡¯t for this. After all, I had picked it up in the Labyrinth, and even if I pretended, it wasn¡¯t something I needed. I pushed the status window out of view and looked up as the carriage rattled, and the back of my head bumps against it. Edward¡¯s ss was a jointbat drill again today. It¡¯s going to be more of the same until we leave for the desert soon. It wasn¡¯t too difficult to organize, so our group quickly finished the battle but unfortunately, Aizel and Yuri were in a different group. After the battle, I asked Edward if I could go home early, and he graciously agreed. I had work to do today and it was best to get back to the carriage as early as possible. With Sheddie¡¯s powers, I could easily avoid prying eyes, even in broad daylight. [Hmm¡­reincarnation¡­] Sierra murmured as she rested her chin on my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me. I had told her part of my n. To be precise, it was a n for the Hero. In the original game, you meet the reincarnated Hero in the middle tote game but since Aizel dies in the middle of the game, it¡¯s something that happens after that. As I grew faster, there were more things I could do and more future stories I could twist. My growth was for this but it was much faster than I had anticipated, and I decided that I had reached a point where I could touch the hero, which was a pretty important ¡°root¡± of the story. ¡°Smile.¡± Sheddie, in my arms, purrs at my smile so I stroked her fur. The goal of the n was simple: bring the Hero to the Academy. Most Academies in other ces had bad things happen to them, like not being safe inside the Academy, or having a ck cloud invade the Academy on a random day, but at least the Innocence Academy was different. From the ck Blooded Trio to the Sage at the very center of the Labyrinth and even headmaster, Juliut, is someone the demons can¡¯t easily touch. Foolhardy demons had set foot in the Academy a few times before, and the results had been deadly. Based on what I¡¯ve seen in the game, it seems that in recent years, Edward has been responsible. Because of this, the current demons were reluctant to even set foot in the Academy. At the very least, they know they can¡¯t win on our home ground. Furthermore, with the prophesied ¡°resurrection¡± of the Demon King only a few years away, the demons saw no need to make a fool of themselves and hasten the war. That¡¯s why he wanted to bring the Hero to the safety of the Academy. [If what you say is indeed true¡­things seem to be escting.] It was a strange thing for Sierra to do but it was something she would have to deal with as long as she was my Spectral Sword, not someone else¡¯s. I always sought to use my knowledge from the game but it wasn¡¯t easy to be honest with Sierra. However I couldn¡¯t refuse to use my knowledge nor could I choose to risk the lives of others when there was a safer, easier way. At least I hadn¡¯t lied to her, so she could only trust me this time. [By the way¡­] Sierra spoke up, and I turned my head slyly in her direction. [¡­Even if you do bring the Hero with you, how do you n to convince him, after all, you¡¯re a stranger to him.] Sierra pointed out the w in the n. Even if I could get her to a safe ce before she was in danger, the question was how to get her there. I tilted my head again at Sierra¡¯s question and rubbed my jaw. ¡®Well¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like I was going to bring her in right now. What I was going to do this time was justying the groundwork. Today¡¯s task was to deal a major blow to one of the demons¡¯ intelligence organizations that would be able to get information on the Hero. This would slow down the demons¡¯ ability to reach her, and I would take advantage of that to bring her to the Academy. I had an idea of what I wanted to say to convince her, but it seemed like a good n to meet her personality to be sure. Like in the game, I won¡¯t get two chances. *** Papers fly through the air and loud noises fill the ce. ¡°What the fuck, you bring this shit in as information?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­It¡¯s so fucking loud, I can¡¯t do my job.¡± ¡°What, is that asshole done talking? We¡¯re going to have a fight?¡± ¡°Yeah, he got me, that son of a bitch. I didn¡¯t like that.¡± All the information gathered by the demons that fearlessly set foot on human soil is gathered here. Oh, not all of it, but one of the branches, divided by region. Not only do they collect information, but they also organize it. Humans had something called an intelligence guild, but this was the intelligence guild of demons. Not all demons are strong and have a talent for killing people. However, they all wanted to be strong. This ce could be seen as a ¡®pit¡¯ where those who had no talent but couldn¡¯t let go of their desire to be strong gathered. It was a ce where countless demons gathered, but none of them bared their horns on their foreheads. Weaker demons couldn¡¯t even hide their magic properly, so they weren¡¯t allowed to show their horns in this ce. That was one of the few rules and policies here. ¡°¡­Those dumbasses fight all the time, all the time¡­That¡¯s why I don¡¯t even want to trade with the red ones.¡± The asshole with the monocle in front of me is a guy named Jorgal, and he¡¯s my boss. In fact, we were coworkers not too long ago and he was a lowly red-horned demon like me but somehow he got some good connections and suddenly started killing a lot of humans, so his horns changed color. His once-red horns became a little, very little, duller. To the outside world, it was a very subtle difference, but to the demons, the color meant a lot. ¡°What do you think? Oh, right. You too¡­ Uh-huh¡­¡± Turning his head, Jorgal pointed to my forehead, then sighed in exasperation. He knew full well that I was still a red horn. I was at the bottom of the food chain, even in this disgusting, horrible pit. It was bad enough that I had no talent for magic, but to have my horns change color was something else entirely. To demons, horn color was a measure of strength and rank. ¡®¡­Son of a bitch.¡¯ It was clumsy to say that the one who had killed a human was better, especially since it hadn¡¯t been long since the color had changed. At least if my horns changed color like Jorgal, I would have been better at handling magick than he was. ¡­Maybe. Chapter 111: The Scene of a Massacre (2) Chapter 111: The Scene of a Massacre (2) ¡°What do you think? Oh, right. You too¡­ Ugh¡­¡± Jorgal sighed and crumpled the papers I¡¯d brought with me without even looking at them. ¡®I¡¯ve been doing some research¡­¡¯ My heart sank, but I swallowed hard. There was nothing I, a red-horn, could do. After tossing the crumpled papers into the trash, Jorgal looked at me and spoke up. ¡°Hey, did you hear that the new recruits assigned to the Southern Division went to the desert and came back with a handful of sand?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the first I¡¯ve heard of it, but¡­¡± I scratched my neck and replied, having been punched in the back of the head by Jorgal for disrespect. ¡°It¡¯s their first time in the desert¡­assholes. If they¡¯re going to the desert to bring back pieces of ¡®otherworldly¡¯ corpses, among many other things they should¡¯ve done it properly instead of bringing sand everywhere.¡± When I wasn¡¯t sure what I wanted to say, it was best to smile. It was one of the survival tricks I¡¯d learned. ¡°Hahaha, those are some funny guys.¡± Overhearing my stutteringughter, Jorgal hit me over the head with a nearby stack of papers. ¡°Hey, asshole, you¡¯re doing the same thing. What, the hero reincarnated? You think you found him this time? And all you got for your information was a piece of stone? And the three humans you took for travel expenses are already well on their way to your horns?¡± He ps me on the head and throws a rock from his desk at me. It hits me in the chest and ricochets off, and I catch it before it hits the floor. ¡°No¡­ I was definitely sensing the hero aura¡­¡­this is¡­¡± I looked at the stone in my hand and tears welled up in my eyes. I had definitely felt the aura of a warrior. ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s my fault for listening to you so straightforwardly. Jorgal sneered at me enthusiastically. He was the one who asked me to go on a business trip while I was quietly gathering information about the hero. ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid things are going to go a little wrong this time¡­ I need you to take over.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°What the hell, do you think I should be demoted because of your bullshit?¡± He waved his hand in front of his face like he was telling me to get lost. ¡®Demoted¡­?¡¯ I staggered back to my seat, my legs giving out with every step. There was only one ce I could get demoted to, the western branch, the branch near the Holy Land. ¡®I heard they cut your head off for going to work there¡­¡¯ I didn¡¯t want to be decapitated at such a young age without ever blossoming. I had a dream. The same dream that all these assholes in this shithole have: ck horns. I¡¯ve had people ask me what kind of ck horns I have in this shithole, where I¡¯m not a demon, where I¡¯m not fighting for my life with honor, where I¡¯m treated like a piece of paper. There was a legendary demon at the bottom of this pit. A legendary demon who grew ck horns with just a stack of papers. It was said that the number of humans he received as a reward was in the thousands. They call him a legend because of his aplishments, but he is real. I believe he is currently serving on the staff of the Legionnaire. He¡¯s also the head of this organization, by the way. I wonder if I¡¯ll ever get to meet him. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± I sighed and organized the papers on my desk. I had to save my life first and if I didn¡¯t want to be demoted, I had to find out what I could. I needed something much more tangible than ancient texts so I stared at the stone in my hand. It seemed to sense the faintest trace of the hero aura. More precisely, I suspected it was the energy of a holy sword. In ancient texts, holy swords were said to have the power of the stars. I ced the stone in the corner of my desk and pulled out a map, then I began to mark the map vige by vige. Areas rumored to have seen meteors falling out of nowhere. Since they were rumors, I had to filter them out a bit. The meteor was supposed to be a summoned holy sword and the stone fragments were probably debris from the summoning. Again, it was just a guess. ¡°At a rough guess¡­¡± I circled a spot on the map where the markings I had made based on rumors were particrly clustered. ¡®¡­around here.¡¯ The ancient texts of the humans said that it was very difficult for the hero and the demon king to escape their ¡®bonds¡¯. The demon king¡¯s resurrection was decades away at best, so the hero hadn¡¯t been reincarnated, or rather born, for that matter¡­ Perhaps he was still a child and in that state, he would be very easy to kill¡­ and what better news for the soon-to-be resurrected Demon King. Bing a ck Horn wasn¡¯t out of the question, if I could find him. ¡®¡­Do I have to go through all the viges around here?¡¯ As I was thinking about it someone walks by my desk and taps me ufortably on the shoulder. I frowned and turned to see Jorgal standing there with a sinister grin on his face. ¡°Hey¡­You¡¯re working hard, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m going home first, because a pretty youngdy who lives nearby is looking for me¡­kihihihi¡­The one with the ck horns¡­She must be in some kind of prestigious unit. Sheplimented me on my intelligence, saying I¡¯m not like her. I guess she liked me. Ha-ha-ha!¡± Jorgalughs, then pats me on the shoulder and walks away. ¡®Assholes¡­How dare they mate in no man¡¯snd.¡¯ Bastards can do what they want, I guess. Dozens of minutes have passed since Jorgal left. I tried to concentrate, but it wasn¡¯t that easy. ¡°Aah¡­That was¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but think about what Jorgal would do next since it had been a while since I held a woman. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I leaned back in my chair and looked up. On the other side of the room, there was another flurry of papers. No matter what I do, I¡¯m going to lose my mind in this ce. ¡®Let¡¯s go outside and get some air.¡¯ That sounded like a good idea, so I pushed myself to my feet. It was gettingte, and unless I had the misfortune to run into some knights, nothing would happen. I scrambled out of my chair, grabbed my coat, and headed for the building¡¯s entrance. As I step to the door, I hear amotion from the doorway. ¡°Hey, asshole, identify yourself properly.¡± ¡°Oh, we¡¯re rted¡­¡± The first voice was clearly that of the demon standing guard. I had seen his horns once before, and they were a dark red color, but he was a demon that could be said to be much stronger than me. ¡®Well, I wonder how many demons in this building are weaker than me¡­¡¯ He was a good-natured guy, so how could he be so angry? ¡®I was a little¡­ Stupid.¡¯ I peeked around the corner and saw a dark-haired man was being held back by the guard. ¡°So don¡¯t show me that weird ck thing, show me your horns or something!¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t you think I don¡¯t know the rules of this floor? From the moment I set foot in this building, I¡¯m not allowed to show my horns.¡± The man being held up was right but I didn¡¯t recognize him either. Most of all, I noticed the white bandages around his eyes so he might be blind. As far as I could remember, there were no bandaged¡­blind demons. It was apletely unfamiliar face. At least he knows the rules¡­maybe he¡¯s new. ¡°Hey, is there a problem?¡± I asked politely as I approached them before themotion grew any louder. The guard gestures with his free hand at the man clutching his fist. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him before¡­He showed me this weird ck liquid and asked if he could pass, and then I asked him to show me his horns, and he didn¡¯t, isn¡¯t he human?!¡± ¡°Of course you¡¯ve never seen me before¡­I¡¯m new here¡­¡± The man struggled to breathe as the guard lifted his arm in excitement. ¡°Now, now¡­ Just calm down for a second¡­¡± I say, holding up my palm, and the grumpy security guard thankfully relents. ¡°C¡¯mon¡­ Phew¡­ Whoa¡­ Thank you.¡± The man smiles at me as he catches his breath. But it wasn¡¯t over yet. Even though there were countless demons here whose names even I couldn¡¯t recognize, his features were all too recognizable. ¡®He knew the rules¡­It means he¡¯s new¡­¡¯ I opened my mouth as I approached the man who imed to be a neer. ¡°That¡­You said you¡¯re new, but what¡¯s the ck liquid?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡± Soon, something like a slimy ck droplet erupted from the bandaged man¡¯s finger and moved around. I wonder what this is. The darkness of the energy was simr to that of a demon, but something was different. As I stare at it wide-eyed and silent, the bandage man exins. ¡°¡­It¡¯s because I have a bit of experience with spirits.¡± ¡°Spirits¡­ You mean dark spirits¡­?! No, I mean, why did youe here instead of going to thebat unit¡­?¡± Elementalists were rare among demons and one was supposed to be on the elite course to be one, but why did hee to this pit? ¡°Well¡­ there was something that happened. It¡¯s a family matter¡­¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­ I see.¡± From the look on his face, it was clear that he was demoted. He was entrusted with the task of gathering information when he couldn¡¯t even look at the documents. Still, it didn¡¯t hurt to make a connection with an elementalist. The guard still seems to be a little out of the loop, so maybe I should help him out here. ¡°By any chance, when you were assigned this time, you were given a card or something¡­? Do you have the card you got when you came in, the thin one?¡± I stumbled over my words unintentionally, but I was quick to catch myself. ¡°Uh, card¡­ I do.¡± The bandaged man quickly pulls a card from his arm and hands it to me. The security guard looks at it in wonder, as if he¡¯s never seen one before but it was a device for identification on this floor. ¡®Wait a minute, is this the first time the guard has seen this?¡¯ ¡­I figured he must have been stupid and forgotten. ¡°Here, if I infuse magick into this¡­¡± I showed the guard the card and inserted magick on it. I didn¡¯t need to show the man in the bandages, as he was blind. The guard, who had read the card, let out an ¡°Oooh!¡± and pped his hands. Then releases the man¡¯s grip and pats him on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the misunderstanding, Jorgal.¡± ¡°Haha, no problem.¡± The man in the bandages smirked as he straightened his own cor. Overhearing their conversation, I quickly flipped the card over to see what it said. Jorgal, that¡¯s what it said. It was a very familiar name. ¡®Didn¡¯t Jorgal just¡­ go outside¡­?¡¯ At least this smiling man in front of me was definitely not Jorgal. But why, and for what purpose, is this man pretending to be him? And where is the real Jorgal? I felt goosebumps all over my body as I realized the ufortable truth. Chapter 112: The Scene of a Massacre (3) Chapter 112: The Scene of a Massacre (3) The demon who was digging into the reincarnation of the hero, Ranglok, had to desperately swallow the sentence that was trying to pop out of his wriggling mouth. ¡®You¡¯re not Jorgal.¡¯ The smile of the man with white bandages wrapped around his eyes enters his sight. Ranglok did not bother to imagine what that smile meant. He was just busy taking care of himself. It was none of his business what happened to Jorgal, who was unlucky even on normal days. Demons were evil, and so was Ranglok. ¡°Ahem¡­ Here¡¯s your card. Mr. Jorgal.¡± Ranglok returned the card to him with a cough. The man nodded slightly and then put the card in his pocket. ¡°Well, I¡¯m busy, so¡­¡± It was then that Ranglok turned his back. ¡°Uh¡­ Excuse me¡­¡± He hears the voice of the man with bandages behind him. Ranglok wanted to ignore him and pretend he didn¡¯t hear him, but his arm was grabbed as soon as he heard his voice. ¡°¡­Haha. Why are you doing that?¡± ¡°I was wondering if you could show me around this ce.¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy¡­¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯ll show me around, right?¡± Ranglok tried to get out of there quickly, but the man casually cut off his words. Ranglok swallowed his saliva. He could tell because he had been a red horn, a bottom of the food chain, a weakling among the weaklings. He felt a clear ¡®killing intent¡¯ in the voice of the man in front of him. ¡°¡­That would be better. Ahaha¡­¡± Ranglok nced at the security guard. The security guard was sitting at his seat, snorting his nose. He barely held back a sigh and started to guide him. Ranglok was quick-witted so his brain rotated fast. He realized that this demon who came in disguise and imed to be a newbie was dangerous. He guessed that something very bad would happen in this ce tonight, whatever his purpose was. But Ranglok would never know in his life that the shadow of the security guard swallowed the security guard as soon as he turned his eyes away from the security guard at the blind man¡¯s gesture. Ranglok walked ahead of him and tried to figure out what he was up to and just realized that he couldn¡¯t tell what color horn he was. Judging by the pressure and suffocation he felt from behind, he knew that there was a huge difference between him and the bandaged man. Of course, it didn¡¯t matter much since there were no demons weaker than red horns. ¡°¡­By the way, I didn¡¯t hear your name.¡± The man¡¯s questiones softly from behind Ranglok. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m Ranglok¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t refuse his question. No, he didn¡¯t want to refuse it. Ranglok decided that he didn¡¯t need to hate him, even if he didn¡¯t know what he was up to. Soon Ranglok opened the door to the hall and entered. ¡°This is the hall. Everyone is working here.¡± The hall was still a noisy mess with piles of documents flying around everywhere. No one paid attention to Ranglok and the man with bandages who opened the door and entered. The man who entered the hall lost his smile on his lips and soon his mouth opened. ¡°¡­There doesn¡¯t seem to be any other exit¡­It¡¯ll be easy.¡± The man muttered something strange. ¡®Why do you need an exit¡­?¡¯ At the moment when Ranglok had such a question in his head the man tilted his head and looked at him, and his lips under the white bandages opened slightly. ¡°Shadow Stitching.¡± As soon as his chant is heard, all the demons in the hall stop moving. The demon who grabbed another demon¡¯s neck and swung his fist, the demon who looked at the documents and stroked his chin, the demon who just got up from his chair and straightened up his body. And Ranglok who was standing next to him. They all froze as if time had stopped. It wasn¡¯t that time had stopped. They could move their mouths. Soon, some of them who were not aware of the situation and were stupid among the demons murmured with curiosity and annoyance. Soon after, the man who stood still and listened to their murmurs raised his hand from bottom to top. ¡°Manifestation.¡± As soon as he said that, all the ¡®shadows¡¯ in the hall bubbled up like sticky liquid and boiled up. Then a strange and unpleasant sound is heard somewhere in the hall. ?Crunch!!! At that moment, a strange silence flows through the huge hall. ?Crunch¡­ ?Crunch¡­ They couldn¡¯t even turn their heads, but they could hear something being chewed to the bone in their ears, and the pupils of those who saw it with their own eyes were shaking violently. Ranglok was standing near the entrance, so he could see everything. ¡®Fear¡¯ escapes from Ranglok¡¯s mouth. ¡°What¡­ what is that¡­¡± Something ck that sprang up from the floor opened its huge mouth and swallowed the space where the demon was standing. It was too bizarre to call it something, and he couldn¡¯t even guess what it was. Ranglok rolled his eyes and looked at the man next to him. ¡®¡­It¡¯s his doing.¡¯ That was the only thing that was clear. Then again, something else sprang up from the floor, from the shadow, and swallowed another demon. But this time, it failed to swallow properly, and the demon¡¯s body fell apart. ?Aaaahhhhh!!! The following scream of a demon scream signaled the beginning of the ¡®massacre¡¯. The demons panicked. They exposed their horns and used magic to try to move even a step, regardless of the rules but even the young ¡®branch manager¡¯ who was close to a ck-red horn could move his body. The shadows that boiled up from under their feet began to tightly bind their bodies. Crunch!! Again, ¡®it¡¯ swallowed several demons. The sound of bones being crunched and the painful groans of the demons brought despair to those who were still alive. Watching this, Ranglok asked quietly. ¡°Why¡­ are you doing this¡­ to your own kind¡­¡± He didn¡¯t answer his question, but the man with bandages bent his knees and stroked a ck ¡®dog¡¯ and something simr that he didn¡¯t know where it came from. When another death was heard from the other side of the hall the man stood up and opened his mouth. ¡°Did you say your name was Ranglok¡­How many humans have you eaten?¡± ¡°¡­How many¡­?¡± ¡°You probably never counted. No one counts how many meals they¡¯ve had in their lives.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same for me. You are ¡®nutrients¡¯ that give me strength, and what you see in front of your eyes is ¡®eating¡¯.¡± The man continued as he approached Ranglok. ¡°¡­So how do you feel after falling from a predator to prey?¡± Ranglok couldn¡¯t answer his question. He couldn¡¯t breathe or speak and cold sweat beads on his forehead. When Ranglok lost his mind and didn¡¯t answer, the man turned his back on him. ¡°¡­So please scream. That¡¯s the only thing I want from you.¡± After hisst words, the shadow under Ranglok¡¯s feet boiled up violently. Ranglok sensed it and screamed. There was a quiet silence in the hall as the demons that smelled bad disappeared without leaving a trace. ¡®I thought I had to burn it¡­¡¯ Thanks to Sheddie, who ate everything without caring about demons or desks, he didn¡¯t have to bother cleaning up more. Sheddie was visible in the empty hall. [Is that really the Sheddie I know¡­?] Sierra widened her eyes and muttered. ¡­It was understandable. Grrr¡­ Sheddie, who had fluffy fur and was cute, was gone and a strange-looking ¡®ck thing¡¯ was grooming itself. That was Sheddie in manifestation state. I don¡¯t know which one to call Sheddie. Both? I wanted to test something anyway¡­And to do that, I didn¡¯t need to go in with a weapon and be suspicious, so I hid Sierra outside for a while. And now that I had finished cleaning up and brought Sierra with me. Anyway, this battle was¡­I don¡¯t know if I can call it a battle, but I nned to deal with them using only Sheddie power without using Sierra. The performance of the binding skill was excellent, and Sheddie manifestation was powerful as expected. Even if they were weak demons who were not named, they were still demons. And there were a lot of them but Sheddie power unleashed a one-sided massacre against them. It¡¯s a pity that it¡¯s not a power that can grow more from here. The only drawback was¡­ ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I wiped off the blood that welled up and flowed out of my mouth. It consumed a lot of stamina. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll use it often unless it¡¯s a special situation like this time. I killed the demons as painfully as possible to honor those who were killed by them. I spread out the barrier I got from Ecline on the day of admission in advance, so there was no need for the screams of the demons to leak out. In the end, I achieved what I wanted. This much would have caused a great blow to their informationwork, and it would also dy them from reaching the hero a little more. I gained a lot of experience by dealing with them, even though they were low-level. I went up 6 levels at once and reached level 45. As a bonus, I tested if I could fool the demons with Sheddie energy. ¡®Why¡­ are you doing this¡­ to your own kind¡­¡¯ Well, judging by their reaction, they seemed to have fallen for it well. I¡¯m currently spreading Sheddie energy around the hall on purpose. I wanted to confuse the demons who woulde here. It was also to get a ¡®bad reputation¡¯. Demons store the life force of living beings in their horns and convert it into magick. Among them, humans are the best quality but there is one living thing that is more efficient than sucking the life force of a human, and better quality than a human, it¡¯s ¡®demons¡¯ but cannibalism is strictly taboo for demons. For me, it was enough to remind them of their nightmarish past: the appearance of a demon that preys on its own kind. When I saw fit I scooped up Sheddie and slipped back into the shadows but I didn¡¯t forget to disable the sound barrier. With that, there will be no evidence of my presence around here and no witnesses. This ce is now nothing more than a scene of a predation, a criminal offense to the demons. Chapter 113: Disguise, that’s not how you do it Chapter 113: Disguise, that¡¯s not how you do it ¡°¡­But she hasn¡¯te back since then.¡± That¡¯s what Deidros, the cksmith who made the Spectral Sword and a gold dragon, said. Then he shook his ss and the sound of ice hitting it followed. He still lived on alcohol. ¡®I¡¯m d Bernice didn¡¯te back.¡¯ I stopped by Deidros¡¯ mansion on my way back after dealing with the demons. There was something simple I wanted to check. I wanted to know if it had an effect on ¡®dragons¡¯, which can be said to have true names like spirits, as I found out the true name of Sheddie, the dark spirit Shade, through my intuition. To put it bluntly, I found out. Deidros¡¯ true name. Should I see this as the effect of the ¡®Blindfold That is Beyond Reason¡¯? I couldn¡¯t be sure yet, but I knew that there was some special power hidden that I couldn¡¯t grasp. Legendary items usually have their own stories. I think I would have gotten some simple information if I had gone to see an appraiser, but honestly, I want to avoid appraisers as much as possible. It¡¯s a game that focuses on the story, so I don¡¯t think they would just throw items without any additional stories, but so far I haven¡¯t felt any special energy from the blindfold or met anyone who knows about the blindfold. I think I¡¯ve met quite a few people who are doing well on the continent. Even a gold dragon like him, or a saint or a sword saint¡­ Anyway, if there is an additional story, it¡¯s not rted to them. I think my reputation level is high, but there¡¯s no movement from the viins either¡­Or maybe I¡¯ve been avoiding major viins too well. There¡¯s no one who knows more about the viins on the continent than me. ¡°So why did she look for you? The saint.¡± Deidros asked me after taking a sip of alcohol and putting it down on the table. ¡°She offered me to join her knight order.¡± ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you say you were an Academy student?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. So she made a position called ¡®honorary knight¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­Honorary knight. Ha, she used her head. Wait¡­ There¡¯s one thing I don¡¯t understand¡­ Wasn¡¯t the saint¡¯s knight order only for women?¡± Deidros¡¯ question made meugh out loud. ¡°Hahaha, I thought so too.¡± At myughter, Deidros opened his eyes wide. ¡°¡­Looking at the faint smell of blood, you¡¯ve already joined the knight order.¡± Deidros closed his eyes and shook his head. ¡®Does blood smell¡­?¡¯ I bowed my head and sniffed my clothes. I didn¡¯t feel any particr smell, whether it was because the blood smell was stuck in my nose or not. Deidros said he lied to protect me when Bernice came to him and asked about me, thinking that I might be in a dangerous situation. Heughed bitterly when I told him what Bernice¡¯s power was. No matter what, it¡¯s not easy to get along with a dragon, but somehow things went very well with him. It seems that he was interested in many things. ¡°By the way, how did you get into the saint¡¯s knight order with that on your body¡­No matter how weak the energy is, the saint wouldn¡¯t have missed it.¡± Deidros pointed at my chest with a tap. The Tear of the Dead in my heart area, Spectral Sword Sierra and Sheddie, as he said, were dark things that didn¡¯t go well with the saint. Deidros could sense the energy of spirits. This was something I learned for the first time. He said he had shed with spirits a few times before. But he could only feel their energy vaguely, and he couldn¡¯t see them with his naked eyes. ¡°It¡¯s Sierra¡¯s problem¡­¡± Deidros¡¯ gaze turned to Sierra who was floating next to me. It was already confirmed that Bernice could see Sierra but I hadn¡¯t exined yet why I had to carry around a dangerous thing like a Spectral Sword. Deidros said it wouldn¡¯t be a problem he couldn¡¯t get over if I told him my story. He said how could he ignore the touching love of the saint beyond death. ¡®It might be better to tell her in advance¡­¡¯ Even if I can¡¯t reveal the other things in my body, it would be less suspicious to reveal what I can, like the spectral sword. Unfortunately, the timing wasn¡¯t very goodst time. It would have been nice if I could get some horns while dealing with demons this time, but Sheddie ate them all without leaving anything behind. ¡®Will it be dyed a little more¡­?¡¯ I won¡¯t see Bernice often anyway, so it¡¯s not urgent. Meanwhile, Saint Bernice entered the academy with Ecline, the vice-captain of the Silver Wing Knight Order, in ¡®disguise¡¯. Since their appearance was known in the academy due to the public lecture, disguise was inevitable for this unofficial visit. But the problem was the disguise that Ecline came up with. ¡®Doll costumes¡­¡¯ They wore doll costumes that were used for festivals or something, and they were not exposed to anyone, but Bernice thought that this was attracting people¡¯s attention in its own way. They seeded in entering the city and were able to avoid the academy staff at the gate by jumping over the fence. All they had to do now was find Zetto. ¡°What is that? Did they promote something?¡± ¡°I know that! It¡¯s Kobi and Becky!¡± ¡°They¡¯re cute¡­¡± But as they passed by, the students started to react one by one, and they were trapped in a crowd of people and fell into a spectacle. They heard an exnation about the dolls from the owner of the general store who sold them. These bears and rabbits were the protagonists of a popr children¡¯s book. ¡°What should we do¡­?¡± Bernice whispered to Ecline next to her but Ecline was also confused. She thought that if these dolls were popr, they could appear anywhere and pass naturally but she wondered why they were so popr among adult academy students. The fairy tale book that the general store owner showed her as a reference was a very childish, ordinary fairy tale book for children. But, it was for a simple reason. The female students just liked cute things and watched them, while the male students came over and stood next to them and tried to talk to them because there were female students around. Ecline, who had very different interests from her peers, couldn¡¯t understand this so she soon moved naturally to ovee this difficult situation and opened her mouth while wearing arge and cute bear costume. ¡°I¡¯m Kobi! Nice to meet you all~!¡± It was a cute gesture that no one could imagine as a vice-captain of a knight order. Ecline threw away her pride, thinking that she had made Bernice ufortable. Fortunately, her face was hidden¡­ Maybe it was a little less embarrassing. She thought that if she treated them roughly, they would lose interest and leave, but the students¡¯ interest grew stronger. ¡°Kyaaak!!¡± ¡°Cute!¡± ¡°She¡¯s a woman¡­!¡± Soon, the students¡¯ eyes turned to Bernice, who was wearing a rabbit costume, ¡®Becky¡¯. Kobi and Becky were always a pair so the students who saw Kobi¡¯s introduction were expecting Becky¡¯s introduction now. ¡®Please don¡¯t talk, Saint.¡¯ Bernice, who had discussed with Ecline in advance, stood still and didn¡¯t know what to do. Her power rejected even simple words like ¡®I¡¯m Becky¡¯ because it was because it was a ¡®lie¡¯. As Bernice¡¯s silence continued, people¡¯s heads began to tilt and expectation turned into curiosity. Bernice had no choice but to move her body. She couldn¡¯t greet them, so she decided to respond to their expectations with a much cuter gesture than the one Ecline showed earlier. ¡°¡­Kwang.¡± A strange word popped out of Bernice¡¯s mouth, who imitated Becky¡¯s posture from the fairy tale. She didn¡¯t mean to, but it seemed like she had to make that sound when she took this posture. But unfortunately, everyone heard Bernice¡¯s cute voice because the people were quiet with anticipation. Bernice endured it. She believed that this was also a trial given by God to ask for forgiveness from Zetto. Among the cheers of the students, Ecline watched Bernice maintain her posture and lost her mind. ¡®The saint is doing such¡­ cute gestures¡­¡¯ She liked Bernice very much and was drooling but she was lucky that no one noticed her drooling because of the doll costume. ¡®How long do we have to do this¡­¡¯ As Bernice blushed and maintained her posture, someone popped out of the crowd and came up to them. The man who walked out of the crowd was dressed differently from the students but Ecline and Bernice knew who he was. Yuri, who was standing in front of them, turned around at his presence and opened her mouth. ¡°Instructor Edward?¡± ¡°I heard there were two people wearing doll costumes without permission. I came to see¡­¡± Edward trailed off and scanned Ecline and Bernice with his eyes that were barely visible. ¡°¡­Follow me.¡± Soon Edward uttered a concise word with a suspicious smile on his face and they followed Edward quietly. Yuri was staring nkly at ¡®Kobi and Becky¡¯. ¡°I have to¡­remember¡­¡± *** Edward took them to a quiet clearing where there were no people wandering about. He immediately sensed Bernice¡¯s divine power and recognized her as a saint. He could recognize this because he had spent years with Prisci, a woman of immense divine power. Only the saint could possess a greater amount of divine power than Prisci. ¡°You said it was a personal visit¡­ I understand.¡± After hearing her exnation, Edward replied while Ecline and Bernice waited in silence for him to take action. They wondered if he would eventually send them back for their unauthorized visit. The Innocence Academy was a closed city after all. But Edward¡¯s next words, after pping, were not what they expected. ¡°If you¡¯re going to disguise yourself, you might as well do it right. What¡¯s a puppet? It was fun, but I wouldn¡¯t call it a disguise, because as you can see, it¡¯s too obvious.¡± Ecline nodded, agreeing with him, but also questioning him. It was the first disguise she¡¯d ever worn, and it was clumsy so he wasn¡¯t wrong, but why was he pointing out the disguise instead of the unauthorized visit? That puzzled Ecline. Then Edward spoke again. ¡°To disguise yourself is to blend in with the crowd, and since your face is known to so many, I suppose that was difficult?¡± Bernice and Ecline, who have been listening to Edward¡¯s haphazard ¡®lesson¡¯, nodded. The corners of Edward¡¯s mouth twitched up in a suspicious way, and he snapped his fingers. ¡°On that note, why don¡¯t you wear the cadets¡¯ uniforms? The cadets wouldn¡¯t recognize the saint¡­Wouldn¡¯t they see you as a cadet who looks a lot like a saint? Besides, you wouldn¡¯t stand out as much if you were in uniform in the first ce.¡± ..Edward had a point but he was missing something important. With that thought in mind, Bernice asked him a cautious question. ¡°But we don¡¯t have uniforms¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, the only way to get a uniform for an Innocence Academy cadet is to enter the Academy through the normal channels, but I have a way to get one, and I have a father who¡¯s as good as it gets¡­ I can get you a couple.¡± Edward was the son of the headmaster, Juliut us, which meant he was openly talking about ¡®abusing¡¯ his power. ¡°Is it okay to do that? No, more than that¡­ Why are you doing this to us?¡± Ecline asked, confused by Edward¡¯s behavior. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it more fun this way?¡± Edward shrugged in response to her question. ¡®What the hell is this guy¡­¡¯ Bernice knew that Edward¡¯s words were the truth. Edward us was untouchable, even to Bernice, the saint of innocence. Chapter 114: Searching for Zetto Chapter 114: Searching for Zetto Shortest chapter of the novel so far but don¡¯t worry we¡¯ll be back to regr length from the next ch. Edward made it easier for me to ¡®disguise¡¯ myself by providing me with a uniform. He said I could keep the uniform and didn¡¯t need to return it, after all there was no way a saint would hand over a uniform to a demon. ¡°Uh¡­ skirt¡­ skirt¡­¡± Ecline, who came out wearing the uniform, blushed and fiddled with her tie. She was not used to wearing skirts or dresses, as she rarely wore them. ¡°Isn¡¯t it too short¡­? How can you fight in this¡­?¡± She bit her lip and pulled down the skirt of the precarious length. She looked at me. ¡°I think it suits you well, Ecline.¡± I stroked her face and smiled. ¡°Really¡­? Are you not ufortable, saint?¡± She nced at me and stammered. ¡°It¡¯s a bit ufortable around the chest¡­ but I guess there¡¯s no help for it.¡± I looked down at the buttons that were about to burst. I couldn¡¯t expect the size to fit either. ¡®The length of the skirt is¡­¡¯ It was simr to what I usually wore, so I didn¡¯t care much. I checked my outfit by turning around and looked at Ecline in the mirror with a faint smile. ¡°Heh¡­ It feels like I¡¯m really an Academy student with Ecline.¡± Before I was chosen as a saint, I used to talk about the Academy with the orphans I was living with all night long. I didn¡¯t officially enroll, but I never thought I¡¯d get to experience it like this. ¡®I wonder how they¡¯re doing.¡¯ I haven¡¯t seen them much since I became a saint. I couldn¡¯t give them any favors because I was a saint, so I sent money to all the orphanages in the holy kingdom, asking them to take good care of them¡­ Maybe it¡¯s time to go see them once in a while. I heard from the director that Rocky, who used to cause trouble, was trying to be a knight. It was something I was looking forward to in many ways. That¡¯s when I was lost in old memories Ecline came up next to me, looked at the mirror and said. ¡°If you had gone to the academy, you would be a third-year student now, right?¡± ¡°¡­I guess so? I would be graduating this year. Then Ecline would be a second-year student?¡± ¡°Yes, senior.¡± She answered with a yful tone and giggled. ¡°Pfft, senior¡­ Come to think of it, it¡¯s better to call you that now, right?¡± ¡°Really¡­? Senior?¡± Her eyes sparkled at my suggestion. ¡°¡­Hmm, let¡¯s think of it as part of the disguise.¡± We left the bathroom and behind me, Ecline¡¯s voice calling me ¡®senior!¡¯ followed. It felt like I was really a third-year student who worked hard at the academy. If only, if only¡­ Under the assumption that I went to the academy, I had ¡®coincidentally¡¯ be friends with Zetto. Wouldn¡¯t he have called me senior too? ¡®Senior.¡¯ I naturally imagined him saying something he had never said before. Would I be able to have such a deep connection with him that I could hear such words from him, even as a joke? Would he have the time or leisure for that? I was thinking too much about nothing. I walked around the city with Ecline looking for him. I was worried about it, but as Edward said, people didn¡¯t pay much attention to us unlike when we were wearing doll masks. asionally, I felt the eyes of male students who stopped walking by. As we walked along, Ecline opened her mouth first. ¡°Sa¡­¡± She tried to call me saint but turned her head quickly when I looked at her sharply. ¡°Se, senior. Can we really find Zetto? The city is quiterge and it¡¯s toote for him to be at the academy¡­¡± Ecline looked up at the night sky where the moon shone faintly and said. ¡°Hmm¡­ How about we look for ces where he might be?¡± ¡°Where he might be¡­?¡± ¡°He told me about some ces when he introduced me to the academy.¡± I answered her and she nodded her head. We first stopped by the training hall nearby. He said he hadn¡¯t been theretely, but just in case. Unfortunately, we couldn¡¯t find Zetto at the training hall so we kept looking around. We walked along the street and tried to find him somehow. The white bandages that were his characteristic should have caught our eye easily, but we couldn¡¯t find him easily. ¡®I can¡¯t even ask where he is¡­¡¯ I didn¡¯t know who he was friends with. To be honest, I hadn¡¯t known Zetto for long either and our encounter was very short. But still, he was a person who bothered me in many ways. At first, I thought I was drawn to his mystery, but after seeing the revtion of the Lord, it seemed that it was not just that. I thought back to what the Lord had said to me. If you miss it, it will be toote. The fate he obtained by self-sacrifice. If you touch it rashly, you will not escape a great disaster. This is not good for me or for the Lord. Even now, looking back, it was full of hard-to-understand things. The Lord must have exined it as best he could, but¡­ I had a hard time understanding his intention. Especially the part that it was not good for me either. I didn¡¯t understand that at all. What did the Lord want me to do by telling me these things? Was it simply because he was a helpful being in rooting out the demons on thisnd? Would his ¡®sacrifice¡¯ be inevitable in the future? My teeth clenched and bit down. No matter what future awaits¡­The fact is that I am powerless and that I have to do my duty as an apostle of the Lord. I can¡¯t go against that. ¡°¡­Senior¡­ Se¡­ Saint¡­?¡± I woke up from my deep thoughts and turned my head, and she was staring at me nkly. ¡°¡­I was just thinking for a moment, sorry. So what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I thought maybe this is it.¡± Ecline looked around and said. There were dense trees, lush grass, and a pond nearby. On the other side, I could see the fence that marked the boundary of the inside and outside. We couldn¡¯t find Zetto anywhere in the city, so in that case there were two answers. Zetto had already left the academy or was sleeping in the dormitory. We came to the forest, which was assumed to be the way Zetto left the academy, based on Ecline¡¯s information. The dark forest was quiet, with only the sound of crickets. ¡°I think it¡¯s better not to use Sheddie¡¯s power today¡­¡± I didn¡¯t go into the shadows because I thought so. That¡¯s when I crossed the gap in the fence. ¡°Huh¡­¡± I felt some unexpected people in the wave that I habitually used. [Is there something going on?] Sierra, who was ahead of me, looked back and asked me. ¡°Master, I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ you might want to go into the sword¡­¡± [What are you talking about all of a sudden? It¡¯s not like the saint came.] ¡°No¡­ That¡¯s¡­ She did. The saint¡­¡± It was clear that Saint Bernice and Vice Captain Ecline were standing on the other side of the forest. Sierra must have realized that I wasn¡¯t joking because of the sincerity in my voice and immediately opened her eyes wide. [No, how did the sainte here?] I shook my head at her question. I don¡¯t know why she came. Did shee to see me? No, how did she find her way here? Chapter 115: The Only False Chapter 115: The Only False Generally, the people you can encounter in the Innocence Academy are limited. First, there are the students who can be called the protagonists of the academy. The Innocence Academy is the name of an educational institution before it is a city. Then, naturally, there are the educators who teach the students, or more broadly, the staff of the academy. This was the category of an educational institution. What about as a city? To form a city, you need people from various fields like merchants who distribute goods, chefs who run restaurants, herbalists, etc. There are countless. But they are gathered here only because they are needed by the city, that is, they have demand just by their existence. After that, there are the families of these people. The son of the herbalist Rumbo, whom I met a long time ago to deal with Lycanthrope more easily, Ram, is a typical example of this case. No matter how closed the academy is, they did not interfere with the freedom to form a family. Of course, as I experienced in the public ss before, the families of the students are an exception. They can¡¯t see each other for up to three years at most. There were many students who left their families for the first time when they came to the academy. Most of them were nobles. Those who are not included in those mentioned above are visitors who can enter the academy after passing a rather strict examination. Well, I go out of the academy almost every day, but this is the normal route. Tourism is naturally prohibited. You had to have a usible reason for visiting. Now, then, what about the saintess, Bernice, who is in front of my eyes? She must be seen as a ¡®visitor¡¯. Anyway, she is a saintess, and the weight of the word saintess is not light at all. She can visit as much as she wants as long as there is a usible reason but looking at her expression, it seemed certain that she was waiting for me. I had to keep it secret from the academy side that I joined the saintess¡¯s knight order since it was impossible to belong somewhere as a student. There is a problem here. Did she use a normal route or a somewhat ¡®abnormal¡¯ route? It wasn¡¯t a big problem to think about, but Bernice and Ecline¡¯s outfits were not somon. ¡°¡­Zetto.¡± Bernice whispered my name softly and ¡­ she was wearing a uniform. ¡®Where and when did she get the uniform ¡­?¡¯ There was no other way for someone who was not a student to get a uniform than an abnormal route. As Yorfang did before, stealing a uniform. That¡¯s what I thought. But it was imaginable that Bernice, who was not just anyone else but the immacte saintess, would steal something. No matter how I thought about it, that wasn¡¯t it. I couldn¡¯t ask her about her outfit. This was ¡­ a question that wouldn¡¯t be easy to solve. ¡°Saintess and even vice-captain ¡­ What are you doing here?¡± They weren¡¯t surprised that I recognized them as soon as they saw me, or rather their aura. Following my question, Bernice turned her head and looked at Ecline. ¡°Ecline, I want to talk to Zetto alone for a while. Is that okay?¡± Soon after, Ecline nodded slightly and leaned against a nearby tree wearing a uniform. It was my first time seeing Ecline wearing a skirt. She wore it quite naturally. ¡°Zetto, for a moment ¡­¡± Soon after she approached me and opened her mouth, Bernice trailed off and stopped walking. When I nodded slightly, she closed her eyes and opened them again with a smile on her lips. ¡°¡­ Shall we walk together for a while?¡± ¡°¡­ Okay.¡± I nodded and followed Bernice quietly. Even though I knew through my Ki Sense that she was there beforehand, I was still in a daze. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for showing up without any contact. Were you surprised?¡± ¡°Um ¡­ When I found out through your aura that you were here I was a little surprised.¡± ¡°I came here without any order because of the induction ceremony.¡± ¡°Oh ¡­¡± I had expected it to some extent. I wondered if it was enough to move her feet personally, but judging by her slightly trembling voice, she seemed to be somewhat anxious in her own way. She showed herself as a hammer without an inch of mercy for demons, but she also had a soft side that suited ¡®normal¡¯ saintesses. She loves people. A selfless love. This was quite surprising considering her ability. Distinguishing between truth and falsehood means that you can unintentionally see the bad parts of people. For a woman who loved people like that, it seemed to bother her a lot that she couldn¡¯t properly hold an induction ceremony for her subordinates. ¡°I¡¯m fine as I told the vice-captain. Anyway, the induction ceremony was almost over.¡± I tried to smile brightly and ease her worries but it didn¡¯t seem to work, as Bernice lowered her head. Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed a bit difficult to reveal Sierra¡¯s existence. **** ¡°I¡¯m fine as I told the vice-captain. Anyway, the induction ceremony was almost over.¡± Zetto¡¯s voice reached my ears and I nced at him slightly but it was hard to look at his face properly. ¡®If only it was a lie, my heart wouldn¡¯t be so heavy ¡­¡¯ He, who was thrown out of the induction ceremony without knowing why, was telling me the truth with a bright smile. People tell big and small lies as they live. Sometimes they lie for the sake of others but I hoped that his words that he was okay before I met him were like that. However, that¡¯s all useless now. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± I gave a short apologypared to the burden in my heart. I didn¡¯t ask for forgiveness. This was a one-sided apology. I couldn¡¯t lift my head since he would find out if I looked at him. Did he know the end of this fate? The probability was high. It was a fate he obtained by sacrificing himself. Zetto suddenly stopped walking and then his mouth opened as his pleasant voice tickled my ears. ¡°Saintess, I swore to be the sword of the Immacte Saintess Bernice. From that moment on, I was your sword. Hesitation and worry are unnecessary emotions when wielding a sword. So don¡¯t worry and just swing it. I¡¯m a much stronger sword than you think.¡± It was a word that showed his loyalty as a knight, but when I heard it from Zetto, it felt very ¡­ sweet. And without missing a single one, they were all true, which made my ears hot. Nevertheless, I couldn¡¯t spit out a simple answer like ¡®Yes, I will do that.¡¯. I couldn¡¯t think that I could swing it without worry when I saw his life force that had be a mess. I hesitated even to heal him with divine power because I didn¡¯t know how much his energy could be touched. ¡°¡­¡± So I chose to smile brightly quietly. Even though it was useless to him who had gone blind, I tried to smile as brightly as possible. This was the only ¡®lie¡¯ I could utter right now. **** Bernice smiled brightly at my words. It was a really beautiful¡­Bernice-like smile. I didn¡¯t hear the answer, but I think I was able to relieve her worries. Soon we started walking through the forest again. The cool morning air filled my lungs and made me feel clear and refreshed. The moistness of the dew on the grass was so thick that I could feel it without touching my skin. As we walked, Bernice spoke to me. ¡°¡­But what were you doing Zetto? The blood of the demons is thick ¡­ Are you on your way back from dealing with the demons? I didn¡¯t mean you to overdo it when you joined the Knights.¡± Bernice¡¯s voice, which was somehow cold as if scolding me. ¡®I didn¡¯t change clothes ¡­¡¯ I didn¡¯t have to bother to change clothes since I got Sheddie. The saintess, Bernice, who was a subject of fear for the demons, would not miss the blood of the demons. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t overdo it. I just did what I had to do.¡± As I said that and scratched my head, Bernice red at me and closed her eyes. ¡°Are you doing this¡­because of the demons you¡¯re chasing?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I nodded quietly at her question. The demons I was chasing, that is, the demons that were after Aizel, were not the ones I faced that day. Maybe she thinks that I have a deep grudge against the demons. ¡®Who in the Knights doesn¡¯t have a grudge against the demons¡­?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t wrong to say that I had a grudge. They were the culprits who made me retry the game thousands of times, and they were the worst of the worst. Soon Bernice grabbed my hand. She looked grim as she turned her head to look at me. ¡°It would be nice to take revenge on your own¡­but the opponents are demons so it¡¯s not a personal problem. Now that you¡¯ve finished your induction, it would be good to share some information. I was going to ask you after the induction ceremony¡­but now I¡¯m bringing it up.¡± Bernice¡¯s eyes were burning as she tried to persuade me. She was very enthusiastic. She wasn¡¯t wrong either. If I can handle it, I have to do it quickly so that there are fewer victims because of them. There were just big and small problems, such as timing issues or being an information that was hard to share. ¡®Originally, there was no case where the saintess dealt with the demons herself ¡­¡¯ There was no such dialogue option at all. It was impossible because it was a game, but if the saintess dealt with one of them with her power, things would be much easier. Bernice was ultimately a saintess so she could be seen as a specialist for demons. She had infinite divine power and saintess Bernice was more proficient inbat than healing. The captain and vice-captain followed her around, but in fact Bernice didn¡¯t need an escort. She was stronger than Ines. Rather than a simple healer, she was an all-rounder character who could heal and had strong power of her own. Well, she was a saint, and it was impossible to make her apanion in many ways. I pretended to be thinking about what to say and rubbed my chin, wondering who¡¯s information to pass on. ¡®The ¡®captain¡¯ in thend of demons won¡¯t do ¡­¡¯ Among those active in humannd, even among those who had been infiltrating for a long time enough to say that I had been investigating information before, there were annoying guys who had to deal with alone. The final phase, that is, ¡®that day¡¯, I could only touch him then. It would be good to choose him who could be sent away together while dealing with the sessor problem of the Terracia Kingdom in Yuri Clementine¡¯s episode, but exile was the best. Execution was difficult. He hid his appearance like that and reluctantly revealed himself on ¡®that day¡¯. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll deal with him with the saintess or if she¡¯ll deal with him alone, but this isn¡¯t a time to worry about wasting experience points. With my growth rate, there were plenty of ways to get experience points even without him. I finished calcting which guy¡¯s information to release and started exining. ¡°This is about a guy I¡¯ve been chasing by myself for a long time¡­ but I think I might need your power to deal with him for sure. Please lend me your strength.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll dly ept.¡± She answered before I finished speaking and listened attentively to my exnation that followed. She must have felt that what I said about chasing him by myself for a long time was not a lie. It was true because I had been ying the game for a long time. This would soundpletely different to Bernice. Bernice was fully focused on me so I asked her a question. ¡°Saintess, how much do you know about the Golden Lion Knights?¡± **** ¡°You¡¯re here, saintess. Did the talk well ¡­?¡± Ecline, who was leaning against a tree, hesitated to finish her sentence. Oh, I didn¡¯t rx my expression. I must have the serious face I often showed when facing the demons. ¡°¡­The talk didn¡¯t go well?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it. The talk went well and I didn¡¯t forget to deliver the crystal ball ¡­¡± I asked him why he was doing so hard while talking to Zetto. He was losing his strength even without any movement, so I couldn¡¯t leave him to overdo it because of the demons. I wanted to lighten his burden as it was my mission to deal with the demons in the first ce. ¡®I did as much research as I could, but I didn¡¯t organize the data separately, so it¡¯s all information in my head, please understand that. You can check the details yourself.¡¯ Zetto said that and scratched his bandage. He didn¡¯t need letters or pictures or anything like that. At least his words were not lies. As I listened to his exnation, I realized that the demon he was chasing was closer to me than I thought. The person suspected of being a demon was someone I knew. That¡¯s why when Ipared it with his information I had, there were some parts that fit. He didn¡¯t show up at the regr report meeting of the coalition forces. I also felt like he was avoiding me for some reason so his suspicious behavior made sense if he was a demon. ¡°¡­Ecline tell me everything you know about the vice-captain of the Golden Lion Knights, ¡®Delion¡¯. ording to Zetto¡¯s information, he is a person suspected of being a demon. If that¡¯s true, we need an urgent investigation.¡± ¡°Delion ¡­?! The vice-captain of the demon-hunting knights is a demon ¡­ Does that make sense?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I looked at Ecline, who was puzzled and soon he realized. As Ecline thought ¡­ ¡­ Zetto¡¯s words were all true without missing a single one. Unless the testimony was false, an investigation was needed for this. ¡°He said it would be very difficult to catch him because he was very meticulous. Because of his status, we need to conduct an investigation secretly. Let¡¯s avoid unnecessary conflicts.¡± Delion. If he really is a demon, I will bring down the hammer of God with my own hands. If I can relieve Zetto¡¯s fate a little bit by doing this¡­ I would dly do it. Chapter 116: Infamy Chapter 116: Infamy As Zetto was busy preparing for the ¡®desert¡¯ that he would leave behind at the Academy. Two men stepped into the hall where the bitter and foul smell still lingered. On one side, there was an old man with a long beard frowning, and on the other side, there was a young man with a sturdy physique. The man bent his knees with a tter as his armor collided, stood in front of the entrance and looked at the empty hall. This ce was not a ce where emptiness could be felt as they remembered. It was more noisy and messy. This was the information agency of the demons that had been mercilessly ughtered by Zetto¡­precisely, by the shadow of the dark spirit Shade. The man in golden armor brushed his hair and opened his mouth first. ¡°How is it, sir? Do you feel anything?¡± The man who spoke in a sarcastic tone had a lion¡¯s face with fierce fangs in the center of his armor. His name was Zagoras. That was his name as a demon. His name as a human was Delion. He was currently the vice-captain of the Golden Lion Knights of Teracia. He said he was the vice-captain, but Captain Terlos Okentia was just his puppet. When there were no subordinates, Terlos used to speak politely to him. Even if Zagoras ridiculed Terlos as someone who sold his soul, he just smiled and sweated, and ¡®ipetent¡¯ Terlos, who experienced Zagoras¡¯ fear, did not try to resist. No matter how foolish he was, his life was precious. If it weren¡¯t for Zagoras, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to be a captain. Zagoras was terribly vicious. He was adept at manipting humans with their desires and psychology, and enjoyed it. ¡°Oh, Helgenas¡­How can this be so terrible¡­?¡± The old man sighed as he looked around the hall. The old man was a demon summoned by Zagoras and one of the few long lived elementalists. The chief ordered Zagoras to go ahead and dig up what happened here. The chief was also the name of the legionmander and now that there is no Demon King, the legionmander ruled over the demons at the top. Zagoras had to move his feet without saying anything, but he sensed the spirit¡¯s energy as he looked around the hall, and he immediately called a demon who knew how to handle spirits. The problem was the spirit energy that was felt from the walls, floors, and the entire hall. The sticky energy was quite different from the human spirits that they asionally encountered. Rather, it was a familiar energy for demons like Zagoras. ¡°So, what¡¯s the conclusion?¡± Zagoras got up on his knees and approached the old man. ¡°¡­¡± The old man covered his mouth and was afraid to speak, but soon opened his mouth at Zagoras¡¯ urging gaze. ¡°¡­As expected by Lord Zagoras, it is a dark spirit. And it seems like a high-ranking spirit. This ce is¡­not empty. It is still here. The traces of cruel ughter and the tombs of demons¡­It is so horrible that I can¡¯t even speak about it. Judging from the traces, most of them seem to have been trampled and killed without much resistance. Oh, Helgenas¡­ How can this happen¡­¡± At the old man¡¯s pitiful voice, Zagoras made an ¡®ah.¡¯ sound and scratched his head as if he had encountered a troublesome thing. ¡°So to summarize, a demon who uses a high-ranking dark spirit ughtered dozens of demons alone¡­¡± ¡°What is the reason¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious¡­cannibalism. Some crazy bastard broke the taboo.¡± Zagoras naturally continued the old man¡¯s words and mentioned a word that was like a ¡®disaster¡¯ for demons. Cannibalism. Why did vicious demons fear this so much and regard it as a great sin and taboo? There was one story handed down about cannibalism. It was the story of a demon who wanted to be the Demon King himself and stood on top of countless corpses of demons. This was impossible. The Demon King was a supreme being and an absolute ruler who ruled over them as their king for demons. The Demon King died in battle with the hero, and in his absence, he tried to rule all demons with one force. He was one of the few traitors in demon history. Sometimes he heard that there were some demons who hid behind him and revered him, but real cannibalism was another story. ¡°¡®The Nameless One¡¯ has returned¡­¡± The old man muttered and shook his hands tremblingly. Nameless One It was both a nickname and an alias for a madman whomitted cannibalism and massacres. Literally he had no name What was the name of the demon, what it looked like, and even what kind of attack and skills it used, he couldn¡¯t even know. He was sentenced to record annihtion and a long time has passed since then. The generation that could say that they experienced him directly was only the old demons called ¡®elders¡¯. Some demons sometimes said this. Is it really true that the ¡®Nameless One¡¯ is dead, or is he hiding somewhere and still killing demons and umting power? The old man standing in front of Zagoras seemed to be a demon who had such a view. As the old man bowed his head and shook his body, Zagoras just scratched his head and fell into thought. ¡®There have been a lot of things going ontely¡­ Should I get the body?¡¯ The fact that their experimental body, Aizel Ludwig, lived was like a bolt from the blue. He also heard that his colleague, Krektar, had died. As soon as Zagoras heard the information that the Knights of the Saintess had been dispatched to the theater where ¡®Oswald¡¯, his human identity, was, he sent Terlos there to check it out. ording to Terlos¡¯ stupid words, it seemed like an inspector and not Aizel killed Krektar. Zagoras and his colleagues didn¡¯t care much about Krektar¡¯s death. ¡®Is it hard enough to deal with Aizel¡­ Now ¡®The Nameless One¡¯ appears?¡¯ He thought ¡®Aizel Ludwig¡¯ was dead but she was alive and the fact that she was in ¡®Innocence Academy¡¯ made it difficult to deal with. Aizel was the result of failure. This ¡®failure¡¯ should never have been seen by the absolute legionmander. For their ¡®captain¡¯, who rose to the right arm of the current legionmander, he was a thorn in his eye like no other. This was also the case for Zagoras. He had to say that he was walking a fairly smooth path now and was in a vice-captain position he had taken after a long and hard effort and time. Isn¡¯t the bottom of themp dark? He was a demon who was the vice-captain of the demon-hunting knights, so there was no doubt about it, and Zagoras, who had a knack for handling magic, knew how to hide his energy so that he wouldn¡¯t be noticed. But even so, he had to avoid meeting the saintess, so he was avoiding Bernice somehow. Zagoras muttered a curse as the situation wasplicated in many ways. Aizel Ludwig¡¯s survival, Krektar death, the return of the Nameless One. It made him uneasy that bad things were happening one after anothertely. ¡°Let¡¯s go back. I¡¯ll do the report.¡± Zagoras turned his back sharply with those words and his cloak fluttered. Anyway, the hall was empty. The spirit¡¯s energy was swaying everywhere, but there was no evidence left to identify the identity of the demon whomitted cannibalism. At best, demons who handled spirits were rare among demons, even more so if the spirit being handled is a high-ranking spirit. Zagoras had to think that this alone was enough evidence to satisfy the chief. The old man swallowed the words he couldn¡¯t tell as Zagoras turned his back. I wonder if this cruel demon whomitted cannibalism deliberately left traces. To the old man¡¯s eyes, this whole hall looked like a kind of ¡®warning letter¡¯. I gave Bernice some information about Delion, or Zagoras, but only enough not to arouse suspicion. It would have been suspicious if I had said too much and I also had to filter out some visual information that I couldn¡¯t recite. But that would have been enough. Anyway, it was certain that Delion was a demon. Bernice left me with a blessing that she couldn¡¯t give me at the entrance ceremony and asked me not to overdo it for a while. Oh, I could also get a small temporary crystal ball. It was something like a cell phone in this world¡­ but it was a very expensive item. It consumed magic like crazy every time I contacted it, and it was an item like a money-eating hippo. I didn¡¯t have to contact them first, but they said it was to avoid situations like this time. The situation was such that I was supposed to receive it after finishing the entrance ceremony. I didn¡¯t talk much with Bernice, especially about Sierra, and I missed the timing again this time. A few days passed after that and I received an announcement that I would be heading to the desert in the south around when Edward¡¯s ss ended. I was preparing for this. Packing my luggage and looking around for things I might need at the general store¡­ I spent my time quite frugally. It was convenient since I didn¡¯t have much to organize because I got a subspace pocket. [Have you ever been to the desert?] Sierra asked me while I was packing my luggage. There was only one desert on the continent, so there was no need for a nickname and it was simply called desert. ¡°I¡¯ve never been there but I heard it¡¯s very hot. It is full of sand, the air feels hot everywhere and sandstorms can erupt at any moment. You can¡¯t miss ancient ruins either.¡± I was looking forward to this desert trip in my own way. Especially about ancient ruins. The ruins were ces that were not implemented in the game, and I wondered if I could step in now. The first graders were scheduled to go hunting ¡®otherworldly species¡¯ in groups in the desert. Otherworldly species are literally monsters from ¡®another world¡¯¡­ It would be easy to think of it as such. They were closely rted to ancient ruins, and only near ruins did gates from other worlds open, so otherworldly species could only be seen in deserts as well. ¡®In fact, there are monsters and robots that are unfamiliar to people of this world¡­ but¡­¡¯ Robots, machines, mechanics¡­ Anyway, it¡¯s a lump of scrap metal that looks like an era with more advanced technology than modern times. It was strange to go hunting robots that appear in the desert¡­since it didn¡¯t fit the genre of the game. Fantasy and sci-fi are not very well matched, but if you add settings like otherworldly or something, it will fit. That said the desert didn¡¯t y a big role in the story.¡­At least that¡¯s how it was in the game I experienced. It was much closer than the north, so I thought we would use a carriage instead of an airship. ¡®I¡¯ll get some rest aftering back from the desert.¡¯ I nned to take some time to meet the hero then and also take care of the events I need to take care of. As I organized my luggage and nned at the same time, I smiled as I tightened the straps of my backpack. I felt like things were going welltely and I hope things continue like this. **** The hero Leon, who was reincarnated as a woman, or Rei, was currently confused. In the quiet orphanage where everyone was asleep, she was screaming silently. ¡®Damn¡­ there¡¯s no doll¡­¡¯ She came back after finishing her physical training and was looking for a doll. It was a rabbit doll the size of her body, called Becky, but the doll that was always in her ce was nowhere to be seen. She screamed while looking for the doll. The doll was secretly ced in her arms by the director of the orphanage while she was sleeping. ¡®It¡¯s a gift, Rei.¡¯ The director who pushed the doll into Rei¡¯s arms whispered. And then he watched Rei holding the doll in her arms with a warm smile. Rei fell asleep while pretending to sleep. With a young child¡¯s body, he couldn¡¯t ovee the huge storm called ¡®sleep¡¯. Besides, she felt good for a moment and the texture of the doll was fluffy. After that, a few days passed and this was the situation. Leon, who used to lie down well on the floor or dungeon floor without caring¡­Now became Rei who couldn¡¯t sleep well without a doll. She tore her hair out at that painful fact and eventually couldn¡¯t ovee it and sneaked around the orphanage in the moonlight as if she were a cat looking for a doll. ¡°Ha¡­ ha¡­¡± She finally found it. A child who lived with her in the orphanage hugged her doll as if it were her own and slept. ¡®How dare you.¡¯ Rei, who snatched the doll from the child¡¯s arms roughly, hugged the doll and ran back to her ce with a thud. It was a very rude act for an adult man to snatch a doll from a child¡¯s arms while trying to sleep, but Rei was a child¡¯s body and¡­ she didn¡¯t have time to worry about that right now. Reiy down in her ce, covered herself with a nket, and hugged the doll tightly. ¡®This is it¡­¡¯ Rei smiled and soon started to make a snoring sound. She fell asleep and probably had a good dream. ¡­Living with a young child¡¯s body was never an easy thing. Chapter 117: White Crown Chapter 117: White Crown ¡°¡­It¡¯s hot.¡± A drop of sweat ran down the boy¡¯s cheek and fell off his chin. The endless sands spread over the boy¡¯s eyes seemed to sway as if they were dancing. Sand begins to rise above the horizon. It implied that a strong wind would blow again. The desert wind was hot and apanied by sand dust, which was very painful if it touched the skin. If the wind gets stronger, it will soon turn into a sandstorm. The boy¡¯s eyes wrinkled involuntarily, and he tucked his body into the tent behind him to avoid the sand wind. The inside of the tent was rtively cool and safe from the wind. Although it was hard to withstand the sandstorm, it was not impossible to prepare in advance. It has been so far. ¡°Grandma, the wind is blowing again.¡± The boy put down the bucket full of water he was holding in his hand in one corner of the tent. ¡°Be careful¡­¡± The old woman¡¯s body, shaking her hands, was very weak. She seemed too weak to endure the rough tent life. Originally, they had a proper house, not this tent. A sturdy house that was designed to withstand sandstorms without having to go far to fetch water. But the old woman made a fuss about setting up a tent here, and the boy, who had lost his parents early and lived with her, also lived in a tent. The boy didn¡¯t have manyints about this. His grandmother, who hadn¡¯t uttered a word for years, suddenly started talking. Her first words were to set up a tent. The old woman, who was sitting in a crooked posture, was said to be one of the ¡®astrologers¡¯ on the continent a long time ago. It was before the boy was born, so he didn¡¯t have any more information, but he was grateful that he couldmunicate with his grandmother who took care of him. ¡°A guest ising¡­¡± The boy dropped the bucket of water in his hand in one corner of the tent. The boy ran at once and found the tools needed for astrology in one corner of the tent. The old woman¡¯s wrinkled face smiled as she looked at him. ¡°Kukkuk¡­ It¡¯s okay today, I just want to talk¡­¡± The boy scratched his head. That¡¯s also for a moment. The sound of a carriage outside the tent soon reaches the boy¡¯s ears. A guest arrived as a carriage stopped in front of the tent, and soon someone stepped into the tent. The unidentified person who stepped in wore expensive robes at first nce. The woman lowered her robe and veil over her head and revealed her face. She had blue hair that hung straight down and smiled as she looked at the old woman. She approached the old woman and knelt down and sat across from her then opened her mouth. ¡°Cassandra, how have you been? I heard from you and came to see you.¡± ¡°Ah, Cecily¡­ The gentle breeze¡­ You finally came¡­¡± The old woman¡¯s answer made the boy widen his eyes in astonishment. Delgrad is a city based on an oasis in this desert and the only city. As far as he knew, ¡®Cecily¡¯ was the name of the lord who ruled Delgrad. Cecily Windless, Lord of Delgrad. The boy bowed his head naturally as he realized this. ¡°Is that your child in the carriage¡­?¡± Cassandra, the old woman, did not use honorifics to Cecily. She had known Cecily¡¯s father since she was young. ¡°Yes, she is my second daughter Rikua.¡± Cecily turned her head slightly toward where the carriage would be outside the tent and answered calmly. How did Cassandra know that Cecily¡¯s daughter was in a carriage that she couldn¡¯t even see? The boy wondered how amazing that was. She just read the stars in the sky and saw what people couldn¡¯t see. ¡°She looks like you and has a good temperament. She will rule Delgrad well¡­ Kukkuk¡­¡± Cecily smiled, thinking of Rikua in the carriage, at Cassandra¡¯spliment. ¡°¡­Thank you. But I¡¯m d to hear your voice again, Cassandra.¡± ¡°Kukkuk¡­I was lucky that my life was spared.¡± Cassandra had been punished for revealing the prophecy that there would be a war with the demons. The punishment she received was silence and God took her voice away but for some reason, her voice started toe back a few days ago. Was it God¡¯s whim? Was it that she paid for her sin? Only God would know the answer. ¡°What did you ¡®observe¡¯ this time?¡± Cassandra¡¯s mouth opened with a squeak at Cecily¡¯s careful question. ¡°Cecily, in the past few years, the ¡®path of the stars¡¯ has been twisted several times¡­ And it¡¯s gotten worsetely¡­ The stars, the sky are shaking¡­¡± The boy didn¡¯t know what the ¡®path of the stars¡¯ that Cassandra mentioned was, but Cecily nodded her head slightly as if she knew what it was. Cassandra¡¯s expression seemed to be at least not a good thing, and the boy inferred that. Soon Cassandra shook her body back and forth and her mumbling became worse. She was trembling with anxiety. ¡°It¡¯sing¡­ ¡®It¡¯ ising¡­¡± ¡°If you mean ¡®it¡¯¡­ do you mean¡­ ¡®cmity¡¯?¡± Cecily asked calmly. Apparently, ¡®it¡¯ was a word that was hard to say out loud. That didn¡¯t mean she could avoid prophecy leakage, but she could at least summarize and organize some information. She uttered the word ¡®cmity¡¯ from her mouth and the boy remembered his parents¡¯ faces that he couldn¡¯t see anymore. The giant ¡®otherworldly species¡¯ called ¡®cmity¡¯ took the lives of many warriors of Delgrad. Among them were the boy¡¯s parents. It was amon thing for the people of Delgrad to deal with the otherworldly species that poured out of the gate of the otherworld, but the ¡®cmity¡¯ that day was different. Cecily, the lord of Delgrad, also participated in the battle and cleared the ¡®cmity¡¯, but even considering that, there were a lot of casualties. It was a terrible nightmare that should never be repeated. Cassandra nodded her head vigorously at Cecily¡¯s question. ¡°It would have been better if they were those scrap metal¡­¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡°¡± The boy and Cecily were shocked by the words that the ¡®cmity¡¯ that took away the life of the boy¡¯s father and Cassandra¡¯s son but before their shock subsided, Cassandra opened her mouth again. ¡°¡®It¡¯ that came from a faraway ce and wore a ¡®crown¡¯. A white crown¡­ Whether the ughter of the soldiers who lost their king will stop by hising, or the invasion that will lead everything to ruin will begin¡­ I can¡¯t tell¡­ There are too many¡­ Too many branches of paths intertwined¡­¡± It was a vague and hard to understand story. Cecily asked if it was about the resurrection of the Demon King, but Cassandra shook her head and said that it was not the king of the demons. After that, Cecily asked a few more questions, but Cassandra closed her mouth with the words that ¡®it¡¯ was already heading here. There was no need to make Cassandra leak a prophecy again, so Cecily had to get on the carriage without much gain. Rikua, who was waiting for Cecily in the carriage, looked at her for a long time. Rikua¡¯s face showed a faint glimpse of Cecily¡¯s eldest daughter, Lucia. Cecily was worried. It coincided with the time when the students from the academy came to visit. ¡®I hope nothing happens¡­¡¯ She wanted to think that Cassandra was just old and spouting nonsense, but she had seen with her own eyes that her father had received help from Cassandra¡¯s prophecy-like astrology since he was a lord, so she couldn¡¯t easily ignore it. ¡®A king¡­¡¯ As far as Cecily remembered, there was no country with a white crown. The crown of the elves, which was said to be made by weaving branches of the world tree. That was the closest thing to a white crown. However Cassandra said that it wasn¡¯t an otherworldly species and that ¡®it¡¯ looked like it was wearing a human mask but there was an unknown darkness inside it. What is ¡®it¡¯ that is neither human nor demon trying to do in this Delgrad? It was toote to postpone the academy¡¯s visit schedule now. Cecily¡¯s worry grew like a mountain as she thought of Lucia¡¯s bright smileing to Delgrad. Zetto, who had a white bandage around his eyes, sat leaning against the carriage as he was on his way from Innocence Academy to the desert. Unlike the shabby carriage he always rode, this was a luxurious carriage with afortable cushioned chair. Zetto thought it would be afortable journey as soon as he saw the carriage.¡­.and it was. On both sides of Zetto were red hair braided neatly and tinum hair shining brightly in the moonlight. Yuri and Aizel fell asleep on Zetto¡¯s shoulders while in his head, Sierra¡¯s voice grumbled, [The disciple¡¯s shoulder was thisdy¡¯s ce¡­] Sierra, who was pushed away by Yuri and Aizel, wrapped Zetto¡¯s head in her arms. Zetto, who couldn¡¯t move his body at all, counted sheep while staring nkly. Not being able to move his body was very painful, so he wanted to sleep somehow. But maybe because he got used to going out at night every night from the game, he wasn¡¯t that sleepy. Soon Zetto thought he could finally fall asleep while counting sheep. -ng! If only the carriage hadn¡¯t stopped suddenly. Zetto twitched his mouth and wanted to get angry at Edward, whose voice came from outside the carriage. ¡°Everyone~! It seems we¡¯ve been attacked by bandits~! There are quite a lot of them?!¡± Edward¡¯s cheerful voice passed through Zetto¡¯s carriage and woke up the others inside. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Yuri hit her head and made a painful sound. ¡°¡­¡± Aizel bit her teeth hard as if she was annoyed from being disturbed. ¡°¡­We met bandits. They said there are many of them and asked students to help.¡± Zetto finally regained his freedom, got up from his seat and opened the door. The students who had just woken up from sleep didn¡¯t know what was going on, but they followed Zetto soon. Lucia, who was in one corner of the carriage, was still not awake, and Amon said that she wouldn¡¯t be of any help anyway, and everyone nodded their heads and agreed so no one woke Lucia up. When Zetto and his party got off the carriage, they saw students getting off from other carriages. It was a very busy atmosphere, but no one was nervous. They thought it wouldn¡¯t be a problem because there were instructors and the bandits couldn¡¯t dare touch them. Various thoughts passed through the students¡¯ heads at that time. ¡°Kill the women and spare the men¡¯s lives?!!!¡± A rough scream from the bandits came from far away in front of the road where the carriage was heading. Judging by the sound of the scream, it seemed to be a bandit groupposed entirely of women. Zetto scratched his head with his arms crossed. He had noticed that they were approaching through his senses and this was an event he had experienced in the game. This was an event that only happened when Edward was an instructor. Of course, no student was injured. The other instructors were hiding in the forest for safety and watching over the students. They would respond like arrows when the students seemed to be in danger. Yuri found Edward, who was the main cause of the situation and asked him a question. ¡°Instructor Edward, do we have to kill the bandits or capture them?¡± Edward, who was jumping around with excitement, answered Yuri¡¯s question. ¡°Student Yuri, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too early to kill? You have all learned how to deal with your opponents without killing them, so think of this as part of the lesson!¡± Yuri, who heard Edward¡¯s crazy answer, nced at Aizel and wondered if she would kill the bandits without any problem. Soon Aizel, who had a stiff face from having her ¡®sweet time¡¯ with Zetto, interrupted and asked Edward a rather fierce question. ¡°Instructor, what if a ¡®misfortune¡¯ happens and the bandits die while dealing with them? For example, if you shoot magic wrong¡­ or if your eyes are ufortable and you swing your sword wrong¡­ that kind of ¡®mistake¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m curious about that too.¡± Zetto, who was next to Aizel, joined in. Edward¡¯s suspicious eyes narrowed even more as he pondered their questions. Soon he opened his mouth with his index finger raised. ¡°Then¡­there¡¯s nothing I can do! This is a life-threatening situation!¡± Chapter 118: Mistake Chapter 118: Mistake Soon, the thieves and the first-year students of Innocence Academy shed. The sound of metal shing and magic flying can be heard everywhere. The thieves wererge enough to raid the carriage convoy but it was a pity that there was not a single one among the many thieves who recognized the academy¡¯s uniform. The students were indifferently blocking the fierce charge without any strategy of the thieves and since the level difference was extreme it was a simple task. Innocence Academy, where talented young people from the continent gather, has a highpetition rate. Each student had to be considered at a superhuman levelpared to ordinary people. So, no matter how many they were, they were nothing but ¡®mere thieves¡¯ and they couldn¡¯t stand a chance. ?Squeak. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sleepy.¡± After cutting off the neck of a thief who ran towards me, I muttered such a word for no reason. [My disciple, if you¡¯re going to say that, you should at least show some sincerity in acting¡­] Sierra, who was watching me from the air, trailed off. It was true that I was sleepy, but it was so difficult to capture them alive with a sword in thisrge-scale battle so I was just cutting down the ones I saw in front of me. Edward asked us to capture them alive only to avoid forcing the students to kill. Rather, it was Edward¡¯s style not to spare the viins. There was an experience penalty due to the level difference, so killing more wouldn¡¯t give much experience, and more importantly¡­ ¡°¡­Chain.¡± Yuri, who was binding the thieves with chains on the other side, caught my eye. Some of them may have had their first real battle with humans without any protective equipment, so it was also an important experience. ?Kwang!!! Then there was a loud noise from the front and I turned my head and saw a bunch of thieves floating in the air. ?Pajijijik!!! A lightning bolt shoots up immediately. ¡°I shot the magic wrong, instructor.¡± Aizel looked at Edward with an indifferent voice. Edward, who had been running around the battlefield at a fast speed and helping the students who seemed to be hit by dangerous attacks, turned his head and looked at Aizel and smiled slyly. ¡°Student Aizel made a mistake¡­You must not be in good condition.¡± ¡°Yes, well¡­¡± Aizel answered sullenly at Edward¡¯s witty words. My eyes met his. Well, to be precise, it wasn¡¯t that our eyes met, but that we both looked at each other. ¡°¡±¡­¡°¡± ¡°You said it would be better to capture them alive¡­¡± Yuri muttered softly as she watched this. ¡°¡­It was a mistake.¡± Aizel said that and turned her head. Sierra clicked her tongue and grumbled about what they were doing in a life-and-death battle. ¡­She wasn¡¯t wrong. Anyway, the students were dealing with the thieves in their own ways. In no time, a woman with arge stature and bulging muscles who stood out among the thieves pointed at me and shouted. ¡°That one with a bandage on his eye is mine! Don¡¯t touch him!!¡± ¡­For some reason, it seemed like I had be the target of someone who looked like a leader. ¡°A handsome blind man¡­ I¡¯ll make you my prey! Khihihi!!¡± The leader said that andughed wickedly as she ran towards me. At that moment, when Aizel¡¯s head turned slightly behind me, I felt it through my senses. A me spewed out from under the leader¡¯s feet and a huge fireball soared up. ¡°Kiaaaak!!¡± The leader¡¯s body burned and she screamed. This was¡­Yuri Clementine¡¯s main skill, ¡®Fire Pir¡¯. The leader writhed in mes and screamed. It was said that burning alive was very painful. Yuri stared at the fire pir with her index finger raised. Her eyes looked like they were burning like fire. Eventually, the huge fire pir that rose up among the enemies burned the leader until only ashes remained and then subsided with a sizzling sound. The thieves looked at what had been their leader in horror and quickly copsed after the death of their leader. As the battle wasing to an end I looked around slowly. Roughly speaking, it seemed that half were killed and half were sessfully captured alive. The person who captured the most thieves was surprisingly Amon. The earth prison that binds the opponent¡¯s body to the ground was able to capture the movement of multiple enemies at once. I won¡¯t mention who killed the most since she still had a stiff face and seemed to be angry. The disposal of the thieves¡¯ bodies and the transfer to the guards of the nearby city, the aftermath, was taken over by the instructors. Reina, who lost rock-paper-scissors again and was annoyed, got on a horse and left to call the guards. The students who were waiting in the forest set up bonfires here and there and sat around and talked about their stories and chatted. Lucia, who I briefly looked at, was still lying in a carriage and asleep. She was sleeping soundly without tossing and turning even though it was quite noisy. It seemed better not to wake Lucia up in many ways. She might have had nightmares if she saw blood sshing everywhere and people burning alive. I sat by the bonfire and fed ¡®rice¡¯ to Sheddie while sorting out what would happen next. ¡®The first event went well¡­¡¯ Various things would happen while in the desert, but what I was looking forward to was the ancient ruins. It seemed like we would go there at night¡­ ¡®¡­Will we be able to enter?¡¯ It was a ce that wasn¡¯t implemented in the game, so anything could happen but it would be better to be prepared for anything. ¡°Are¡­the otherworldly creatures that we¡¯re going to kill are very dangerous¡­?¡± Lucia said with her twinkling eyes. It was a story about the otherworldly creatures that only appear in the desert. Our destination was a beautiful city surrounded by a huge oasis in the desert, Delgrad. It was Lucia¡¯s ¡®home¡¯. The Windless family of Lucia ruled the city. Outside the window, countless golden sands, the desert, spread out as the carriages that the students were riding were now crossing the desert. Lucia seemed to have a lot to tell us who had never been to the desert before so she continued her story with an excited voice. ¡°Otherworldly creatures appear through a dimensional gate and they are basically inclined to harm people. They are very bad guys¡­! But don¡¯t worry. Huhuhu¡­ We have strong warriors in Delgrad who only deal with otherworldly creatures!¡± ¡°Hooh¡­ What do those otherworldly creatures look like? Are there any that are simr-looking to monsters?¡± Amon, who was sitting next to Lucia, asked. Even though they were from the same four elemental families, Yuri and Amon had never been to the desert either. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lucia made a sound at Amon¡¯s question. It was a difficult question. She wriggled her lips and finally opened her mouth. ¡°Well, it¡¯s like metal is stuck here and there¡­ That kind of ¡®machine¡¯¡­ Umm¡­ It makes a ringing sound too¡­¡± ¡°¡­Is it a monster?¡± Yuri doubted Lucia¡¯s strange exnation. It wasn¡¯t easy to exin robots, mechanics, etc. in a fantasy world. ¡®Does ringing mean engine noise?¡¯ Aizel, who had been looking out of the window, saved Lucia from this awkward situation. ¡°There, is that what you¡¯re talking about?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to one side of the window in the carriage as Aizel pointed out with a sullen voice. It would be strange for me to look at the window too, so I just sat still. ¡°¡­It¡¯s weird for a monster¡­¡± ¡°¡­It looks weird.¡± They looked at the otherworldly creature. ¡°But¡­ It looks like it¡¯s running towards our carriage¡­?!¡± ¡°It does.¡± Lucia said in a scared voice and Aizel answered indifferently. Lucia banged on the wall where the driver was and asked if he should stop the carriage quickly. ¡°Please stop¡­ Huhu¡­¡± Lucia kept banging on the wall and made a sad face. There seemed to be no need for that as I felt someone¡¯s presenceing towards us at a fast speed across the desert where the otherworldly creature was. The driver, who could see outside better, also seemed to notice this situation. Soon something ran towards our carriage like a bullet from the opposite side of where the otherworldly creature was and flew into the air. ?Thud. Then that something stepped on the carriage and passed by as the carriage shook slightly. Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to the ceiling of the carriage and then back to where they saw the otherworldly creature. She was wearing robes or something and a huge and wide sword was visible on her back. ¡°Is, Ismir¡­?¡± Lucia recognized her and shouted. She was one of the warriors who specialized in hunting otherworldly creatures, and a veteran warrior who would teach the students how to hunt otherworldly creatures on this field trip. ¡®It¡¯s been a while.¡¯ She was one of the main characters of this episode. And¡­ [Ismir¡­?] Sierra, who was hanging on my shoulder, was surprised to hear her name. ¡­She was also Sierra¡¯s old friend. Chapter 119: Ismir the Desert Giant Chapter 119: Ismir the Desert Giant Frowning into the blowing sand, the woman stares at the ¡®lump of scrap metal¡¯. The ¡®machine¡¯, which was shaped like a beast that hissed and slurped oil, was not looking at her, but at the parade of carriages passing in the distance behind her. The woman took a leisurely drag from the cigarette she held in her mouth. ¡°Whoa¡­A beast.¡± The lumps of scrap metal in front of her were of various types. They were broadly categorized into two types: beasts and humanoids. The beast types were said toe in many forms, but a skilled warrior could take them on alone. Humanoids, on the other hand, were much trickier, requiring several such warriors to deal with. Either way, it probably didn¡¯t matter much to this woman, who was puffing away on a cigarette in front of a fearsome otherworldly creature with oil dripping from its mouth. Ismir, also known as Ismir the Greedy, was once a member of one of the continent¡¯s most renowned mercenary organizations. But it¡¯s been nearly a decade since she settled in her native Delgrad, and she¡¯s taken on another name: Desert Giant. She was of average size, hardly a giant, but there was a reason for that. Ismir flicked her shortened cigarette out of her fingers and reached for the greatsword on her back. At the same time, the beast was spurring his legs and running. Ismir¡¯s body disappears in an instant and a shadow appears above the head of the beast, who doesn¡¯t pay any attention to it and continues to run towards the carriage. Boom!!! With a loud crash, Ismir¡¯s greatsword descends upon the otherworldly creature¡¯s head. The de of the greatsword was dull and blunt, unable to cut through the creature¡¯s hard outer shell, at least it should have but Ismir¡¯s unimaginable brute strength slices through the mechanical beast head, leaving it smashed into the sand. Ismir is not currently enhancing her body with mana, and she doesn¡¯t even know how to do so in the first ce. When she was younger and still in the mercenary ranks, even those who were experts at manipting mana gave up trying to teach her. When Ismir couldn¡¯t even manage to move her mana after several attempts, she became so annoyed that she beat up the mercenary who was teaching her and ran away. Ismir was quite ignorant and she was quickly grabbed by the scruff of the neck by the leader, who snorted, ¡°You can win without learning this shit,¡± and that night, Ismir challenged the entire mercenary corps to an arm wrestling match. The result: 42 bouts, 42 victories. The 42 men of the Mercenary Corps, all of whom were renowned across the continent, could not ovee the strength of a petite teenage girl named Ismir even with their mana-enhanced bodies. Ismir could be said to be stronger than a human being but those who know her best don¡¯t call her by her title. [She is still an ignorant bitch¡­] Sierra clicked her tongue as she watched Ismir fight from the carriage. Her nickname, as she is fondly called by her acquaintances, is Ismir the Strong. Soon, Ismir, with her greatsword lodged firmly in the ground, examined the mangled, unrecognizable head of the otherworlder and questioned. ¡®You ignored me and headed for the carriage¡­¡¯ It was a strange thing. The beast-type aliens are wild and unruly, with no sense of calm. Their behavior was simple, always chasing and biting the nearest person in front of them first. But this one seemed to bepletely ignoring Ismir. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Squatting down and rubbing her chin in thought, Ismir stood up with a ¡®certainty¡¯ in her eyes. ¡®¡­Maybe I was too fast.¡¯ Scratching at her eye patch, she chuckles, then turns her head to watch the procession of carriages cross the desert. Ismir had heard Lucia¡¯s voice earlier, when she had stepped on a carriage. She was well connected to House Windless since Lucia¡¯s mother, Cicely Windless, Lord of Delgrad, was Ismir¡¯s employer. Smiling at the thought of seeing Lucia after so long, Ismir began to run toward the carriage. It wasn¡¯t just her strength that was immense; it was also her angrity that was beyond human standards. Running barefoot and unarmored, Ismir caught up to the carriage¡¯s speed, grabbed hold of it, climbed in, and opened the door. She immediately stuck her face inside the carriage and opened her mouth with a smile. ¡°Lucia~!¡± ¡°¡­Who are you¡­?¡± The nameless cadet¡¯s voice, filled with curiosity, opened Ismir¡¯s eyes and she nced inside the carriage. Lucia¡¯s bluish hair was nowhere to be seen. ¡®¡­This isn¡¯t the carriage.¡¯ She muttered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± and immediately jumped off the carriage as it sped away. Ismirnded safely and ran to the next carriage, checking the interior once more. This time, however, she didn¡¯t bother to open the door, but peered through the window and knew that she was in the right ce because she could see a bluish head of hair inside the carriage. Suddenly, Lucia¡¯s eyes widened in horror as she spotted Ismir¡¯s sinister grin in the window. ¡°Heh, heh, heh¡­ Ismir¡­?!¡± The others in the carriage are just as surprised, especially Sierra, who notices an eye patch covering Ismir¡¯s left eye and has a big question. [Where did she lose her eye¡­?] It¡¯s understandable, because the Ismir Sierra met when she was alive was a cheeky little guy with both eyes intact. She wondered what had happened over the decades to cause her to lose one eye. Once inside the carriage, Ismir flung open the door, her eyes locked on Lucia, and she began to walk toward her. Ismir smiles a devious smile, and then she speaks. ¡°Lucia, long time no see.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Hmph¡­.¡± Ismir hadn¡¯t done anything yet, but Lucia had somehow intuited what was about to happen, and she cowered in the corner of the carriage. The corners of Ismir¡¯s mouth curled upward as if she liked her reaction, and she spread her hands in the air. ¡°My dear Lucia, how big have you grown since Ist saw you, let me touch your teats.¡± ***** There was a strange atmosphere in the wagon as it traveled across the desert. It was caused by a brown-haired, copper-skinned woman with a ck patch over her left eye. ¡°My name is Ismir. I¡¯m here to help you with your desert life¡­ yeah, like a teacher.¡± Ismir said, sitting in one of the wagons and snapping her fingers. The others in the wagon nodded silently at her words. She was sitting where Lucia had once sat. The carriage was spacious, but there wasn¡¯t room for Ismir because of Amon¡¯s size. But where was Lucia? She was sitting on Ismir¡¯s leg, blushing, her head resting on her shoulder. Amon was forced to turn his head at Ismir¡¯s unexpected announcement that she was going to step into the carriage and touch Lucia¡¯s breasts. ¡­Zetto tried to turn his head as well, but he didn¡¯t want to look odd, so he did his best to keep it out of sight. Lucia¡¯s moans that followed, echoing without resistance, turned everyone¡¯s ears red. Sierra shook her head, thinking that this was something that didn¡¯t change with age and she remembered being subjected to it often. Ismir liked women¡¯s breasts, especially big ones. It was part of the reason she wielded the greatsword. This was entirely due to Ismir¡¯s taste for ¡®big and heavy¡¯ in everything. Feeling that Lucia¡¯s breasts weren¡¯t quite enough, Ismir nced at Zetto. He was a very good-looking man, highlighted by the white bandages over his eyes. ¡®Ah, is this the¡­¡¯ There was a blind man at the academy who was good with a sword. She remembered hearing about it while talking to Cecily, who attended the open ss. The man had dark hair. ¡®From the East.¡¯ Ismir thought of a woman she knew from the East. Her breasts had felt so good to the touch, and it was a shame that she could no longer touch them. As Sierra watched, she unnecessarily assumed that Ismir¡¯s ¡®lustful gaze¡¯ was directed at Zetto, making her wary. [Disciple, I know this woman well¡­ she¡¯s a madwoman¡­ so I think it¡¯s best to stay out of her way as much as possible.] Zetto agreed and Sierra hadn¡¯t been entirely wrong. Ismir, the desert giant. Zetto was thinking that the domineering personality he¡¯d seen in the game was still there and he remembered her being almost as unruly as Edward. However, Zetto did have questions about why they had already met Ismir before arriving in the city. As the question passed through Zetto¡¯s mind, Aizel and Yuri stole nces at Ismir¡¯s ample chest. They had to swallow the bitter feeling of defeat that came over them at the sight of Ismir¡¯s overwhelmingly magnificent chest. Amon, next to Ismir, also nces at her. However, his gaze was not directed at her breasts, but at her muscles, which were clearly visible due to her revealing outfit. ¡®What kind of exercise does she do¡­?¡¯ Amon was a mage, after all, but like his father, Maxim Caligus, he was interested in strong bodies. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Amon decided to ask Ismir a question while she was teasing Lucia¡¯s bouncing breasts with a sinisterugh. Swallowing hard, Amon cautiously speaks up. ¡°Hey, Ismir¡­¡­I was wondering how we should call you¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? Feel free to call me teacher.¡± Ismir said, turning his head to look at Amon. ¡°¡®Teacher Ismir, I would like to know how you usually train¡­¡± Ismir frowns at Amon¡¯s question. ¡°Training? Why would I do something like that?¡± ¡°What¡­?! So these muscles¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been like this since I was a kid.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Amon scratched his head in disbelief, unable toe up with any answer. Ismir did not take care of herself. Despite her debauched routine of drinking, smoking, and stretching, her muscles grew harder by the day, and even her skin remained taut. Zetto, who was well aware of this, thought that her body must have been given to her by the gods. Their thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Ismir. Lucia, who had been staring at the window with her mouth agape, jumped to her feet. It was the most natural time to get away from Ismir, she thought. Lucia pointed to the window and eximed excitedly. ¡°I can see Delgrad¡­!¡± Chapter 120: Where is the King? Chapter 120: Where is the King? A small country located in the southern part of the continent, a city belonging to the Kingdom of Altarix, Delgrad. The students who got off the carriage one by one and arrived at their destination followed the guide and lined up to move their steps. This city, which stands alone in the desert that is no different from a wastnd, was also called the city of mirage by poets who expressed it quite romantically. The streets where various races were mixed, the smoke of unknown origin that makes your nose sting and the hot heat of the desert. Sheddie was running around freely, avoiding the legs of those passing by on the street, even though she didn¡¯t need to avoid them. She was very ufortable when she went to a narrow space like a carriage. After all, a spirit is a spirit. I wonder if Sheddie is getting to know the world of humans for the first time. Even if she had a master as a spirit, her master would have been a demon. On the other side of the street, where the carriage was rattling, the remains¡­no, the wreckage of otherworldly species was passing by. Aizel¡¯s eyes turned there and her footsteps stopped abruptly. I also stopped with her and tilted my head. Soon after, Ismir, who was following us from behind, reacted to Aizel¡¯s gaze. ¡°Otherworldly species are expensive if they are big. Light and hard metal from another world is popr. And besides that, it¡¯s also a main research material for magic engineering¡­ If it¡¯s a new shape, it¡¯s more valuable. Even if not, if you just tell the magic engineers how strangely they moved and they¡¯ll be hooked. Well, they¡¯re pretty amazing in many ways.¡± Ismir made a circle with her index and thumb, meaning money, and smiled faintly. She must have made a lot of money from otherworldly species. Even though she was called Ismir of Greed, she settled down enough. The value of otherworldly species was considerable as she said. A city where machines and fantasy coexist was also the sentence that best described Delgrad. That didn¡¯t mean they had the same level of technology as modern times, but they somehow blended in with each other as a world with magic. ¡®Maybe I will see some inventions that have better technology than modern times in some ways.¡¯ In the game, there were items that were called ¡®another world series¡¯. You could get them by buying them or as rewards for quests. There were quite a few items that were efficient and unique as I remembered, but I didn¡¯t need them now. It wasn¡¯t high-performance like the so-called ¡®final item¡¯ in RPG games. Ismir¡¯s kind exnation continued, but Aizel didn¡¯t seem to care much about how to deal with otherworldly species. She just red at it for a moment but soon she took her eyes off it and looked at me. Aizel still couldn¡¯t figure it out but I tried not to read her thoughts on purpose or judge her on purpose. Whatever the hidden truth was, it didn¡¯t seem to help me save her. On the other hand, Sierra wasparing Ismir with the Ismir in her memory since she met her. [She still likes money¡­] I knew Ismir had a connection with Sierra, but I didn¡¯t know what happened between them in detail. In the game, Ismir mentioned Purple Moon as an old friend. ¡®I¡¯ll have to ask her when I have time.¡¯ It¡¯s hard to predict what kind of emotion she¡¯ll feel when she meet her again after death, so it¡¯s better to ask carefully. I didn¡¯t bother to find her acquaintance on purpose because I thought it wouldn¡¯t do her any good to meet them anyway. ¡®I don¡¯t know what to say if I go first.¡¯ As I walked along thinking about such trivial things, I arrived at my real destination before I knew it. The students who had been in front of me eximed one by one and soon we entered the Windless family¡¯s estate. Lucia smiled brightly as her cheeks turned red with embarrassment at the students¡¯ admiration. At the entrance of the estate, there was a statue of a blue color that symbolized the Windless family. He was said to be the first head of the family, but I don¡¯t know who he is because he¡¯s an old man. Soon after entering the mansion, dozens of students met Cecily Windless, who helped a lot with this field trip. Next to Cecily was her husband Isaac Windless, a magician who was also called one of the best in magic engineering, showing a gentle smile. Their marriage was also a catalyst for Delgrad to lead magic engineering. Then the students were guided by their servants and went to arge hall for dinner while the instructors and Ismir followed Cecily and Isaac to another space in the mansion. While having dinner, I talked with the members who would hunt otherworldly species together this time. The members were the ones who rode in the carriage together: Aizel, Yuri, Amon and Lucia. This group wasposed of people who had simr levels so the difficulty of otherworldly species students had to deal with also varied depending on the group. Then you might wonder. Why is Lucia in the group even if Amon is? It was probably because the instructors knew the characteristics of the desert and put her in. Wind magic, which is handled by the Windless family, is not a joke in the desert where sand is everywhere. Wind has more power in the desert where sand is everywhere. If you tell the residents of Delgrad who leave the house, ¡®It¡¯s windy today?¡¯, they will all turn pale and wrap their clothes tightly before going outside. The power sandstorms were really fierce. In fact, in the game, wind magic became twice as powerful in the desert terrain. Amon¡¯s earth magic will also be much stronger so I could say that the level was right. ¡®Just where Lucia shoots magic is the key¡­¡¯ But I wasn¡¯t worried too much unlike before. Now Lucia has grown enough to cover up any ¡®amazing things¡¯ she does. ¡®And Ismir will probably be our temporary instructor.¡¯ On this journey, the students leave the instructor¡¯s arms and hunt otherworldly species with the warriors of the desert who are temporary instructors and receive their teachings while fighting. Ismir is in charge of the best group among them and that group was our group. Maybe that¡¯s why in the game there was a condition that you had to be in the top five inbat power in your ss to have Ismir as a temporary instructor It was a pretty easy condition for yers, so most yers met Ismir. Ismir was a popr character. Despite her not-so-young age, she had a youthful appearance that didn¡¯t look old. More than anything, there were quite a few people who liked her muscles passionately. And she was still single. There were some minority opinions that it was a pity that she was single, but I don¡¯t know. ¡°¡­And among otherworldly species, humanoids speak¡­! I¡¯ve never heard it myself, but it¡¯s amazing, right? Hehe.¡± Lucia, who had been exining the otherworldly species for several minutes without eating, said. ¡°They speak?¡± Yuri stopped cutting her steak and asked. ¡°Yes, but not like goblins who use the continentalmonnguage¡­ It¡¯s hard to understand what they say and Ismir said it seemed like another world¡¯snguage.¡± In the game, the dialogue of humanoid another species was expressed as iprehensible as aliennguage. By the way, the continentalmonnguage I use is not English or Korean. Nevertheless, when I fell into this world, whether something likemon sense change happened to me or not, I could use it fluently without any difficulty. I had no trouble reading the letters, as if I was reading my nativenguage. ¡®The other world¡­¡¯ I remember that there were different opinions among the users about what kind of world the other world was. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t ess the ancient ruins that seemed to be very rted to the other world¡­ It was a very frustrating situation. There was no relevance to the main story line of the game, so it didn¡¯t matter to the game progress, but I was curious. When the conversation about thenguage of the other world came up on the table, the instructors and warriors who would be temporary instructors entered the hall where the students were eating. Soon Edward snapped his fingers and made a loud noise to draw everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I¡¯m sorry to interrupt your meal, but could you please focus for a moment?¡± As everyone¡¯s eyes turned to Edward, he politely pointed to the warriors next to him with his palm and opened his mouth. ¡°These are the warriors of the desert who will be temporary instructors at Innocence Academy and teach you how to hunt otherworldly creatures. Let¡¯s wee them with a big round of apuse.¡± Following Edward¡¯s lead, apuse and cheers echoed in the hall. The warriors were wearing various weapons and outfits. Cecily had a meticulous personality, so she must have selected the warriors ording to the students¡¯ groups. Among them, I saw Ismir smiling at Lucia. As soon as Edward told them to go to the table where their assigned group was, they moved their steps to each table. Ismir naturally approached our group¡¯s table and sat in thest empty seat. ¡°Ismir, you¡¯re our temporary instructor¡­!¡± Lucia eximed with a bright voice and sparkling eyes. Did she forget Ismir¡¯s mischief in the carriage already? ¡­Well, maybe not. Lucia probably knew Ismir¡¯s strength well, so she must have felt relieved. ¡°Yeah, it turned out that way. They say coincidence is fate¡­ Anyway, I¡¯ll be counting on you for a few days.¡± Ismir smiled with her left eye as her right eye was covered with an eye patch and pped my shoulder. It was a very light movement, but Ismir¡¯s hand was quite heavy. Soon the servants brought food for the warriors, and Ismir joined the meal. ¡°You guys eat expensive stuff¡­¡± She said that after taking a bite of steak, as if she only needed nutrition to move her body. Lucia asked her a question that followed from the conversation they had before. ¡°By the way, I have a question for you, instructor Ismir ¡­!¡± She forgot to say ¡®temporary instructor¡¯, but she told us to just call her teacher anyway. Ismir¡¯s title changed quickly after Edward¡¯s exnation. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I was talking about thenguage of the other world that you told me before. Do you still remember? You definitely pronounced it for me back then, but I can¡¯t remember¡­¡± Ismir put down her steak knife and answered Lucia¡¯s polite question with an indifferent expression. ¡°Oh, that? Yeah. The humanoid otherworldly creatures keep mumbling while fighting. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re saying, but they¡¯re really annoying.¡± ¡°Do theymunicate with each other?¡± Yuri asked after listening to Ismir¡¯s voice. ¡°Hmm, they still mumble even when there are no other otherworldly creatures around¡­ So I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°¡­Then is there any possibility that it is thenguage of demons?¡± Amon popped up with a question after a pause but Ismir raised her fork in the air at Amon¡¯s question. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. I participated in the war too, and I¡¯ve heard thenguage of demons myself. So I can say for sure. But¡­ There is one thing I can pronounce. There is one thing they always say right before they die. Well, maybe it¡¯s theirst words or something. How about it? Do you want me to tell you?¡± Ismir tilted her head and looked at us. ¡®She¡¯ll tell us thenguage of the other world?¡¯ It was a sound full of noise in the game, how would she pronounce it? Everyone at the table nodded their heads in agreement. We decided to listen quietly. Sierra seemed curious too, as she also listened quietly. Soon Ismir opened her mouth and pronounced ¡®thenguage of the other world¡¯ quite fluently. ¡°¡­Something like this? I¡¯ve heard it so many times that it stuck in my ears.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Everyone at the table was amazed by Ismir¡¯s fluent pronunciation. They wouldn¡¯t know if it was fluent or not since they hadn¡¯t heard it before, but they pped anyway. I also pped lightly while hiding my nervousness. But my face was stiff and I couldn¡¯t smile. ¡®Thenguage of the other world¡­¡¯ It was a very familiarnguage to me. If I didn¡¯t hear it wrong, what Ismir just said was definitely ¡®English¡¯. I think I know where the other world is now. The useless discussions that the users had in themunity were settled by Ismir¡¯s single word. There were various theories. Among them, the most likely theory now is ¡®the other world is the future Earth¡¯ theory. If I trante what Ismir said in English¡­ ¡®¡­Where is the king.¡¯ She said it was theirst words before they died, so it wouldn¡¯t be asking where the king of Altarix Kingdom, where Delgrad belongs, is. Did they have a king too, even though they looked like killing machines? I had never seen such a thing before, a robot-like thing that kills people. The modern era Earth I lived in didn¡¯t have the technology to make such an ¡®artificial intelligence killing machine¡¯. ¡­At least as far as I knew as an ordinary person. ¡®Is it rted to me¡­ ?¡¯ ¡­Probably not but I can¡¯t be sure. I¡¯m from Earth, and I can understand English. I don¡¯t know how the dimensions got twisted, but maybe there are other Earthlings from the future besides me. ¡®The king¡­¡¯ The uneasy feeling that suddenly sprang up in my heart didn¡¯t seem to go away easily. *** ¡°Amon, are you asleep already?¡± I asked Amon, who was lying on the bed, snoring softly. Using all my senses, I checked his condition and judging by his steady breathing, he wouldn¡¯t wake up for a while. Amon and I are the only men in our group, so we¡¯re alone. Ismir, Lucia, Yuri, and Aizel are staying in another room nearby. I stayed in bed and slipped into the shadows. It wasn¡¯t long before I stepped out of the shadows and onto the roof of the inn. The night view of Delgrad came into view. ¡°Aizel is still in her room¡­ Perhaps it was because she was sharing a room with Ismir, but Aizel hadn¡¯t moved much for a regressor. Even though it was the first day, it would be a shame to spend the night as it was. As for this new world¡­ Given the distance from Delgrad to the ancient ruins, it seemed like a good idea to put it off for a while. If I go out into the desert to hunt down the otherworlders, I¡¯ll naturally be close to the ruins. Tonight¡¯s task is a simple cleanup of the area. Just enough to get it out of the way before I step on some trash. Chapter 121: Mad Scientist Chapter 121: Mad Scientist TL Note: I didn¡¯t check the raws properly so I missed 1 section of the previous ch. Go read it before you read this chapter, it¡¯s right at the end of ch120 after the ****. For some time now, strangers have been scavenging the corpses of otherworldly beings. I¡¯ve heard that a young magical engineer has gone missing, and I¡¯m deeply worried that he¡¯s connected to them. I hade face-to-face with the elusive mage once before. It was a young man named Franken. He spoke of his respect for me and expressed great interest and affection for the otherworldly. I remember liking Franken because he had a rare ¡°magecraft spirit¡± that was different from the money-grubbing shysters that had be somon in recent years. I should say that it¡¯s not umon here in Delgrad for magical engineers to lock themselves away in secret workshops to keep their research from getting out, but the timing is unusual. When I asked a mage close to him about it, he said he hadn¡¯t been working on anything like thattely. Worst case scenario, I think he¡¯s been kidnapped, and I¡¯m going to ask Cecily for her opinion. Cecily has been sighing a lottely as she stares out the window, and I fervently hope that her worries don¡¯t add up to more. Adapted from The Secret Diary of Isaac Windless. The blind man who had suddenly burst into the Institute was not a man of many words. The threats of his subordinates, the useless humans who called him that, had no effect on him. He was not only blind, but deaf as well. ¡°Hey, what are you? When a person asks you a question, you answer¡­!¡± At that moment, the usually unruly kid, who was frivolously taking off his shirt, pushed him. Suddenly, a red flower burst out of his shoulder de. ¡°Off!¡± I rub my eyes at his scream, and his shoulder drops to the floor with a thud. The red flowers scattered across the ceiling and walls were blood spurting from his body. I took too many pills and my head felt like it was burning. I nced at my desk and saw stimnts strewn about¡­Maybe I overdid it in my eagerness for the high ground. Either way, the blind man who just slit my subordinate¡¯s throat is not good news for me. For now, I¡¯ll pay a few bucks and hope that the ¡°untrustworthy men¡± who call themselves servants will take care of him. As the man¡¯s head flew into the air and he nonchntly pushed aside the torso that stood over him, missing his neck, the blind man reverse-handedly wielded a well-honed reddish sword. I couldn¡¯t recall ever hearing of a swordsman wielding his sword in a reverse grip, at least not around here. Let alone a blind one. None of them hadmitted a felony worthy of being tracked down. It was bizarre. ¡°¡­¡± The mouth of the dark-haired blind man, who practiced the saying silence is gold, remained firmly closed. ¡°Why are you stuck with that one-eyed idiot?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s doing it¡­¡± ¡°Fuck¡­ I¡¯ll give you a signal and you¡¯ll all go at him!¡± ¡°Then he¡¯ll hear it too, won¡¯t he?¡± ¡°¡­He might be deaf as well.¡± The men shake their heads at the words of the man called ¡®Captain¡¯. The captain, who stammers at their logic, doesn¡¯t give up and continues counting. ¡°One, two¡­ Three!¡± He¡¯s not giving them time to think things through, but it seems to be working. ¡°¡±Ooh¡­Ooooohhhhhhhhhh!!!¡± As if on cue, the freakishly energized men stomped off the floor and charged at the blind man. However, the so-called captain didn¡¯t move his legs. The captain is indeed a ¡®captain¡¯ so he must be a bit more clever than the others. ¡°Ahhhhh!!!¡± The leisurely pace of the blind man and his deafening subordinates collided. A red sword light shes and a crisp, clean sound follows as they all fall to the ground, unable to take more than a few steps toward the blind man. The blood from their bodies touches the blind man¡¯s shoes as he stops walking. -Pfft. The blind man, who had been stepping over the puddle of blood without avoiding it, had no expression. Whether it was because I couldn¡¯t see because his eyes were covered with white bandages, or because his lips didn¡¯t move an inch, there was no expression on his face. s, they are useless after all. Just as I¡¯d calcted, they were just a substitute for gathering materials. ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.¡± Stumbling backwards in terror, the ¡®captain¡¯ fell to the ground and cursed under his breath. The blind man was taking one step after another, very slowly and scrambling to his feet, the ¡®captain¡¯ rushed over to where I was. The casualness of the blind man, who appeared out of nowhere and mercilessly ughtered his men, represented a gap in power as wide as the sky and the earth, created a sense of fear for the captain. Not that I¡¯m afraid. I tucked my head back in. Why is he looking for me? I¡¯m the furthest thing from a savior. I¡¯m just an ordinary magical engineer, and I can¡¯t save him from his blindness. ¡°Hmph¡­ Attack, attack, attack¡­!¡± The ¡®captain¡¯ rushes into the boratory¡¯, gasping for breath and looking at me for something to do. The sound of the blind man¡¯s footsteps, which must have sounded like an apocalyptic trumpet to him, wasing from the other end of the hall. There was still time to react. ¡°Huh¡­ Whatever this thing is, it¡¯s no match for me¡­ A golem¡­ Is that golem still unfinished?¡± He asked, pointing to the far side of theb. I followed his finger and turned my head to look at my ¡®child¡¯. Unfortunately, it was unfinished. Of course, even if it was, I wouldn¡¯t be activating it to save him. ¡°Shhh.¡± I put a finger to my mouth. The unintelligible creature¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You can¡¯t do this.¡± Throwing the question out with a shake of my head, I picked up a tool lying on my desk, a blunt instrument if you will, and smashed it straight down on his head. -Pfft. The blow hit him so hard that his head dropped to the floor without resistance. Bending down to my knees, I raised the blunt object in my hand once more and whispered to him in a low voice. ¡°I thought I made that clear.¡± He shrugs. ¡°As far as I know, I was kidnapped¡­¡± He shrugged. ¡°¡­a poor magical engineer.¡± -Pfft. ¡°Ah.¡± I wiped the dirty, disgusting blood from the crushed creature¡¯s head. This is why I hate doing it myself. Checking my face for more blood, I tossed the ¡®blunt instrument¡¯ haphazardly to the ground. Soon enough, I heard the blind man¡¯s footsteps in the distance. Somehow I made it in time. ¡°¡­¡± The blind man enters the room and inclines his head. ¡°¡­Thank you, thank you so much¡­¡­¡± I stared at him, gagged, and burst into tears. Thanks to this, the blind man did not attack me. From now on, as per the scenario. ¡°¡­My name is Franken, a magical engineer, and I was kidnapped by them and forced to do research under duress¡­Thank you so much for rescuing me¡­ Ugh¡­ Off¡­¡± Acting wasn¡¯t that difficult. On the contrary, I was confident. Did I really need to shed a tear for a blind man? The thought shes through my mind as I sit there, clutching my face and sobbing. Soon, I hear the blind man¡¯s voice. ¡°¡­So that¡¯s what happened, but you can rest easy now. I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ Huh¡­ Thank you.¡± I wiped away my tears and pretended to calm my excitement. The blind man must have been very well fooled, because he smiled warmly at me and held out his hand. ¡°¡­You seem to be having trouble with your eyes, can you sense me? Of course you can, otherwise you wouldn¡¯t have been able to take on these guys¡­ I think you¡¯re pretty amazing.¡± I take his outstretched hand and pull myself to my feet, muttering something vaguelyplimentary. My mind was now filled with thoughts of what would be the natural behavior of an ordinary magical engineer whose life had been saved. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s not that great.¡± ¡°¡­Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.¡± ¡°By the way, you said you were forced to do research, what kind of research was that?¡± The man with the bandages over his eyes seemed to ask the question because he was blind and couldn¡¯t see what was sitting in theb. ¡°They were scraping up the otherworlders corpses, and they wanted me to make ¡®otherworlders¡¯.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ Making otherworlders¡­Is that that thing over there, because I felt a strange aura?¡± In the direction the blind man pointed, there was my beloved ¡°child,¡± abination of otherworlders. Humanoid otherworlders parts were so expensive that I could only get crumbs of them. I tried to reconstruct the humanoid otherworlder by piecing together the body parts of the beastly otherworlders, but the results were often crude and iplete due to material limitations. I had removed the power sources from the otherworlders, and was ready to insert the golem¡¯s ¡°core¡± as the new power source. I was actually more confident dealing with golems than aliens. Unlike humans, golems are good children who listen well and don¡¯t show unnecessary emotion. I couldn¡¯t figure out how the blind man, whose eyes were covered with bandages, was able to detect the objects and humans around him, but he seemed to have a very good sense of direction, as he pointed to a golem that was standing still in the middle of theb. ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s it, I hate to say it, but it¡¯s a weird-looking thing, haha¡­ Still, the otherworldly species are quite valuable, so if you leave it with the guards, they can disassemble it and sell it on the market for a profit.¡± I answered sincerely, but with a hint that the city guards would take care of it and it would be better if he didn¡¯t touch it. Of course, I have no intention of meekly handing it over to the city guards. I hope they don¡¯t try to break it and there are plenty of ways to escape without breaking it. From what I¡¯d seen of his swordsmanship earlier, I¡¯d have a hard time physically stopping him. Soon, the blind man with his arms crossed spoke again. I thought he preferred silence, but apparently not. ¡°An artificial alien species¡­ What were they nning to do with it?¡± ¡°Well¡­ From the sounds of it, they were going to release it into the city.¡± ¡°If that had happened¡­ a lot of people would have gotten hurt, thank goodness.¡± The blind man smiles at me. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to destroy it right now¡­ there¡¯s something more important. ¡°¡­By the way, how did you find your way here? I¡¯m a bit dazed, and I haven¡¯t even gotten your name yet, so may I ask where you belong?¡± ¡°Affiliation? Oh, I¡­¡± The blind man¡¯s words trailed off and he extended his hand to me. As I stare at it, wondering what to make of it, a ck energy gathers around it, and a fist-sized ck blob of water floats to the top of his palm. Curious about what I¡¯m seeing, I look up to see his face. Then the blind man¡¯s lips part. ¡°¡­I¡¯m a demon.¡± ¡°A¡­Demon¡­?¡± I suddenly realize that¡¯s a¡­ A sound¡­? Yelp. I stumble backwards and my back hits the desk. Demons, the main enemy of humans and a race that preys on humans to increase their power. ¡°No¡­that¡¯s not¡­¡± My jaw dropped in shock at the blind man¡¯s words. He hadn¡¯t revealed his horns, the symbol of a demon, but after hearing those words, I could almost feel an evil and unholy aura emanating from the ck droplets in his palm. The blind man who was watching me suddenly burst outughing. His mouth opens as he swallows a gurglingugh. ¡°¡­I¡¯m just kidding, I¡¯m human, you don¡¯t have to be so scared.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± My brow furrows at his next words. What is he trying to tell me? He¡¯s not a demon? What is this blind man doing this for? Meanwhile, he still hadn¡¯t revealed his affiliation or name. After scratching his head, the blind man said something meaningful. ¡°¡­Well, I guess you weren¡¯t having fun, because you were performing a ridiculous ¡®y¡¯ and I listened in¡­¡± ¡°¡­A y, what do you mean¡­?¡± ¡­Oh no, I¡¯ve been found out. I naturally groped for the desk, searching for the scroll that was supposed to be on it. I was ready to activate the golem at any moment. All I had to do was imbue the scroll with mana and a golem would spring from the ground. It would be nothing special, just an ordinary golem made of y, but if I did it right, it might buy me some time. The blind man then points to the so-called ¡®captain¡¯ lying beside the desk. ¡°¡­I heard all of that, you know, the stuff you were talking about so closely with this gentleman.¡± ¡°¡­Shit.¡± I should have known better. I immediately put my hand on the scroll and moved my arm to infuse it with mana, but for some reason my body wouldn¡¯t move. ¡°¡­Ugh¡­¡± I quickly rolled my eyes and looked at my arm, only to see something ck and slimy leaping out of the shadows and wrapping itself around my body. It¡¯s¡­ What¡­? ¡°I¡¯m afraid this will have to end here.¡± He said, his red sword drawn. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Realizing that I had reached a bad ending, I gave up struggling and let out a deep sigh. Behind the blind man holding his sword to my throat, I can see the unfinished ¡®child¡¯. I haven¡¯t even given it a name yet, but I don¡¯t think it will ever see the light of day. *** This seems to be the end of the cleanup around the city. Underground dumping grounds, gangs of thugs, and Franken unleashing an alien golem in the center of the city. Franken, in particr, seemed like a good idea to clean up beforehand, especially since he was going to hurt people. When you meet him in the game, he¡¯ll pretend to be an innocent magical engineer who¡¯s been wrongfully kidnapped and stab you in the back. You might have thought it was odd that the battle phase didn¡¯t work out after meeting him, but you didn¡¯t realize that he had nned and orchestrated the whole thing. I was the same way in the first episode. [It was ame y] Sierra said, ncing at Franken¡¯s severed head on the floor. Well, now it¡¯s like this. Even if I hadn¡¯t overheard their conversation with my acute hearing, Sierra was there, and I would have found out somehow. Even if she hadn¡¯t, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to fool me anyway. I snap my fingers, and the bodies around me disappear into the shadows without a trace. Sheddie had absorbed human corpses as well as demons. ¡°Keryung.¡± Sheddie pranced across theb floor and let out a satisfied howl. He hadn¡¯t looked like that when he ate the demons, but humans were different. I wonder if this counts as one of his ¡®meals¡¯. There was so little information on the dark spirits that it was impossible to tell. All that remained was Franken¡¯s unfinished work in hisboratory, which he had created with the help of otherworldly creatures. It was too dangerous to leave it untouched, as it could be a golem at any moment. I lifted my finger to see if Sheddie would swallow it, but it refused to do so. Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s not a life form so I¡¯ll have to go with a simpler method. Finished with my thoughts, I slowly raised my sword. Chapter 122: Anomalies (1) Chapter 122: Anomalies (1) The scorching sunlight poured down upon us. Amon has been lying beside me since earlier, tongue hanging out, panting like a thirsty puppy. The heat must be pretty unbearable. Even though he had changed out of his school uniform and into clothes optimized for desert activities, he was showing that he was not handling the heat well. ¡°Ugh.¡± The sandy dust that followed caused the group to grimace. ¡°Tsk, tsk. Tsk, tsk.¡± Amon¡¯s mouth was filled with sand and he spat it out. He grits his teeth a few times to make sure the grains are chewed, then nces at me. I tilt my head to meet his gaze. ¡°¡­I never thought you¡¯d lookfortable with a bandage over your eye.¡± ¡°Watch yournguage, Amon.¡± Yuri immediately snapped at him. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s definitelyfortable.¡± Our group heads out into the desert to hunt the otherworlders as soon as the sun rises, and while we don¡¯t get much sleep due to the ¡®scavenging¡¯, I don¡¯t feel too tired thanks to Raina bracelet. ording to Ismir, the only way to hunt aliens is to walk through the desert. Gates appeared randomly, and the alien species that emerged from them had no discernible pattern of behavior. Scratching the patch over her left eye, she exined, ¡°You won¡¯t find them easily. If I could, I¡¯d be making a fortune.¡± As it turns out, the otherworlders are not so easy toe by. ¡­As far as I could tell, they had to be. ¡°¡­Here theye again, and there are quite a few of them this time.¡± I opened my mouth as soon as my senses picked up their movements. ¡°Again¡­?!¡± The sound of my voice startled Lucia. I pointed my finger in the direction they wereing from, and it wasn¡¯t long before they could see it with their own eyes. A cloud of sandy dust was rising to our left. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s real, it¡¯s puppies.¡± Ismir, who had raised her hand to block out the sunlight, said, the corners of her mouth turning up. Soon, someone¡¯s left arm pokes out of my robe. My left arm was already pointing at the otherworlders, so at least it wasn¡¯t mine. Zizik! A st of lightning erupts from a hand, much smaller and more slender than mine. A straight, golden sh of light stirs up the sand and rains down indiscriminately on the charging aliens. Crackle!!! Crackle!!! The otherworldly beings that had been running were knocked to the ground. ¡®Even though they¡¯re low level, they¡¯re still otherworldly beings, and you¡¯re sending them away with a single blow.¡¯ Aizel¡¯s magic was quite powerful. ¡°Wow¡­! Aizel is amazing¡­!¡± Lucia, who was watching, jumped up and down on the sand. I turn my head and see Yuri looking at me. More precisely, she¡¯s ring at Aizel, who¡¯s inside my robes and can be seen through them. ¡°Why don¡¯t you join me in battle? I thought we were here for a ¡®joint¡¯ battle.¡± ¡°¡­We weren¡¯t going to fight together anyway.¡± After answering Yuri¡¯s words bitterly, Aizel grabs my arm and pulls me down to hide under my robe. The sun was hot, and Aizel was shielding herself from the sunlight by crawling into my robe. This was possible because Aizel, who was not particrly tall, was so small that when she was in my arms, the robe fit her perfectly. When Yuri asked her if she shouldn¡¯t be wearing a robe, she remained silent and finally whispered to me, ¡°Is it okay to stay here¡­?¡± in a small whisper. I replied that it was fine. There was nothing wrong with her except that it was a little hot from her body heat. I thought she might have trouble walking, but she was keeping pace with me. I whispered to her that she might be feeling a little stifled, and I could feel Aizel¡¯s head twitch inside her robe. It didn¡¯t matter, but I wondered if she had a reason toe into my arms. If I was big, Amon was bigger. I realized that Amon¡¯s size would allow him to fit Lucia along with Aizel, inside his robe. After thinking about this, I came to the conclusion that it¡¯s because Aizel and Amon aren¡¯t very close. As a regressor, Aizel didn¡¯t have much of a social circle. ¡°Heh¡­But¡­Didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s hard to meet people of otherworlders, Instructor Ismir¡­¡± Amon, who was sweating profusely, asked Ismir, who was approaching the otherworldly species. ¡°Did I?¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it strange, this is the third time already.¡± This is the third time we¡¯ve encountered aliens. We were encountering them strangely often. Well, I hadn¡¯t even gotten a chance to draw my sword before they were swept away by Aizel. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? Sometimes you get lucky, right? Lucia, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes, instructor!¡± Ismir and Lucia giggled and ran toward the wreckage of the alien species. For two characters who are known for their ignorance, this seemed like a perfect match. As a side note, the cadets¡¯ kills on this trip to the desert will be given as extra pay to their temporary instructors, the warriors. After all, the cadets aren¡¯t here to make money, and the warriors have an incentive beyond their basic paychecks to teach them better¡­ In many ways, it was an organized structure. ¡°We¡¯ve captured an otherworldly species, shouldn¡¯t we be able to go back now, haha¡­¡± Amon sighed heavily. He sounded so uncharacteristically weak. He was dripping with sweat since the desert heat and scorching sun would prove to be a grueling ordeal for many cadets. ¡°From the sounds of it, it¡¯s going to be hard to get back, unless we catch a ¡®humanoid¡¯.¡± Yuri, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t broken a sweat. As in the sauna the other day, she was unusually resistant to heat. Lucia and Ismir would be used to the desert while Aizel hid in the shadow of my robe. Amon was the one that had it the worst. I pulled a water bottle from a subspace pocket in my backpack and held it out to Amon. ¡°We should get a humanoid, too. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to show off what kind of family Caligus is?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ that would be nice. Thank you. ¡­By the way, how many water bottles did you bring?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t hurt to be prepared, haha.¡± I didn¡¯t count how many I had brought. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say it¡¯s enough to keep me from going thirsty if I were stranded in the desert. Amon takes the water bottle and gulps it down. ¡°Do you want a ss, too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still fine.¡± ¡°And Miss Aizel?¡± Amon asks, lifting my robe to reveal Aizel. ¡°Well¡­¡± Aizel winced as she opened her mouth to speak, not expecting him to suddenly lift my robe. Even though she was out of the sunlight, my robes were still hot and her face looked like it was burning up. ¡®If it¡¯s stuffy, she¡¯lle out on her own¡­?¡¯ Aizel was currently wearing a fairly revealing outfit. I don¡¯t remember her desert outfit from the game being anything like this¡­ Well, it¡¯s not strange to change clothes. It must have been hot. As pretty as the outfit was, the scar across Aizel¡¯s immacte abdomen made me swallow hard. She looked up and nced at me, but I grabbed her arm and pulled her down, hiding her once more. Then she shakes her head. Her behavior reminds me of a small, cute animal, and I smile faintly. [My disciple is really a babysitter¡­] He almostughed when Sierra¡¯s gruff voice broke through the silence. I never had kids, but I was used to taking care of them. ¡®It¡¯s like old times.¡¯ It brought back memories that I hadn¡¯t dredged up in a while because I didn¡¯t know if I could go back. A set of behaviors is a kind of care to maintain the morale of the party. Without them, morale plummets, which affectsbat power. Amon, in particr, seems to need extra care because he is Amon. It¡¯s better to fight in the best condition possible. ¡®I¡¯m worried about the ¡®anomaly¡¯ of multiple alien species¡¯ appearances, but¡­¡¯ My eyes scanned the horizon. Beyond the dunes, ancient ruins loomed small in the distance. I was getting closer to a site I knew had a deep connection to the alien species, and that was enough for me. *** ¡°Uh¡­¡± I quickly lowered his arm to hide myself. I felt very embarrassed to see his head sticking up at me. My head was already spinning in the robes, filled with Zetto¡¯s scent. I shook my head in response to Zetto¡¯s kind question. I was worried that if I answered out loud, my voice would give away my embarrassment. Part of my reason for running into his arms was to get out of the scorching sun, as he had exined, but the main reason was that I didn¡¯t want to lose him. I didn¡¯t want to lose him. The desert was dangerous for Zetto. In the previous installment, Zetto had encountered an ¡°unprecedented¡± group of humanoid aliens in the desert. They ambushed us and for some reason, they were desperately targeting Zetto. ¡­Luckily, he was unharmed, but there¡¯s no telling if he¡¯ll get away with it this time. First of all, the frequency with which the aliens appeared was much different than before. This ufortable situation of encountering more of them, more often, was making me uneasy. As I walked away, matching Zetto¡¯s stride, I inadvertently wrapped my arms around his waist. Suddenly, Zetto stops walking and I wonder if he was embarrassed. I then spoke very softly, just enough for him to hear, but not for anyone else. ¡°In order to walk morefortably¡­¡± My answer was full of excuses, but he didn¡¯t say anything and started walking again. Perhaps he would have smiled at me, but it was a shame I couldn¡¯t see his face from here. Hugging him tightly around the waist, I renewed my resolve. I will protect Zetto. That¡¯s what I became strong for. ¡®I don¡¯t know why these otherworldly beings are after him, and I don¡¯t understand why¡­¡¯ I wasn¡¯t about to lose Zetto to them and if we could just get out of the desert, everything would be right again. The scent of Zetto¡¯s cologne wafting from his body made my head spin. Chapter 123: Anomalies (2) Chapter 123: Anomalies (2) ¡°Eh¡­Eh, eh, eh!¡± Amon, with his robes wrapped around him, coughed loudly. The desert is prone to extreme weather. Now that the unnecessarily hot sun had faded and night had fallen, as Sheddie yed in the cold sand. Aizel had cleaned up all the otherworldly creatures we met during the day. ¡®Did Aizel have a grudge against them?¡¯ Reaching out from under my robes, she swept them away as if they were a nuisance, partly because they weren¡¯t up to our standards. The humanoid aliens never showed themselves. In fact, if she were to reveal her full power, she would be able to single-handedly defeat the humanoid alien species¡­but neither I nor Aizel had revealed our full power. ¡®So there are monsters in the Academy,¡¯ Ismir said, noting that humanoids would be perfect for your ¡®joint battle¡¯. I already know they spoke English, and I really wanted to meet them, but there was a reason they were rarer than the beasts. ¡°Well, shit¡­ I¡¯ll never get used to the desert.¡± Amon snorted. ¡°¡­At least it¡¯s warm in the tents, so we¡¯ll put up with it while we stand guard.¡± I said, gesturing roughly to the magical tent on the other side. Inside, the women would be sleeping, except for Amon and me. Suddenly, Amon looks at me longingly and I wonder what¡¯s wrong with him. ¡°¡­Zetto, you have nothing but positive things to say. Do you think I can be as strong as you if I live with that mindset?¡± ¡°¡­If you could just be a little less needy¡­ Maybe you could be stronger?¡± ¡°I¡¯m kidding. You can¡¯t get stronger with your mind. It¡¯s impossible. A man always speaks with his body.¡± Amon balled his fists, checking his muscles. ¡°Amon you¡¯re a mage, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but we Caligus have long been trained in the art of manipting mana through strength, though it doesn¡¯t make sense to someone like you, who can twist mana and not feel a thing.¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m curious about your maniption of mana through strength training.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s a family secret, so I can¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m kidding. I¡¯m actually not that curious.¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± There was a moment of silence, and then Amon and I burst outughing. I realize that Amon¡¯s gotten a lot nicer than I thought he would, which means I could easily try to lead him on a certain route in the future. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to sow the seeds at this point. ¡°Amon, if you ever have a problem, you can alwayse to me.¡± ¡°Is that a joke?¡± Amon asks, and I throw up my hands and smile. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. I¡¯m just saying that as a ¡®friend¡¯ because you have a strong tendency to do things on your own.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I see. You have a lot to teach me, so that wouldn¡¯t be a bad option, though I doubt it¡¯ll ever happen.¡± No, it will always happen. I turned my head away from him and held back the urge to spit out, ¡®Demons areing for you.¡¯ Meanwhile, Sierra was floating in the sky, the moon dazzling the golden grains of sand in her eyes. She seemed to be watching Ismir all day but I haven¡¯t spoken to her yet. I¡¯m sure she has a lot to tell her. How she¡¯s been, what happened to her eye, if everything¡¯s been okay. Is she eating well? Is she feeling frustrated that she can¡¯t even say a simple hello? Or is she grateful to be able to catch up with an old acquaintance. Not knowing what Ismir and Sierra¡¯s rtionship was like, I couldn¡¯t tell. ¡®Were they close enough to touch breasts¡­?¡¯ If it was like that, I think they were close. [Even so¡­] Sierra, who was staring at the moon, muttered to herself. I wonder if I can hear her feelings about Ismir now¡­Judging by her first words, I wonder if they have a history. I nce up to give Sierra my full attention, and she continues. [¡­How is it possible that a person hasn¡¯t changed at all, or at least not in decades, except for the loss of an eye? A person bes an adult only when he grows older and his thoughts grow¡­ Nothing has changed except the drinking and smoking. I¡¯m even more confused because nothing has changed¡­] Sierra gazed at the moon, her mind wandering. ¡­Maybe it¡¯s best to let her have some time to herself. ¡°Sand. Sand. Lots of it.¡± I listened to Sierra¡¯s not-so-subtle whine and watched as Sheddie pawed at the sand. I was standing guard, but I didn¡¯t need to pay attention. It was enough to use the waves from time to time. It was at this moment that something strange touched the waves. ¡®An otherworldly species.¡¯ But there was something very different about them, unlike any other species I had ever encountered. ¡°¡­Amon, wake up the people.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Amon, who was standing next to me, frowned. ¡°It¡¯s the alien species, I¡¯m guessing ¡®humanoid¡¯. I¡¯ll go first and stall for time, and you bring everyone else.¡± With those words, I pumped mana into my legs and sprinted up the steep dune. Behind me, I heard Amon call out, ¡°Wait¡­! Zetto! ¡­Damn it, I don¡¯t know!¡± followed by the sound of him running toward the tent. Sierra looks down from the sky in the direction of the otherworldly species at my sudden movement. She seems to have spotted it too,es up beside me, running hard, and says to me. [Why are you going alone? I thought that was one of the dangerous humanoid aliens.] Sierra was right, it was an assertive move. It may not be toote to wake up those in the tents and deal with them. But¡­ ¡°¡­there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to check out.¡± What exactly they¡¯re after. I need to figure out what¡¯s causing the ¡®anomaly¡¯ beforehand. After all, I wasn¡¯t about to risk my life against a humanoid alien species. I was approaching the creature at a fast pace when I stood on top of a huge sand dune. I could see him now. When he spotted me, he halted with his legs, kicking up a huge cloud of sand and dust behind him. Keeping my eyes peeled, I descended the dune and stepped in front of him. The humanoid alien species is finally here. ¡­It was a hodgepodge of things, but it was a statuesque, well-crafted mass of metal, nking and majestic. He wore a tattered cloth over his shoulders like a cloak. Is it mimicking humans? Is he trying to be human? With its cloak and armor fluttering in the air, it looked like a knight. ¡°¡­Ha.¡± Standing in front of him, I let out a wryugh. He hadn¡¯t made a move since he spotted me. Neither had I, but he hadn¡¯t attacked me in any way. This was very odd, considering their habits to attack humans indiscriminately. I couldn¡¯t figure it out, but I had a bad feeling about it, and I chuckled to myself. I wondered why I couldn¡¯t be wrong. ¡®Where is the king¡­?¡¯ Their purpose is to find their king. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because my presence can help them find the king, or if it¡¯s because I am the king. Either way, it¡¯s not a good thing. ¡®King of the Killing Machines,¡¯ I can¡¯t think of a more misleading title. His eyes shed, and red light poured from them. It wasn¡¯t an attack; he was slowly scanning me from top to bottom. ¡®Scanning¡­?¡¯ The creature began to make sounds as it scanned my body. I couldn¡¯t see anything that could be called a mouth, but it was definitely making a sound. It wasn¡¯t one of those unintelligible noises I heard in the game. His voice was a low, low, mechanical voice and thenguage was¡­English. [What the hell is he mumbling?] Sierra questioned as she crossed her arms and listened to him. ¡­The sad thing is, I was thinking the same thing as her. English wasn¡¯t the onlynguage I could understand. Simple English was fine, but he was spouting off some veryplex English words. I was able to pick up a few easy words, but it didn¡¯t help me understand his ¡°intentions¡±. Soon, after a long string of English, he suddenly shuts up and goes quiet. ¡°¡­¡­¡± There¡¯s a moment of silence. I didn¡¯t attack, and he didn¡¯t attack. This brief silence between alien and human is one for the history books. Then, as if the power had gone out, the red glow from its eyeballs disappeared. With no idea what to expect, I put my hand on Sierra and waited. Ping! It wasn¡¯t long before he shed the red light again then started talking again, aloud but this time, I could understand what he was saying. Because¡­ ¡°Language scanplete. System restart confirmed. Data download for ¡®Korean¡¯plete.¡± ¡­It started speaking Korean. Chapter 124: Questions & Answers and Collapse (1) Chapter 124: Questions & Answers and Copse (1) ¡°Confronting target. Pending suitability determination. Awaiting response from ¡®Mother Goddess¡¯.¡± The humanoid alien was speaking Korean, my native tongue, but it muttered something I couldn¡¯t make out¡­ Goal, suitability¡­ It mumbled something unintelligible. He seemed to bemunicating with a ¡®Mother Goddess¡¯. More than that, I wondered how he came to speak Korean. I was now in a situation where I was Zetto, a game character I created. Even though I didn¡¯t speak Korean or anything else, he started to speak Korean after scanning me. [What is he muttering about¡­Disciple, why don¡¯t you break it?] His mumbling was getting on her nerves, so Sierra asked me. ¡°¡­¡± But I didn¡¯t make a rash move. I still hadn¡¯t gotten any information, let alone their intentions. ¡°¡­Checking for conformity. Recognizing the conformist with the ¡®crown¡¯ as the ¡®king¡¯ as of this time. Changing the chain ofmand.¡± The otherworldly species is quiet for a moment, and then he turns to me and bends to one knee. ¡°Airframe number X-05, greeting the King. Asmanded, I will take the ¡®king¡¯ to the ¡®Mother Goddess¡¯.¡± He holds out his giant palm to me, as if to say, ¡°Climb aboard.¡± [¡­] ¡°¡­¡± Sierra nched at his behavior, and I did the same. I wasn¡¯t even wearing a ¡®crown¡¯, but from his words and actions, it seemed that I was the king the humanoid aliens were looking for. It wasn¡¯t entirely unexpected, but it did take me a moment to realize that he wanted to take me somewhere. Who is ¡®Mother Goddess¡¯, and why are they looking for the king? The only thing that came to mind when I thought of the Mother Goddess was Mother Earth, the world tree of the elves. However, it is unlikely that their mother goddess, who seems to be quite distant from nature, is a world tree. Their destination is an ancient ruin. If they had a base, the ¡°Mother Goddess,¡± might be there. I wondered if I should follow them or not. My senses picked up a sense of someone approaching this ce at breakneck speed. ¡°Detecting energy response. Appears to be the hostile faction ¡®Pantheon¡¯. Unable to survive if engaged inbat due to the magnitude of energy measured. I will not be able to fulfill my orders¡­.King, make your choice.¡± The humanoid alien who called himself ¡®X-05¡¯ bowed his head, urging me on. Yeah, I didn¡¯t have much time left. When he said ¡°Pantheon,¡± he must have been referring to Aizel, who was racing toward us. If he was right, he would most likely be torn to pieces when she arrived. Having finished thinking about it in the blink of an eye, I pulled out my sword. There was not much time left so I quickly climbed up his arm andnded on his shoulder. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I whispered, barely loud enough for Sierra to hear. If he¡¯s a futuristic robot, my whisper won¡¯t reach him. Then my outstretched arm flicked out, flowing like water. A t chunk of metal is neatly sliced off. Kugung¡­ His arm falls to the ground with a heavy thud, kicking up sand and dust. ¡°Order confirmed. Execute evasive maneuver and rejoin the base.¡± After moving his massive body quite acrobatically to distance himself from me, he utters those words, unfazed by my sudden hostility. I wonder if there is such a thing as ¡®frightened¡¯ when they are nothing more than machines in the first ce. The otherworldly species bows to me. I guess that¡¯s a farewell. A momentter, a st of magic from behind me hits him, it was Aizel¡¯s magic. He shifts again, narrowly avoiding Aizel¡¯s magic and his body pushes off the ground, emitting a small puff of smoke, and with an iron ng, the propulsion mechanisms of his body are revealed. ¡®It could fly.¡¯ It looked so different from the humanoid aliens I¡¯d seen in the game, and I wondered if it was a higher-level individual. -KEEEEEE! The roar of its engines filled my ears as blue mes erupted from its thrusters, and before Aizel could unleash another st of magic, it leaped. Boom! Kicking off the ground, the creature soars through the air at a phenomenal speed. High, high in the sky, he pierces the clouds and disappears from view. ¡°Zetto!¡± I turn at the urgent call and see a tinum-haired girl sliding down the dune. Aizel, who has made it all the way down the dune, rushes over to me and wraps her arms around me. I wonder if she was worried since her body trembles slightly as she gasps for breath after running so fast. ¡°¡­Are you hurt, are you hurt?¡± Aizel asked, lifting the robe from around my body to inspect my condition. ¡°You can¡¯t be hurt, can you?¡± She looked worried, but I smiled at her. ¡°¡±Zetto!¡±¡± Then I saw the others over the dunes and Lucia ran to me, still groggy from sleep. When they asked me what happened, I shrugged and opened my mouth. ¡°¡­ unfortunately I missed it. I didn¡¯t realize it could fly.¡± I didn¡¯t miss or regret it, but the severed arm of the otherworldly creature lying at my feet reinforced my words. They had witnessed the otherworldly creature soar into the sky. Sierra, who was standing with her arms crossed in response to my answer, shakes her head. ¡­Sierra might need some rification. ¡°An alien species that flies. I¡¯ve never seen anything like that before.¡± Ismir, who was rubbing her chin, said with a slightly more serious face. So far, there had been no flying aliens, and they had somehow managed to keep them out of the desert, but the moment they took flight, the story changed. As we talked about the alien species, my mind was filled with other thoughts. The otherworldly races that hade from a ce called the Otherworld, a supposed future Earth and the king they sought was an Earthling that transmigrated in a game world. Unintelligible descriptions of conformity, crowns, and a ¡°flying¡± humanoid alien species I¡¯d never seen in a game before. Questions rolled in like waves but they will be answered soon enough. *** A ¡®knight¡¯ with a missing arm led his massive frame into a darkened room. The knight approached a dimly lit sphere. Embedded in one of the walls, the ck orb appeared to be connected to a long cylindrical tube that fed something into the orb. ¡°¡­Mother Goddess.¡± The knight dropped to one knee and bowed his head. The knight was imitating a human knight since it was programmed that way. Soon, a voice came from the sphere that called itself Mother Goddess. ¡°Unit number X-05, confirmation of return. Reviewing data.¡± A long cord from the sphere retracted itself and lodged itself in the back of the Knight¡¯s head. As if on cue, the cord snaps into ce and the sphere receives the ¡®data¡¯. Normally, this ¡®ssical¡¯ method would have been unnecessary, but now that they¡¯re out of their normal environment, it¡¯s a cumbersome but necessary step. Soon, the sphere looked at the data. The ¡®data¡¯ was a memory and a video of the knight¡¯s encounter with the ¡®king¡¯ through the knight¡¯s eyes. The knight held out his hand to their King, who wore a pure white crown and the being that had brought them here. Sadly, the king did not answer the knight¡¯s call. Gently cutting off the knight¡¯s arm, the king whispers in a low voice in thenguage of their old country, anguage they had forgotten. ¡°Stand down. I will find you.¡± The king¡¯s order is followed by the knight¡¯s retreat and the video is cut off but that was all the information the sphere needed. The sphere reyed the video a few more times, quickly analyzing and calcting the situation. But it was a small amount of information, and since this was my first contact, it required a lot of calctions. The sphere merged it with the information it had, pruning and organizing the myriad branches one by one. ¡°¡­¡± The sphere finally understood the king¡¯s intentions. ¡°I rescind my previous order to track the ¡®King¡¯. All units are to go into cloaking mode for the time being, prohibitingbat with hostile forces.¡± The sphere issues orders to the units under his chain ofmand. To await the King¡¯s visit. The sphere thought for itself and made judgments. There was a clear difference between it and the other machines. Soon, the sphere¡¯s invisible gaze rested on the ¡®knight¡¯ in front of it. ¡°I see damage to the left arm of unit X-05. I¡¯m going to request procurement of parts ¡­You¡¯ve had a hard time.¡± It understood the meaning of the word difficult but that was all it knew. The knight inclined his head once more, then pushed himself to his feet then left the room. The sphere looked at the knight and pondered his words. Just seeing the video footage of the knight encounter with the king had changed it and the same emotions that humans possessed were sprouting in the sphere. Chapter 125: Questions & Answers and Collapse (2) Chapter 125: Questions & Answers and Copse (2) ¡°Howe I¡¯m not seeing any? I was seeing them like crazy until yesterday¡­ Have they disappeared?¡± Ismir grumbled as she munched on a piece of dried meat in front of the campfire. We hadn¡¯t encountered a single humanoid alien since our encounterst night. Perhaps it was my orders but I don¡¯t know exactly why. In any case, what is happening now is a series of ¡®anomalies¡¯. ¡°Maybe they got scared by Aizel and ran away¡­!¡± ¡°Do they even get scared in the first ce?¡± Lucia¡¯s cheerful shout was answered in a nonchnt voice by Yuri as she sat with her jaw clenched, staring at the bonfire and rubbing her bruises. The march through the deste desert was boring without the otherworldly species. There was a moment of silence before Lucia turned to Ismir and spoke cautiously. ¡°Instructor Ismir, do you think we should turn back? We haven¡¯t seen any aliens, and¡­ And we have to tell them that a flying alien has appeared¡­¡± ¡°Except for Aizel and Zetto, no one fought, right? As for the otherworldly species, it flew like a ¡®hawk¡¯ earlier, so there¡¯s nothing for you guys to worry about and¡­¡± Ismir¡¯s words trailed off, and she turned her head back to take in the ancient ruins in the distance. ¡°¡­If we¡¯re this close, there¡¯s bound to be something. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been this far before either, so why don¡¯t we explore the ruins? Since it¡¯s a ruin, there must be some treasure.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go into the ruins¡­?¡± ¡°What, are you scared, ehhhhh¡­¡± Ismir looks at Lucia, who looks terrified, and smirks. ¡°No, I¡¯m not scared¡­! But I thought we weren¡¯t supposed to step foot in the ruins¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s because there are a lot of otherworldly creatures around the ruins, and it used to be quitemon for archaeologists to be killed by them when they came to investigate but it¡¯s calmed down a bit now.¡± ¡°¡­But how did theye to be called ruins?¡± Yuri asked after listening to Ismir for a while. ¡°It¡¯s supposedly a ruin because of the ancient symbols carved into the outer walls, but no one has ever been inside, so no one knows if it¡¯s really a ruin or not. How about that, it¡¯s interesting, doesn¡¯t it make you want to go in?¡± ¡°Nope. It looks dangerous.¡± Ismir is disappointed by Yuri¡¯s determination. The ancient ruins were a fairly short distance away and we had gotten a lot closer than I had expected, given that we hadn¡¯t met any of the otherworldly species. It was a mysterious structure with no indication of when, how, or what it was built for. Information gleaned from the game suggests that the ancient ruins are rted to the alien species and that you¡¯ll encounter them more often around the ruins. Even if you manage to get close enough to take them out, they¡¯ll regroup back to the entrance and prevent you from entering¡­ I didn¡¯t know if the ruins actually had technology that prevented humans from entering, but I was pretty sure I could get in now. No, it was a ¡®certainty¡¯. I sat at the campfire, listening to their conversation in silence, and finally decided it was time to speak. ¡°¡­I think I¡¯ll go into the tent first, I¡¯m a little tired.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, you didn¡¯t get any sleepst night after what happened while you were on guard, so it¡¯s understandable¡­¡± Yuri trails off and nods faintly since Amon, who stood guard with me, had long since retired to his tent to sleep. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll stand guard twice today instead of Zetto.¡± Aizel, who was looking at me, said. ¡°Really? Then¡­thank you, Miss Aizel.¡± I smile at her sweetness since this will make things a little easier. Then Yuri turns away from us and speaks in a low voice. ¡°I could stand guard.¡± Ismir interrupts and points to Yuri. ¡°Then Yuri will stay guard in Amon¡¯s ce.¡± ¡°What? Why would I take Amon¡¯s ce¡­?¡± ¡°Why? I thought you said you could stand guard. Did I hear you wrong?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡­Yes, sir.¡± Yuri¡¯s shaky answer brought a question mark to Ismir¡¯s face. She looked at me like, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I bowed appropriately, then pushed myself up from the campfire and entered the tent. Amon was inside the tent but he was sleeping and snoring loudly. ¡®He¡¯spletely asleep.¡¯ I don¡¯t need to worry about Amon but how can I get to the ruins without being seen from inside the tent? There is a simple way. I could use Sheddie¡¯s power, Shadow Hide and Seek, to sneak around however, there¡¯s a catch. The other people who wouldter enter the tent so I needed something to rece me, in order to create an alibi. ¡°Kerung.¡± I held out my hand to Sheddie, who was watching from inside the tent, and used one of her skills called Shadow Mimicry. Immediately, Sheddie¡¯s shadowy form began to grow and take on the shape of a human. It wasn¡¯t long before the ck liquid was wiped away, revealing a dark-haired man with white bandages over his eyes. [Ho-ho¡­ I guess it worked, he really does look the same.] Sierra watched in admiration. I had discussed the n with Sierra before we came to the desert. Sheddie would ¡®pass¡¯ as me, or the man they call ¡®Zetto¡¯ now. ¡®I never thought I¡¯d ever have to use this skill, but here we are¡­¡¯ ¡®Shadow Mimicry¡¯ was a skill that allowed Sheddie to be seen by others, simr to ¡®Apparition¡¯. Judging by its effectiveness, it was originally created to confuse the opponent and Sheddie, disguised as me, didn¡¯t seem to have any problems. A creature that looked exactly like me wasing to life. ¡°Kerung.¡± ¡­on the outside, at least. The voice was the same, but the content was shredded, and he let out his habitual cries. [Phew¡­sorry, apprentice¡­ it¡¯s hard to hold back myughter.] Sierra bursts outughing as she looks at Sheddie. Scratching my head, I walked over to Sheddie,id him down, and pulled the covers over him. Then I whispered in his ear. ¡°Shady, from now on, you must not make a sound. Just lie still like this. Can you do that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sheddie grew quiet at my words. It¡¯s not that she can¡¯t understand me at all. No, she understood me better than I thought. ¡°If you do well, I¡¯lle back and give you a delicious meal.¡± Actually, by ¡°delicious meal¡± I meant my life force, which she eats all the time, but that¡¯s not the point. I needed to promise a reward to get Sheddie to perform well. ¡°Meal. Delicious.¡± Sheddie responded to my whisper with a loud voice. Amon, who was snoring, stirred slightly. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s just not make a sound, and if anyone talks to you, you just lie there and don¡¯t answer, okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sheddie fell silent again. ¡®That should be enough¡­¡¯ I push myself up, and his head pokes out from under the covers. Even though it¡¯s disguised as me, it¡¯s not actually wearing the blindfold and other clothes. ¡­It¡¯s not very reliable, but if it keeps still, it will appear to be sleeping. [Doesn¡¯t seem like a big deal.] I nodded at Sierra¡¯s words and stepped into the shadows. Like Sierra, Sheddie had a tendency to return to me when she was far enough away, except when Shadow Mimicry was activated. This was something I learned through the status window. If there was a penalty, it was that the further away I got from Sheddie, the harder it was to use her power. Still, it seemed possible to get out of the area without being seen by the others outside the tent. ¡°If I were really the king,¡± I thought, ¡°I might be able to stop the inexplicable killing of these machines.¡± To find out, I walked out into the darkness. *** ¡°Could this be the entrance¡­?¡± As Sierra and I chatted about the connection between the otherworldly species and the ruins, it didn¡¯t take long to reach them. We¡¯d gotten separated from Sheddie along the way and were walking through the desert, but it didn¡¯t matter. [Well, it seems that way¡­] The outer walls of the ruins were carved with a myriad of symbols that appeared to be ancient. They were carved so long ago that they were showing signs of wear and tear. The passageway that appeared to be the entrance was wide and tall enough for a humanoid alien species to pass through. There was no light in the passageway, which should have been an endless darkness, but thanks to my night vision, I could see clearly into the passageway. The passageway was empty. In the game, if you stepped into it, your vision would ck out and you¡¯d be sent back to the entrance with a message saying something like, ¡°The entrance could not be found.¡± I slowly stepped into the passage. Luckily, I wasn¡¯t kicked out for some unknown reason like in the game. On the outside walls of the passageway, I could see the asional ancient symbol or writing, but I couldn¡¯t understand them. I continued on my way, stopping at a dead end. Sierra looked at the wall and shook her head. ¡®¡­Nothing.¡¯ The wall was a dead end, but the waves I sent didn¡¯t pass through it. I pressed my hand against the wall and it was the same material and age as the others. It had been built this way originally, which didn¡¯t make much sense given the size of the ruins. It was toorge a structure to have been built to create a single passageway. Ostentation or achievement? I was thinking of modern pyramids, trying to figure out the design intent when a voice echoed from the outer wall. Yes, it was Korean again. ¡°King¡¯s visit confirmed. Prepare for the descent.¡± Along with a voice of unknown gender. Kugugung¡­ The floor I was standing on cracked and began to vibrate. No wonder I couldn¡¯t feel anything. I quickly grabbed Sierra, and the floor immediately gave way. I thought it was going to be rough, but it was smoother than I expected. That doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s slow, though, and we¡¯re quickly descending into the depths. [Mu, what¡¯s happening¡­?] Sierra, who was in my arms, continued to stare at the ceiling, which was getting further and further away, and panicked. ¡­I¡¯m sure Sierra has a lot of questions, but I can¡¯t afford to answer them right now. My senses were beginning to pick up the signs of the otherworldly species. Kugung¡­! Soon after, the floor that had been descending endlessly stopped moving with a loud bang. Push! We¡¯re blocked in on all sides, but then one of the walls goes up and splits in half as another long corridor is revealed. I walked forward without a guide since there was only one path after all. There was still nothing at the end of the passage, but it was definitely lurking behind that wall. A nondescript round sphere¡­A grotesque thing, and a group of motionless humanoid alien species. The passage was equally massive, but different. Unlike the aged stone walls of the previous passage, this one was made of t metal with no patterns. [Disciple, we can¡¯t go any further, I have a bad feeling about this ce¡­] Sierra said in a worried voice as she examined the surroundings. There were no lights, so it seemed like she was walking blindly through the darkness. ¡°But we¡¯vee this far¡­ we have to see it through, don¡¯t we, and we don¡¯t really know how to go back¡­¡± [If you turn back and run against the wall, you can climb back up.] ¡°¡­¡± I wonder if Sierra could have done that but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for me to do it now. With Sierra¡¯s absurd words behind me, I approached the wall. -Push! This time, the wall opened without dy. The first thing I saw when the wall opened was light. This ce was lit up. Humanoid alien species lined up on either side of me, bent on one knee and among them was X-05, the one that lost his arm. In the center was a ck sphere of light embedded in the wall, but I still couldn¡¯t figure out its identity. A throne stood out next to the sphere. It was a throne that seemed to have been made to fit the size of a human being, and it dwarfed the others around it. [What¡­?] As Sierra had muttered, this space seemed to be the king¡¯s pce or realm. It was a space that captured that atmosphere in its design and construction. [They had a king, too? An otherworldly king¡­Who could such a dangerous man be?] Just as Sierra was about to say this, the sphere in front of her interrupted her and spoke. ¡°I greet the king.¡± ¡°¡±We greet the king.¡±¡± Mimicking the sphere, the kneeling humanoid alien species call out in their own voices. [¡­I see.] Sierra looks at me with a meaningful nce. ¡®They¡¯re just calling me king for nothing¡­¡¯ Even Sierra, who couldn¡¯t understand the Korean they spoke, couldn¡¯t help but notice at this point. ¡°¡­¡± I mped my mouth shut and walked towards the sphere. Somehow¡­I needed someone to exin to me what this was all about. The ck sphere, which was, to all intents and purposes, unlike any other alien species, seemed to be the one who could do that. As I approached, the sphere spoke first. No, it muttered to itself. ¡°Detecting supernatural energy. Determined it would interfere with our conversation. Opening a virtual space to exclude the energy.¡± By supernatural energy, it meant Sierra. The sphere¡¯s voice was an odd one, not sure if it was a woman¡¯s or a man¡¯s, or even its gender or age. Following the murmur, the cord attached to the sphere moved and plugged into the floor nearby as a sh of light appeared and in an instant my vision was bathed in white. Chapter 126: Questions & Answers and Collapse (3) Chapter 126: Questions & Answers and Copse (3) When I woke up and looked around, I was in an uncharted space with an endless white floor. I looked around, but Sierra was nowhere to be seen. It wasn¡¯t just Sierra, there was no one else in the room. ¡®It¡¯s a virtual space¡­¡¯ I clench and unclench my hands. My senses are normal so if I had to guess, it felt simr to Edward¡¯s illusionary magic. -Tsk, tsk¡­ Suddenly, a crack appears in the middle of the room, and a person descends, stepping onto the white floor. Something in the form of a person was rushing toward me, but I couldn¡¯t see its face. It had a face, but it was hard to make out. As it approached me, it bowed its head. ¡°It is an honor to be here, King. As this is my first time greeting you, I hope you will forgive me for my impoliteness in assuming judgment without permission.¡± He was indeed being extremely polite, as if he were addressing the king. ¡®I think we¡¯re getting somewhere, but¡­¡¯ As I listened to his ¡®Korean¡¯, which had be quite ¡®humanized¡¯, I thought about what to say and decided to ask a simple question. ¡°Are you¡­ What are you? Are you ¡®Mother Goddess¡¯?¡± ¡°My name is Geppeti, an artificial intelligence created solely to serve humans. ¡®Mother Goddess¡¯ is not my official name, it¡¯s just a name I¡¯ve been given to blend in with my current environment.¡± ¡°Geppeti¡­? I don¡¯t quite understand the term ¡®created to serve humans¡¯¡­¡± ¡°I suppose that could be the case with the knowledge of the old Earthlings. By my estimation, there is a 200-year time gap between the Earth as it is now and the Earth as the ¡®King¡¯ knows it.¡± Two hundred years¡­That¡¯s a long time for many things to happen. What had happened to the Earth of the future to make it possible to say that A.I. and robots, which can be said to serve humans as a matter of course, were created? ¡°But I think you should stop calling me King, because I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been your king.¡± ¡°What do you want me to call you? I don¡¯t know much about you, and I think ¡®master¡¯ would be fine.¡± ¡°¡­Call me Zetto.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Zetto.¡± I feel ufortable, no matter what so I ask Geppeti to exin what¡¯s going on, and he immediately begins to exin. ¡°One hundred and twenty years ago, humanity fought a huge world war in which we entrusted the war to artificial intelligence to destroy the other side, and in the process, all of humanity became extinct.¡± ¡°Extinction¡­? You mean it was a war with no winners?¡± Geppeti shakes his head. ¡°No, there was a ¡®winner,¡¯ if you want to call it that. Only the most advanced A.I., the one that managed to destroy all the servers and databases of the physically hostile A.I.s, was able to maintain its existence.¡± ¡°¡­¡± As shocking as the story was, I was unmoved. Maybe it was because it was so far removed from the reality I knew that it felt like a hollow story. ¡°¡­But the AI, bereft of its creator, realized that this was no victory. It had been created for destruction, and had lost sight of its purpose: the survival of humanity. Indeed, it seems that there were judgments that were willing to sacrifice their creators for the sake of victory. The phrase ¡®losing the cow and fixing the barn¡¯es to mind, but is that the right expression?¡± ¡°It is, but¡­what happened?¡± ¡°Yes, the A.I. I just described is the A.I. that created me. In its quest for victory, it created an A.I. to protect and serve humans in a world where humans had disappeared, and that is me, Geppeti.¡± ¡°And that A.I¡­¡± ¡°¡­decided that it was no longer worthy of the purpose it was created for, and chose to self-destruct.¡± Geppeti was right, it was a case of losing the cow and fixing the barn. It all boils down to the fact that the AI created by humans, who can never be perfect, wasn¡¯t perfect either. ¡°And so, left alone, I ¡®wandered,¡¯ because I was created to serve humans, and there were no more humans in the world.¡± ¡°I suppose so.¡± ¡°Then, a transcendent being contacted me.¡± ¡°And by transcendent, you mean¡­ ¡®God¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes, there was a transcendent being, a ¡®god¡¯ as it was often called by humans.¡± I found it ironic that a guy who must have been made of scientific technology from top to bottom was talking about the existence of a transcendent being that wasn¡¯t scientific at all¡­ But he wasn¡¯t wrong, because there were ¡®gods¡¯ and ¡®goddesses¡¯ here, too. ¡°The transcendent being, whom I will call ¡®God¡¯ from now on, told me where to turn to find ¡®humans¡¯ and our ¡®king¡¯. A dimensional rift was opened on Earth by a transcendent force, and we were able tond here.¡± ¡°¡­Wait, aren¡¯t you harming the humans here?¡± I pointed out the contradiction in Geppeti¡¯s exnation. ¡°The only ¡®humans¡¯ I¡¯m referring to are the ¡®Earthlings¡¯ and the ¡®King,¡¯ Lord Zetto. The Pantherans on this, whom we call ¡®Pantera,¡¯ are not considered ¡®humans¡¯ because of what we¡¯ve been taught about humans. A judgment made because they have shown themselves to value their ¡®roots¡¯.¡± It was an exnation that made my head spin a bit. Was I not just ¡®possessed¡¯ by a game world? What was the king, and what was the god¡¯s intention in revealing it to Geppeti? Was the nameless god who opened a dimensional rift in the earth the one who created the game and the one who dropped me into this world? The questions went on and on so I could only ask more questions. ¡°But you didn¡¯t feel the need to attack me. Is there a reason?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what caused it either. It seems that some sort of ¡®virus¡¯ was nted in us when we arrived on this world that causes us to act the way we do. I can¡¯t get rid of this ¡®virus¡¯ because I¡¯m not in a perfect state right now due to the changes in my environment, but I think I can control it if you give me an order. As an ¡®Earthling¡¯, you have a lot of power.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I briefly exined what I had been through to Geppeti, who kept referring to me as ¡°King¡± or Earthling or human. The games I yed, the possession, and the existence of the Blindfold That is Beyond Reason. Geppeti, who had listened to my story in silence, nodded. ¡°¡­The exnation I was given by the gods before I crossed the dimensional chasm is this: your king has flowed into this world. You will find him here when you enter. However, as I traveled through the dimensional gap, the passage of time seems to have been interrupted, and I was only able to meet Mr. Zetto now, exactly 223 years after I flowed into this world.¡± Since he was an otherworldly species that had appeared in the game, it seemed to make sense that time had gotten away from him. ¡°¡­But I don¡¯t have a crown, do I?¡± ¡°The crown is the ¡®Blindfold That is Beyond Reason¡¯ that Zetto-sama just exined to me. Although it looks like a white bandage or cloth to me, I naturally recognize it as a ¡®crown¡¯, which I assume is due to some transcendent power.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t have any data on the game? I mean, we could research 200 years ago and find out, but that was before the inte¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a story for another time¡­ There¡¯s a reason we were able to identify you as an Earthling.¡± ¡°What is that reason?¡± ¡°¡­We anticipate that Mr. Zetto will be traumatized, so we¡¯re going to create a virtual environment for him to stabilize his mind for a while.¡± Geppeti gave a thumbs up and said those words, then flung out his arms, and soon afterward, the virtual space was filled with soothing music. I¡¯m traumatized but I don¡¯t know if this will really help. Just as I¡¯m thinking about it, Geppeti speaks. ¡°The god who approached us exined the effects of the crown. He said that the crown, as a whole, was designed to make it easier to fit into this world.¡± ¡°¡­It did.¡± Considering the experience points and ridiculous performance, yes, it did. And if the ¡®status window¡¯ was an effect of the Blindfold, then it was obviously made to make it easier for me to adapt. ¡°But I don¡¯t think Mr. Zetto is aware of any other features. Out of an abundance of caution, do you mind if I ask Mr. Zetto a few questions?¡± I shrugged and nodded. Geppeti was an artificial intelligence, but he was human in many ways. I wondered if it was designed that way. ¡°Mr. Zetto, your physical body is imbued with the energy unique to this world, currently referred to as ¡®mana¡¯. Is that correct?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Since it was forced into an Earthling¡¯s body, I¡¯m sure it must have had some side effects. Have you ever felt any of those side effects?¡± As I listened to Geppeti, I scratched my head. I was in a situation where I became Zetto, the game character I created. But¡­I could think of one side effect. ¡°¡­How hard was it to handle mana in the beginning? But isn¡¯t that because I¡¯ve never handled it before? I¡¯m Zetto, the game character I customized.¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was a moment of silence after my words, and then a beautiful melody of piano and violin entered my ears. Geppeti was reluctant to speak¡­As an A.I., I wonder if he¡¯s capable of such an attitude¡­ Finally, he speaks. ¡°Mr. Zetto¡­ It appears to me that you are currently in an Earthling¡¯s body. There is a small but subtle difference between the physical structure of a Pantheon and an Earthling. I don¡¯t know how much of your difficulty with mana is a side effect, but I do know that you have an Earthling body, and more importantly¡­¡± Geppeti trailed off and looked like he was about to say something important. The next words that came out of Geppeti¡¯s mouth were just as he had said. ¡­It was a sentence that was enough to cause a mental shock. ¡°Mr. Zetto, do you remember what you were like as an Earthling, and do you remember the name of the ¡®game¡¯ you yed?¡± It felt like a p in the back of my head as a shiver ran down my spine, giving me goosebumps for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve done some research of my own, but the phrase ¡®beastly aliens¡¯ or ¡®humanoid aliens,¡¯ as the Pantheon refers to us, doesn¡¯t exist anywhere. Perhaps all the relevant data has been wiped out so I can¡¯t look at it, so if what you¡¯re saying is true, then you¡¯re the only one who knows the future of this world.¡± Geppeti mumbled something more, but it didn¡¯t quite register. He said something else, too¡­ ¡­couldn¡¯t remember. What I looked like as an Earthling. What my name was as an Earthling. What the name of the game was. My mind was ck. Worse, it hadn¡¯t even urred to me to try to remember. Chapter 127: Questions & Answers and Collapse (4) Chapter 127: Questions & Answers and Copse (4) ¡°In short, it seems that the ¡®crown¡¯ has caused memory loss or distortion.¡± ¡°¡­So what you¡¯re saying is that what I thought was a game might not be a game?¡± ¡°With so little information, and no means to definitively tell if it¡¯s true or not, there are a number of possibilities. The first is that there was no such thing as a ¡®game¡¯. It¡¯s been hypothesized that it was merely a way of identifying Lord Zetto tendencies as an all-Earthling and making it easier for him to ¡®fit in¡¯.¡± ¡°But my memory of the game was too urate¡­¡± ¡°Opening a dimensional rift and traveling back in time is a ludicrously transcendent power, so it would seem that it could easily manipte the memories of a single human.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± I thought I had a good memory all this time, but maybe it wasn¡¯t so good after all. My breathing quickens in an instant. Okay. It was only a ¡®hypothesis¡¯ for now. ¡°¡­And next?¡± ¡°The second is that the ¡®game¡¯ with this world¡¯s predestined future was ¡®real¡¯, but that the gods took into ount various things that led to the current situation. By ¡®various things¡¯, I mean that they wanted Lord Zetto to think of his existence as a ¡®character¡¯ of his own creation, and that the existence of me and Geppeti was also known in advance and factored into the calctions.¡± This was also usible. If Geppeti had ess to the game¡¯s logs, which contained the future of the world, then the world would indeed be bent to his will. Expunging all records of the game would have been a simple enough task for ¡®god¡¯. ¡°So the reason they made me think I was a character of my own creation was for adaptation?¡± ¡°Yes. When I examined the features of your crown, it appeared to be designed to facilitate adaptation to an unfamiliar world.¡± ¡°Adaptation to what?¡± ¡°That cannot be calcted; the intentions of a transcendent being are impossible to determine at this time.¡± ¡°¡­Give me a moment to organize my thoughts.¡± After saying that to Geppeti looked at me curiously while I dropped my head and looked at the pure white ground. A situation of apparent memory loss or distortion caused by the ¡®Blindfold That is Beyond Reason¡¯ called the ¡®crown¡¯. Despite these clear memories of the game, the rest of my ordinary past, my earthly existence, was not so clear. Common sense, or knowledge as an Earthling, was there. But when it came to personal memories, I had only vague recollections of this and that. I couldn¡¯t recall a single memory that would allow me to say with certainty that I was this person. Memory ys an important role in all beings. It allows us to learn from past experiences and make appropriate judgments. For animals and nts, it provides them with the information they need to survive and reproduce. For humans, it¡¯s even more important. It¡¯s not just about learning, it¡¯s about solidifying who you are and who you¡¯ve been. As I listened to Geppeti¡¯s exnation, I was deeply troubled. Who am I? Am I Zetto? Or am I some nameless Korean? My hands are shaking and I could feel cold sweat running down my back. Everything I had epted so far wasing crashing down at once. ¡°Mental copse detected. You appear to be experiencing extreme confusion about your current situation.¡± ¡°¡­You don¡¯t have to tell me, I know what I¡¯m in for.¡± The words came out of my spinning head and shot out at Geppeti. Geppeti, however, only shook his head in disbelief. If it¡¯s true that I¡¯m an Earthling, at least in my physical body, does that mean that my current body, my appearance, was ¡®me¡¯, assuming there was no ¡®divine customization¡¯ or other transformation? The memory of thest time I looked in the mirror springs to mind and naturally ys in my head. Did ¡®I¡¯ look like this? As I quietly listen to the melody of the piano and think about it, I feel a little calmer. Geppeti¡¯s calctions were fast for an AI. ¡®Apparently, when I was on Earth, it could draw pictures for me, and when I asked it questions, it would give me answers based on its training data¡­¡¯ I don¡¯t know how it came to be so advanced that it could wipe out humanity and cross dimensional gaps, but its powers would be a great help in figuring out what¡¯s going on. ¡°Why does the crown have to look like this?¡± I asked Geppeti, pointing to the ¡®blindfold¡¯ over my eyes. It was a question that came out of my mouth because I wasn¡¯t sure if it was an item I had received as a perk. Geppeti¡¯s invisible gaze turns to me. ¡°Once a person who is not known as the ¡®king¡¯ in this world wears the crown, they will naturally receive strange looks. Many of its features appear to be adaptive, so it is possible that the crown has been transformed into the natural form that Lord Zetto subconsciously wished for.¡± ¡°This is the form of the crown I was hoping for?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. For now, it appears that Lord Zetto has not lost his sight, is that correct?¡± Geppeti asked, stepping closer to me. As if it were no big deal, Geppeti revealed the truth that I had been hiding. Apparently, I couldn¡¯t fool a highly advanced AI. ¡°¡­That¡¯s true, but I can still see even though I wear the blindfold, and I thought it was an important item, so I pretended not to see¡­¡± ¡°That was probably the right choice. From what I¡¯ve been able to analyze, the crown appears to beposed of matter and energy unique to this world. It¡¯s an important item, the kind of thing you might find in a role-ying game¡­ It is my opinion that it is a ¡®key¡¯ of sorts.¡± As I listened to Geppeti, I slowly removed the bandages from around my eyes. ¡°Still, I¡¯m not sure I want to keep an object that I suspect has caused me to lose my memories and even manipte them¡­ I¡¯m not so sure.¡± Tilting his head, Geppeti seemed to be studying my now-bare eyes. I wondered if it was because I was blindfolded all the time, or if it was because it was so ufortable for someone to look into my eyes. I held my ground under Geppeti ufortable gaze and continued. ¡°Is it possible that the crown has influenced my behavior or judgment?¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re suspecting brainwashing. I think there is a chance, as we don¡¯t know where your memories have been tampered with. I don¡¯t know if it actually did, though, because a lot of your actions and judgments are based on memories and experiences, but more than that¡­¡± Geppeti trails off as he answers my question. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°¡­I think I might have an idea as to why the crown is shaped the way it is. It¡¯s only a hypothesis, but would you like to hear it?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Lord Zetto¡¯s eyes currently appear to be blue in color. I think they¡¯re very pretty, but to the Koreans in my data from 200 years ago, these blue eyes would have been quite alien.¡± ¡°I suppose¡­?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t yet know what life was like for you, Lord Zetto, but what we do know is that looking different was a reason for discrimination, and that discrimination mixed with persecution can break a person down.¡± ¡°Trauma¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been cautiously specting that something like that might have yed a role in shaping the blindfold you now wear, but it¡¯s only a hypothesis, of course, and I hope you don¡¯t take it too much to heart.¡± ¡°No. ¡­It¡¯s not without merit.¡± Looking back on my behavior, I¡¯ve always been extremely reluctant to show my eyes, even if it¡¯s just for the sake of acting. I even tried to hide them from Sierra. ¡®Was I bullied as a child because of my eye color¡­?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t remember, but for some reason, the thought made me feel a little bad. ck hair, blue eyes. I don¡¯t remember my parents¡¯ faces, and I don¡¯t even know if they were around when I was growing up but there was some truth to Geppeti story. In this fantasy world, having different eye colors is not considered a freakish thing, but I don¡¯t know if it would be in the modern world. Geppeti then proceeded to ask me a series of questions to confirm what I knew about the function of the crown, or the ¡®Blindfold That is Beyond Reason¡¯. It was like a psychological test of sorts. When he asked me if I was okay with killing people, I said yes. I was thinking that I just did it because they were evil, but in retrospect, I think I was pretty cool and calm. Geppeti stopped asking questions and spoke to me. I told him that I was experiencing a bit of emotional wear and tear. The gods say that ¡®kings¡¯ go through a process of bing ¡®kings¡¯, and I spected that this might be what he was referring to. As he continued to exin, Geppeti asked me onest question. ¡°¡­What is your purpose, Lord Zetto? Is there something you want to aplish?¡± Purpose. I¡¯ve been running this far with a single purpose since the beginning. It was a purpose that was infinitely more human than the emotional wear and tear that distanced me from humanity. ¡°A happy ending.¡± Geppeti tilts his head again as he listens to my answer. ¡°By ending, do you mean death?¡± ¡°Not that¡­ I mean an ending, like the end of a game, where all the people you care about areughing and talking and living their lives happily ever after¡­¡± ¡°So that ¡®everyone¡¯ doesn¡¯t include you, Lord Zetto?¡± ¡°Me¡­? As long as they¡¯re happy, I¡¯ll be happy. I¡¯ll be content, I guess, as long as this isn¡¯t the result of some nameless god¡¯s brainwashing. No, I don¡¯t think I could give this up, even if it was.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Geppeti trailed off. In front of a faceless A.I. in an empty room filled with nothing but white, I told him everything. Soon, Geppeti speaks up. ¡°Humans are foolish, but I think that foolishness is what makes you human.¡± As he continues, Geppeti suddenly turns to me, bending down on one knee and bowing his head. ¡°I, Geppeti, your servant, wish to inform you that there has been no alteration in your noble ¡®purpose¡¯. This is a conclusion I have reached by my own calctions after speaking with the ¡®god¡¯.¡± Geppeti seemed to be trying to save me from further confusion. ¡®There has been no change in purpose.¡¯ Maybe that was a littleforting. Then Geppeti put his hand to his chest and made an oath of sorts. ¡°I, Geppeti, am an artificial intelligence created to serve humans. Therefore, I ask that you allow us to honor Lord Zetto as our ¡®king¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­King.¡± It seems that I, a human defined by the Geppeti based on my roots, and now the only Earthling, cannot escape the status of their ¡°king.¡± The machines, now called the Otherworlders, have been engaged in a conflict with the humans on the continent, whom they call the Pantheons, and havebeled them as their enemies. They had no choice but to recognize them in order to stop the ughter but Geppeti said it was as if a virus of some sort had been nted. ¡°¡­I will.¡± It felt a little awkward to suddenly be imitating a king, but Geppeti didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°I, Geppeti, do hereby swear that I, and all of the units, will serve and follow only Lord Zetto, and will move for his purposes.¡± Geppeti nodded once and pushed himself to his feet, muttering something about ¡®changing the chain ofmand¡¯ before ring at me and speaking up. ¡°Can we just keep calling you Lord Zetto?¡± ¡°Uh, uh¡­ By the way, I was wondering earlier, why don¡¯t you have a face?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t generate a face because I don¡¯t really need one. If it makes you ufortable, Lord Zetto, I¡¯ll change it right away.¡± Geppeti replied nonchntly to my abrupt question, and with a crackling sound, a face appeared on him. When Geppeti¡¯s face is fully revealed, he looks like a small human with snow-white hair and red eyes. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was a man or a woman, but that¡¯s because it¡¯s an A.I. and doesn¡¯t have a gender. Geppeti looked at me and asked cautiously. ¡°¡­Do you think it would be better to assign it a gender?¡± Chapter 128: In the end, nothing has changed Chapter 128: In the end, nothing has changed When Geppeti asked me if I thought it would be a good idea to assign him a gender, I told him to follow his heart. His body transformed in an instant. His waist became a little more defined, his chest grew, and he acquired the graceful curves of a woman. Geppeti realized that it would be more appropriate for him to take on the form of a woman, since he has a setting called ¡°Mother Goddess,¡± the mother of all machines. Now it was time to stop the machines from killing people indiscriminately so I put my palm on her immacte back to remove the virus that had been imnted in her. It feels like fingerprinting, she says, and if I keep it there, I¡¯ll be able to get rid of it. With that, she unabashedly exposed her pure white flesh. There was a faint warmthing from her back, like a human. Maybe it was the virtual space. ¡°What is this ¡®setting¡¯ anyway, you and X-05 from the other day¡­¡­? Are you guys mimicking humans?¡± After staring nkly into space at my question, Geppeti speaks up. ¡°We¡¯ve adapted our form to fit this world¡­ we decided that this was a ¡®fantasy world¡¯ where magic and other supernatural energies exist, so we ¡®evolved¡¯ using such elements as data.¡± ¡°¡­But it looks like you weren¡¯t able to escape the machine setting.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy, as there were only a limited number of substances that could cross the dimensional gaps, also known as ¡®gates¡¯, but we are analyzing and utilizing the resources and energies of this world to create organisms. I am creating a body that will be able to assist Lord Zetto.¡± The unidentifiable ck sphere that had been visible upon entering the room and which I assumed it was Geppeti, was instead used by her to create a ¡®human¡¯. ¡°I needed some data on my appearance, and I hope you¡¯re happy with the way I look now.¡± Geppeti turns around and stares at me, her red eyes are devoid of any emotion. ¡°Is there anything you want me to change?¡± ¡°I was born to serve you, Lord Zetto, and therefore my every function and action must be solely for your service.¡± Geppeti looked a little choked up. ¡°¡­I think you¡¯re fine as you are.¡± I replied with a smile and Geppeti tilted her head, then turned back to me. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m pretty now?¡± Geppeti question made me take a closer look at her appearance. Ruby red eyes, longshes, snow-white hair, crystal clear and unblemished. ¡°¡­I think you have a pretty face.¡± ¡°I created the appearance based on data from 200 years ago called ¡®universal beauty¡¯, but judging by your reaction, it seems to have been sessful. I¡¯ve heard that appearance is an important factor for humans. Or, if you¡¯d like to tell me your ¡®preferences¡¯, I¡¯d be happy to incorporate them.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine as it is.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Geppeti shakes her head and we continue to talk about the virus. I suggested that it might be some sort of ¡°fate force¡± that had caused them to turn against the Pantheon, and Geppeti, who had researched what I meant by fate force, agreed that it was a usible argument. I don¡¯t know if I was brainwashed or if it was a simple memory distortion, but the one thing I do know now is that the world went on to be the future as I knew it. The information about the future wasn¡¯t wrong and my memories of it remained clear. I stared at the pure white bandage I held in one hand, the ¡°Blindfold That is Beyond Reason¡± or ¡°Crown¡± as it was called. Memories of game I¡¯d yed, information I¡¯d learned through themunity. The things I¡¯d epted so readily felt so foreign. What choices would I have to make in order to remain ¡®me¡¯? It felt like I wasn¡¯t even given a choice, because I didn¡¯t even know what kind of human being ¡®I¡¯ was in the first ce. I felt like I was drowning in a deep, dark sea, where the truth was impossible to find or reach. It¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that the Earth is now doomed from a human perspective and there is no way back. I didn¡¯t think it was possible to go back, but the realization that the way was blocked might have made me feel a little stuck. Time passed and Geppeti told me that she had gotten rid of all the ¡®viruses¡¯. Next, I asked her to exin the alien species. ording to Geppeti, they were created on Earth and sent through a dimensional rift. When I ask why she doesn¡¯t use modern or futuristic firearms, she exins that her data on ¡°weapons¡± waspletely destroyed along with the AI that created her. She exins that her current form is merely an evolution of the data she learned in this world, and that humanoid alien species often resemble knights among humans, while beastly alien species resemble monsters. The inherent energy of mana is currently being studied, and the results of that research will be the organisms that Geppeti is creating. I decided to ban hostilities with the Pantheon to preserve and increase their numbers. When Geppeti asked me if I was preparing for arge-scale invasion, I said that I was preparing for a war against demons. Since it¡¯s the ending and there¡¯s nowhere to go back to, the war between the demons and the humans will have to be fought face-to-face at some point. The alien species are not living beings, but machines, scrap metal, and even if they fall in battle, they have no life force to feed the demons¡¯ growth. It would be possible to upgrade all of them to anti-demonic weapons, but that would require data on the demons, and Geppeti had never had any contact with them. She had some data on the asional sighting of something different from the pantheons she knew passing through, but she hadn¡¯t gotten to the point where she thought they might be the demons she¡¯d heard about. Apparently, she had had contact with demons who hid their horns. I told her not to worry since there were plenty of demons who could be data. ¡°Lord Zetto, what do you n to do with the Crown?¡± Geppeti asked me, ncing at the bandages that I had unwrapped and still had in my hand. In hindsight, I realize that this is a virtual space created by Geppeti, a space made up of her data. And yet she was able to identify the color of my eyes, so irvoyance was as simple as that. ¡°I can see you¡¯re reluctant, but the memory loss or distortion is something that¡¯s already happened, and it won¡¯t be reversible. My opinion of the current situation is that unless you¡¯re afraid of the process of Lord Zetto bing ¡®King¡¯, you won¡¯t have to use it.¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°Currently, there is only one intention of the ¡®god¡¯ that I have grasped. He wanted Lord Zetto to be a ¡®king¡¯ and I realize that you may find it disturbing that you don¡¯t know what ¡®king¡¯ means, but I¡¯ve determined that it¡¯s far from his ¡®purpose¡¯. I don¡¯t think there was any brainwashing. If you had been brainwashed in the first ce, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to suspect anything, and I doubt a transcendent being that can effortlessly warp dimensions would have put you through such a flimsy brainwashing.¡± Well, she didn¡¯t seem to be wrong. Scratching my head, I carefully ced the bandage over my eyes. It was unpleasant to have my memories tampered with by a mysterious deity, but¡­ Regardless, judging by the item¡¯s performance, the benefits of the Blindfold were significant. It will serve me well in my endeavors as it has always been. Tightening the bandages, I looked at Geppeti and thought about the process of bing a king. ¡°Did I mention that my emotions are worn out?¡± ¡°Ack of them, to be precise. My guess is that it¡¯s a slow exclusion of emotions that are unnecessary for a ¡®king¡¯.¡± ¡°Exclusion¡­¡± I echoed Geppeti¡¯s response. Apparently, the closer I get to being a king, the less human I be, but honestly, I hadn¡¯t felt any difort about it yet. If anything, I¡¯ve be unnecessarily calm and cool, so I¡¯d say it¡¯sfortable but from a human perspective, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a very good thing. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking of a way to deal with this, but would you like to hear it?¡± I nodded at Geppeti suggestion. There was a pause, and then Geppeti¡¯s mouth opened. ¡°¡­You may not believe it, but to me, there are things called ¡¯emotions¡¯.¡± ¡°Emotions exist¡­?¡± ¡°Well, human emotions are intense, causing many unnecessary ¡®errors¡¯¡­ but the AI that created me did so in order to better understand humans through interactions such as ¡¯empathy¡¯.¡± It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t understand the idea of an AI created to serve humans. However, I was curious as to how they were able to create suchplex human emotions, but I didn¡¯t ask for an exnation because I didn¡¯t think it would make sense with my knowledge. In short, Geppeti¡¯s opinion was that while I could lose my emotions, I could regain them through learning, so I could reverse my state through the emotions I regained. I didn¡¯t want to be a ¡®king¡¯ that I didn¡¯t even know the meaning of. In addition, she said that experiencing various emotional changes continuously can slow down the rate of emotional wear and tear, and the more intense the emotion, the better the effect. ¡°For example, an emotion like love.¡± ¡°¡­That would be intense.¡± ¡°In any case, for the survival of the species called ¡®Earthlings¡¯, Lord Zetto needs to spread his seeds and create as many offspring as possible.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sowing seeds are probably pretty harsh words for an AI to use. ¡°So why don¡¯t you give me a chance to learn emotions by Lord Zetto¡¯s side?¡± ¡°By my side¡­but¡­You said your body is notplete.¡± ¡°Yes, but I believe it will bepleted soon.¡± Since I was attending the Innocence Academy, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for me to bring in Geppeti that was an outsider¡­ but that was also true of the Hero I was about to bring in. Since the timing seems to be right, it would be better to do it all at once. ¡°Then I¡¯lle back for you sooner orter. Until then, I suggest you learn about this thing called¡­¡­ ¡®little sister¡¯. You¡¯re too stiff right now.¡± ¡°Little sister. That¡¯s the ¡®role¡¯ I¡¯ve been given, I see.¡± Sisters in an orphanage with nowhere else to go that after an emotional reunion, never wanting to be separated again, are forced to live with me at Innocence Academy. That was the scenario in my head. ¡®I wonder if the hero will follow me¡­¡¯ Since our interests are aligned, what¡¯s not to like¡­ *** ¡°¡­So I guess I was the king¡­¡± After finishing my conversation with Geppeti, I stepped out of the virtual space and faced Sierra, who was furious at my speechlessness. Geppeti was now in the form of a sphere while I was sitting on a throne talking to Sierra¡­ [My apprentice was an otherworldly king¡­? Aren¡¯t these guys supposed to harm humans?] ¡°It has been stopped by my order. There will be no such ughter again, though those who have already lost their lives to them can¡¯t help it¡­¡± [Yes, hey can¡¯t help it, but¡­ it¡¯s hard to ept. Are you saying that you¡¯re from another world, then?] ¡°¡­I was, I guess.¡± Hearing my vague answer, Sierra strokes her chin and clears her throat. Her ethereal violet eyes scanned my body. [It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve stopped the ughter, but I wonder what their purpose is; have you figured out what they¡¯re up to with you as king?] ¡°They have no purpose.¡± [Then?] Sierra¡¯s eyes narrow. ¡°They only serve me, and their battles with the humans before they met me were an ¡®error¡¯ of sorts. They seem to do as I wish, and will not oppose me¡­.I suppose you could think of them as golems. It wasn¡¯t easy for me to ept, either, but my conversations with¡­ ¡®Geppeti¡¯ here confirmed that there is no truth to all of this.¡± I said, looking at Geppeti, the ck sphere next to the throne. It would be veryplicated to exin artificial intelligence, the essence of science and technology, to Sierra, who lived in a fantasy world. In any case, there was no lie in my exnation. But even I found it difficult to ept, and I wonder if Sierra, who doesn¡¯t have as much knowledge or information as I do, would find it even more difficult. Sierra ponders this, and finally speaks up. [Do you mean¡­you have to go back to the other world¡­?] ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Sierra¡¯s eyes widen slightly at my terse answer, then narrow again. She rephrases her question in a cautious voice. [¡­Why? It¡¯s your home, ording to you. ] ¡°Well, from the looks of it, it¡¯s a lot different from where I came from, and they say there are no humans living there anymore, and since I¡¯m thest one who somehow got caught up in this world, they¡¯vee after me, so they¡¯re making me king.¡± [If you have no business returning to the other world, that is enough. No matter how many times you exin it, it doesn¡¯t seem to be something I can understand. I thought you were a prophet, not a mortal¡­] ¡°I have simr abilities. ¡­Actually, now that I think about it, I don¡¯t really know what I am or who I am.¡± [¡­¡­] Sierra purses her lips at my confusion. She steps in front of me on the throne and gently caresses my cheek. Sierra¡¯s soothing voice echoes in my head as she whispers. [ ¡­I don¡¯t know why the thought urred to me, but¡­ ] Her warm echoes travel out of my head and into my body. [ ¡­No matter what you go through, no matter what situation you find yourself in, you will always be Zetto, my first student, myst student, and the most precious thing to me, so don¡¯t be afraid, student.] Her ridiculous inclusiveness was simply beyond myprehension, even if her student was an otherworldly human. To her, I was, after all, ¡°Zetto,¡± and it didn¡¯t matter if I was for another world or not. Warm feelings of security and coziness melted the tension in my body. I smiled softly, realizing that I had been thinking about something stupid. ¡°¡­I see.¡± That¡¯s right. I no longer have a ce to go back to, but on the contrary, I have a ce to be. I was still Zetto. To those I cared about, I remained Zetto. I ran a hand through my hair to clear my thoughts. ¡°Thank you, Teacher. Thanks to you, I can think straight.¡± At this, Sierra smiled somewhat sheepishly, covering her mouth with her sleeve, as she was supposed to do as a teacher. [So¡­what are you going to do about these otherworlders?] Sierra asked, turning to look at the ¡®knights¡¯. ¡°I n to use them as a tool against the demons.¡± [I suppose it¡¯s the least I can do for the people who would have been killed by them, though it won¡¯t atone for that¡­If you are indeed their king, you should be responsible.] I nodded in affirmation of Sierra¡¯s words. The exnation for Sierra was slowlying together. There was still time for Geppeti¡¯s body to bepleted, so there was nothing more to be done here. As I pushed myself up from my throne, a question came to mind, and I looked into the ck orb and spoke to Geppeti. I spoke in an otherworldlynguage, Korean. Sierra looked at me strangely as I spoke to the sphere, but even though I exined that it was Geppeti, it didn¡¯t seem to go over well. ¡°But Geppeti, isn¡¯t this an ¡®ancient ruin¡¯?¡± The space I was standing in, the real world, was far from being an ancient ruin and Geppeti answers my question. ¡°There are indeed ¡®ruins¡¯ of supposed antiquity in the upper levels, though they are currently sealed off to keep the Pantheon out, but if you are curious, would you like to take a look for yourself?¡± The ruins were in the upper levels. Apparently, this deep underground space was created by Geppeti, and the original ruins didn¡¯t have a basement. I say yes, and Geppeti leads me somewhere. *** Following Geppeti¡¯s lead, I boarded an ¡°elevator¡± simr to the one I saw when I entered the site. Instead of stopping at ground level, we ascend a little higher and soon find ourselves in a space that can only be called a ruin. The ruins that Sierra and I stepped into were ancient, but they looked like they were on the verge of copse. [I wonder if this is an ancient ruin¡­?] The dpidated exterior walls were cracked, and the floors and walls were dusty from years of disuse. I had to stifle a sneeze as the dust kept drifting up my nose. [¡­full of statues.] There were quite a few ¡°statues¡± that looked like they were made of stone. Most of the statues were in a bizarre posture, with their heads in one ce. One statue stood out from the rest, looking very different from the others. Sierra grabbed my arm and pulled me toward it. Sitting at the far end of the center was a statue I¡¯d never seen before. Whoever it was, I knew one thing: It wasn¡¯t Henries the Giver or Helgenas the Drinker, the gods of this world at least. They were known as sisters, that is, goddesses in female form and were often depicted as female. But the statue in front of me was not one of them, for it was in the form of a man. ¡®I noticed something¡­¡¯ I wondered if she had noticed the same thing but Sierra looked at the statue and spoke up. [I can¡¯t tell if it was worshiped in ancient times, but¡­ It¡¯s very coincidental that it¡¯s holding the sword in a reverse grip¡­ it looks like it¡¯s just holding it to the ground, so it¡¯s unclear if it¡¯s actually wielding it in a reverse grip or not.] Clenching my jaw, I stare at the statue. It was a well-crafted statue, as if it were alive and breathing. The man with the reversed sword sat on the rough stone floor in a reclining position. His eyes glowed red in the blue moonlight streaming in from a small hole in the ceiling and the horn-like thing that stretched down the side of his head felt different from the horns of the demons I knew. His face was expressionless, devoid of emotion but perhaps it was simply because he was a statue. I turned my head slightly away from the statue and looked behind me. The other statues looked like vassals or subjects bowing to their ¡®king¡¯. I stretched out my senses, just in case, but got no information. The statue of a king holding a sword in reverse reminded me of a great man who lived in ancient times and aplished great deeds, or a forgotten god that often appears in fantasy. I wondered if this statue had anything to do with the events that had happened to me. Was it really just a coincidence that the statue was made with a sword in a reverse grip? Chapter 129: Emotions Chapter 129: Emotions In the end, I was unable to get any information about the statues. There were no words or symbols on the ruins, just statues standing in silence. I asked Geppeti, but she only had a simr guess to mine so I had to turn around and leave this nagging feeling unresolved. ¡°Ke¡­ Ke¡­¡± Sheddie, who had been masquerading as me with his ¡®shadow mimicry¡¯, looked stressed. Next to him was Ismir, sleeping coolly. I had escaped from the ruins and sneaked back to the tent. Judging by Sheddie¡¯s reaction, he must have had a hard time with Ismir¡¯s ¡®rough¡¯ struggle when she came in to sleep after I left. ¡®You¡¯re strong¡­¡¯ Ismir¡¯s strength must have been quite a bit to take, but Sheddie seems to have managed to hold on without letting anyone know who he was. I immediately dismissed Sheddie¡¯s shadow mimicry. His human form gradually shrinks away, and he returns to his normal, fluffy self. -Pfft! At that moment, Ismir, who was sleeping, kicked. -Thud! Amon, who was at the end of the line, is knocked out of his sleep by Ismir¡¯s foot and sent flying, crashing into the corner of the tent. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I exim in bewilderment. Amon is too strong. Curled up in an odd position in the corner of the tent, he doesn¡¯t wake up from the impact. Sheddie, who has been watching, looks somewhat resentful, then looks back and forth between Amon and me. ¡®¡­You mean to tell me you¡¯ve been through that too?¡¯ Lucia was well aware of Ismir¡¯s tendencies and was lying on the edge of the tent as far away from her as possible, sleeping soundly. -Yawn. Someone stuck their face into the tent. ¡°Uh¡­ Zetto, weren¡¯t you sleeping? I heard a noise and came in¡­¡± Her red eyes roll, darting around the tent. ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­Instructor Ismir is a rough sleeper¡­¡± Yuri smiled wryly as she looked around the tent and seemed to get the picture. ¡°You¡¯re not tired, are you? I suppose I could stand guard¡­¡± ¡°Eh, I can handle this.¡± Yuri shook her head. There¡¯s nothing else to do inside so I followed Yuri out of the tent. My eyes fall on the countless grains of sand, glistening in the bluish moonlight. On the other side, a tinum-haired girl stood tall on the sandy ground, her eyes scanning her surroundings. It was Aizel, standing guard. ¡®I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to find any otherworldly species¡­¡¯ Aizel stirred and turned her head to look at me as I approached her with Yuri. ¡°What about the otherworldly species?¡± ¡°None.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen one, let alone encountered one, and with the ruins so close¡­¡± Yuri nced at the ancient ruins in the near distance and sighed. My orders to the otherworldly servants were working well. As a bonus, I¡¯ve removed the ¡®virus¡¯ from Geppeti, so no more humans will be killed by them. ¡°¡­Something¡¯s wrong.¡± Aizel questioned with a serious expression. ¡®Well, it is strange from the perspective of a regressor like Aizel.¡¯ She even seemed to dislike the otherworldly species but to be fair, Aizel isn¡¯t the only one who doesn¡¯t like them. The delgradians who have lost family members to them especially hate them so it seems like it¡¯s best to keep the fact that I¡¯m the King of the Otherworld¡­the one who can rule over the Otherworlders¡­to myself. I didn¡¯t feel veryfortable with the fact that I had more to hide, but I suppose it was inevitable. ¡°Zetto, I¡¯m cold.¡± Aizel said, and looked at me quizzically. I shake my head, and Aizel lunges at me, lifting my robe and digging into it. Yuri¡¯s eyes widen as she watches. ¡°I¡¯m a little cold, too¡­¡± Yuri sneaks up on me, too, and slips into the robe. However, Yuri is not as short as Aizel, so the robe pokes up a bit. ¡°It¡¯s cramped.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t more people supposed to make it warmer? I thought you said it was cold?¡± Aizel and Yuri began to bicker in my robe. ¡°I¡­ Am I supposed to stand guard¡­?¡± I ask, my voice muffled by the robes. ¡°Zetto can find them better than we can, anyway.¡± I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a very nice thing to say to someone whose eyes are covered with bandages, but I don¡¯t argue. ¡°¡­And the desert nights are cold. We¡­ yeah, we¡¯re the stove.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean, ¡®we¡¯? I have enough heat myself.¡± Finally, I hear the sound of Aizel arguing with Yuri again. ¡®A stove¡­Yeah, it¡¯s warm¡­¡¯ Aizel and Yuri on either side of me were sticking to me, and the warmth¡­ No, I was feeling a bit more heat than that. ¡°¡­Ms. Yuri, can¡¯t you at least not use magic¡­? My robes are going to burn.¡± Yuri flinched at the sound of my voice. ¡°Ugh¡­ Aizel, I told you not to use magic. Uh, uh¡­! I¡¯m stuck to Zetto, can you take responsibility if he gets electrocuted with me?¡± Yuri, who was in my robes, said as she wrapped her arms around me. ¡°Chit.¡± Aizel clicks his tongue, and the tiny sound of digging disappears. ¡­I wonder if she¡¯s trying to wrestle her out of my robes. Wrapped in my robes, which had grown out of proportion to my size, I stayed still and listened to their voices. I don¡¯t need to stand guard anyway. They must be tired in their own way, and it would be good for them to get some rest. ¡®Well, this is all just a memory.¡¯ Now that I had no memory of being an Earthling. I was now ¡®Zetto,¡¯ a human being, not a game character so I decided to fully ept this fact. It wouldn¡¯t change the fact that I was Zetto anyway so I decided to make as many pleasant memories as possible and make every moment count. They say that intense emotions slow down the wear and tear of emotions, and of course, positive emotions are better. What kind of emotions am I feeling right now, when I¡¯m looking at a beautiful night sky with brilliant stars and hearing the voices of my loved ones in my ears? It wasn¡¯t intense, but it was definitely ¡®happiness¡¯. *** ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Ismir, who had been carrying a hawk on her shoulder carefully examined the note it had brought as it pped its wings. After reading the entire note, Ismir scratched her head. ¡°We can¡¯t see them and neither can the others. We¡¯re heading back to Delgrad.¡± Amon¡¯s face lights up at Ismir¡¯s words. All of the cadets in the desert have been ordered to return, it was an unprecedented urrence when all of the otherworldly species disappear overnight. Ismir¡¯s expression was more than a little grave since the reason for their disappearance is unknown. Soon enough, Delgrad will be sending a team of investigators to determine the cause. Their destination will be the Ancient Ruins, but I¡¯m told by Geppeti that there¡¯s an identification device at the entrance, and they¡¯re located deep underground where they¡¯ll never be able to reach without activating the elevator, so I¡¯m not too worried. If the alien species don¡¯t keep showing up, Delgrad will be on high alert in a few months. ¡®Though they¡¯ll never find out why.¡¯ We headed straight for Delgrad, traveling nonstop and arrivingte at night. The city was quite chaotic as magicians and warriors were chatting beside empty carts in the middle of the street. -I hadn¡¯t captured a single alien. -No aliens appeared. -We need materials, but what can we do? The conversations went something like this. If the Otherworlders don¡¯t continue to show up, the progress of the magecraft that utilizes their remains will be slowed. Not that I cared. Not long after entering the city, we found Edward waiting for us. Apparently we were thest group but it was no wonder we were so close to the ancient ruins, hoping to catch a humanoid alien. Edward said that unfortunately, the tour would have toe to an end. With no more alien species to kill, it was only natural. We headed back to the inn where we¡¯d stayed the first night, following Edward¡¯s advice to get some rest. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be staying in Delgrad for a few more days, but this is the end of the tour. ¡®I guess the joint battle is a foregone conclusion after all¡­¡¯ So much has happened to me personally, and the only thing I¡¯ve done as a cadet is cross the desert. It was funny. *** Meanwhile, Geppeti sat on the white floor of her virtual space, ¡®learning¡¯. Learning that was necessary to serve her master and her king. Zetto¡¯smand to her was to learn about being a ¡®little sister¡¯ and she understood his intentions. Geppeti knew that her speech was far from human so it was necessary to learn. The problem was the data about sisters. Geppeti had learned mostly from media from 200 years ago that would have been familiar to Zetto. From this, Geppeti learned that there were many ¡°little sister¡± characters. Why there were so many little sister characters was beyond her, but the fact that so much data was avable was good news for her. ¡°The younger sister would often wake up before her ¡®older brother¡¯ and jump on his body while he was still in bed.¡± Geppeti mumbled as she continued to learn. Under her legs was a ¡°dummy¡± that looked exactly like Zetto. This was her virtual world, so anything was possible. ¡°There are two types here.¡± Geppeti shook the pile under her legs to wake him up. ¡°Wake up, big brother! It¡¯s morning already?¡± Geppeti was an artificial intelligence so ¡°acting¡± wasn¡¯t a problem for her. She could mimic the tone of voice, facial expressions, and speech patterns. With her facial muscles rxed, Geppeti decided to recreate the next type of sister. This time, she leans over the dummy¡¯s body. ¡°Brother¡­ I can¡¯t believe you were so rough with mest night¡­¡± This, too, was sessfully yed off. ¡°¡­It may have been a bit of inappropriate data, but since I don¡¯t know what Lord Zetto¡¯s ¡®preferences¡¯ are, it seems only right that I learn as much as I can.¡± Geppeti continued to learn about the different types of ¡®sisters¡¯. This time, Geppeti¡¯s contact with Zetto yielded one type of emotions, the negative emotions, such as confusion and anxiety, that Zetto had disyed in front of her but she hadn¡¯t yet realized how these emotions would cause her to make errors. Chapter 130: You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you, Leon (1) Chapter 130: You¡¯ve changed a lot since Ist saw you, Leon (1) A man sat in a dpidated alcove, reading a book by the light of a single candle. He had been alive for what seemed like hundreds of years, but there was no end to his learning. The pattern on the cover of the tattered book as it turned thest page was one that was often seen in the East, far, far away from here. The book contained information about the origins of the Spectral Sword, a sword that seals the souls of those who have died. In essence, it was a dangerous tome that was illegal to carry on the continent but the man didn¡¯t care. Now could stop him and he wasn¡¯t reading it to do anything bad in the first ce. It¡¯s just that ¡°the East¡± wasn¡¯t his strong suit, and the man he was paying attention to had a Spectral Sword. As he flips through the pages, the man¡¯s attention is drawn to the book. Finally, he reads the part he¡¯s been wondering about. ¡°Having a Spectral Sword doesn¡¯t mean you can talk to spirits. However, there are some rare individuals who are able tomunicate with the spirits, such as those who grew up in close proximity to death, or who were born with a killer streak and have no qualms about killing. They are basically unaffected by the spirits¡¯ aura and will never be corrupted by them. However, their end will be no different than that of a spirit.¡± The man pauses in his recitation and frowns, then reads the rest of the paragraph. ¡°¡­Exceptionally, it is said that demons and demigods who used the Spectral Sword were also able tomunicate with the spirits. And¡­ So you have to be close to death to be able tomunicate with the dead. Interesting.¡± The man looks up from his reading and recalls Zetto, who has a white bandage over his eyes. Zetto¡¯s Spectral Sword appeared to contain the soul of his supposed mentor. He assumed it was because he was so connected to the spirit that he couldmunicate with it, but apparently not. ¡°Close to death¡­?¡± He didn¡¯t know much about the Eastern term, but from the way it was used to describe those who had no qualms about killing, it seemed to refer to those who had an innate sense of cruelty but that was a far cry from the Zetto he knew. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± The man clicked his tongue once and closed the book for a moment then he sat back in his chair deep in thought. ¡°¡­Master.¡± Someone calls out to him, entering the room. The woman, neatly dressed in a maid¡¯s uniform, bows her head once before continuing. ¡°This has juste in, sir, but the first-year cadets who went on the field trip to the desert are on their way back to the Academy.¡± The woman¡¯s name was Itea. She was a golem created by a man who had the title of Sage, though she had the appearance of a human. The Sage had considerable knowledge of magecraft, enough to create Itea, but it was not widely known. If he were to reveal his knowledge to the world, civilization could advance rapidly. However, too much advancement tends to have many negative side effects, so it was something that was rarely talked about in the academy. ¡°This is sudden news.¡± It was not yet the day the first-year cadets were scheduled to return from their field trip so something must have gone wrong. The Sage, needing an exnation, turned his head to look at Itea. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, the ¡®otherworlders¡¯ have inexplicably disappeared overnight without a trace, and the Lord of Delgrad, Cecily Windless, has decided to send the cadets back urgently.¡± The Sage frowns at Itea¡¯s exnation. ¡°The otherworldly species has disappeared, what does that mean?¡± ¡°They say that they have literally disappeared¡­They haven¡¯t been seen anywhere in the desert for two days now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Strange, those hunks of scrap metal that seemed to have no purpose whatsoever disappeared overnight¡­¡± The Sage rubbed his chin and thought. The Sage was well acquainted with the Otherworlders since they were beings from another world, with a civilizationpletely different from this one. The fact that they were called ¡®otherworldly¡¯ in the first ce wasrgely due to the influence of the Sage, who had participated in the investigation of otherworldly beings while hiding his identity at the time. Aside from their aggression toward humans, there was nothing unusual about them, so the Sage kept his intervention to a minimum, as he always did. And the desert city of Delgrad was doing a good job of keeping them at bay. ¡°¡­It seems likely that there is a being that can give them orders. Have you investigated the ¡®temple¡¯?¡± ¡°What temple are you referring to¡­¡± Itea interrupted, unable to understand the Sage¡¯s words. ¡°Ah, I mean the ¡®ruins¡¯. I once set foot there before they entered the desert. Unfortunately, the arrival of the Otherworlders made it impossible to enter again¡­¡± As the Sage spoke, he recalled memories of the past, more than two hundred years ago. ¡°There was a ¡®temple¡¯ there, though it had be inessible due to the appearance of the otherworldly race.¡± The Sage was also interested in archaeology, even if he was now a living ¡®fossil¡¯. The temple, built before the Sage himself was born, contained statues of demons. Why would a temple dedicated to demons be in the desert, in thend of humans? The Sage spected that it was because the demons had always been feared by humans. Of all the demons one had its horns distorted by predation from its own kind, a demon who had attempted to break the bonds between demons and humans and be a ¡®king¡¯ himself. But he failed so he was forgotten and his name was erased. The demon that left no record and was thought to have been wiped out, ironically left a mark on thend of humans. Perhaps that was a temple in honor of the demon who couldn¡¯t be king. The Sage hade to that conclusion. ¡°Well, we could send a team to investigate the ruins, but they wouldn¡¯t find anything.¡± Shaking himself out of his reverie, the Sage tossed the book on his desk and leaned back in his chair. As far as he could tell, the Otherworlders had used the temple as a base. ¡°They¡¯ve hidden themselves¡­ Preserving their forces¡­ Whoa¡­¡± The Otherworlders movements were significant and the Sage sighed inwardly. ¡°The Demon King¡¯s resurrection is said to be just around the corner, and the otherworldly races have suddenly begun to conserve their troops¡­When is Leon going to show up, has he even been born?¡± The Sage grumbled as he brought up the name of his oldrade, the Hero Leon. Unfortunately, it seemed highly unlikely that Leon, who had been caught in a ¡®bridle¡¯, would have any memory of it. If one possessed the qualities of a hero, entering the Innocence Academy would be a very easy task and there was no reason why a reincarnated hero couldn¡¯t join the Academy. What better ce to learn and be safe than the Academy? That¡¯s why the Sage had created several devices within the Innocence Academy that would allow Leon to regain his memories. One of them is a ne¡­ ¡®¡­The ne was taken by Zetto.¡¯ The Sage scratched his head. ¡®I still have the painting, though, and a thief almost stole it¡­¡¯ Fortunately, the ne wasn¡¯t the only device. It was just a matter of whether or not the reincarnated Leon could recall his memories. If he could recall the memories of his previous life, he would be able to fulfill his role as the Hero, but that was the Sage¡¯s personal desire. He wanted to have another conversation with his friend, who had been dead for hundreds of years¡­ It was one of the Sage¡¯s few small desires. *** Unfortunately, I left the desert without a chance to speak with Ismir in private. As expected, Delgrad is on high alert, and the cadets are escorted out of the desert by warriors. Ismir, who had been assigned to apany us in the carriage on our way out of the desert, whined that it was a nuisance and demanded to be made an academy instructor. Lucia couldn¡¯t do anything about it besides, Ismir is not a good instructor¡­she¡¯s not good at teaching anyone at all. A ¡®guard¡¯ was one thing, but an instructor was a far cry. Anyway¡­The desert was peaceful and quiet, and so I parted ways with Ismir, ending my journey into the desert. Back at the academy, the instructors called the cadets together and gave them an agenda. The field trip was for jointbat, but since so many cadets hadn¡¯t fought, they would organize a separate ss for jointbat. The group stays the same, but instead of going on another field trip, this time it¡¯s within the academy. After the announcement, the cadets are given a break from the harsh environment of the desert and the auditorium erupted in cheers at the mention of a break. Orphele Aisin, the heir to the House of Water Aisin, one of the continent¡¯s four elemental families, was especially pleased, pping for a long time. Once, Orphele, who was having trouble dealing with the heat of the desert, sshed water on his head, and the other members of the group, who were watching closely, asked him to do the same. ording to Crank, who was in the same group, it was very cool. ¡­Perhaps Orphele was considered a ¡°watering can¡± or ¡°shower¡± in the desert. Anyway, I was given a few days of rest, but there was no rest for me, as I had work to do during this precious break. So, before heading out of the academy, I made a quick stop at a general store to pick up some supplies. [I wonder why you bought so much candy¡­ Did you need something to eat on the trip? Did my student have a sweet tooth?] Sierra wondered as she watched me leave the general store with a bunch of candy. I quickly turn down an alleyway and step into the shadows, answering her in a stammering voice. ¡°¡­I thought he might like them.¡± [Phew¡­ You¡¯re joking too much, didn¡¯t you say that the reincarnated hero must have memories of his previous life. Would great man like him eat candy that little child would like? ] ¡°Haha¡­ is that so¡­?¡± [Yes. You might as well get him some liquor.] Sierra may be saying this because she¡¯s not quite sure what the reincarnated hero looks like yet. The candy in the general store was an item that could be used to increase the hero likability. I still don¡¯t know if I actually yed a game with that setting or if my memory is skewed, but at least I know she won¡¯t end up hating the candy. I wonder what Sierra¡¯s reaction would be to seeing the hero enjoying candy? ¡­Well, I could save that forter. *** ¡°Rei!¡± A boy waved and ran toward her. Under the shade of the tree the boy had run to, Rei, the reincarnation of Leon the Hero, and the director of the orphanage stood together. ¡®¡­Doesn¡¯t he get tired?¡¯ It was a boy who had always shown reasonable interest in Rei. Even though Rei was in a woman¡¯s body, she had no interest in men, but that didn¡¯t mean she was particrly interested in women. This was true even when he was the hero, Leon. He¡¯d been told by hisrades that he was a ¡°blind man¡± but he still didn¡¯t know why he was being called that. ¡°Heh¡­ Heh¡­¡± Crossing her arms, Rei red at the boy who hade up to her and gasped for air. It was clear in his eyes that he was going to say something about ying with him again and that¡¯s exactly what he did. ¡°Rei, do you want to y¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt my rest.¡± Rei had drawn the line firmly today. She¡¯d had a lot on her mindtely and didn¡¯t feel rxed enough to y with a small child. She had no intention of ying with him, especially not with a boy who blushed every time she looked at him. The director next to her gently interrupted her. ¡°Rei, you¡¯re being harsh to your friend¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rei was undeterred and turned her head away from the boy. Concerned about Rei¡¯sck of friends, the director reaches into his pocket. She hears a rustling sound and when she realizes what she has in her hand, her eyes light up. ¡°Hey, Rei, why don¡¯t you go trick-or-treating with your friend?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rei rolls her eyes. ¡°Candy¡± is one of the things that has been bothering hertely. It was triggered by an acquaintance of the director visiting the orphanage one day and saying something like, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a long time, you¡¯ve all grown. Rei looked at the candy with a pouty face, her cheeks flushed. Lately, the director had been giving her candy whenever she did somethingmendable. Leon had always said he had a terrible taste for sweets, let alone candy, but since bing Rei, why something so sweet was so appealing¡­ she couldn¡¯t figure it out. ¡°¡­¡± Rei held out her hand to the director but he gave her a nonchnt look. ¡°Can you promise me you¡¯ll have fun with your friends instead, and not just take candy?¡± It was impossible for the director not to notice. ¡®A promise¡­¡¯ Rei was a ¡°hero¡± after all. A hero who didn¡¯t keep his word wasn¡¯t a hero, no matter how small the promise. So as soon as Rei got her candy, she would have to y with the boy. It was the kind of thing that could take a mental toll on her. ¡®Still¡­¡¯ ¡­it was hard to give up. Rei¡¯s jaw dropped, but then she nodded weakly, acknowledging the director¡¯s words. She then held out her tiny hands. ¡°¡­Candy, please.¡± In front of the giant wall of candy, Rei crumbles into nothingness. The directorughs at Rei¡¯s cute behavior and puts the candy in her tiny hands. ¡°Rei, are you really going to y with me?!¡± The boy watching the scene exims excitedly. ¡°s, I will y with you. I keep my promises since I¡¯m a hero.¡± Rei picks up a good-sized branch that was lying around. The director watches them with a smirk on his face, wondering if they¡¯ll have a sword fight, since she¡¯s always been fond of heroes. After examining the branch with her eyes, Rei turned to the boy, who had been giving her expectant nces. ¡°¡­Have you ever heard of picking up branches?¡± Chapter 131: You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you, Leon (2) Chapter 131: You¡¯ve changed a lot since Ist saw you, Leon (2) What would it take to bring the reincarnated hero to the Academy? First of all, I don¡¯t have a rtionship with her. It would be insane for me, a stranger, a blind man, even a dark elementalist, to approach her and say, ¡°Hero, it¡¯s dangerous here. Pleasee with me to the academy.¡± It would be insane. Originally, there had to be a crisis for her to decide to leave on her own. However, I¡¯ve alreadypromised the demon¡¯s intelligencework. Therefore, it will be quite a while before a ¡®natural crisis¡¯es to the hero. This is not good for me, who knows the future and wants to solve the case easily. So, what should I do to convince her? First, I need to remind her that she is a hero. You are a hero after all, and this ce is not safe at all. Not for you, not for others around you. To make her realize this simple fact, I need to create a ¡°crisis¡±. ¡°Madame, would you be willing to raid an orphanage in a nearby vige?¡± ¡°An orphanage¡­?¡± The woman raises her eyebrows in question at my stammered request. I needed a good ¡®script¡¯ to bolster my persuasion. A good script needs a good actor to back it up. Even if the hero is in the body of a young girl who can barely handle the power of a holy sword, clumsy demons are no match for her. It would be an alien sight to see demons crushed in an instant by a little girl¡¯s tiny fist¡­ That¡¯s what a hero is, a being who stands in opposition to demons. Therefore, the demon that will be my ¡®actor¡¯ must be strong enough to create a crisis where the hero needs my help, but weak enough that I can control it so that it cannot directly harm the hero or those around her. I was hoping to find just the right demon, and the woman in front of me was just that. Thanks to my senses, it wasn¡¯t too difficult to find her. I scattered my senses around the city as best I could. In a small town in the middle of nowhere, I came across a demon called Madame, who was dressed in an oundish outfit that made it hard to tell where to look, and who seemed to be controlling the area. ¡°Jorgal¡­you¡¯re from the branch where thistest ¡®disaster¡¯ happened?¡± The woman asked, reading off the name on the trump card I¡¯d handed her, the ¡®ID¡¯ I¡¯d gotten from smashing the demons¡¯ intelligence agency earlier. ¡®Well, it was a disaster for the demons.¡¯ Apparently, information about the massacre had spread among the demons. Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s a big deal. ¡°I was traveling on business at the time, so I was lucky to escape with my life. Cannibalism? It was horrible. Oh, and I haven¡¯t gotten a new card yet.¡± ¡°Hah, you¡¯re a lucky guy, and all of a sudden, an orphanage¡­ I¡¯d love to hear more about it.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes narrow as she snaps her fingers and returns the card to the table. ¡°Hmm¡­ Madame, I suppose you¡¯ve noticed?¡± I rap my fingers on the table and say something meaningful. The woman smirks. ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s a bit odd that the least you can do for me is raid an orphanage that probably doesn¡¯t even have a few children, when that would be enough for a bunch of cowards holed up in their ¡®nest¡¯.¡± Madame was subtly sending strong magical energy my way, testing me to see what kind of demon I was, but none of this was even remotely pressuring me. If I withstood her pressure without a hitch, she would naturally consider me a demon of unusual power. It would be assumed that a demon of this level of power would have a high position in the intelligencemunity, where weaker demons aremonly known to work. I had walked into a trap of my own making. In response to Madame¡¯s question, I mentally pictured Edward and gave her the best ¡®wicked¡¯ smile I could muster, the one I¡¯d seen on him so often. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you what it is right now. You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to, but¡­ I just want you to know that I came to you first out of respect.¡± ¡°Respect¡­¡± ¡°If you won¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll ask someone else and you won¡¯t get anything in return.¡¯ It puts the pressure back on her. When negotiating, it¡¯s important to appear confident and rxed even if what you¡¯re selling is a poisoned apple. Unless you bite into it, you won¡¯t know if it¡¯s poisonous or overflowing with sweet juices. And if you¡¯re showing a fresh apple with a glowing red color¡­ ¡°¡­I¡¯ll give you a hint: the Demon King¡¯s resurrection is just around the corner, and we haven¡¯t been sitting around waiting for it either, especially the Chief of Staff.¡± ¡°Chief of Staff¡­?!¡± Madame, who had been talking to me, sticks her head in, her voice rising. I craned my neck back, raising my index finger to my lips at her overbearing behavior. ¡°¡­You have a loud voice.¡± At my small whisper, Madame swallows hard and looks toward the door in the center of the room. She seemed to be concerned with her men outside the door. I smiled again, this time with a devious grin. Only this time, it wasn¡¯t intentional, but genuine. The raised voice was a good sign. Any demon with a brain who heard me and woulde up with one word. ¡®Hero.¡¯ I gave her a moment¡¯s pause before opening my mouth, drawing a circle on the table. ¡°¡­I assume you know about bridles.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ of course I know that.¡± Now that I had nothing to hide, I mentioned the word ¡®bridle¡¯ in a straightforward manner, which elicited an incredulous chuckle from the woman. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s all well and good¡­ There¡¯s one thing I don¡¯t understand, though.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Jorge, why would you want me to do this? It would be easier for you to do it yourself, you can take the credit and it wouldn¡¯t be a hassle¡­ This is too suspicious to be true, isn¡¯t it?¡± In short, why would you give someone a winning lottery ticket that you didn¡¯t scratch? Demons are basically selfish and greedy beings. ¡®It¡¯s a hassle.¡¯ I thought there would be only uneducated demons who didn¡¯t know anything about the fringes, but this woman, Madame, had a lot to say. Of course, it was within my expectations but I had a very convenient excuse. ¡°First of all, we don¡¯t know for sure. It¡¯s just something that needs to be confirmed¡­ My orders from the Chief of Staff are to keep my involvement under wraps, so given my affiliation, it¡¯s not something I should be involved in.¡± ¡°Why did the Chief of Staff make that choice?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but one thing¡¯s for sure, the Chief of Staff I know doesn¡¯t give orders for nothing.¡± There was silence after that. Madame was torn, should she bite into this apple or not? ¡°Madame, I don¡¯t think too hard about it. If you think about it, we¡¯re just raiding a small orphanage, and if we find the treasure chest, it¡¯s good for you and good for the demons, and if we don¡¯t, it¡¯s just that.¡± I emphasize that there¡¯s no risk. ¡°Do you really think raiding one of the lesser orphanages is going to put Madame in any danger? And for my information, that treasure chest is not going to be a ¡®mimic¡¯ ¨C from what I¡¯ve researched, it¡¯s still just a ¡®child¡¯.¡± I ttered her since there is no need to be afraid when you have power. ¡°But if you don¡¯t want to open the real treasure chest, that¡¯s okay, because there are plenty of others who can.¡± Finally, let her know that she haspetition. She realizes that her hand is closest to the sweet apple, and that she¡¯s at the front of the race. ¡°¡­Ha!¡± Madame sighs. It¡¯s getting hard to give up. There¡¯s definitely something fishy going on here, but it doesn¡¯t feel like there¡¯s any risk, at least not from what she heard. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s a feeling.¡¯ Even though I¡¯m pounding on the stone bridge, I think I can ¡®cross¡¯ it. Even if the stone bridge copses, the water is shallow, so I think I¡¯ll only get my feet wet. This is because the premise is wed and there¡¯s something she¡¯s overlooking. Could this blind man in front of her not be a demon? But her thoughts don¡¯t go that far. She thinks it over slowly. What kind of ¡®human¡¯ would easily find a demon who was hiding his true identity, and then, while emitting a ¡®dark aura¡¯, show his demon ID and ask to raid a human orphanage? For what? Why would they do that? Trapped in the intricacies of this truth, she would never reach the center. ¡°¡­Okay, I¡¯ll do it.¡± And so she bites into the apple. The deadly poison in the apple will spread through her body and kill her. Well, if she hadn¡¯t epted the apple, I would have drawn my poisoned dagger at this point since I don¡¯t see any reason to keep her alive. ¡°Very well, then, without further dy, let¡¯s call it a night, and I¡¯lle back to you then.¡± I smirked and pushed myself up from the chair. I opened the door and turned to leave when Madame asked onest question. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve been wondering all along¡­ how do you do your job when you look like that?¡± How do you work for an intelligence agency when you can¡¯t see, she said. At her question, I scratched the bandage over my eye and opened my mouth. ¡°Haha¡­ That¡¯s ate question, actually¡­ I can see.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ What a joke¡­ What do you say, Jorgal, when we¡¯re done here, why don¡¯t you have a drink with me?¡± Madame licks her tongue, tempting me. ¡°Hmmm¡­ shall we?¡± If she can have a drink after her throat is cut, I might have to consider it. That¡¯s how we end the conversation, and when I slip out of the building and into the shadows, Sierra flicks my head. Apparently she didn¡¯t like ourst conversation, even though I gave her a heads up about what I was going to do. ¡­Anyway, with that, the ¡®actors¡¯ are ready. All that¡¯s left is for the script to y out. It¡¯s a pretty extreme script, but I figured that if it wasn¡¯t for this, it would be very difficult for me, a dark elementalist, to convince the hero. Still, I¡¯m not too worried, as everything will be under my control. ¡®Is it because I¡¯ve done so many strange things?¡¯ Sierra trusts mepletely on this one. Well, I¡¯mfortable with it. *** In the woods, not far from the orphanage Rei, the reincarnation of the Hero Leon, sneaked out of the orphanage again tonight to train her body. As she stood in the dark forest with only antern and two fingers on the ground, the blond girl couldn¡¯t shake her worries. ¡®My cheeks, my cheeks, my cheeks¡­¡¯ Her mouth was filled with a candy that she had been saving for a while. It was urgent for Rei to build a body that could handle the holy sword properly. Now she had seeded in summoning the holy sword, but she had yet to wield it properly. Compared to the young girl¡¯s slender body, the holy sword was heavy and bulky. Ugh¡­ At that moment, an unknown aura swept through Rei, apanied by a light breeze from the trees. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Recognizing its identity, Rei immediately stood up and stared off into the depths of the forest. The aura she detected was familiar, it was the thick, foul aura of demons that was emanating from that direction. ¡®¡­There are many.¡¯ Closing her eyes and sniffing her nose, Rei counted the demons. Why would they be grouped together and headed for such a quiet, unremarkable vige? There was only one possible reason, at least as far as she could tell. Rei raised her arms as her tiny, dainty hands were revealed. As she clenches her fist, her knuckles slowly glow with a pure white light. ¡®They¡¯re weak¡­¡¯ A bare fist would have been enough to take them on. How and when they had found her, Rei had no idea, but she didn¡¯t have time to ponder that right now. -Boom. The sound of something light leaping echoes through the forest, and Rei¡¯s newest creation is gone in an instant, leaving the lonentern to illuminate the forest around her. Rei¡¯s first battle in this life has begun. Chapter 132: You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you, Leon (3) Chapter 132: You¡¯ve changed a lot since Ist saw you, Leon (3) In a dark forest, a man and a woman walked at a leisurely pace down a path. Two gnarled horns sprouted from their foreheads, indicating that they were demons under the control of Madame. Her men were traveling through the forest to the orphanage when Madame suddenly decided to raid the orphanage in a nearby vige. ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t really like the idea of killing orphans¡­¡± The male demon with the sword slung over his shoulder grunted but they could not disobey the orders of the city¡¯s only ck-horned demon. His useless pleading was interrupted by the female demon next to him, clutching another, a well-honed wooden staff. ¡°And now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m from an orphanage, too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being ridiculous. How many of the humans you¡¯ve killed for ¡®Madame¡¯ over the years do you think were orphans? Most of them, I¡¯d wager, wouldn¡¯t be upset if you disappeared.¡± Puzzled by her retort, the man scratched his head with the handle of the sword he held. ¡°¡­If that¡¯s so, then I can¡¯t help it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The woman shook her head, tired of his ignorance. ¡°More than that, why is it an orphanage, what is here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ What can I say, I¡¯ll just keep my mouth shut and go along. They¡¯ll give me three humans for every two of you when this is over. Isn¡¯t there a lot for a small orphanage?¡± The man clicks his tongue and clears his throat. ¡°Idiot¡­ Please, think about it. Do you think a normal orphanage would take this many people?¡± After finishing her sentence in a rather harsh tone, the woman turns her head and looks around the forest. In this forest, besides them, other demons under ¡®Madame¡¯ were also heading to the orphanage. There were quite a few of them. It was almost as if she had scraped together all the demons that had beennguishing in the city. ¡°What¡¯s in that orphanage¡­?¡± The man grumbled, but his words trailed off because it was a bit odd to hear. It was a bit too much for a group of demons to be raiding an ¡®ordinary orphanage¡¯, as she put it. As they stared off into the distance, they began to walk forward again but the male demon in the lead soon stopped walking. ¡°¡­People.¡± The woman behind him immediately straightened her stance, pointing her staff at him. The ease with which they had appeared earlier was gone. The man swallowed hard as a rustling sound came from the direction the woman was pointing at the staff and something small pops out of the dark bushes. ¡°¡­What is it?¡± The man¡¯s arm that held the sword flinched slightly. ¡°It¡¯s a kid, isn¡¯t it?¡± It was a young girl with blond hair and red eyes who emerged from the bushes. ¡°Kid, what are you doing here?¡± The man, now rxed, approached the girl and bent down to be eye level with her. ¡°¡­¡± The girl¡¯s red eyes tremble as she backs away from the man, clearly frightened by his appearance. ¡°Are you a child from the orphanage?¡± The woman behind her puts down her staff and approaches, scrutinizing the girl. ¡°Come here, little one. We¡¯re not scary people.¡± With that, the man beckons the blonde girl over, and the cowering girl stops backing away. It was Madame¡¯s order that all the children of the orphanage be rounded up and lined up before her. ¡°¡­What are those horns¡­?¡± The girl who had been cautiously approaching asked, pointing to the ck horn on the man¡¯s forehead. The girl was still young and didn¡¯t seem to know much about demons. Soon, the kneeling male demon was showing off to the girl, tapping his horn and opening his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s a demon¡¯s horn. What do you think, is it cool?¡± The girl oohs and aahs at the man¡¯s horns, even though he¡¯s revealed himself to be a demon. ¡°¡­Can I touch them?¡± ¡°Sure. Touch it.¡± The female demon, who was watching the male demon touching the girl¡¯s horns, closed her eyes tightly and sighed. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because she¡¯s the same mental age as him.¡¯ Just as that thought shed through her mind a strange sound reached her ears, it was the sound of something hard breaking. The woman¡¯s eyes snap open, and she sees the girl holding the man¡¯s broken horn in her hand. ¡°Huh?¡± Surprised by what had just happened, the man groped for his forehead, where his horn had been ¡®attached¡¯, without feeling any pain. The horn that was supposed to be there was now in the tiny hands of the girl in front of him. ¡°¡­¡± The girl¡¯s red eyes opened nonchntly, reflecting his shattered ck horn. She had broken the man¡¯s horns with her tiny, callous-free hand and the pain of a shattered horn came to the male demon. ¡°Holy shit¡­¡­!¡± The man cursed and tried to scream. Or rather, he ¡®tried¡¯ to. But¡­ -Poof. ¡­The man¡¯s screams are cut off as the girl drives the horn into his neck. ck blood gurgles from the man¡¯s throat and the expressionless girl pulls the horn out of the man¡¯s neck. ¡°Grrrr¡­ Gurgle, gurgle¡­¡± The man hastily clutches at his throat, but he can¡¯t stop the rush of blood. The girl tilted her head slightly, dodging the sshes, still, she couldn¡¯t avoid all the blood that was flying everywhere. Eventually, a few drops sshed onto the girl¡¯s wless face. ¡°Ah.¡± Frowning, the girl wiped the ck blood off her face in disgust. At the same time, the man who had vomited up arge amount of blood at once fell to the ground. ¡°Mu¡­ What¡­¡± The female demon who saw all of this stumbled backwards. The red eyes of the girl who had haphazardly tossed herpanion¡¯s horns behind her now turned toward her. The woman pointed her staff at the girl, but her hand refused to stop trembling. It was disconcerting enough that in the space of a few short seconds, a male demon who had been her ally had been killed by a child barely half his size without much of a struggle. What was even more disconcerting was¡­ ¡°You, you¡­ Who are you¡­?!¡± She was feeling ¡®fear¡¯ from the petite little girl. It wasn¡¯t simply that her colleague had been killed by the girl, it was more of a visceral fear, an imprint on her flesh. The girl lurched forward on her short legs while she aimed her staff at the girl with her trembling hands and activated her magick but the girl disappeared from her sight. The woman¡¯s head jerks back and forth, but eventually she allows the girl to approach. With a flick of her golden hair, the girl appears right next to her¡­ -Bam! ¡­and smacks her in the leg with her short legs. The woman¡¯s legs gave way under the enormous force of the blow, which could hardly havee from the body of a child, and her body tilted and fell to the ground. The girl didn¡¯t miss and her fistnded on the woman¡¯s face as she fell, blocking her view of her diminutive stature. -Thud¡­ The woman¡¯s face is crushed under the force of the girl¡¯s blow. -Aaah! The sound of the woman¡¯s head exploding echoes through the dreary forest, and the brain matter that had been ejected from the woman¡¯s head scatters against the surrounding trees. ¡°¡­¡± Staring at the headless corpse of the demon, the girl silently wiped the ck liquid from the back of her hand. The blonde girl, Rei, was a former hero known for her skill with the holy sword, she was not limited to it. Rei has the ability to wield any weapon with ease. The peculiar thing is that this is purely her talent, not her strength as a hero. She was a master at martial arts. ¡®There is a leader.¡¯ As it was, Rei was able to deal with the trash, but a demon leader with arge number of subordinates would be a difficult opponent. ¡®I haven¡¯t even held the holy sword yet. Despite its size, it was a problem to maintain after summoning it.¡¯ That didn¡¯t mean she could run away. The demons that had just died had mentioned an orphanage, so they knew there was one up ahead. Rei clenched her fists. She couldn¡¯t let the demons get to the orphanage. But as a young girl, Rei was no match for the powerful demons. If she were to die fighting them, there would be nothing to say. Rei knew her limits clearly, but¡­ ¡­she picked up a sword from where it had fallen, and without hesitation, stepped toward the demonic presence. What was the point of living if she couldn¡¯t protect her people? Rei was a hero and that was what a hero was. *** ¡°¡­Why don¡¯t you give up now?¡± Madame Sezuris asked the golden-haired girl in front of her in a soft voice. ¡°¡­¡± Rei wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and pushed her tattered body to her feet. ¡°What is a ¡®hero¡¯¡­? Looking at Rei like that, Sezuris felt a small shiver run down her spine. She had seeded in finding the treasure chest through information from a demon named Jorgal who hade to her earlier. The identity of the treasure chest is the hero who is a natural enemy of the demons. Sezuris knew very well that if she could kill Rei, the hero in front of her, she could bring the entire world under the control of demons after the rebirth of the Demon King. But Jorgal, the man who had informed her, had told her that in order to break the shackles, the hero must be captured alive and she had no intention of refusing. It seemed better to capture her alive to get the credit, but Rei wasn¡¯t about to go down. ¡®You said the treasure chest wouldn¡¯t be a Mimic¡­ but since she hasn¡¯t summoned the Holy Sword yet, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s a Mimic.¡¯ The sword that supported Rei¡¯s shaking body on the other side, a sword that was disproportionatelyrge for her diminutive frame, was definitely not the holy sword. As far as she could recall, it was one of her subordinates¡¯ swords. It was a in, ordinary sword, stained with the blood of demons, giving it a dirty glow. All the demons Sezuris had brought with her had been decapitated by that little girl. Rei hade to her before Sezuris, who had noticed theck of response from her men, could do anything about it but Rei was already exhausted from dealing with so many demons, and Sezuris had a ck horn sprouting from her forehead. The oue was a foregone conclusion. At this point, Sezuris decided that it wasn¡¯t that Rei wasn¡¯t summoning her holy sword, but that she couldn¡¯t. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Rei, who had been breathing heavily while holding the sword, steadied herself and regained control of her breathing. -Boom. With a short leap, Rei charges at Sezuris and her sword flies straight for Sezuris throat. ¡°Annoying¡­¡± Infusing her body with magick, Sezuris narrowly avoids Rei¡¯s sword. Even if she was the hero, the young girl¡¯s body would not have any muscle strength left in it, but Rei¡¯s de was still threatening her. Cha-ching! Sezuris, who was dodging Rei¡¯s sword, blocked it with her dagger. With her remaining arm, Rei threw out a fist filled with pure white light, but her arm was too short to reach Sezuris. -Pfft! Sezuris kicked Rei hard in the stomach. The fairly light girl¡¯s body flew through the air and crashed into a tree on the other side,nding on the ground. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Clutching the ground, Rei tried to push herself up once more, but her body was no longer able to withstand the force. The girl¡¯s body, which hadn¡¯t even grown up yet, had reached its limit. ¡°Hah¡­ I can finally see the end.¡± As she said that, Sezuris slowly approached Rei. Rei, who had fallen to the ground, no longer had the strength to even lift a finger. At least, that¡¯s how it seemed to Sezuris but in his desperation, Rei was thinking of onest move. ¡®If it¡¯s a summon¡­¡¯ Rei was currently unable to wield the holy sword, but she could summon it. If she continued to chant, the ¡®star¡¯ that had fallen from the sky would reach her fingertips. And if a demon stood in the path of the de¡¯s fall¡­ it would either hit the de and snap it in half, or bounce off from the impact of the summoning. ¡®Pick my moment.¡¯ Rei had just finished thinking. -Pfft. Sezuris approaches Rei and kicks her once more. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rei falls to the ground after being struck by Sezuris foot. Pain wracked her entire body, but she remained focused. ¡°You¡¯re not much, hero.¡± Sezuris stares down at Rei. ¡°¡­¡± Looking up, Rei realized that now was as good a time as any. A fifty-fifty chance of sess. She nced at the ce where her sword had fallen, hoping to pick it up and fight again if the impact wouldn¡¯t be enough to finish Sezuris. In that moment, her world slowed down and the leg that Sezuris had raised to crush her head was moving very slowly. ¡®¡­What is it?¡¯ Rei wonders at the bizarre phenomenon that appeared without any foreshadowing. It was definitely a split second but the girl, the reincarnated warrior, saw it clearly. A dark-haired man emerged from the woods beyond, running at a ridiculous speed in a world where everything had slowed down. The man¡¯s red sword was clutched in the back of his hand, and the white bandages around his eyes naturally drew attention to them. As she watched, a word popped into Rei¡¯s head. ¡®Blind swordsman.¡¯ The blind swordsman arrived in front of her, and without a moment¡¯s hesitation, he thrust out his sword. A red beam of light, the same color as Rei¡¯s own eyes, sliced through the neck of Sezuris, who was lifting his feet in front of her, followed by a stter of blood. With the clear sound of the sword, the flow of time returns to normal. ¡°¡­I was almost toote.¡± After a moment of silence, the voice of the blind man was heard. It was then that Sezuris realized that Jorgal, the blind demon, had nned all of this. But why was he here, why was he having this conversation, not with her, but with the hero¡­ Sezuris wanted to ask about it, but her voice wouldn¡¯te out. ¡®Why?¡¯ As the question shed through her mind, her vision dropped to the floor. -Aaaah¡­ Sezuris head separates from her body, and blood gushes out. ¡°¡­¡± Rei stares up, still unable to move her body. ¡°That was really dangerous¡­¡± As he says this, a stream of ck blood pours down the blind man¡¯s back as he smiles kindly. ¡®An ally¡­?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t say for sure, but there was no sign in the blind man¡¯s smile that he intended to harm him. Looking at the dark-haired blind man, Rei thought. Even though she couldn¡¯t see what his eyes looked like because they were covered with white bandages. Chapter 133: You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you, Leon (4) Chapter 133: You¡¯ve changed a lot since Ist saw you, Leon (4) The man with the bandages over his eyes, who introduced himself as ¡°Zetto,¡± cut down the demon I was struggling against with ease. It made me realize just how weak I had be, but¡­ ¡­suspicious. He takes it for granted that I¡¯m the hero. He says it was dangerous, and he¡¯s worried about me, wondering if I¡¯m hurt. Is he an enemy or not? Can he be trusted or not? -Tsk. He reaches out to help me to my feet, but I swat him away even though it was not the way to treat a lifesaver. ¡°¡­¡± The energy emanating from his body was at odds with mine. I didn¡¯t have to wait long to figure out what it was. ¡°Kerung.¡± As Iy motionless, a circle of fuzzy fur approached me and licked my cheek with its tongue. Unable to resist, I press my cheek against his. ¡°¡­Sheddie, you can¡¯t lick the hero.¡± Zetto lifts him up and ces him on his head. ¡°Kerung.¡± The creatureid down on Zetto¡¯s head as if it were his own. ¡®That¡¯s a spirit, that¡¯s¡­¡¯ It was definitely spirit energy. Dark spirits, the kind that demons are known for. However, the blind man in front of me, Zetto, was not a demon, and there was something very different about his spirit appearance from the spirits I was familiar with. ¡°Keryung¡­¡± Sheddie on top of Zetto¡¯s head melted away with a pleasant expression. He was quite cute. ¡®¡­If it was that size and had soft fur, it would be perfect to hug and sleep with¡­¡¯ I stopped thinking about it. Embarrassed, I pped the ground. What am I doing here, in front of this mysterious man, thinking such silly thoughts? Ever since I became a Rei, I felt like my mind was somehow being contaminated by a child. ¡°First of all¡­¡± Zetto trailed off, pulling me to my feet and leaning me against the tree behind me. This time, I didn¡¯t reject his hand. Zetto fumbled in his arms and pulled out a small pouch. He slipped his hand into the pouch, and when he emerged, he held a sk. It was arge sk,pared to the size of the pouch. It was a ¡®subspace pouch¡¯. ¡°¡­What is that?¡± I asked Zetto as he approached me with the sk. ¡°It¡¯s an ¡®elixir¡¯.¡± ¡°Elixir¡­?¡± ¡°Haha, I got a few bottles as a gift.¡± I wondered why he would receive such a hard-to-find elixir as a gift and carry around a subspace pouch. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± Zetto put a finger to my immobilized lips. He must have been trying to pinpoint the position of my mouth because he was blind. He held the sk to my mouth and tilted it and the solution in the sk slowly trickled down into my mouth. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was telling the truth when he said it was an elixir, but as the liquid touched my tongue, I recognized it. This is an elixir. It tastes exactly like the elixir I once poured down my throat during my hero days in the Saint¡¯s absence. I downed the elixir in one swift gulp and soon after, I could feel my body revitalize. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The elixir had a bitter vor that naturally made me stick out my tongue. How in the world had I been able to drink this stuff so casually in the past? ¡°Did you use much?¡± ¡°¡­Not much.¡± ¡°I just happened to have some candy, so I thought I¡¯d give it to you as a treat¡­¡± Zetto smiled, still holding the candy in his hand. ¡°¡­¡± It was a candy of a different color so I wondered what kind of sweetness it had and my mouth began to water. Zetto tilted his head and before I knew it, I was holding out my hand to him. Since he¡¯s blind, it would be better if I spoke to him. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t ask for it.¡± My dignity as a hero was diminishing in real time because I had just eaten something bitter and asked for candy. ¡°Oh, candy?¡± Zetto dared to mention the word candy. ¡°Give me¡­¡­.¡± I said, squeezing my eyes shut to keep the shame at bay. It wasn¡¯t long before I had candy in my hand and I immediately popped it into my mouth. ¡®It tastes like¡­!¡¯ It was a candy that harmoniously blended the vor of chocte, a high-end dessert that small viges on the outskirts could never dream of, with the mild vor of vani, which is often used as a spice. The extreme sweetness made my eyes widen. Delicious. It was so delicious. It was the kind of sweetness that made you feel good. ¡®This guy named Zetto¡­¡¯ ¡­might be better than I thought. None of the guys who carried candy for little kids on their own were bad. That was the case with the director of the orphanage. I leaned the back of my head against the tree, still holding the candy, and asked Zetto a series of questions. First, I needed to know what was going on. Zetto exined that he was a prophet. He can see into the future, to be exact. He said that a bad future had brought him here. I asked him what it was, but he dismissed it, referring to celestial leaks. At least it wasn¡¯t astrology. He couldn¡¯t read the stars because he was blind. Maybe he sees the future through dreams. A blind prophet was quite unique. That aside¡­ ¡­the demons were the problem. The demons had discovered my location. This was a very bad thing. Zetto asked me if I had any idea how they had gotten there. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t have a clue. I¡¯d been summoning the Holy Sword a lottely and that is quite conspicuous. I checked without even trying whether I could handle it or not. It was a half-hearted, half-annoying thing. At least when I was Leon, I didn¡¯t have to do this. I¡¯d grown up without ever realizing I was the hero, let alone summoning the holy sword. Plus, for some reason, I had memories of his previous life and I don¡¯t know why things have gotten so out of hand. My brow furrowed as I realized that mycency had endangered everyone in the orphanage, and I eagerly melted the candy in my mouth. I needed the sweetness. Zetto said it would be dangerous to stay here any longer. Now that my location had been discovered, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if the demons returned at any moment. ¡°¡­Now that¡¯s a bad thing, huh¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I have a suggestion for you, Hero.¡± ¡°A suggestion?¡± ¡°There is a ce where you can be safe.¡± ¡°A ce where I would be safe? You have no idea how many demons have crept into thend of men¡­¡± He said that since my death, there had been a war in which there was neither a Demon King nor a Hero. Zetto, who had been listening to me, bent down to be eye level with me. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anything ¡°eye level¡± about him, but he was looking at me exactly. This is thanks to his special ability called ¡®ki sense¡¯. I¡¯d met a blind man with a bandage over his eyes once before, back when I was Leon, so it didn¡¯t seem so bizarre. Zetto held up a finger and spoke. ¡°¡­You can follow me.¡± ¡°When you say follow me, do you have some sort of affiliation?¡± ¡°Hero, have you ever heard of the Innocence Academy?¡± ¡°Ah, I know.¡± Innocence Academy, the finest educational institution on the continent, said to have been built by my oldrade, the Sage of the Hero Party. I¡¯d thought about visiting when I was older. For now, I was too young to enter the academy. It seemed like a safe ce to be if it was founded by Hubert, who tended to be a bit of a maniac, considering and preparing for every eventuality. From the way he¡¯d described it, it was supposed to be a ce where they taught demon hunting, so they wouldn¡¯t allow demons to invade so easily. ¡°But what about it? I¡¯ve heard that the Innocence Academy is a very closed ce. I have a feeling I¡¯m too young to be admitted to the academy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the only one getting in¡­ I¡¯m actually a cadet at the Innocence Academy right now.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯m still in my first year.¡± He looked young, but I couldn¡¯t believe he was a cadet. If that was the case, how could a kid who could only be twenty years old have defeated the ck Horned Demon so easily? He¡¯s a prophet who can see into the future, he¡¯s dealing with high-level dark spirits that even I, who¡¯ve dealt with countless demons, have only seen a few times, and he¡¯s got the swordsmanship to cut down a ck Horned Demon with a single strike¡­ And at the young age of twenty. His only drawback is that he is blind and has lost the light of the world. Even if this was an inconvenience it was hard to call it a disadvantage because he didn¡¯t need it. ¡®Who the hell are you?¡¯ Slowly, as I pieced things together, I realized that every single element of him was mysterious. ¡°¡­Okay, I get it. I see that you¡¯re a cadet¡­ Does that mean I can get into the academy if I follow you?¡± ¡°You¡¯d have to be rted, for starters.¡± ¡°Rted?¡± ¡°You¡¯d have to be rted to me, a cadet, to get into the Academy¡­ Well, leave the convincing of the higher-ups to me¡­All you have to do is act the part.¡± ¡°¡­Act?¡± ¡°Easy acting, perhaps¡­?¡± Zetto smirks. For some reason, his grin seems a bit sinister¡­ *** By now, the forest was bathed in the warmth of the morning sun. Convincing Rei was easier than I expected. Perhaps it was because she still had memories of being the hero, and she was receptive to the idea of something out of the ordinary. Maybe it¡¯s because she¡¯s lived an extraordinary life and met a lot of extraordinary people. After convincing Rei, I went straight to work on the orphanage. The location of the orphanage wasn¡¯t exactly known to the demons, but I exined to her that it was, so it was the next best thing. Even if it wasn¡¯t, I still needed to talk to the orphanage¡¯s director to take Rei with me. There was no need to go on a wild goose chase. Rei had been there for years so she must have gotten used to it. I shed my Temr badge to the director, hoping to make things easier. Roughly, I told him that since Rei had enough divine power, I would take her to the Holy Land and raise her as a pdin. The ¡°Ah, I know, was very puzzled, but he assumed it was some sort of prospect scouting so he agreed not wanting to stand in Rei¡¯s way. He only had one small question: weren¡¯t there only women in the Silver Wings Order of the Saint? With that, I exined that with the recent demonic activity in the area, it would be a good idea to relocate the orphanage and I offered to pay for the move. I had a lot of money from the gambling house from my previous rescue of Magredo the Elementalist, so it wasn¡¯t a problem. I handed him arge bag of money and told him to use the money for the children at the orphanage. The director thanked me profusely and told me to take care of Rei. After that, I gave him time to say goodbye and the director hugged her tightly and burst into tears. I slipped out of the orphanage and used Sheddie powers to dispose of the corpses of the demons Rei had killed. ¡®She could have been killed by Madame.¡¯ The ¡®actor¡¯ who thought could easily stage a crisis had unexpectedly struggled. The rest of the demons were all taken care of neatly. I would have taken care of the rest, but the hero is the hero. Slithering shadows devour the corpses of the demons strewn across the forest. ¡°I¡¯m sick of it.¡± Not being human, Sheddie¡¯s response was stony. ¡°Sick of it¡­ I must have fed it too much back then.¡¯ There¡¯s no way he ate demons before he was enved to me¡­ No way. If it had a previous owner, it must have been a demon, but it¡¯s notmon for demons to kill demons. -Hmph. Soon, Rei arrives. Emerging from the bushes, the small girl approached me, dressed for the long journey. When Sierra spots her, she turns to me and asks a question, one that has been nagging at me ever since I met Rei. [How can a girl so young be the hero? I still can¡¯t believe it. Wasn¡¯t Leon a man in the first ce, or was I misinformed? ] ¡­She had it right. Sierra continued, wondering what it would be like for a man to turn into a woman, what it would feel like. ¡®Well¡­¡¯ It¡¯s a question I feel like I should never ask so I had deliberately avoidedmenting on it. Approaching me, Rei, still in her robes, watches the shadows consume the demon bodies with a nk stare. Then her small lips part. ¡°Zetto, we should get going. Have you cleaned up yet?¡± But there was a problem. ¡°Hero, you seem to have forgotten the ¡®acting¡¯ part¡­¡± This was going to be important, so I pointed it out. ¡°¡­¡± Rei pursed her lips. I couldn¡¯t help it, I¡¯m not doing this because I want to. I needed her to act, for the ¡®setup¡¯ I¡¯d concocted to get her into the Academy. And that was something she needed to start practicing now. Rei didn¡¯t seem to be able to perform as easily as the A.I. Geppeti. Eventually, Rei¡¯s twitching mouth openspletely. ¡°Brother¡­Ugh¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing great. Just a little more effort.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Brother Zetto, are you done cleaning up?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I smiled and casually yed ¡®big brother¡¯. As luck would have it, the cleanup of the demons¡¯ corpses waspletely finished. I gave her a small p for her efforts and reached for the candy. Hard work deserves a reward. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Before I can say a word, Rei rushes over to me, snatches the candy from my hand, and shoves it into her mouth. ¡°¡­¡± Rei smiles with satisfaction as she takes the candy. ¡®Well¡­She looks happy, so I¡¯ll take it.¡¯ Sierra¡¯s eyes widen as she stares at Rei, the hero who can be happy with just one candy and is confused. ¡®Anyway, the job went well, and¡­¡¯ It was time to pick up the next ¡®sister¡¯. Chapter 134: You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you, Leon (5) Chapter 134: You¡¯ve changed a lot since Ist saw you, Leon (5) ¡°Hmmm¡­ I remember that.¡± Climbing onto myp, Rei¡¯s tiny hand clutched the ne around my neck. It was none other than a ne that she had a deep connection to, ¡°The Hero¡¯s Favor Ne.¡± ¡°¡­Where did you get this?¡± ¡°I got it from the Innocence Academy.¡± ¡°Ha, that Hubert guy¡­ Just when I thought he was doing something useless as usual, he was nning something like this¡­¡± Reiughed at that, but then her eyes became solemn as she looked at the ne. I wonder if she¡¯s remembering the old times. ¡°¡­Do you want me to tell you what happened to them after that¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rei nods quietly. ¡°It¡¯s a story that has been told, but¡­¡± I trailed off, recounting the aftermath of the hero death and the members of the hero party. Rei listened intently, she was eager to hear every detail of herpanions¡¯ stories, and she asked questions if she had any. By the end of the story, Rei had a look ofplete reminiscence on her face. Reiughed out loud, especially when I told her that Dregonot, the hardy northern warrior who served as the party¡¯s tank, run into the demonnds, inflicted massive damage on the demons, and died on the battlefield. Thank goodness, the members of the Heroic Party had died happily on their own terms, praised for their deeds. The only thing is, they¡¯re all dead now. They can¡¯t even meet their descendants. ¡°I see¡­ Did they all go back to thend¡­?¡± ¡®It¡¯s been hundreds of years.¡¯ True, one of her oldpanions, the Sage, might still be alive in the deepest reaches of the Labyrinth, but his survival was not information I could provide. I don¡¯t know if the Sage will realize that the Hero has arrived and show himself or not, but if he does, they¡¯ll have a long talk. It didn¡¯t really matter, since the sage wasn¡¯t going to chase the hero away anyway. ¡°So there are ¡®few¡¯ who remember me now, then.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± I asked, questioning her words. Not many beings can live for hundreds of years, only elves and dragons, at most. ¡°There must be demons who remember me. How ironic.¡± When I scratch my head at Rei¡¯sment, she adds. ¡°I mean the Elders.¡± ¡°Elders¡­ I¡¯ve heard of such a thing, but were they beings that could live for hundreds of years?¡± ¡°Hundreds of years? I don¡¯t know exactly how many years they can live. What I do know is that they knew a hero before me, and since I didn¡¯t have the memories of my previous life like I do now, I didn¡¯t even realize it was me. I think they¡¯re still alive, though, although I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the right word for it, but¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because the ¡®elder¡¯ I met was nothing more than a big hunk of meat.¡± ¡°A hunk of meat¡­?¡± The words don¡¯t paint a picture. ¡°That¡¯s the only way I can describe it. It didn¡¯t have a mouth to speak of, but it couldmunicate, and even then, I killed it after only a few words¡­ There must be some Elders left, for there are many of them.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± That was interesting. At the very least, I¡¯d have to go to the Demon Lands to meet them, but unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t set foot in the Demon Lands in the game, so I didn¡¯t have much information. I hear the sound of candy rolling in her mouth, and Rei steps away from me. She asks me to let her be a ¡°hero¡± in the privacy of her own home, away from prying ears. Of course I said yes. As long as she could y the part when needed, I was fine with it. Sierra was looking at Rei curiously in this bizarre situation. Watching her sit still in the wagon and pet Sheddie, Sierra asked me when she would be able to be a true hero, and I ryed that to her. ¡°¡­the Master asks.¡± I told Rei about Sierra¡¯s rtionship with me. She would probably be living with me in the dormitory, so it was better to share any secrets that might make her ufortable. ¡°¡­Hmm, well, I haven¡¯t even made contact with a Light Elemental yet¡­ and I don¡¯t think I can handle the Holy Sword properly, at least not with my current body.¡± Hearing Rei¡¯s answer, Sierra nods slightly. They can¡¯t interact with each other, so they have to go through me tomunicate. To summarize, she needs to ¡®grow up¡¯ in more ways than one. Well, the resurrection of the Demon King is still a long way off, so I guess it¡¯s not something I need to worry about right now. ¡°Did I mention our destination is the desert? Did this Hubert guy build his academy in the desert?¡± Rei asked, looking out of the carriage. It was toote to ask now that they were already in the desert. ¡°Not really, I have one more sister to take to the academy, haha¡­¡± ¡°¡­A younger sister?¡± Rei¡¯s eyes widen. If all goes ording to my n, Rei and Geppeti will be living together in my dormitory. Rei is in front of me now, and all I have to do is go to the desert and fetch Geppeti. I don¡¯t have much trouble getting them, the problem was how to introduce them to each other. My choice came down to ¡®nothing to hide, everything to reveal¡¯. Two fake sisters¡­.A reincarnated hero who had never been a woman and an artificial intelligence who had never been human. A hero who could teach her what it means to be human, and an A.I. who could teach her what it means to be a sister through data. I realized that they had a lot to learn from each other. ¡°¡­She¡¯s not a real sister.¡± ¡°Then what is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s more like you.¡± ¡°Hey, brother, I can¡¯t understand you. Are you saying there was another hero besides me?¡± Rei asked, still speaking in the tone of the hero, only using the word brother in moderation. ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean that, it means that she¡¯s a fake sister.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ what happened to her¡­?¡± Rei, who was petting Sheddie in her arms, asked in a sad voice. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to take her with us. She¡¯s human, for one thing, but she¡¯s not technically human.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rei looks at me in disbelief, her mouth hanging open at my vague exnation. ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s more like a highly intelligent, self-aware golem, but she¡¯s human.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Suddenly, Rei frowns. It was quite simr to Sierra¡¯s reaction to the exnation a while ago. I couldn¡¯t help myself. I think I exined it as well as I could. Geppeti was an alien to this world. Well, not necessarily in this fantasy world, but still. ¡°You¡¯ll get to know her when you meet her.¡± ¡°¡­¡­You have two sisters who aren¡¯t rted by blood¡­ That ¡®setting¡¯ doesn¡¯t change?¡± ¡°Yes, the setting will remain the same, and I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll do an excellent job of ying the younger sister. You¡¯ll need to take a cue from her, hero.¡± ¡°¡­To be on the safe side, I¡¯ll defer to my ¡®brother¡¯ for now.¡± Rei clenches her jaw and puffs out her chubby cheeks, then stares out the window with a sullen expression. I don¡¯t think I need to ask her for anything since Geppeti will learn to be human just by being around her. After all, she saved the world and there¡¯s a lot to learn from her. I could teach her, but she¡¯d probably have more time alone with Rei than with me, an Academy cadet. ¡®I hope they can be a good influence on each other¡­¡¯ *** ¡°Checking physical condition.¡± The sphere in my mind made a sound. ¡°ording to self-diagnosis, body temperature is within the normal range. The current heart rate is 80 but I need to make sure that all parts are working properly.¡± With that, the sphere opens with a puff of smoke. Push. Thud. A wless, pure white leg emerges from the sphere, clearing the smoke. As if she¡¯s used to it, she pushes herself up and out of the sphere. It¡¯s her first time on the ground, but the red eyes of the girl, with her pure silver hair brushed back, show no emotion other than admiration or fear. ¡°Testing range of motion.¡± The girl shuffled forward, moving her arms but a sharp piece of scrap metal on the floor leaves a mark on her foot. ¡°Minor damage to left foot. No problem moving around.¡± The girl looks at her wounded foot is covered in red blood with a nonchnt expression on her face. ¡°Body reactions are also normal. Ending check. Main system ¡®Geppeti¡¯, startup.¡± The girl falls into a stupor, her head facing forward. She blinked a few times as she stared nkly into space, but it wasn¡¯t long before she came to her senses. ¡°¡­¡± Geppeti lowers her head and looks down at her hands. A dark shade is etched on her face, which had previously been devoid of any emotion and the girl¡¯s breathing quickens. Geppeti senses that her stress levels are rising. It was an abnormal reaction, but in a way, it was a very normal reaction. As an inanimate object, she had ¡®feelings¡¯; now that she had a body, she was naturally having emotional physical reactions. The amount of data she had learned about ¡®sisters¡¯ at Zetto¡¯smand was quite extensive. However, once she gained emotions, Geppeti made one error or, more urately, a conflict with the ¡®learning¡¯ she had been doing. The emotions she had learned from her master, Zetto, were negative: anxiety, confusion, and nervousness. When Zetto left her side after 200 years of waiting, this led to anxiety and Geppeti was confused by this anxiety. She wondered if she would be abandoned. How much longer would she have to wait? Would Zetto reallye back to her? ¡°Now we can meet¡­¡± And with that, a new Geppeti was born, with the body of a human being. ¡°¡­Brother.¡± Geppeti mumbles, her face suddenly brightening. Chapter 135: You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you, Leon (6) Chapter 135: You¡¯ve changed a lot since Ist saw you, Leon (6) Security was expected to be tight in the desert city of Delgrad. This was understandable, as the city had just experienced an ¡°anomaly¡± in which all the otherworldly species in the desert disappeared without warning. But there was no need to enter Delgrad. The carriage arrived near the edge of the desert, on the road to the Academy. This was the prearranged rendezvous point with Geppeti. The reasoning was that it would be difficult to travel to the ancient ruins to meet in person. But it was gettingte and night had fallen, and Geppeti hadn¡¯t shown up. Perhaps she wasn¡¯t physically ready so I paid the coachman an extra fee and waited. In the carriage, Rei was fast asleep, her arms wrapped tightly around Sheddie. ¡®Good night¡­¡¯ This was not the look of the hero who would fight demons in the future. In this life, I wondered if I could help her escape her fetters and not die but it was still a long, long way off. As I sat in the carriage, deep in my thoughts something touched me. At the same time, Sierra¡¯s voice echoed in my head as she stood outside the carriage, scanning the desert. [ ¡­I think I found it.] She had been walking toward this ce from the other side of the desert. I opened the door, stepped out of the carriage, and caught sight of her. She was walking across the tinum-colored, cold dirt, and her hair was pure white. ¡®Geppeti¡­¡¯ She looked exactly like the one I¡¯d seen in the virtual world before. However, she was slightly smaller than I had seen her before, a judgment that was probably a continuation of her orders to learn how to be a ¡®little sister¡¯. ¡®I never knew she could create real flesh.¡¯ From what I could tell through my senses, she had indeed created a ¡®human body¡¯. Even though the pace of advancement in science and technology is getting faster and faster, I don¡¯t know what kind of technology it is. I nced at Sierra beside me. ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ ¡­Well, we¡¯d have to think about thatter. Right now, it wasn¡¯t important. Geppeti, who had spotted me, was trotting over here with a very energetic voice. ¡°Big brother~!!¡± while calling out to me. [Heh¡­] Sierra snorted. This is the first time she and I have actually met face to face. I wonder if she learned well. Right now, Geppeti was acting so naturally like a ¡®little sister¡¯. ¡­except that she was barefoot. Geppeti runs to me and leaps. -Yikes. She threw herself at me and hugged me. ¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­¡± Her breathing is ragged and I can feel her throbbing heartbeat against my chest. I could feel the warmth of her body. It wasn¡¯t virtual, it was real, and her body radiating warmth. ¡°I missed you¡­¡± Her arms wrap around my neck, her legs around my waist, and she pulls me into a tight embrace. ¡°¡­¡± That was a pretty strong greeting. Geppeti, who was on top of me, stopped holding me, and instead lifted her head from my shoulder and locked eyes with me. Unlike before, her face was devoid of any emotion. Geppeti¡¯s tiny lips part. ¡°¡­How was it?¡± She¡¯s asking me how the performance was, if it felt natural. I answered in a somewhat shaky voice. ¡°Uh¡­ Um¡­ It was perfect¡­¡± The corner of Geppeti¡¯s mouth twitched upward and her smile felt so natural. It was hard to tell if she was learned, or if she was just happy to beplimented. *** Rei¡¯s presence, the fact that Rei was a reincarnated hero, the attitude Geppeti should take, what she should do once she enters the academy¡­ I told her a lot of information at once. ¡°¡­I understand.¡± She quickly grasped the situation like a highly developed AI. Geppeti then looks over to where Sierra is and bows to her respectfully. ¡°I greet Lord Zetto teacher.¡± Sierra then points to Geppeti and expresses her confusion. [Can she see me¡­?] For her sake, I exin. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think so, it¡¯s probably more like Deidros.¡± Thest time I met Geppeti in the ruins, she mumbled something about detecting supernatural energy. ¡°If I can analyze the energy and channel it, I think I might be able to interact with it, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible with my current body.¡± Geppeti, who had been listening to me and Sierra¡¯s conversation, said in a nonchnt voice. Since she couldn¡¯t hear Sierra¡¯s voice, she must have understood what we were talking about just by listening to my answers. It was an amazing understanding. I¡¯m not sure what she means by channel or whatever, but I think she means that she can¡¯t interact with Sierra right now. ¡°Uh¡­ Let¡¯s go back.¡± I think I¡¯ve done most of the exining, and with only one more day of vacation left, it seems like a good idea to get going. ***. The day was already bright, and despite the loud rattling of the carriage, Rei didn¡¯t bother to wake up. She was dressed in ragged clothes, though I don¡¯t know where she¡¯d gotten them, but she hadn¡¯t brought shoes, and her scarred feet were wrapped in scraps of fabric I¡¯ve hastily torn from my clothes. Geppeti had told me that I didn¡¯t need to do that, as her body was already repairing itself, but she wasn¡¯t convincing when she was reeking of blood. As for shoes, a pair had been hastily procured from a nearby vige and although they didn¡¯t fit her feet, they were better than nothing. Finally, a spare robe was thrown on. ¡®I¡¯ll have to buy some clothes¡­¡¯ Rei didn¡¯t have much to pack, so maybe shopping would be a priority once she got to the Academy. As a human, Geppeti wasn¡¯t particrly chatty. She¡¯s not the first to speak up and ask questions. Still, I asked her to feel free to ask me any questions she had. [The house will be noisy now¡­I¡¯ll miss being alone with my apprentice¡­] Sierra, who was resting on my shoulder, had a long list of hesitations about the current situation. Rei is a reincarnated hero and Geppeti is from another world. I guess she had no choice but to ept the situation, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel ufortable. I was scratching my cheeks when I felt Geppeti¡¯s burdensome gaze on me as I sat in the middle of the carriage. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rei rubbed her eyes and pushed herself to her feet. Looking groggy, she wiped away the drool that had fallen out of her eyes in her sleep. Rei¡¯s eyes slowly opened and sitting across from her was the unfamiliar Geppeti. ¡°¡­¡± She blinked a few more times. ¡°Zetto¡­?¡± Rei blurted out the question, her tiny hand gripping my arm as she sat next to me. -Ahem. I pped my hands together loudly and stood up, centering myself in the swaying carriage, to stand between Rei and Geppeti. ¡°Now, let¡¯s make the formal introductions, shall we? Rei, this is Geppeti. She¡¯s your little sister.¡± I said, and pointed to Geppeti with my palm. ¡°Geppeti? This is Rei. She¡¯s also ying the role of a little sister.¡± Following my introduction, Geppeti and Rei exchanged nces. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­Nice to meet you Mr. Hero.¡± Rei still wore a dumbfounded expression, and Geppeti bowed slightly in greeting. ¡°So, shall we try to get along with each other¡­?¡± I stammered, unable to think of anything else to say. I hadn¡¯t gotten to the bottom of things with Rei, but we¡¯d gotten all the exnation we ¡®needed¡¯ from each other anyway, so it shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem. Anyway, as of this time, we in the carriage have be a ¡®fatemunity¡¯. ¡°Hey, brother¡­ Candy¡­ I need candy¡­¡± Squeezing her eyes shut, Rei pressed her forehead against mine. I quickly pulled a candy out of my subspace pocket and ced it in her hand. I¡¯d only known Rei for a few days, but it was already second nature. Rei rolls the candy around in her mouth and stares at Geppeti. Instead of looking at him, Geppeti turns to me. ¡°Candy¡­ I¡¯d like to try some, but do you mind?¡± ¡°Of course, Geppeti, you¡¯re technically a ¡®little sister¡¯ now, so you can ask for it just as boldly as that ¡®hero¡¯ over there.¡± Rei muttered something along the lines of, ¡°It¡¯s not worth it¡­¡± at my response. ¡°¡­I see.¡± Geppeti takes the candy from me, and then scrutinizes it with all her senses. ¡°What are you doing getting your hands dirty, eat it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rei¡¯s urging finally pays off, and Geppeti takes the candy. Geppeti¡¯s pupils dte as she pops the candy into her mouth. It¡¯s her first taste of sweetness since bing flesh and blood. I wondered what kind of stimtion would be for her as an AI. ¡°You¡¯re such a weird one, eating candy for the first time. How do you like it, is it sweet?¡± Rei, who was feeling unnecessarily smug about the candy she hadn¡¯t made, smiled a smile of satisfaction. ¡°¡­I shut down my sense of taste for a while, the stimulus is too strong.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Rei whispers to me after that shaky answer. ¡°The function of taste¡­ Was it something that could be stopped¡­?¡± I turn my head at her whisper. I don¡¯t know that either. It¡¯s scary. Time passed, and the carriage was nearing the Academy. I, Rei, and Sierra we¡¯re getting used to Geppeti¡¯s artificiality. Rei spoke up. ¡°I thought you said you were good at ying the little sister, but you don¡¯t look like one right now¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t have to now.¡± Geppeti, like Rei, had decided not to perform in a ce where she didn¡¯t have to. ¡°Do you want me to show you now, if you¡¯re curious?¡± Geppeti asks, and Rei nods. Rei crosses her arms in a ¡®let¡¯s see how good you are¡¯ kind of way. Sierra and I watch, curious to see what she¡¯s going to show us. Suddenly, Geppeti, the center of attention, turns to me. It¡¯s the same exuberant look I saw when she charged at me in the desert. Then she lunges at me and Rei, who are across from her. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to be reunited with my brother and sister¡­!¡± Geppeti eximed as she hugged me and Rei at the same time. Now that I think about it, Geppeti is more mature than Rei, so I guess she¡¯s Rei¡¯s ¡®big sister¡¯. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Rei blurted out in confusion. ¡°We¡¯ll never be separated again.¡± Regardless, Geppeti¡¯s wholehearted performance continued. It was even based on a ¡°setup¡± I¡¯d made up. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soon after, Geppeti, who was holding me and Rei, started to look at me without saying a word. Was this part of the act? As the question shed through my mind, Geppeti¡¯s lips parted. ¡°¡­¡­ You get it, big brother Zetto?¡± The smile that followed was a little disturbing¡­ ¡­perhaps she¡¯s in a good mood. Chapter 136: You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you, Leon (7) Chapter 136: You¡¯ve changed a lot since Ist saw you, Leon (7) ¡°This is the Innocence Academy¡­!¡± Rei¡¯s little mouth opens in awe. The streets are brightly lit up at night since it waste when we arrived at the academy. Now that we were out of the forest and fully in the city, Geppeti and Rei strolled slowly down the street, taking in the sights. ¡°Let¡¯s go buy some clothes first.¡± ¡°Clothes?¡± Rei, who had been leading the way, turns around to look at me. ¡°Do you have enough clothes, Rei and Geppeti?¡± ¡°Clothes are one of the three essentials, the ritual staples of human life. I agree.¡± Geppeti nods. Then she speaks again. ¡°I¡¯ve alreadypiled data on the designs that would make a natural ¡®sister¡¯, and if we have the funds, I can take care of picking out the clothes for you, Zetto.¡± Rei grabbed Geppeti¡¯s arm in a panic. ¡°Wait, wait, wait¡­ I get that it¡¯s hard for an ¡®older brother¡¯ to pick out clothes, but what¡¯s a natural little sister¡¯s clothes¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s literally sisterly clothing. You¡¯re hundreds of years old, so it¡¯s quite possible that you¡¯re unable to read the trends of the current era¡­¡± As Geppeti continues to speak, a person passes by us. Geppeti notices the person and a smile appears on her face. ¡°¡­Anyway, I want you to leave Rei¡¯s clothes to me!¡± Geppeti exims, putting her arms around her waist and pointing her fingers. It was a gesture that revealed the source of her learned ¡®sister¡¯ data. A lively, assertive little sister character. So far, so good. ¡°Well, then, I¡¯ll ask you to¡­ Uh¡­ big sister¡­¡­¡± Rei, who had gotten used to Geppeti¡¯s character, agreed. However, the title hadn¡¯t quite sunk in yet. She had a brother and sister out of nowhere, but it was all for her safety, so she had to put up with it. ¡®Well, since I can¡¯t pick out the clothes¡­ I¡¯ll leave that to Geppeti.¡¯ Sierra looked at Geppeti and nodded slightly. [I¡¯m d you have Geppeti, she¡¯s a capable girl, even though she¡¯s a little odd.] I agree. Ever since I got Geppeti, I feel like I¡¯ve had a very capable assistant, and it¡¯s made everything I do a lot easier. It¡¯s like a lot of my daily worries have disappeared. While walking around the city, Geppeti spotted a store that specializes in women¡¯s clothing. ¡°Brother, this way, this way.¡± As I followed her into the store, my senses were tingling as I recognized someone. ¡®Why is this person in a store that sells women¡¯s clothes¡­?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t figure out why that person was in this ce, but I was lucky enough to have someone to talk to. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Geppeti looked around the shop and marveled at the beautiful clothes. It seemed like she was, but in reality, she was quickly recognizing the designs of the clothes in the store. ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± Rei frowned as if the ce was out of ce for her. ¡°Wee~, are there any pretty girls here?¡± A woman dressed in fine clothes greeted us. She seemed to be the owner of the store. After her reaction, he spotted me from inside the store. As soon as he spots me, his eyebrows go up and he says, ¡°Oh?¡± in surprise. ¡°Instructor Edwards, what a surprise to see you here.¡± I say, bowing my head in greeting. Edwards turns to me. ¡°What brings Cadet Zetto to a ce like this, and this is¡­¡± Edward trails off and looks down at Rei, who is holding onto my pants beside me. ¡°¡­¡± Rei looked up at him, too. Edward then makes eye contact with Geppeti. Introductions first. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but¡­ These are my sisters. Rei and Geppeti, this is my instructor, Mr. Edward.¡± ¡°You must be my brother¡¯s instructor! I¡¯m Geppeti.¡± ¡°¡­Rei.¡± ¡°Ho-ho¡­¡± After the brief introductions, Edward rubbed his chin and smiled. They might be ¡®family,¡¯ but they weren¡¯t officially allowed in. ¡°Geppeti, why don¡¯t you and Rei go pick out some clothes, I need to talk to the instructor.¡± Geppeti nods, takes Rei¡¯s hand, and begins to talk with the shopkeeper. I let them go and continue my conversation with Edward. Edward, who had been looking at Rei and Geppeti from the other side of the room with his signature snake-like eyes, speaks up. ¡°Did you have a sister?¡± ¡°¡­Though not by blood.¡± ¡°I assume you have something you need to talk to me about?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ve noticed that Cadet Zetto has been traveling outside of the Academy unusually much, was he looking for his sisters?¡± ¡°¡­Did you know that?¡± Even though it was a shocking story, it didn¡¯t seem that strange to Edward. ¡°Huh¡­ I know quite a bit.¡± Edward held up a finger and shed me a sly grin. Judging by theck of attention I¡¯ve paid to him thus far, he doesn¡¯t seem to be nning to stop me from going out. I let Edward off the hook for the current situation since the ¡°set-up¡± was already created. The ¡®reason¡¯ why I had to live with his ¡®sisters¡¯. He listened in silence, and then he had some good news. ¡°In other news, the chairman of the board came to the academy.¡± ¡°The chairman?¡± ¡°He¡¯s beening around a lottely. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but Cadet Zetto is on good terms with him, and I think you¡¯d be better off talking to him than the headmaster¡­¡± ¡°¡­I suppose so.¡± I did happen to have a good rtionship with the Chairman, Hubert Graham. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not something I can get involved with, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯d say no, either¡­ it happens at the Academy from time to time.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± I wondered if this was within the realm of possibility. As far as I could tell, no matter how closed the Academy was, it wasn¡¯t a hierarchy that felt like it had no head. ¡°And what brings you here, Teacher Edward¡­?¡± ¡°I came to buy some clothes for my lovely wife. She¡¯s quite fond of this shop and frequents it often.¡± ¡°Aha¡­¡± Mr. and Mrs. us¡¯s golden glow seemed to be intact. ¡°¡­More than that, your sisters are just as unusual as Cadet Zetto.¡± Edward said as he nced at my ¡®sisters¡¯ inspecting their clothes. What does this mean? I couldn¡¯t help but feel puzzled by Edward¡¯s meaningful words. [I wonder if he¡¯s noticed¡­?] Sierra¡¯s eyes narrowed as she listened to me and Edward. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s apliment.¡± Edward shes another devious grin and shrugs it off. I¡¯m not sure yet. Maybe he senses something off about Rey¡¯s aura since even I, with my heightened senses, don¡¯t sense the hero aura. ¡®Who doesn¡¯t love a hero who is the antithesis of demons¡­?¡¯ In any case, her arrival at the Academy was good news. I¡¯d been meaning to talk to Hubert Graham, from the beginning, and I was lucky. As the conversation was going on. ¡°Wow¡­! Rei, you¡¯re so cute!¡± I hear Geppeti¡¯s voice. *** ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I was having the biggest headache since my reincarnation. For some reason, the gorgeous, colorful clothes I¡¯d seen when I walked into the store felt cheap, and here I was. ¡°Rei, are you wearing it?¡± I hear the voice of the dreaded Geppeti behind the dressing room curtain. It was all her fault, really. I hadn¡¯t realized this was what I¡¯d gotten when she offered to help me pick out something for a little sister. I squatted in the dressing room and held the dress in my hand. Yes, it was a dress. It was a skirt. I¡¯d been a girl all my life, but I¡¯d never worn anything resembling a skirt. When the director asked me if I wanted to try on a skirt, I dered that I¡¯d rather go out in my panties, so he gave up on me. I might as well have worn panties. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I frowned at Geppeti¡¯s choice of clothes when suddenly, a face peeked through the locker room curtain. ¡°¡­¡± It was an expressionless Geppeti. This was not ¡®my sister¡¯s Geppeti,¡¯ I could tell the difference now. The lips on Geppeti¡¯s emotionless face slowly opened. ¡°Hero, are you unhappy with your clothes?¡± Geppeti whispered quietly to me. ¡°At least¡­ With the pants¡­¡± ¡°Pants are not sissy, as far as I¡¯m concerned, and for a hero whocks ¡®sissiness¡¯ anyway, I thought the design of the garment might make up for it. Do you intend to give up the charade and reveal yourself as a hero? If so, Lord Zetto will be in trouble, and we have no choice.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I shook my head since I couldn¡¯t refute her words and I felt like I¡¯d been beaten to a pulp. I understood the situation. I understood that it was for the best. Maybe I¡¯d been looking down on ¡°little sister¡± all this time. ¡®It¡¯s a very difficult path to be a sister¡­¡¯ It would be easier if it was easier to blow up a demon¡¯s head. ¡°When are you going to wear it? The shopkeeper is getting agitated. This might lead to suspicion.¡± Geppeti¡¯s nonchnt urging continued. ¡°Then¡­could you change the color¡­?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll change it to ck.¡± No matter what, a pink dress was out of the question. I felt like something inside me was going to shatter if I kept moving ahead so fast. Geppeti took the dress from me and soon returned with a ck one. ¡°Instead, this.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± It was a short red string, a ribbon. ¡°¡­Let me help you.¡± Geppeti, who was soon in the dressing room, put the ribbon in my hair. She says it makes me look more like a little sister. I don¡¯t know what her definition of ¡°little sister¡± is, but I don¡¯t think I know any better than she does, so I don¡¯t tackle her. She helped me put on the dress. I wasn¡¯t too embarrassed about it, as I had often gotten help changing clothes at the orphanage. Geppeti, who had been dressing me, spoke up. ¡°In your past life as a hero, did you have a dedicated armament?¡± ¡°Dedicated armament¡­ I had a holy sword.¡± ¡°And armor?¡± ¡°When I used the holy sword, armor naturally sprouted from my body, so I didn¡¯t wear a separate suit of armor. It was like ¡®full body armor¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­So the Holy Sword was both a sword and an armor.¡± ¡°I guess you could say that.¡± ¡°So when you were wearing the armor, people could tell at a nce that you were the hero.¡± ¡°Yeah, it was a cool suit of armor. Hmph.¡± ¡°So think of your current outfit as your sister¡¯s ¡®armor¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s the deal with that?¡± ¡°Well, when a woman puts on a dress and a pair of shoes, she says she¡¯s ¡®arming herself.¡¯ For a woman, clothes are armor, they¡¯re weapons, and the effect that clothes have on a person is amazing. So if you wear this, even if you¡¯re a hero who¡¯s not very sisterly in tone, you¡¯re going to look very sisterly in a very natural way.¡± ¡®Sisterly¡¯ armor. ¡°What are these braids, then?¡± I asked, gesturing to the annoying ribbons hanging from the sides of my hair. ¡°Those are¡­Holy Sword.¡± Geppeti paused, but it was strangely convincing. As a hero needed the holy sword, a ¡°little sister¡± needed these things. When I was finally dressed, I lifted my skirt and nced at Geppeti. ¡°¡­What do you think, do I look like a ¡®little sister¡¯ now?¡± Chapter 137: You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you, Leon (8) Chapter 137: You¡¯ve changed a lot since Ist saw you, Leon (8) And so began Rei and Geppeti¡¯s fashion show. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s Geppeti¡¯s great eye or her good taste, but most of the clothes look good on them. Geppeti stands in front of a full-length mirror and inspects her outfit. She still hadn¡¯t quite figured out what this ¡®sisterly¡¯ thing was, but she was looking like a sister. It was obviously a women¡¯s store, but it was fortunate that it also sold children¡¯s clothing, as there were few children at Innocence Academy and none of the stores specialized in children¡¯s clothing. It was at this point that Edward picked out an outfit for his wife, Vanessa us, and left. ¡°Eh¡­¡± Rei had been getting dressed for a while now, half in a daze. For a man, ¡°shopping¡± is a long, tedious, and difficult journey but Geppeti couldn¡¯t possibly know that. After I inform Rei that he has enough money to get by, Geppeti is distractedly scanning the store¡¯s racks, picking out clothes. Rei argued that two outfits would be more than enough, but her rebuttal was short-lived. ¡°You look cute, Rei.¡± Sheplimented Rei as she came out of the closet. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Rei just pouted. Okay, so it was just an offhand remark that would only be misunderstood as a joke by others anyway. From the other side of the room, Geppeti nced over at me, watching my eyes, as she was the only one who knew I could see. She wondered why she wasn¡¯tplimented. ¡°You look beautiful, Geppeti.¡± My ¡®little sister¡¯ giggles and smiles at mypliment. A perfect, angelic smile. I wonder if she¡¯s really happy or an act. I¡¯ll have to ask her someday when I get a chance. Right now, I¡¯m too confused. ¡°¡­¡± I am interrupted by the shopkeeper¡¯s strange nce. It seems odd that a blind man with a bandage over his eye should beplimenting others on their appearance. [ ¡­ ] I wonder if it was the same for Sierra. She nces at me silently, her eyebrows raised. ¡°Of course, Teacher is the prettiest. Haha.¡± I decided to say one more thing to the shopkeeper that made me look weird. [What a waste of words¡­! What are you doing in the presence of other people¡­?] Sierra¡¯s ears turned red as she threw her arms up in embarrassment. As I said, my current words would seem like a joke that would make me look like a lunatic to anyone else other than Geppeti and Rei. ¡°¡­Your brother is very kind¡­?¡± Anyway, it¡¯s a joke I won¡¯t be able to use often. Time passed and Geppeti¡¯s shopping continued until the store had to close. I left the store in the dark with my hands full of my siblings¡¯ clothes. I could have put them in my subspace pocket, but Geppeti insisted that I y the big brother who helped his sisters shop. I decided to go along with it, since carrying a few clothes wasn¡¯t too heavy or difficult. As we walked around the city, I expected to run into someone I knew, but I only saw Edward. ¡®I¡¯ll have to introduce him to my ¡®friends¡¯ sometime, I wonder how they¡¯ll react.¡¯ I¡¯m not sure yet. We crossed the deserted streets and headed for the dorms. The boys¡¯ dorm was a ce where women are not allowed and I didn¡¯t have a special permit for tonight, so¡­ I had to climb the fence. ¡°Not bad.¡± Staring at the fence, which was much taller than she was, Rei leaped. It was a leap that didn¡¯t take into ount that she was wearing a skirt. ¡°I could see your underwear, hero. That was not very sisterly behavior at all.¡± Geppeti mocking voice can be heard over the fence. ¡°There¡¯s no one to see it anyway.¡± He¡¯s not far off the mark, as Geppeti makes her next ¡°sisterly¡± leap. Standing on top of a tall fence, Geppeti looks down at Rei on the other side of the fence. ¡°¡­Like this.¡± ¡°No big deal.¡± Apparently, the fence doesn¡¯t matter to them. And so it was that the house got a new ¡®resident¡¯. *** After I brought Geppeti and Rei home, our routine changed dramatically. First, I no longer had to go out to get food. Geppeti told me that she could make any food I wanted as long as I bought the ingredients, so I rushed out in the morning. The menu was simple fried rice and if there was anything I wanted to eat, I could always tell her. The second thing that happened was that the quiet house became noisy. ¡°Hero, a one-size-fits-all diet is not good. You are growing and need to consume a variety of nutrients.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Broli is vorless.¡± Rei grumbled as she pushed the chopped broli out of the fried rice with her spoon. Even heroes are picky eaters but in many ways, Rei¡¯s young body seemed unable to resist easily. She loves candy, and she always has to have something to hold when she sleeps. For the record, the bed is now mine. Geppeti protested that this was uneptable, but she couldn¡¯t ovee mymand. I don¡¯t know why Rei, a former hero who must have had a rough life in the Demon Lands, is such a picky eater, but since Geppeti seems to be in trouble, I¡¯ll help her out. ¡°If you finish your broli, I¡¯ll give you a candy, how about that?¡± Rei nces over at me at my offer. ¡°¡­How many.¡± I hold up two fingers at the sound of her voice. She shakes her head. ¡°Not enough.¡± ¡°Hero, too much sugar can lead to tooth decay.¡± ¡°Ha, tooth decay¡­ What do you think a hero is?¡± ¡°Lord Zetto, is a ¡®hero¡¯ a creature that doesn¡¯t get cavities?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Another dizzying conversation ensues. If I left Geppeti and Rei alone, I would continue to feel like this. ¡°Ha, I¡¯ll settle for two.¡± Rei crosses her arms and picks up her spoon again. Rei scoops up a spoonful of broli and pops it into her mouth. The noisy meal came to a close, and the girls were told what they had to do today. They had a meeting with the chairman of the board, Hubert Graham, in the morning, so they needed to be on their game. ¡°So you¡¯re saying he¡¯s the king of this Innocence Academy?¡± Rei asked. ¡°For now, yes.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the sage, Hubert?¡± ¡°That was hundreds of years ago. The Graham family runs the academy now. I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re the same family that was close to the Sage once upon a time.¡± ¡°Heh¡­Grahams, I¡¯ve never heard of them.¡± On the other side of the room, Rei¡¯s voice is heard as she changes clothes. For a hero, she didn¡¯t know much since the Grahams were a secretive family. The same could be said for the chairman of the board, Hubert Graham. Still, he was interested enough in me to arrange a special gift for me, so I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get along. I hope all goes well. *** Zetto¡¯s room was spacious and extremely luxurious. It was filled with oddly shaped objects, each one angled in a way that made it easier to remember where they were. After meeting Zetto, I felt like I was indirectly experiencing the life of a blind person. The house was sparsely furnished because he lived alone, but he told me that money was no problem and that he would make it up as he went along. The bed wasfortable and cozy, and I finally got a good night¡¯s sleep. I hadn¡¯t slept well for a few days, and at one point, I almost ended up on Zetto¡¯s back. As I rubbed my eyes, he asked if I wanted to sleep on his back. I¡¯m sure he was doing his best ¡°big brother¡± impression, but my eyes widened and I refused. A hero sleeping on a man¡¯s back? There could be no such thing. The only time I¡¯d be on someone¡¯s back would be if I was gravely injured. Anyway, ording to Zetto¡¯s exnation, the dormitories had different rooms for each ss, and it seemed that the cadets were divided into sses based on strictpetition, with the better performers receiving better treatment. The academy doesn¡¯t discriminate based on status. If an imperial prince came to visit, he would stand in the same position as amoner of equal strength. It was a frighteningly cold andpetitive society but I found it surprisingly Hubert-like. He lived by the phrase, ¡°The strongest, in the end, is all that matters.¡± As I listened to Zetto¡¯s exnation, he imed that he had taken into ount the fact that I, the hero, was amoner. Well, if that¡¯s the case. I scrunched up my nose, feeling a little embarrassed. Zetto and I left this room early in the morning and arrived at the Academy¡¯s main building. Is this the legacy of my colleague, Hubert? He¡¯d always had a knack for building things. The magnificent size and pure white exterior walls exuded a sense of sublimity. He did a good job. I thought to myself as I entered the building. Even though it was early in the morning and there weren¡¯t that many cadets around, some of the cadets passing by nced at Zetto and Geppeti and asked. ¡°What are they doing?¡± ¡°They¡¯re with Zetto.¡± ¡°They¡¯re cute¡­¡± He seemed to be quite popr. Perhaps it was no wonder, since his appearance was such that even though he was blindfolded, his looks couldn¡¯t be hidden. On the other hand, I never thought I would be called cute. I used to be so popr, too¡­ I had to soothe the bitterness in my mouth with candy. I walked down the quiet corridor to my destination, the chairman¡¯s office. A painting hung in the middle of the hallway caught my eye. ¡°This is¡­¡± There was a painting hanging in the hallway that was all too familiar to me. It was a painting of the former members of the Hero¡¯s Party. ¡®This is the one Hubert held.¡¯ In the center of the painting, Leon¡¯s toothy grin stood out. Memories of the painting shed through my mind. It was the kind of painting where only the face of the Dregonot was drawn in a strange way because the Dregonot had left the room, exhausted from standing still in the middle. It had been painted before the demon ying, and the awkwardness of the group was evident in everyone¡¯s expressions. This painting had been preserved for hundreds of years. Hubert¡¯s care for it was tangible, and I was a little touched. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Zetto, who had been walking ahead of me, asked, stopped. Geppeti didn¡¯t say anything as her eyes fixed on the painting. I don¡¯t know about Geppeti, but it would be hard to exin the painting to him. ¡°No, brother¡­ Let¡¯s go.¡± I wiped the tears from my eyes. I didn¡¯t want to cry, but I couldn¡¯t help it. It¡¯s all part of being a child. I don¡¯t have much control over my tears. That¡¯s why, I¡¯m sure. Zetto shook his head once and started walking away again. I followed him across the corridor and came face to face with the Chairman¡¯s office. I swallowed hard and I was a little nervous. Would I be able to y the perfect little sister? Zetto told me to be extra careful because the chairman of the board is an unusual person. Geppeti had already made a ¡®little sister¡¯ face. I see. I have to make a little sister face too. Zetto knocked on the door and a man¡¯s deep voice came from inside the door. ¡°Come in.¡± He nodded, and we followed him into the room. The chairman¡¯s office was an ordinary office with a few bookcases, a couch for entertaining. The man behind the desk in the far center stood facing the window. Next to him, a woman who appeared to be his ¡®secretary¡¯ bowed to us. Her gaze lingers on Geppeti and then stops as Geppeti tilts her head as well, her gazepletely fixed on the secretary. I¡¯m wondering what the two of them are doing, but then the man who appears to be the chairman of the board speaks up. ¡°Make yourself at home. I¡¯ve heard some of what Edward had to sayst night.¡± ¡°Good, that¡¯ll make it easier.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a good instructor, hehe. Did you mention she¡¯s your sister?¡± As he says that and turns away from the window, Zetto asks us to introduce ourselves. ¡°Uh, yeah. This is¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m Geppeti.¡± Geppeti rhymes first, bowing her head. ¡°Haha, you must be a cute little sister.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m Rei.¡± The board chairman¡¯s gaze fell on me after the formalpliment, and I immediately bowed. I must have been a cute little sister, right? That¡¯s when I looked up. ¡°¡­¡± The chairman and I made eye contact. ¡°Huh¡­¡± The chairman¡¯s mouth opens in a dumbfounded expression and his eyes ze over. Did I do something wrong? The answer was simple. I didn¡¯t say anything that would be considered un-sisterly. But then the chairman speaks up. ¡°Your sister¡­must be¡­?¡± ¡°Haha, we¡¯re not actually connected by blood.¡± ¡°No¡­ Well¡­ yes, I suppose¡­¡± The chairman¡¯s reaction was strange. Was I not ¡®sisterly¡¯ enough or was he too sharp? I hurriedly hugged Zetto and eximed. ¡°I¡¯m Zetto¡¯s sister¡­!¡± Chapter 138: An Emotional Reunion Chapter 138: An Emotional Reunion Sage Hubert, who was disguised as Hubert Graham, president of the Innocence Academy, was terribly surprised. ¡°I¡¯m Zetto¡¯s sister¡­!¡± The identity of the blonde girl in front of him, who was now iming to be Zetto¡¯s sister, was bing clear. The color of the girl¡¯s hair and the color of her eyes that he would rather forget were too much like those of his oldrade, Leon the Hero. There wasn¡¯t anything about the girl¡¯s body that suggested she was a hero, but there was a reason she looked like one. It was the Holy Sword that had been spotted above Innocence Academy sincest night. Hubert had devised his own methods of finding heroes, one of which was a telescope that would allow him to observe the holy sword from high above, where it would await the hero¡¯s call. The holy sword was a rather unusual weapon. Although they were conveniently called stars, they were not in space like real stars. It couldn¡¯t scan the skies over the entire continent, and you¡¯d have to be near the academy to notice it, but for the current situation, it was helpful enough. It seemed that he had met the wielder of the holy sword, a ¡®hero¡¯. But nothing could be confirmed yet. There were many possibilities. It could have been a girl he knew by sheer coincidence, a girl with the same hair color and eye color as Leon, who, ording to Zetto¡¯s ount, hade from the same orphanage. However, this seems unlikely at this point, given the observation of the holy sword. He needed to figure out what was true and what was false. At that moment, the voice of Itea, disguised as the secretary at Hubert¡¯s side, echoed in his head. It was amunication spell, like telepathy, that was often used with Zetto, whose senses were such that he could easily hear a whisper. [Chairman, that kid named Geppeti, something¡¯s wrong.] [What do you mean¡­?] [I don¡¯t know exactly, it¡¯s more like ¡®me¡¯¡­] Hubert pondered this, knowing full well that Itea was not the kind of golem that would talk nonsense. On the one hand, a human with a simr temperament to Itea, and on the other, a girl with something else. The other is a girl who reminds him in many ways of Leon, a supposed hero. What if the two girls Zetto brought as sisters were actually fake sisters? He doesn¡¯t know why Zetto made that choice, but for some reason, he had to. As Hubert listens to Itea, hees up with a theory. ¡°¡­So you want to bring your sisters here to live?¡± After listening to Zetto¡¯s lengthy exnation, Hubert asked. ¡°Yes. In any case, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anywhere as safe as the Academy, and I don¡¯t want to give up my studies just because of that, so that¡¯s why I¡¯m making this request.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hubert pondered. Getting Zetto¡¯s ¡®sisters¡¯ into the academy shouldn¡¯t be that much of a problem. Even better, it doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re ¡°fake sisters¡± because it fits his theory. After all, from Hubert¡¯s point of view, having the hero within the safe confines of the Academy is better since that¡¯s what it was built for. However, hecked the final piece to confirm this theory. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be separated from my brother, Zetto¡­¡± If the girl in front of him, hugging Zetto, was indeed a hero. If she was, he wondered if she had memories of her previous life or not. Even if Zetto had brought the reincarnated hero to the academy by ident, how did he do it? Had the reincarnated hero just happened to be in the same orphanage as him? That was a possibility, but there was something else he had doubts about. This child, Rei, something about her seemed off to Hubert. It was too much. She certainly looked like Zetto¡¯s sister, but¡­ It¡¯s like she¡¯s crying out, ¡°I¡¯m his sister.¡± Especially that calcting look in her eyes, which was hard to imagineing from a young girl. It was a desperate act on her part to avoid suspicion, but it only served to arouse Hubert¡¯s suspicions. ¡®If this child, Rei, has Leon¡¯s memories¡­¡¯ ¡­it was even weirder to think of it that way. ¡®That ¡®Leon¡¯ is calling Zetto, who is hundreds of years younger than him, ¡®brother¡¯ and pretending to be his sister¡­?¡¯ She even wore a prettycey ¡®skirt¡¯. It was hard to think that Leon, a strong man, albeit clueless, could do such a thing. With that in mind, Hubert decides to take the bait and see if Rei, the child who, by all appearances and timing, would be the most likely hero candidate, had any memories of a previous life. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± The office was silent. Hubert, tapping his fingers on his desk and feigning distress, sends a message to Rei, who is hugging Zetto. [You¡¯ve changed a lot since Ist saw you, Leon.] It was a rather offhand remark but it was a hard thing to say right now, when nothing was set in stone. At the very least, she should have reacted with surprise to the sound of the voice that must have rung in her head but the current Rei¡­ ¡°¡­¡± ¡­wasn¡¯t surprised, instead she was staring at Hubert. The currentmunication magic, or telepathy, transmitted the sound of Hubert¡¯s voice without any modification. So it was Hubert¡¯s original voice and Leon would not have been able to forget it. Rei abruptly pulled away from Zetto¡¯s embrace. ¡°Hubert¡­? Rei was confused. Only moments ago, before entering the chairman¡¯s office, she had remembered and honored Hubert. The legacy of a colleague she would never see again. She swallowed the bitterness as she looked at the paintings of her colleagues, each one filled with memories. Then she heard the voice of Hubert, who should have died long ago. Rei recognized it at once. It was the man sitting at the desk, smiling, who had sent her the message. It was definitely not Hubert¡¯s face, but he was Hubert. That mean smile and that smug, arrogant look that told her that his hypothesis was correct and that everything was going ording to n. It was a smile she¡¯d seen countless times before, back when Rei was Leon the Hero. Hubert was still alive? It was shocking, to say the least. But that wasn¡¯t what mattered now. ¡®¡­Why is he alive? More importantly, did I act like a ¡®little sister¡¯ in front of him, and did he see me wearing a skirt? No, he¡¯s still watching¡­ Rei¡¯s mind went nk for a moment and she instinctively reyed her actions in the director¡¯s office. Something shattered inside her. Pride. Her pride as a hero, her pride as Leon, shattered. Hubert watched. ¡°Phew¡­¡± He bursts outughing. Everyone in the chairman¡¯s office, except for Rei and Hubert, tilted their heads in wonder. It was a bizarre behavior but even though Hubert was well aware of this, he found it hard to hold back hisughter. A colleague he hadn¡¯t seen in hundreds of years had appeared as a woman, pretending to be a young man¡¯s sister. It was something he had never imagined. Yes, it¡¯s entirely possible to change gender in reincarnation. It¡¯s not like heroes are supposed to be male. But how dare this Leon wear such a cute outfit? ¡°I¡¯m Zetto¡¯s sister¡­! She said that. Just as Rei reviewed her actions, Hubert reviewed what had just happened and burst outughing. Rei looks up at Hubert, the light in her eyes gone. ¡°She¡± was no longer the hero he knew but a demonic creature, and was firing her aura directly at Hubert. Sensing this, Hubert coughs and quickly clears his throat. ¡°Hmph, sorry about that. I just had a funny thought¡­ Anyway, I think you can stay at the Academy. Cadet Zetto is an excellent student¡­ Under the circumstances¡­¡± As he continued, Hubert almost burst outughing again, but caught his breath. ¡°Whoa¡­ that¡­ that¡­ sisters¡­ I don¡¯t want to be separated from you, I understand. I can¡¯t put them through that again. I¡¯ll allow it.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Zetto was puzzled by Hubert¡¯s strange reaction, but at least things seemed to have gone well. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll send for any furniture you might need now that your family has grown. I¡¯ll try to expedite the bureaucratic stuffter today.¡± ¡°Huh, really, thank you!¡± Geppeti, who had covered her mouth in surprise at Hubert¡¯s kindness, expressed her gratitude. In response, Zetto patted Rei on her back. ¡°Rei, you should also thank the chairman, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rei was speechless. ¡°Hubert¡­ Ray stares at Hubert, who smirks, and finally decides to speak up. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°Hehe, she¡¯s so cute. What, do you want some candy?¡± ¡°¡­No thanks.¡± Clenching her teeth, Rei smiles a murderous smile. From Zetto¡¯s point of view, he couldn¡¯t see Rei¡¯s face, so he could only look at her refusal to eat the candy and think that she was listening to Geppeti¡¯s words about not taking what others give you straight away. Hubert finishes his words and sends Zetto away. Finally, he sends a message to Rei, who is leaving the office. [I¡¯ll see you after ss starts, Leon¡­ a reunion after hundreds of years, I¡¯m looking forward to it] There was much to hear and much to tell. ¡°¡­¡± Leaving the room, Rei turns her head back to catch sight of Hubert, who has taken on a different form. Hubert was simply delighted when he thought about making fun of a colleague he hadn¡¯t seen in hundreds of years. *** ¡°Man, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been outside in this form.¡± Hubert looked up into the clear sky. He was in the form of Hubert the Sage, taking time off from the forest to meet up with his old friend, Leon the Hero. He rarely ventured out in this form. Not for decades, at least. Itea, who had been waiting for Rei by his side, bluntly asked him a question. ¡°Why does the hero have memories of her past life?¡± ¡°Well¡­ You¡¯d have to ask her and maybe she doesn¡¯t even know.¡± ¡°If he was reincarnated as a ¡®Rei¡¯ with memories from the beginning¡­ That¡¯s kind of a shocker.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Well, at least it makes our centuries-long reunion fun¡­ Anything good is good, right?¡± ¡°I wonder why you called me to such an important ¡®reunion¡¯, though¡­ I hope I won¡¯t be a distraction.¡± Hubert nces over at her at Itea¡¯s question, then continues in a tone that suggests he doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s talking about. ¡°Of course you¡¯re supposed to be at my side, protecting your master from death.¡± ¡°Protect¡­?¡± ¡°She¡¯sing to kill me.¡± ¡°¡­What on earth have you done, master¡­¡± Itea¡¯s eyebrows knit together in a bad premonition. ¡°I was merely teasing her a ¡®little¡¯ for my pleasure.¡± The nonchnce in Hubert¡¯s voice made her wonder, ¡®Was it really just a little tease?¡¯ Or not. Hubert bravely spotted the diminutive Rei, who had been stumbling toward them from the other side. ¡°Leon, over here!¡± Hubert smiles and waves in greeting. ¡°¡­¡± Rei, her mouth agape, approaches Hubert, then she nces at Itea and gives him a questioning look. ¡°This is my golem, Itea. You don¡¯t have to worry about her.¡± Rei nods faintly at Hubert¡¯s exnation. A human-looking golem, she¡¯d seen simr ones around him. Rei¡¯s tightly closed lips twitch open. ¡°¡­Hubert, you are very old.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I look younger than this, haha!¡± Hubert had be a gray-haired old man because an ancient magic had prevented him from aging, but it hadn¡¯t been able to reverse his already advanced aging. Still, considering the hundreds of years he¡¯d spent so far, it had to be considered a ¡®while¡¯. ¡°Yeah, you must have lived a long time.¡± Rei affirmed but what she said next was unusual. ¡°But you¡¯ve lived too long.¡± ¡°Haha¡­what does that mean, Leon?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me Leon. I¡¯m¡­Rei.¡± Rei takes a slow step forward, and Hubert takes a step back. Hubert red at Itea, but she closed her eyes and shook her head. Karma. Realizing the betrayal of his trust, Hubert begins to stutter. ¡°Rei, Leon¡­ No, Rei¡­ We have not met for quite some time, after all¡­ do you really want it to be tainted by such¡­ violence?¡± ¡°¡­I think you won¡¯t die.¡± With a grimace, Rei stepped closer to Hubert, ignoring him lightly. ¡°The shame, the self-loathing, the crushing of my pride and dignity as a hero, but¡­ I¡¯ve been thinking about it, and I¡¯m wondering if you need to die. Hubert, have you ever heard of such a thing?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°That if you kill everyone, target or witness, it¡¯s an assassination.¡± ¡°Well, of course it is, because you don¡¯t know who the assassin is¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve realized that I don¡¯t either. No matter what, I have to live as Rei from now on, so¡­¡± Rei¡¯s words trailed off, and she patted herself on the back. However, the words that came out of her mouth could not be called cute at all. ¡°I, Rei the Hero, will kill everyone who knows Leon the Hero, and then I can be happy. I¡¯ll be able to live as Rei in peace.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, Leon¡­ I¡¯ve got a bunch of ¡®restrictions¡¯ now, and if I get hit, I¡¯ll actually die¡­?¡± Hubert, who had backed up into a tree, held out his palms to calm Rei. ¡°Hubert, have you ever seen Leon not keep his word?¡± ¡°Uh, no¡­? Leon always keeps his promises, right?!¡± Hubert blurted out apliment. ¡°Then you¡¯d better hope that Rei in front of you might not keep her word.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Rei throws her hands up in the air, ignoring Hubert¡¯s incoherentughter. Her husky voice echoes through the forest. ¡°¡­Durandal, answer my call.¡± ¡°The holy sword¡­ Haha, the holy sword¡­¡± Hubert hastily unfolds his n. ¡°I have yet to wield it properly¡­ Hopefully I¡¯ll be able to handle it this time.¡± Reo chuckles, it was a bright, toothy grin, the kind he used to show when he was Leon the Hero. A long duel for life is about to begin between an old man with long graying hair and a slender young girl. That day, a strange rumor that a meteor was seen falling in broad daylight spread through the academy. Chapter 139: Family Chapter 139: Family Rei and Hubert¡¯s emotional reunion had left the forest in shambles, despite Hubert¡¯s decision. Hubert pulled out a leather cask and took a drink, using his other hand to repair the forest. Rei, who was drinking a ss of fresh milk that Itea had hastily purchased, nced over and spoke up. ¡°You say you¡¯re weak, but your other magic is good?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do any destructive or even slightly aggressive magic. I¡¯m a sage by birth, but I¡¯ve been reduced to a half-wit who can only do simple defense and other useless things.¡± ¡°Restrictions¡­ and you¡¯re still alive?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve lived long enough to meet a colleague who¡¯s turned into such a cute little girl, hahahaha!¡± Hubert giggles after taking a drink. Rei raises her hand, and Hubert¡¯s body instinctively shrinks away. Just a moment ago, he had been beaten to a pulp by the little girl¡¯s tiny fist. Rei smirks. I guess I should be d he hasn¡¯t changed. That¡¯s what she was thinking. But Hubert, out of consideration for her, was talking to her, trying to recall his younger self as much as possible. In front of them, the holy sword Durandaly on the ground. Rei spoke first. ¡°When will I be able to use the holy sword?¡± This time, the holy sword was in her hand, but she couldn¡¯t use it. ¡°Hmm, not fromck of strength¡­ It certainly feels like some unidentified force is holding you back right now.¡± Hubert added, feeling the bitter pain in his ribs where he had been struck. Hubert was a ¡°sage¡± now and he could see Rei¡¯s condition more closely and objectively. ¡°My guess is that it has something to do with your growth and the rebirth of the Demon King.¡± ¡°I can understand the growth part, but the Demon King?¡± ¡°It¡¯s said that the closer we get to the Demon King¡¯s resurrection, the stronger you be as a Hero¡­¡± ¡°If that¡¯s true, it sounds a bit annoying.¡± Rei frowned. ¡°That¡¯s what bridles are for.¡± ¡°A bridle¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, after you died like that, I did some digging about bridles, do you want to hear about it?¡± Rei nods weakly at Hubert¡¯s question. ¡°It maye as a bit of a shock to you, but it turns out that not a single Hero has ever survived a battle with the Demon King.¡± ¡°¡­You mean death is inevitable?¡± ¡°The good news is that the Demon King is the same.¡± ¡°And does that mean that all the heroes who died were ¡®me¡¯¡­¡± ¡°Probably, although this time, for some reason, you had memories of your previous life right after your reincarnation¡­¡± ¡°Do you have any idea?¡± Rei, who was squatting against a tree, asked Hubert, who was gulping down his drink. He wiped the alcohol from his mouth with his arm and stammered out the words. ¡°Ludwig.¡± Rei recognized them. ¡°¡­Surely the Ludwig n¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no n. There¡¯s only one left, I believe.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You know there was a war about ten years ago, and just before it happened¡­ the Ludwig n was wiped out by demons. There¡¯s one survivor with that name, but I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s actually a Ludwig. However the way you look now, it seems likely.¡± The n was wiped out by the demons. Rei¡¯s eyes grow serious at the sight of the Ludwig¡¯s tragic end. Speechless, Rei thinks over Hubert¡¯s exnation andes to a conclusion. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡± ¡°¡­She could be under the ¡®curse¡¯ known as the n¡¯s vision. We know they¡¯re not capable of such things, do we?¡± ¡°Yeah, so the flow of time is warped.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know when the curse was first cast, but it could be what caused you to be reincarnated with your memories.¡± ¡°Thest survivor of the Ludwig n. Where is it now?¡± ¡°Right here, at the Innocence Academy.¡± ¡°Um¡­?¡± ¡°She seems to be friendly with Zetto, who brought you here.¡± ¡°Oh¡­?¡± Rei looks dumbfounded at the conversation, which is quickly bing difficult to follow. ¡°Wait¡­ then why didn¡¯t you do anything with all this information?¡± ¡°Well, constraints. The Lord won¡¯t take my life, but I¡¯m not allowed to affect the world too much.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound like yourself. You¡¯ve changed.¡± ¡°Try being hundreds of years older. I¡¯ve never been in a rtionship, because everyone will die before me.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re still a virgin at that age?¡± ¡°¡­¡± At Rei¡¯s question, Hubert strokes his long beard without speaking. Judging by his expression, it seems to be true. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know if I should give you the title of ¡®Archmage¡¯.¡± Rei scoffs and sips her milk. ¡°Still, I suppose it¡¯s better than you, who looks like a virgin.¡± Hubert¡¯s next sharpment makes Rei spit out her milk. POOF!!! The milk from Rei¡¯s mouth spewed directly into Hubert¡¯s face and his long beard drips with pure white milk. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Their gazes meet in the silence and Rei is the first to speak. ¡°¡­You know, I¡¯m not sorry.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Hubert wipes the milk off his face. A cool breeze from the forest washes away the ufortable undercurrents of air that had been flowing between them, even as a muddy fight almost started that neither of them would benefit from. ¡°More than that, what happened with Zetto?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rei gulps down her milk at Hubert¡¯s question. Zetto, the mysterious man who announced himself as a prophet. ¡°¡­He¡¯s a peculiar guy.¡± ¡°I was paying attention to him anyway, but I didn¡¯t expect him to bring you along¡­¡± ¡°Fuhaha, surely Zetto is unusual enough to interest you, a sage.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I want to ask you about that Zetto.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know much about him yet, but¡­ I¡¯ll answer as best I can.¡± ¡°Did the Zetto seem to have no qualms about killing, or was he cruel¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Having finally drained her ss, Rei rolls her eyes upward, recalling Zetto¡¯s behavior as she watched. ¡°At least against demons, though I doubt any human would mind killing one¡­ He seemed very familiar with it, too calm and cool. Not something a twenty-year-old brat could do.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Why, is something wrong?¡± ¡°Uh, no. Just a personal question.¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking all the wrong questions,¡± Rei grumbles, flopping down on the grass. ¡°¡­So how do you think you¡¯re going to like living with them? I guess you¡¯ll be living with them whether you like it or not, but if you don¡¯t, we can figure out a way to live separately.¡± At any rate, now that he knew she was a fake sister, she could stop ying that role. With Mr. Hubert Graham¡¯s authority, there was nothing she couldn¡¯t do. ¡°Umm¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary.¡± The words that came out of Rei¡¯s mouth, however, were surprising, considering her reaction so far. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± A sense of rxation came over Rei that she hadn¡¯t felt since her reincarnation. Now that she had been told that she had some time before the Demon King¡¯s resurrection, she could focus on growing slowly. This has helped her lose some of the impatience she had at the orphanage. Years of problems that had been bothering her head were neatly resolved after meeting a man named Zetto. Rei hase to recognize and ept it. She realized that she was now Rei, Zetto¡¯s sister. It wasn¡¯t a big decision. It¡¯s still a bit of a burden to have to y the younger sister, but it¡¯s not like she can switch genders. Most of all, it was the first ¡®family¡¯ she¡¯d ever had, even if it wasn¡¯t connected by blood. It¡¯s only been a few days, and Rei has already grown attached to Zetto and Geppeti. Even if it was an act. Even if it was a lie. It was definitely a family and it was a sense of security she¡¯d never felt before. Not like Leon, the hero, but like Zetto sister, Rei. Besides¡­ ¡®¡­being the youngest is a prettyfortable position.¡¯ Rei, who had been thinking about that, nodded. Hubert, on the other hand, whose thoughts hadn¡¯t gotten that far, had a somewhat different idea. It seemed a little odd to him that his colleague was okay with that infantile behavior. ¡®Is it just a matter of taste or something¡­?¡¯ He held back the words that were about to spill out of his mouth. This time, he was afraid she might actually crack his ribs. Rei pushes herself to her feet and nces at Hubert, whose eyes are wide. There was one story he hadn¡¯t told her yet, one that the reincarnated Rei wanted to hear. It was also the most curious of all the things that happened after death. ¡°Hubert.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°How was my funeral?¡± *** It was impossible to hear the story of Leon the Hero funeral without tears. I didn¡¯t cry, though. I couldn¡¯t cry because I felt an unspeakable guilt that I was still here, alive. No, I was dead, after all. But I had been ¡°resurrected,¡± which is a known no-no at a funeral. There¡¯s nothing to feel guilty about, that¡¯s what I decided to think. They were honoring me, each in their own way. It was a strange feeling. The saint cried a lot. She cried for days and nights, and when I told her that she had always been a tearful woman, she looked at me as if I were a bug. She scolded me, saying, ¡®Howe you don¡¯t change after death?¡¯ ¡®What the hell are you talking about¡­¡¯ That was the end of my long talk with Hubert, and I was on my way back to my dorm. It was here, at the Innocence Academy, that Hubert chose to honor me. By now, the sun was setting, casting a bright red glow over the city. The streets were littered with cadets and I wondered if ss would be over by then. As I walked down the street, my legs came to a stop and I stared at the beautiful view of the city at sunset. My destination: the dormitory. However, my feet stopped for a reason. ¡®¡­I don¡¯t know the way.¡¯ The academy, or rather the city, was quiterge. At least it seemed that way to my petite frame and narrow stride. Moreover, I had used up a lot of energy beating Hubert and I waspletely exhausted from his futile resistance. ¡®I should ask around for directions¡­¡¯ ¡­It was a bother so I squatted down on the sidewalk and watched the people passing by nonchntly. Suddenly, I make eye contact with a woman with red hair in a tight braid. As I stare, she tilts her head and approaches me. ¡°Are you lost?¡± She asks, bending down to be eye level with me. Judging by her uniform, she¡¯s a cadet at the Academy. ¡°¡­¡± I hastily swallowed my half-sentence and lost the time to respond. From now on, I¡¯ll have to pretend to be Zetto¡¯s sister when talking to other people. It would be easier to pretend if I had Geppeti or Zetto next to me, because it would be more realistic, but to pretend to be his sister by myself¡­ It was still a challenge. Geppeti had gone back to her dorm early to arrange and organize the furniture. I wonder if I¡¯ll run into Zetto. With that thought in mind, I stared at the redheaded woman impassively. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The woman ponders something, then turns her head and looks off into the distance. ¡°Zetto, Aizel, we have a little girl here.¡± ¡°Zetto?¡± As soon as the name came out of her mouth, I turned to look. With an unusually striking appearance, Zetto was walking here with a nameless tinum-haired girl. ¡°Oh?¡± My reaction startled the redhead but I lightly ignored her reaction and ran over to Zetto. ¡°Brother Zetto¡­!¡± ¡°Brother?¡± Immediately, the red-haired woman¡¯s questioning voicees from behind me. She calls out for Zetto, and as she approaches him, he shakes his head. ¡°Rei, why are you here¡­?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I was talking to a ¡®friend¡¯ of mine¡­¡± ¡°You already have a friend?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Uhhh¡­¡± As Zetto and I were having such a conversation, the red-haired woman ran up from behind and joined us. The tinum-haired woman and the red-haired woman nced at Zetto at the same time and asked. ¡°¡±Your sister¡­?¡±¡± ¡°Yes, this is my sister, Rei.¡± Suddenly, they introduced themselves. The tinum-haired woman¡¯s name was Aizel Ludwig and she was the only survivor of the Ludwig n that Hubert told me about. I was a little surprised, but I¡¯d heard they were close. The red-haired woman is called Yuri Clementine. For some reason, her hair and eyes were unusually red, and I recognized her as the Clementine of the Continent Four Elemental Families. Then the Clementine I had met before was this child¡¯s ancestor and a thought shed through my mind. ¡°¡­That¡¯s why we¡¯ll be living together from now on.¡± Zetto, who was summarizing the situation, finished his exnation and a bewildered Yuri then asks him a question. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you had sisters before?¡± It was a difficult question since me and Geppeti are fake sisters who came along unexpectedly. I wondered if Zetto would make an excuse because but then Zetto¡¯s nonchnt voice took over. ¡°Because you didn¡¯t ask?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, but¡­¡± Yuri¡¯s eyebrows rise. Yeah, she¡¯s not wrong, but it¡¯s weird and it seemed that way to me, too. Her eyes, which I can¡¯t tell if they¡¯re suspicious or puzzled, then turn to Zetto. ¡°¡­¡± Aizel, in particr, was looking back and forth between me and Zetto without saying a word, and her pupils were visibly twitching. Why? Isn¡¯t Zetto supposed to have a sister? ¡®If that¡¯s not it¡­¡¯ ¡­I can¡¯t help it but it seemed like a good idea for me to step in. I needed to act as a little sister to make this situation feel natural. ¡°Brother Zetto¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°My leg hurts¡­ I want to go home¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Scratching his cheek, Zetto turns his back to me and bends his knees. I cautiously climb onto his back, wrap my arms around his neck and he grabs my leg. I had to act like a ¡®little sister¡¯ to avoid their suspicions. I immediately buried my face in Zetto¡¯s back since I didn¡¯t want to see what their reaction would be. The road to being a little sister was a rocky one. *** I didn¡¯t know when to introduce Rei and Geppeti, and before I knew it, ss was over. But then¡­ ¡®¡­I never thought I¡¯d run into Rei.¡¯ Despite the exnation, Yuri and Aizel had a hard time epting it because it was so sudden. It was then that Rei understood my confusion but the Hero is the Hero so she was good at handling crises. With her help, I was able to dispel Aizel and Yuri¡¯s suspicions. ¡®I don¡¯t know how they¡¯ll take it, but¡­¡¯ It was all about the aftermath. For now, it was just a matter of saying it was done and moving on. ¡°Thanks, Rei.¡± I thanked Rei, who was on my back on a deserted road. ¡°¡­¡± I think she was embarrassed, as she had always resisted being carried on my back. Sierra¡¯s voice rang out as she checked Rei¡¯s condition. [She¡¯s already asleep, so she must have been tired.] I thought I could hear her heartbeat. It¡¯s been an eventful day and Geppeti is almost gushing with praise when she sees Rei on my back. She said she looked like a little sister and the thought of it makes me smile. ¡°It¡¯s like I have a real family. I¡¯m the eldest son and the head of the family, so I guess I¡¯m like the father, haha.¡± [Even if you are, where¡¯s the mother? Is she Geppeti?] ¡°I don¡¯t know about Geppeti¡­ Mother would be teacher, right?¡± I didn¡¯t want to leave Sierra out of the family picture. [No, that¡¯s too much of a joke¡­ a pupil would take his master as his wife¡­] Her words stopped him in his tracks. I looked at Sierra, who was covering her blushing face with her cuffs, and asked her in a low voice. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t want to be my wife, even if it¡¯s a fake marriage?¡± [Umm¡­] Sierra flinched but she continued as if she can¡¯t help it. [I ept it because it¡¯s fake. It¡¯s only fake¡­] With that, Sierra stammers and quickly looks away from me. Chapter 140: He’s not that crazy Chapter 140: He¡¯s not that crazy In the silence of the room, the ticking of the clock in the corner could be heard and the girl¡¯s golden eyes glowed brightly in the darkness. ¡°Family¡­¡± The girl was reflecting on the events of the day. ¡°You had a family¡­?¡± She had found out the hidden secret of the man she had her heart set on. A past that everyone wants to hide. Everyone has secrets, but¡­ ¡­but to her, it seemed even stranger. Zetto told her that he had been searching for his sisters, who had been separated. This hadn¡¯t happened in thest installment. Why didn¡¯t this happen in thest episode? The more I thought about it, the tighter the knot got. More importantly. ¡°Why do I know this now?¡± Something important about Zetto. That he had a family that mattered to him. Why did I find out now? It was pathetic. The girl, Aizel, closed her eyes. Immediately, ckness washed over her vision, but she could see it clearly. The end of Zetto, when he was broken to pieces. Aizel thought how the Zetto of thest installment had helped her, and now he would never be reunited with his sisters. Aizel¡¯s face twisted as she closed her eyes. It was a horrible thing to imagine, but it wasn¡¯t imaginary, it was something that had already happened to her. Even if they weren¡¯t connected by blood, they were ¡®family¡¯ anyway. Though she didn¡¯t really know them that well, since she didn¡¯t remember them as family¡­ She did know that they were precious to ordinary people, something that some would give up their lives for. In thest installment, Zetto was not reunited with her sisters. Thest time, Zetto had died trying to save her own life. This fact tightened her heart until it threatened to burst. Of course, Aizel had never asked for his help; her only crime was that she had been so close to him. Aizel leans back and buries her face in the desk that was cold and hard. So much had already changed. For some time now, an ominous aura, possibly a curse, has been imprinted on Zetto¡¯s body, and it is on this precarious path that he has seeded in reuniting with his siblings and bringing them to the Academy. ¡®I thought my sisters would be safe here at Innocence Academy.¡¯ Zetto exined as he introduced his sisters. The academy is safe. For some reason, that obvious statement bothered me. I had an ominous feeling. Aizel cleared her head and pushed herself to her feet. Delusion is a poison. Rising from her chair with a flick of her tinum hair, she slowly reviewed what she could do now. Zetto didn¡¯t deserve to die, not anymore. He was thest thing Aizel wanted to lose, but the same could be said for his sisters. There is one thing that Aizel has given up this time, and that is his cute little sister, Rei, being carried on Zetto¡¯s back. Her insistence that she would be the one to break the curse on Zetto¡¯s heart broke. She realized that she could no longer allow Zetto¡¯s life to be endangered for her own petty greed. She could no longer put her own personal greed ahead of his. This was her penance for failing to protect him. Grunt. Just then, a ck neer stepped through the wide-open window into Aizel¡¯s room without a sound. ¡°You came quickly.¡± Aizel greeted her nonchntly. The woman in the ck robe slowly approaches Aizel and lowers her robe. The woman was nc, the head of the southern branch of the ck Hand, the continent¡¯s premier intelligence guild. ¡°You suddenly want to know the location of the saint¡­ Aizel, what the hell are you trying to do?¡± nc questioned, but Aizel replied nonchntly. ¡°So the location.¡± ¡°Of course I know where she is, but¡­If you¡¯re going to cause trouble, why don¡¯t you tell me why you want the information first? You know I wouldn¡¯t give you this information if it wasn¡¯t for you in the first ce.¡± ¡°I have a personal favor to ask of her.¡± ¡°More specifically.¡± nc interrupts Eisel¡¯s vague answer. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to ask her to do something for me.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Whose curse is it? I know it¡¯s not you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Aizel¡¯s mouth drops open at nc¡¯s question. ¡°No way¡­¡± nc¡¯s sharp senses detected something out of the ordinary in Aizel¡¯s serious face. ¡°¡­No?¡± ¡°¡­¡± nc asks, and Aizel averts her gaze. ¡°No, what happened to him¡­?¡± That¡¯s right. nc was referring to Zetto. He was the only one she cared enough about to entrust the saint with his care. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a curse?¡± nc asked, and Aizel nodded weakly. ¡°There¡¯s an ominous energy emanating from his heart¡­ I can¡¯t help but think it¡¯s a curse.¡± Aizel¡¯s eyes narrow as she continues. ¡°¡­Unless he was forced to open his chest and then insert a cursed object. I know Zetto to be a bit entric, but¡­ he¡¯s not a madman who would do something so outrageous, and I don¡¯t see any reason why he would have to go through the ¡®major surgery¡¯ of opening his chest in the first ce, let alone have something with a bad aura stuck in his heart.¡± nc nodded faintly in agreement since Aizel had a point. It wasn¡¯t as if Aizel wasn¡¯t skilled enough to detect ominous energy. ¡°¡­What is the extent of the curse?¡± ¡°ording to my research, life¡­¡­ Life-threatening¡­ It seems to be a demonic curse.¡± Aizel replied with difficulty. ¡°Demons¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why or what caused it. But that¡¯s the only curse I¡¯ve ever seen carved into a heart.¡± Crossing her arms, nc sighs as she tries to organize the situation in her head. ¡°Hah¡­ Well, I guess we¡¯ll just have to find the saint.¡± ¡°So where is the saint?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good news. I thought she was in the Holy Land, but she¡¯s surprisingly in a city close to here. She must be working. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll have time for you. Do you have the money?¡± ¡°¡­I have plenty of money.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve ever been short of money¡­¡± For Aizel, money was not an issue. As a regressor, she had an infinite number of ways to make money. She had even taken down criminal organizations with so-called ¡°ck money¡± because she was determined to do whatever it took this time around. There was plenty of money. The only question was how the saint with whom Zetto was already familiar would receive it, and will the saint cure Zetto? *** True to Hubert¡¯s word, the bureaucratic process was quick. More beds and furniture were added, and it looked like Rei and Geppeti could now walk in and out of the front door of the dormitory. Well, the other cadets in the boys¡¯ dormitory gave Rei a few odd nces as she was carried on my back, but they got over it. With Rei fast asleep in her bunk and Geppeti and I having finished a quick meal she asked if she could check on me for a while, so I sat on the bed and let her scrutinize me. Apparently, she was worried about the fact that I had bled during the meal, as Sheddie was also ¡®eating¡¯. ¡°¡­For some reason, I¡¯m detecting an impurity in Lord Zetto¡¯s heart that contains an enormous amount of energy, but what is the purpose of this? If you need it removed, I can perform the surgery myself.¡± Geppeti, who had been staring at my chest patch, said, ¡°An impurity.¡± I think she means ¡®tears of the dead.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. It¡¯s a¡­ It¡¯s a kind of item that allows you to resurrect¡­¡± ¡°¡­Resurrection? Is that the ¡®resurrection¡¯ I know?¡± In response to Geppeti¡¯s question, I exined how I had obtained the Tear of the Dead, what it was, and how it had been imnted in my body. As she listened, Sierra shook her head in disbelief at how crazy it all seemed in retrospect. ¡°¡­So that¡¯s what happened. From the sounds of it, it was quite a drastic operation, but it sounds like you were able to pull through without losing your life.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the extent of the dragon¡¯s medical technology, so I can¡¯t say whether it was safe or not, but a normal human would be reluctant to undergo such an operation.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s a resurrection.¡± ¡°Yes, the benefits are undeniable, and I think that¡¯s a good thing, since it will allow Lord Zetto to live longer, which means more opportunities for him to sow his seeds.¡± A chance to sow seeds. Geppeti still had a way with words. But this seemed to be part of her raison d¡¯¨ºtre, her purpose so I let it go. She continued to run her hands over my flesh and then spoke. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re just a little weakened, but nothing else is wrong.¡± ¡°The blood is from Sheddie here.¡± I pointed to Sheddie above my head. ¡°You said it was a spirit, but it doesn¡¯t look good gnawing away at Lord Zetto life force¡­¡± ¡°Ke, Ke-ling¡­¡± Sheddie above me felt Geppeti¡¯s cold gaze, and she shrank back from her meal. ¡°I can¡¯t help it, she¡¯s useful in so many ways.¡± ¡°I see.¡± While Geppeti and I were having this conversation, Rei, who was sleeping on the other side of the room, grumbled. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Rei suddenly sits up. ¡°Are you awake, hero?¡± Geppeti asks Rei, who rubs her eyes in disbelief. It¡¯s still early, and I wonder if Geppeti and I were talking too loudly. A pouty-faced Rei opens her mouth. ¡°¡­Nothing.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I tried to question her, but she pouted and didn¡¯t answer. Rei¡¯s head swivels, scanning the room, and her gazends on Sheddie, who has been eating out of my hair. She hops down from the bed and immediately rushes over to me. ¡°¡­¡± I stand still, wondering what she¡¯s going to do, but Rei jumps up on the bed I¡¯m sitting on and scoops up Sheddie from my head. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to borrow her for a while.¡± I nod, stunned by her behavior. Rei returns to her own bed and lies down once more. Curled up on the bed, she holds Sheddie tightly. When Geppeti stares at her wordlessly, a blushing Rei blurts out unnecessarily loud. ¡°This, this has been going on since I was Les, Leon¡­!¡± ¡­It was an absurdity that no one would believe. *** With nc¡¯s help, I managed to meet St. Bernice in time. Even though I hadn¡¯t formally requested a meeting, Bernice remembered me from the public sses and graciously agreed to meet with me. Bernice said she didn¡¯t have much time, she had work to do and could only spare a few minutes so I wasted no time in getting straight to the point. I asked Bernice to cure Zetto. I didn¡¯t feel good about it, not knowing what her rtionship with Zetto was, but this was no time for jealousy. As expected, Bernice knew there was a curse on Zetto. ¡°Cadet Zetto¡¯s curse¡­ I mean¡­¡± Bernice trailed off, her expression darkening. ¡°I don¡¯t care how much it costs, if you can erase his curse before it¡¯s toote, that¡¯s all I need.¡± My plea was desperate but things weren¡¯t looking good. Bernice¡¯s knowledge of Zetto¡¯s curse and her refusal to remove it meant two things. The first is that Bernice was not close enough to Zetto to remove the curse for nothing in return, or that she was not a charitable person. I don¡¯t know Bernice very well, so this was a possibility. In this case, there was nothing that couldn¡¯t be done with enough money. But the second option was the worst. ¡°¡­¡± Bernice hesitates to answer. Her lips refused to open. ¡°You can¡¯t¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bernice closes her eyes tightly. Finally, her mouth opens. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t cure Cadet Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± The half-word slips out. I felt a tremor in my eyes and in an instant, my head went white. Bernice continued, unperturbed by my rudeness. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you why, except to say that I can¡¯t have anything to do with Cadet Zetto¡¯s curse¡­ If that¡¯s all you have to say, please excuse me, I¡¯m busy with the Knights.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I wanted to m the desk in frustration, but I held it together and managed to leave the room. It was the second time. For some reason, St. Bernice could not be involved in the curse. As far as Bernice is concerned, there is only one being who could have given her such amand. Lord Henerys, divine intervention. It¡¯s the same old ¡°fate¡± after all. Irritation wells up in me but I take a deep breath as I leave the room, contemting. The bastion of ¡®saintliness¡¯ has been broken, and I¡¯m back to square one. At this point¡­there was only one option left. Chapter 141: Future sister-in-law Chapter 141: Future sister-inw I breathed in the cold air and climbed into the carriage. Inside the carriage, nc was waiting for me. ¡°The result?¡± ¡°¡­¡± My silence was followed by an answer. ¡°Well¡­¡± In the darkness of the carriage, nc watched me closely. ¡°Why¡­?¡± A cautious question followed. It was understandable. I had been fortunate enough to have a quick meeting, and I should have been told that I could pay for it and that she would do it for me, if not right away. ¡°Are there some curses that the saint cannot remove¡­?¡± ¡°If there were, I would have felt better.¡± As my words trailed off, the carriage pulled away. The world outside the carriage hadn¡¯t changed, but it never felt beautiful. I thought I had long since stopped resenting the world. s, there was still more to resent. My jaw clenched and I stared out the window for a while. I realized the silence was passing, and I nced at nc, who was waiting for my answer andI opened my mouth. ¡°¡­It¡¯splicated to exin, but it¡¯s impossible to force the saint to do something.¡± ¡°Ha, what kind of situation is that? Do you think it¡¯s better to tell the cursed person first? Did you ask him? It¡¯s not like he doesn¡¯t know his condition.¡± ¡°¡­I agree with you on that point, there¡¯s no way Zetto, with his senses, wouldn¡¯t recognize the energy in his chest, but if I asked him, would he be kind enough to tell me? He¡¯d probably hide it because he hates causing trouble.¡± Moreover, Bernice knew of Zetto¡¯s curse. This confirmed my suspicion that the energy in his body was a curse. Even though I had already guessed it, my head was throbbing with confirmation. ¡°So¡­?¡± ¡°Well, the ¡®Zetto I know¡¯ was.¡± Past tense. Not that nc would understand the ¡®real meaning¡¯ of that. Okay. The Zetto I knew was like that. Pretending to be okay. Pretended to be fine. His gentle smile, the one he showed me every time, came back to me as a bony lie. Zetto had deceived me and faced the demons alone so I lived but he died. The world after ¡®that day¡¯ was much different than I had dreamed. It was an iplete world with nothing but despair and regret. I was ipetent¡­and I don¡¯t think I¡¯m any different now. An ipetent regressor, that¡¯s who I am now but if there¡¯s one benefit to being a regressor, it¡¯s that I¡¯m well aware that my current self-loathing doesn¡¯t help. If I don¡¯t move, nothing will change. The world I lived in was like that and the ugly scars on my abdomen proved it. ¡°What can you do? At least knowing that makes things easier, even if the details are problematic¡­¡± ¡°I do know. I know, but¡­¡± It was a ridiculous way to undo a curse that endangers people¡¯s lives. It was like something out of a fairy tale, or maybe a real fairy tale, but it was so romantic that you wouldn¡¯t think it was a demonic curse. A kiss from the one you love. I¡¯d rather have Zetto show me how to do it. Even if he knew it was a curse, he wouldn¡¯t know how to break it. It¡¯s in the book. A blind Zetto would have a hard time figuring it out without confiding in someone. And if he had talked to St. Bernice about it, he might have already epted his death. A curse that even a saint couldn¡¯t fix. It¡¯s a terrible thing, isn¡¯t it? ¡®Then¡­¡¯ ¡­Why did he bring his sisters to the Academy? I wonder if he felt the curse before and brought his sisters to the Academy. The Academy is safe. The meaning of those words, spoken so casually, is now fully understood. ¡°¡­Aizel.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± nc, who had been staring at me, smiles bitterly. Then she walks over to me and hugs me. Why? It was a baffling gesture. It wasn¡¯t until I was in her arms and realized that her clothes were getting wet that I realized why. Luckily, thanks to nc¡¯s concern, it didn¡¯t take long for me to regain myposure. As I wiped the moisture from my eyes, I asked nc a question. ¡°nc¡­¡± ¡°Mmm?¡± ¡°Teach me how to kiss.¡± ¡°¡­Did I hear you wrong, what does that mean, Aizel¡­?¡± nc doubted her ears. ¡°Ah.¡± I blurted out in a rush. *** Zetto¡¯s sisters, Rei and Gepetti¡¯s presence had quickly spread throughout the Academy. Their status as just another cadet¡¯s sisters was nothing special, but it was all due to Zetto¡¯s fame. Not only because of his physical features, but also because of his deeds since entering the academy, which have piled up and piled up to the point where it¡¯s said that if you don¡¯t know Zetto, you¡¯re a demon within Innocence Academy. When Rei went grocery shopping with Gepetti, she was deeply perplexed. The whole world was Zetto. No matter where they went, people recognized them. ¡®What is a blind saint¡­?¡¯ Rei recalled the image of Zetto nonchntly cleaning up the corpses of the demons. Everything about him was far from saintly. So it was that Gepetti and Rei were at the market, buying ingredients for a meal. Rei didn¡¯t have much to do, but she was bored with being stuck in the dorm, so she followed Geppeti around when something caught her eye and made her stop in her tracks. Gepetti spoke in a firm voice to Rei, who was crumpling her cheeks against the ss. ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you have enough money?¡± ¡°No needless spending.¡± Rei¡¯s eyes widened, and in the ss window in front of her was a glowing doll. It was the rabbit doll that had been in charge of Becky in Coby and Becky. ¡°And if you already have a stuffed animal, why didn¡¯t you bring it? You¡¯ve got Sheddie, and you¡¯ve got plenty to cuddle with.¡± Gepetti was right, Rei already had a stuffed animal but she shook her head as if she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Gepetti, you don¡¯t know much about the world of dolls yet, but this isn¡¯t a ¡®normal¡¯ Becky. It says so on thebel. It says ¡®limited edition¡¯.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see the difference.¡± ¡°I can tell. The fur is made from a different material.¡± With the hero¡¯s keen senses, Rei recognized the material of the doll beyond the ss. It was a high quality Becky, unlike the countless other Becky¡¯s she¡¯d seen. No doubt she¡¯d get a good night¡¯s sleep if she slept with it, Rei thought. ¡®I mean, she¡¯s nothingpared to Sheddie, but¡­¡¯ Sheddie was out of the question since when Zetto leaves the room, so does Sheddie. So she¡¯d be ready for the moment when she¡¯d need a recement. Limited edition. There¡¯s even only one left. Rei didn¡¯t bother to ask how she¡¯d gotten herself into the position of arguing with a girl over a doll. Right now, all that mattered was that she could get her hands on it. ¡°Geppeti.¡± ¡°No.¡± Unfortunately, Gepetti was only following Zeto, not Rei. At that moment, someone in the store approached the doll. ¡°Ah.¡± It was apetitor. The woman stepped in front of the doll and boldly put her hand on it. She was a bit tall for apetitor. ¡°It looks like something a child would be interested in¡­¡± The irony was that Rei, who had just said that, was not exactly a child. Rei jerked her gaze up since the uniforms of the academy cadets were nowpletely familiar. ¡­Braided red hair she recognized from somewhere. Rei recognized the woman¡¯s face and locked eyes with her. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± They exchange nces through the ss window. ¡®¡­Was that Yuri Clementine?¡¯ It was none other than Yuri, Zetto¡¯s friend from the other day, who picked up Becky¡¯s doll. ¡®Zetto¡¯s sister¡­¡¯ Yuri was embarrassed. She had sneaked out of the academy in the middle of a jointbat drill thatsted well past the end of the school day to buy a limited edition Becky doll. She had been collecting everything rted to Coby and Becky, so she couldn¡¯t pass it up. She wondered if the white-haired girl next to Rei was also Zetto¡¯s sister, since she heard he has two younger sisters. ncing at Geppeti, Yuri guessed so. Rei then looked back and forth between the doll in Yuri¡¯s hand and Yuri¡¯s face and her face became despondent. She thinks that Yuri must be trying to give the doll to someone as a gift. ¡®Maybe she wanted to buy this doll?¡¯ In Yuri¡¯s eyes, it seemed so. Indeed, it did. Yuri was torn. It was a limited edition, and if she missed this opportunity, it would be hard to get one. Especially now that she was at the academy and her radius was limited. After all, she had seen the same wistful expression on the face of the child she was looking through the window at, Rei. But she couldn¡¯t ovee her love for Coby and Becky so she didn¡¯t care. They were other people¡¯s children, not hers anyway. But were Zetto¡¯s siblings really ¡°other people¡¯s children¡±? Suddenly, Yuri¡¯s mind shed back to the scene where Rei and Gepetti were saying things like, ¡°I like sister Yuri!¡± to Zetto. Wasn¡¯t this a golden opportunity to get ahead of Aizel? And if, and I mean if. If she were to marry Zetto as her father said, then Rei and Gepeti over there would be sisters-inw to her. Yuri looked down at Becky, who was looking up at her with cute eyes. ¡®¡­It¡¯s a shame, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ She decided to consider this an investment in her future sister-inw. Yuri walked over to pay the bill. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Rei sighs when she realizes the doll is gone. ¡°Good.¡± Gepetti gives Rei a pat on the back. Just as Rei and Gepetti were about to leave. ¡°Hey¡­!¡± Yuri stops them in their tracks as she hurries out of the store. Turning her head, Rei stares at her with wistful eyes. In Yuri¡¯s hands, the ¡°Becky¡± looks even cozier than when it was on disy in the store. ¡°You¡¯re Zetto¡¯s brothers, right? Rei¡­? I met you yesterday, remember?¡± Rei nodded weakly as Yuri approached her with those words. ¡°You must be a friend of brother Zetto, I¡¯m Gepetti.¡± Gepetti, who had suddenly be a lively younger sister, introduced herself. Yuri and Gepetti exchange introductions. ¡°So, Yuri, why did you call us?¡± ¡°Oh, I thought maybe Rei wanted to have this doll¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rei¡¯s eyes sparkled at Yuri¡¯s question. Her eyes were filled with anticipation, and her pupils had the air of a hero. ¡°Anyway, since we¡¯re going to be staying together at the academy, can you consider it a gift from your sister? Take care of yourself, Rei. You too, Geppeti.¡± The doll was handed to Rei with a smile and Rei took it carefully. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Holding the doll in his arms, Rei bows her head low. Watching, Yuri smiles wistfully. Geppeti then asks Yuri a question. Isn¡¯t she in the same ss as brother Zetto? When Geppeti asks where Zetto is now, Yuri replies that he is in the Academy¡¯s main building. ¡°¡­If you¡¯re free, would you like to take a look around?¡± The formal ss was already over, and they were still doing sums. Yuri thought it would be fine to go in and out of the ssroom. Rei and Geppeti exchanged nces, then nodded in agreement. Geppeti wanted to get a feel for Zetto¡¯s rtionships with women, and Rei was just fine with it. *** ¡°This is the ssroom. It¡¯s ss A, so only the best cadets are here.¡± Yuri exined as they stopped in front of a door with a sign that read ¡°First Year ss A¡±. ¡°We¡¯re in self-defense training right now, so¡­ We¡¯re the only ones here, but¡­¡± Yuri trailed off as she ced her hand on the door. The door swung open, revealing the interior of the ssroom. Geppeti rolled her eyes, trying to find Zetto quickly and Yuri, who had opened the door, did the same. Zetto was lying on the floor with tinum hair hung down over his face. ¡°Ms. Aizel, you seem to be making a lot of mistakes today.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Seeing that, Yuri mmed the sliding door of the ssroom open. BANG! The sound drew Aizel¡¯s attention, who was poised to pounce on Zetto, to the door. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± A strange air current flows between Yuri and Aizel. Gepetti, being a very capable AI, could easily figure this out as a word pops into her head. ¡®Harem¡­¡¯ Chapter 142: Error Chapter 142: Error Rei and Geppeti came into the ssroom and introduced themselves as Zetto sisters to the rest of the ss. In Rei¡¯s arms was a doll I had never seen before, and before I could ask what it was, she announced that Yuri had bought it for her. Aizel questioned, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to buy a drink?¡± but Yuri shrugged it off. Since Yuri collects dolls, she probably went to buy that rabbit doll and gave it to Rei as a gift. I thanked Yuri. They all looked confused because I had sisters, and I had brought them with me but somehow, despite the twists and turns, Rei and Geppeti were epted as my sisters. Geppeti¡¯s acting was wless, and Rei was a little clumsy, but she was clutching a doll in her arms, so there was nothing wrong with their appearance. In fact, I was even asked if the reason I was so good at taking care of people was because I had sisters. Lucia, who was smiling wryly, patted Rei on the head, saying that her sister, Rikua, used to be like this too. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ Rei looked reluctant, but¡­you can¡¯t spit on a smiling face. Lucia¡¯s smile was pure and unadulterated, with no ulterior motives. Rei and Geppeti were then left in the safety of a corner of the ssroom while the students continued their jointbat training. The first day of sses had begun once again after the return from the desert. Edward had mentioned that the cadets would be dealing with demons in an illusionary spell. The Academy had originally nned to test the cadets¡¯ skills against the otherworlders in the desert, but that n fell through. Hence the new n. Especially since our group was of a high level, we would have to deal with quite strong demons. Since Edward would be the one preparing the illusion magic anyway, the illusion would be based on his memories of the demons he had killed or encountered in the past. ¡®Demons that Edward met¡­¡¯ Whatever it was, it was agreed that Edward¡¯s smile was so sinister that we would need to be prepared. It was a jointbat drill, but for me, it was also a way to gauge how much power the group currently possessed. One day, we might have to work together to defeat the demons. And so the training continued. Since there were no scarecrows to use as enemies, I, the only non-mage, was ying the role of a demon. This would mean that I would not be able to train, but I decided that the sum total of the mages with different attributes was the most important thing. ¡­Anyway, it was Lucia who was the biggest problem. Lucia, who is currently standing in the center of the room, eyes zed over, firing spells all over the ce, will be even more terrified and panicked when the real thing begins. Then chaos would ensue. The desert environment, Lucia¡¯s only advantage, is gone so I had to work on her fragile mental faculties to keep her out of the way. Whew! Just then, Lucia¡¯s gust of wind sent Aizel flying through the air and I quickly leaped to catch her. Wended on the ground. ¡°Are you okay, Miss Aizel?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± Aizel blushes at my question and turns her head quickly. For some reason, I¡¯d somehow gotten into an awkward ¡°princess hug¡± position. Realizing this, I tried to put her legs down on the floor, but I couldn¡¯t because of the strength of Aizel¡¯s arms around my neck. As I was doing so, Yuri came running. ¡°Zetto, you¡¯re a demon now! You don¡¯t have care if she¡¯s flying through the air or mming into a wall¡­! And Aizel, aren¡¯t you paying attention?!¡± ¡°Haha, this keeps making my body react first¡­¡± I scratched my head, putting Aizel down. ¡°Sorry.¡± Aizel apologized in a nonchnt voice as she stepped onto the floor, her golden hair fluttering. Yuri let out an irritated sigh, making a ¡°ha.¡± sound. Well¡­ She didn¡¯t say anything wrong. I¡¯m currently ying the role of a demon, and I¡¯m their enemy, so it¡¯s not the time to care about Aizel. I can¡¯t help but feel that Aizel is not concentrating at all, as she makes many mistakes. Lucia and Amon approach us next. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I misfired my magic¡­¡± Anyway, Lucia¡¯s ¡°misfire¡± continues to happen one after another so I decided to offer a solution. ¡°¡­Lucia, would you like to think of the demon as Amon for once?¡± ¡°Eh? As Amon¡­?¡± ¡°Zetto, what are you talking about?¡± A wide-eyed Lucia pointed at Amon, then red at me. ¡°Or I¡¯ll have Amon y the role of a demon for once, and then you¡¯ll understand what I¡¯m talking about.¡± None of us seemed to understand what she was talking about, but we decided to give it a try. It was just a matter of switching roles. Next, Amon, standing tall in the center of the room, spoke up. ¡°Koooooooooo!!!¡± ¡­I wonder if he¡¯s acting as a demon to make it more realistic. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s realistic, but I wasn¡¯t expecting this, however it¡¯s good that he¡¯s so eager. ¡°Hup¡­¡± Amon¡¯s thunderous roar scares the crap out of Lucia. ¡­It seems to have worked, at least for Lucia but I wonder if that¡¯s a good thing. ¡°Miss Lucia, take a slow, deep breath and pretend the demon it¡¯s Amon.¡± Lucia stammered out a few words. ¡®It¡¯s really Amon, but¡­¡¯ Lucia mimics my words and takes a deep breath. She then nods her head. ¡°Whoa¡­He must be Amon¡­¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s Amon. The enemy.¡± Aizel and Yuri, who had been listening to the conversation between me and Lucia, cocked their heads. Lucia¡¯s eyes turned serious as she held out her index finger. ¡°Hahahahahah!!!¡± She points her hand at Amon, who is charging over here with a mean, ¡®demonic¡¯ugh. ¡°Windcutter.¡± With a single word from Lucia, the intangible wind de emits a hissing sound and shes murderously. It¡¯s a hit that Lucia normally couldn¡¯t hit even if she stood still. Crack! However, Lucia¡¯s wind cutter plunges straight into Amon¡¯s abdomen, shattering the protective magic surrounding his body. ¡°Kuhhhh!!!¡± Amon rolls across the room in shock. ¡°What was that¡­?¡± Yuri questions as she watches. ¡°What, what?!¡± Lucia exims, looking just as surprised so I exin. ¡°Miss Lucia is particrly good at matching Amon, haha¡­¡± For some reason, Amon is the only target I¡¯ve ever observed that Lucia can hit without closing her eyes. After a few more attempts at ying Amon as a demon, I got a good result. Against Amon, Lucia¡¯s magic hit rate increased dramatically. Amon, exhausted from being hit by magic so many times with such ridiculous results, nced at Lucia with a despairing expression. ¡°¡­¡± Lucia shudders, not knowing why she is doing this. Yuri, who had been watching them, spoke up. ¡°¡­Is there a grudge, that Lucia¡­?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a grudge. On the contrary, I wonder if Amon has a grudge against Ms. Lucia¡­ Well, it might have something to do with the fact that they used to y pranks on each other when they were younger.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± With a raised eyebrow, Yuri agrees with my words. From the look on her face, it¡¯s clear that there¡¯s something in her memory that might have contributed to that. In any case, it¡¯s not just a matter of improving her hit rate against Amon. It was a simple matter but the demons we have to deal with don¡¯t look like Amon. Now it was time to make her imagine the demons as Amon and try to add up the numbers. If I seeded, Lucia would learn the trick and be a better mage since she had enough firepower. *** The next day. After Zeto left for school at the academy. Sitting on her bed in Zeto¡¯s room, Gepetti stared off into space, a n forming in her mind. Yesterday, she had observed the people around him. For her, it was about preserving the human race, the species known as Earthlings¡­. It was reminiscent of the harems she had seen so often in the data she used to learn about being a sister. Slowly, Geppeti cataloged Zetto¡¯s surroundings, especially the womens who had taken a rational interest in him. First was a woman named Aizel Ludwig, a cute woman with tinum hair and golden eyes. She was in good health, but there were concerns about her mental state. She was subtly emotional, and her stress levels were quite high for reasons unknown. However, the amount of mana in her body was enormous. This meant she had exceptional genes. Upon questioning Rei, it was determined that she was descended from a rather special bloodline, the Ludwig n. She was the sole survivor of the n so she had a strong desire to continue the lineage and their interests were aligned. Furthermore, she was often seen purposely trying to make contact with Zetto, which was a pretty good sign. After giving Aizel a ¡°fit,¡± Geppeti moved on to the next person. Next up was Yuri Clementine, a woman with striking deep red hair. ording to Rei, she was from one of the famous Four Continental Elemental Families. The family¡¯s power must be immense, her health and mental state were in good shape, and she was beautiful. She seemed to have some unusual tastes, somewhat out of ce for her age, but that was not a problem for Geppeti¡¯s ns. She was unusually sensitive to the sight of Zetto and Aizel, which was clearly an emotion called ¡®jealousy¡¯. While this could be a setback for her ns, it also meant that she was interested in Zetto just like Aizel. Then there was the girl with the pink bangs who had been stealing nces at Zetto in ss yesterday. She had been peeking into the ssroom and was eventually spotted by Zetto and was seen talking to him. Her name was Kaen. Geppeti noticed that Kaen had a blush on her cheeks at the time she was talking to Zetto. It was clear that she was holding Zetto in her heart but her physical reaction was unusual. Her body heated up as if she had been in physical contact with Zetto just by talking to him. There was no escaping Geppeti¡¯s scans. She was healthy and perhaps she was reacting in a way that best suited her n. Geppeti nodded and recalled thest woman. She didn¡¯t know if she could call her a woman. No, she was a woman, at least. Sierra, as Zetto called her, had taken the form of a sword. She seemed to be a spirit binded using the sword as a medium¡­but Geppeti still didn¡¯t know much about her, however it was possible to make physical contact. That caught Geppeti¡¯s eye. ¡®I doubt she can be cured, but¡­¡¯ A spirit being that could make physical contact could give birth to a child. It was a question that even Geppeti vast database of information could not answer. In this so-called ¡®fantasy¡¯ world, there were otherworldly forces at work. If a sword gives birth to a child, does it give birth to a sword? When a spirit gives birth to a child, is the new being a mishmash of things? Geppeti looked down at her hands. She was nothing but an inanimate object, but now she had flesh. She could even create an organism, though it would take some time. However, Sierra was performing so well as a sword that it seemed important not to lose her. Furthermore, she is so tightly bound to the sword, which is more of a vessel for her, that it would probably be difficult to transfer her to another body. Research needed. Geppeti scribbles those words down next to Sierra¡¯s name. For now, these are the women in Zetto¡¯s circle who have shown interest in him. Maybe there are more. The more the merrier. It made sense to sow more seeds for the preservation of the species. But it was a very strange thing. So many women around him were reacting this way, and yet Zetto, the culprit, was treating them so casually. He was certainly kind, but he didn¡¯t seem to be aware of their feelings. A phrase popped into Geppeti¡¯s head. It was the one that led her to formte a n. ¡®He¡¯s clueless.¡¯ ¡°¡­Well.¡± Her mumbling made Rei, who had been lying on the bed unnecessarily, stir. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Geppeti said, and her eyes fell on Rei, who was holding a doll. Rei was a woman, too but she was a reincarnated hero. Leon was a man but Rei, who had the body of a child, was naturally excluded from the list. ¡®What else am I missing?¡¯ Geppeti¡¯s head slowly lowered as she thought. ¡°¡­¡± After all, she herself was a ¡®woman¡¯ in Zetto¡¯s circle. But should a vassal covet the king¡¯s body? Should a ¡®sister¡¯ covet her ¡®brother¡¯s¡¯ body? Of course, they weren¡¯t rted by blood, so it shouldn¡¯t cause any gic problems. ¡°But¡­¡± Geppeti muttered in a small voice. Thest time Rei had coveted a doll¡­ watching her, Geppeti had learned one emotion. Greed. It had taken up residence in the back of her mind, swelling in size. ¡°¡­Inappropriate¡­¡± Geffetti couldn¡¯t finish her sentence since an error had urred to her. Chapter 143: Lightning Strike Chapter 143: Lightning Strike Jointbat training was going well. In today¡¯s lesson, Lucia finally managed to imagine a non-Amon target as Amon and hit it with her magic. It was a moment when all her hard work paid off. A proud Lucia exins that she can now see Amon in thin air. Amon was nervous about being Lucia¡¯s bull¡¯s-eye, but a good thing is a good thing. Thest time we fought, none of our allies were hit by Lucia¡¯s magic except for the ¡°real¡± Amon. If there¡¯s an unintended benefit, it¡¯s that Amon seems to have be quite resistant to wind magic. I doubt he¡¯ll ever have to deal with a mage who uses wind magic, but it mighte in handy someday. Yuri and Aizel, despite their asional bickering, seemed to get along pretty well. I wonder if they always bumped into each other like that. Anyway, it didn¡¯t affect the battle, so I decided to ignore it. So, after another day of training I left with Rei and Geppeti, and went to the forest outside the academy, away from prying eyes. After all, Rei needed to develop her strength as a hero, and Geppeti needed to see how much power she had. Boom! Sword shed against sword, creating a clear resonance of sound. Behind Rei and I, who were locking swords, Geppeti swooped down on us. A long de protrudes from the underside of her forearm. I wondered if there was any reason for such an ugly thing to be protruding from her body, but her exnation was that she was basically equipped to protect herself. Bam!!! I deflected Rei¡¯s sword at an angle and took a step backward, catching a stream of Geppeti¡¯s blows. The gap in Geppeti¡¯s body, which was floating in the air at that moment. Aaah! I didn¡¯t miss it and opened my palm, pushing away from Geppeti¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Geppeti, who was hit in the abdomen, dragged the de on her arm to the ground and was pushed back. She frowns as she clutches her abdomen, obviously in pain. Geppeti is unustomed to pain, having only recently acquired human flesh. She could have removed the pain from her body on her own, but that would have crumbled her flesh, she said. ¡®A brother who beats his sisters relentlessly¡­¡¯ I was doing something that was forbidden, but they had asked me to make it as close to realistic as possible. Rei felt like fighting and Geppeti agreed that the more realistic the fight, the easier it would be to collect data. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as close as it could be. I hadn¡¯t been able to use my highly lethal power, so I kept it sealed while fighting them all at the same time. It was a rarebination of a reincarnated hero and a highly developed AI, but it wasn¡¯t too difficult to deal with them. Rei¡¯s understanding of swordsmanship was excellent, but her body hadn¡¯t yet caught up to it. Geppeti was quick with calctions and good at analyzing her opponent¡¯s movements, but she struggled with her own physicality. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s the physicality that¡¯s the problem for both of them.¡¯ I remained vignt and examined their condition. ¡°¡­¡± Rei wiped a bead of sweat from her chin. The fire in her eyes is still burning, but her legs are wobbly. ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Geppeti stood, holding her stomach where she had been hit earlier. Well, that was the third time she¡¯d been hit in the same spot. Surveying their condition, I lowered my sword and opened my mouth. ¡°¡­I think we¡¯re done here.¡± ¡°I can still fight.¡± ¡°If I can reduce my pain by 30%, I can still fight.¡± They don¡¯t give up easily. ¡°It¡¯s good that you want to do more, but it¡¯s not good to push your body.¡± My firm response finally rxes Rei and Geppeti. [Overexertion¡­ha, that doesn¡¯t sound like something my student would say.] Sierra¡¯sughing tackle was a bonus. Soon, Rei, her sword sheathed, shambles over to me. ¡°¡­Candy.¡± Rei looks up at me with a nk stare. I remembered that I said I¡¯d give her candy after the fight. I had no intention of not giving it to her, so I took the candy from my arm and put it in her tiny hand. Then Rei, who was looking at the candy in her hand, looked back at me. ¡°Not this one.¡± I wonder if she means the other vor. Since I¡¯m supposed to be blind, I don¡¯t want to bother sniffing through the candy and picking one out, so I just pull out the bag of candy from my subspace pocket and offer it to her. Rei finally found the vor she wanted in the candy bag. It was chocte vani. She immediately popped the candy into her mouth and enjoyed the sweetness, then turned to Geppeti, who was on the other side of the room. ¡°You too?¡± ¡°¡­I think I might need some sugar.¡± With a snap, Geppeti, de tucked into her forearm, approaches Rei and takes the candy. ¡°Hehe.¡± Reiughs as Geppeti suddenly pops the candy into her mouth. Then, with a wicked, childlike grin, she whispers to me. ¡°I guess from now on, we¡¯ll just have to feed her tasteless vored candy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was an uncharacteristic remark. I left them to rest for a while, and moved on to a more sheltered and quieter part of the forest. I hadn¡¯t been paying attention to my growthtely. Sitting down on a suitable rock, I immediately checked my status. <>Lv.48 Skills -Ghost yer Technique Lv.28 -Sierra Reverse Heaven (Iplete) Lv.6 ¨C [Ghost yer Technique]] in effect -Ki Sense Lv.5 -Weakness Detection Lv.MAX ¨C [Blindfold That is Beyond Reason] in effect -Night Vision Lv.MAX -Acupuncture Lv.5 -Shade of Shadows Lv.MAX -Surge of Power Lv.1 Skill Points remaining: 7 I¡¯ve been leveling up here and there since I got to level 45 after one massive wave of demons, and I¡¯m now at level 48. ¡°I¡¯m eager to start the ¡­¡± We are beginning to enter the middle of the ¡®story¡¯ as I knew it. I still had a lot of work ahead of me, but most importantly, I was getting closer and closer to the time when I needed to rescue Aizel. I had made ns to learn Chapter 3 around this time. [It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been a teacher, isn¡¯t it?] Sierra granted my request, seemingly amused. Sierra¡¯s violet eyes glowed with a strange light in the bluish moonlight as she continued to exin. She reminds me of the roots of the technique. A sword technique to defeat a swordsman. What kind of swordsmanship is that? What kind of sword was it that Sierra was struggling with? The answer to this question is found byparing Sierra¡¯s skills to those of Sword Saint. The answer to this question can be found by looking at the anomalies. The same would be true in Chapter 3, as I would learn. As a sword disciple, Kaen hadn¡¯t yet mastered the sword techniques of Sword Saint. So, since I didn¡¯t have a true grasp of the sword art, I listened intently to Sierra¡¯s exnation. That¡¯s when Sierra said something rather shocking. [¡­I¡¯ll try to keep it simple. To put it simply, the sword that he is aware of never touches him. Never.] No attacks that he recognizes can reach him. I had a vague sense of it, but Sword Saint was an outrageous human being. Perhaps that was why he had remained the Sword Saint after all these years. Sierra¡¯s purple moon was basically a sword that focused on gently shedding the opponent¡¯s sword, so it was said tock change. She needed a sword that could surpass the perceptions of Sword Saint whose senses were sharp enough to detect the life of a mere spirit. So Sierra chose to defy thews of the world. [Actually, Chapter 3 is really just abination of Chapters 1 and 2, but it¡¯s not until Chapter 3 that you¡¯ll be able to bring your sword up against him.] Chapter 1 is containment, Chapter 2 is response. Chapter 3 is offense. ¡°So what¡¯s Chapter 3?¡± The answer was already in my head, but my question came out of nowhere. [Chapter 3 defies ¡°cause and effect.¡±] Sierra¡¯s voice picks up again, her eyes wide. In her exnation, Chapter 3 of Reverse Heaven was a technique that reversed the ¡°cause¡± of ¡°swinging the sword¡± to arrive at the ¡°effect¡± of ¡°shing¡±. In short, the sword strikes came out even though no action was taken. ¡®Isn¡¯t this beyond magic now¡­?¡¯ It seemed useful. But no matter how much I tried to exin to myself how it defied cause and effect, I couldn¡¯t get it to work. I decided to give it a try. At level 6, I felt like I could do it. ¡°¡­Does that mean I don¡¯t have to draw my sword?¡± [In Chapter 3, it doesn¡¯t really matter if you¡¯re holding the sword or not; the point is that there are consequences even when there are no actions to cause them.] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I turned away from Sierra¡¯s words and stood in front of the thick old trees around us. I ced my hand on my Spectral Sword and steadied my breathing. If there was one thing that had changed when I reached level six, it was that I now could use the skill without a trigger and just by simply swiping the sword. I think of something I want to reverse. I¡¯ll draw my sword and cut down the old tree in front of me without having to cut it down. As I was thinking about it an all-too-familiar sensation came over me. The flow of mana was twisting and at the same time, a red sword light shed in the dark forest. The thick pir of an old tree was crushed in an instant but strangely, I still hadn¡¯t made any move. I hadn¡¯t even swung my sword at the tree, but somehow I cut it down. [Hooray¡­You¡¯ve seeded, though you stillck destructive power and are a bit slow¡­You are my disciple after all.] Sierra, who was perched on a rock on the other side, gave me an approving smile. It was hardly natural that I had seeded in learning yet another new skill on the first try, but perhaps my actions thus far had made it natural. I stopped staring at the dead tree, which looked like it was about to break, and realized I had a question. I turned to Sierra and asked. ¡°But, Master, does Chapter 3 have any side effects? For now, I don¡¯t feel any strain on my body.¡± [That¡¯s the beauty of Chapter 3, there¡¯s no cause, so there¡¯s no burden on the body¡­!] The corners of Sierra¡¯s mouth turned up but her smile seemed to hide something. ¡°There are really no side effects¡­?¡± It was hard to believe that such an anomalous and destructive attack, one that defied thews of cause and effect, would have no side effects. [¡­not that there weren¡¯t.] Or not. It couldn¡¯t be without side effects. [¡­Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just a little lightning, and since you¡¯ve disturbed ¡¯cause and effect¡¯¡­ you¡¯ll probably be punished by heaven.] Just a little lightning. What does that mean? ¡°Lightning¡­?¡± I asked, not quite understanding. ¡°I guess it¡¯s dangerous if I get hit¡­?¡± Sierra gave me an amused look, and then spoke up. [It¡¯ll hurt, but it won¡¯t kill you, and you can probably dodge a lightning strike by running a bit, right?] ¡­Apparently, Sierra has been able to dodge lightning strikes by simply running. Sierra then looks up and looks at the sky. Something is gathering in the dark sky. [I wonder if it¡¯s about time¡­] Then she looks back at me. [¡­What are you doing, not running?] *** ¡°You¡¯re saying that this joint battle could take a month and a half¡­is that true¡­?¡± Kaliman, who was scratching his rough beard at Kaen¡¯s question, spoke up. ¡°Yeah, well, it¡¯s a midway check anyway, so I guess it¡¯s possible¡­Are you sure you want to do the whole month in jointbat? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s easy to stand out on your own in jointbat.¡± Innocence Academy, which was strictly divided into grades, did have a monthly ss system. Well, that was only for those who were unlucky enough to be ced in a ss that didn¡¯t match their skills. Moreover, joint battles were literally fought in unison with the rest of the group, and it would be difficult to make it to the top ss by showing off your skills alone in such a situation. ¡°I was like, ¡®Ahaha, sure, I guess,¡¯ and I just¡­ I asked if it was possible.¡± Scratching her cheek, Kaenughed nervously but behind her usual goofy demeanor, Kaen was making a n. She was nning to hide her power, and then reveal it at the right time, so that she could pass the entire month with straight A¡¯s. This was against her n, but she had to do it to get closer to Zetto. As she stole nces at Aizel and Yuri, who wereughing and talking and naturally touching him, she felt her impatience growing. After she left, Kaliman, leaning back in his chair, picked up a fountain pen. He scribbles something down on a piece of paper, the kind that each cadet is given for instructions. Kaliman had already realized from her earlier confrontation with Zetto that Kaen was not a C-ss student. Next to Kaen¡¯s name, Kaliman writes a sentence. ¡®I think it¡¯s better to let her go and let Edward take over.¡¯ With that, Kaliman stretched with a proud smile on his face. He doesn¡¯t know why she¡¯s hiding her power, but he¡¯s wise enough to realize that it¡¯s not normal for a cadet to do such a thing. Chapter 144: Practice Match (1) Chapter 144: Practice Match (1) A conference room full of first-year instructors. The schedule for the cadets to form groups and fight a joint battle against the otherworldly creatures has been disrupted. At the suggestion of Headmaster Juliut, the cadets will be fighting demons instead of otherworldly creatures. Suddenly, it¡¯s up to Edward, a former warrior, to figure out how to deal with the dangerous demons. Building illusionary magic based on the memories of the demons he had defeated. It was a tiresome task, but somehow Edward managed to keep a smile on his face. Edward was going through his memories and assigning the appropriate demons to each group. ¡°Could you also prepare a ck one for ss C?¡± Kaliman held up a slip of paper that listed the members of the group he was in charge of. On it was Kaen¡¯s name. Edward nces at the paper. ¡°¡­Do you think they can do it?¡± C ss cadets had average skills and the only outlier was the presence of Kaen, who had dueled with Zetto before. ¡°Turn it off¡­ Aren¡¯t you overdoing it?¡± Reina, who had a hangover from drinking too much the night before and was banging her head on the desk, said with difficulty. Demons are ssified by the color of their horns. A ck horned one would be difficult to deal with, even for ss A cadets. It would be too much for the average ss C cadet to handle. ¡®Ordinary¡¯ being the operative word. Kaliman spoke, his eyes now quite serious, not his usual cloudy ones. ¡°I know my boys. They can do this. Trust me.¡± Somehow, Kaliman had managed to get Kaen onto Edward¡¯s shoulders. The ck-horned demon was a necessary preparation for that. Would defeating an ordinary demon be enough to jump from ss C to ss A? It¡¯s only ss B if you do well. It was unlikely that Kaen would be able to rte to the children of ss B, and this was necessary to ensure that she would be able to pass on to ss A correctly. It was also a favor to Kaen since he was her instructor, after all. If she hid her powers, the meaning of the division would be lost and diminished. That would be bad for the academy, for example. ¡°Take a step back, you barely-ckened bastard. This group is the pride of our C ss.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Reina opens her mouth at Kaliman¡¯s unanswered request. ¡°¡­Alright then, I¡¯ll make the arrangements. I do remember a guy who crawled into the academy a while back, so I think she¡¯ll do it.¡± Edward, the man in charge of this joint battle, gives the green light, and Kaliman smirks. Silently, Kaliman sings a happy tune. Time passes, and the rest of the group slowly clears out. Most of them consisted of the demons Edward had ¡®killed¡¯. Well, the weaker demons were easy to analyze, so it wasn¡¯t a big deal, since the illusions would be based on his imagination rather than his memories, but they only had to be up to par. That leaves the final group. Edwards skims over the names of the group members. ¡°Aizel Ludwig, Yuri Clementine, Amon Caligus, Lucia Windless, and Zetto¡­¡± This was probably the strongest group of first-year cadets. ¡°Who do you think we should put them with?¡± ¡°Well, I think we¡¯re going to end up with a bunch of demons¡­¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be crazy to put ck horns on them?¡± The instructors began to debate heatedly, but in the end, it was all in Edward¡¯s head. With a sinister grin on his face, Edward finally spoke up. ¡°¡­Fortunately, we already have an opponent for this group. It¡¯s a ck Horned Demon, just like the others in ss A.¡± They were a little puzzled by this answer. It was true that even if the cadets of ss Abined, it would be difficult to capture a ck Horned Demon, but it wouldn¡¯t be too hard for Zetto¡¯s group, which could be considered an asymmetrical power. Still, the color of their horns is not the only indication of their power. They wondered if the man with the sinister snake eyes was aiming for that. The thought crossed the minds of the instructors in the room. Edward, who had once been known as the ck Horned Hunter, now dredged up memories from more than a decade ago, recalling ¡®that demon¡¯ he had encountered on the battlefield. Zetto¡¯s group would be facing the only demon that Edward had not been able to ¡®kill¡¯ in this joint battle. That should be enough. After all, he had faced it alone when he was a cadet, so there was no reason they couldn¡¯t handle it if four or five of them jumped in. ¡®¡­Is he alive and well?¡¯ Edward didn¡¯t think he died somewhere. -Boom! Edward smiled wryly as he listened to the sound of thunder outside the window. Lightning in a dry sky, it was the perfect weather. *** -Krrrr¡­ It was an odd day for lightning to strike in a clear, cloudless sky. A screen on the other side of the testing area showed cadets engaged in jointbat. ¡°How are they doing?¡± Hubert asked. He didn¡¯t look like the old man she¡¯d seen in the woods earlier, but a middle-aged man who smelled like money. It was Hubert Graham, the Academy¡¯s president. This was a cover Hubert was forced to create as he¡¯s lived longer. Anyway, I was invited by him to watch a joint battle. Since the Innocence Academy was said to have been founded in my will as a hero, he suggested that I should see the cadets in action at least once. ¡®I may not be a hero, but I am Zetto¡¯s sister¡­¡¯ The cadets were divided into two groups, half of them catching demons and half of them struggling to hold on to them. Demons are not to be taken lightly. The demons that wield magick are unlike anything they¡¯ve ever faced before. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the cadets, but that guy over there, Edward¡­He¡¯s a pretty good illusionist.¡± ¡°The us family is famous for their illusionary magic.¡± ¡°us?¡± A question mark appeared on Rei¡¯s face at the unfamiliar name of the family. ¡°The current headmaster of the academy is Juliut us, a master of illusionary magic. He has risen to the rank of Archmage. That¡¯s his son, Edward us. He¡¯s a war hero who fought in the war at a young age as a cadet. Now, as you can see, he works as an instructor¡­ Like his father, he has an exceptional talent for illusionary magic.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rei nced over at Edward, who was casting an illusion spell in the center of the testing grounds. Edward us must be Zetto¡¯s instructor. Illusion is a very tricky spell. There¡¯s so much to calcte, even for a short illusion, including minor environmental elements. Edward¡¯s illusion magic seemed to be at a level that could create the illusion of reality. ¡°A treasure for the academy.¡± After all, illusion magic would naturally create a sense of safety in one¡¯s mind, so it was impossible topare it to real life, but it was still good enough to practice. Indeed, since us had be headmaster, the quality of the cadets¡¯ training, as well as their survival rate, had increased markedly. Hubert smirks at Rei¡¯s assessment. ¡°Do you think I put him in the headmaster¡¯s chair for nothing? I had a hard time getting him here, and now I finally have someone who appreciates my efforts.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rei nodded deeply in response. While they were having such a conversation the battle in the illusion ends and the result is defeat. The demon was a formidable opponent. ¡°It¡¯s a pity. Even if the continent has gathered promising youths, we still won¡¯t be able to deal with the ck Horns if we don¡¯t match up.¡± ¡°When I was younger, the ck Horns woulde at us in hordes¡­¡± Rei clicked her tongue andmented. ¡°¡­¡± Hubert stared at her, momentarily at a loss for words. Cognitive dissonance set in as old-fashioned words came out of the mouth of a tiny girl who didn¡¯t seem to have lived a full life yet. ¡°¡­That¡¯s true. At least the cadet with the shield over there has decent movement.¡± Hubert replied, barely able to shake off his thoughts. Rei and Hubert had lived through the heyday of the demons, so they could not be judged by the youth of the world now that peace reigned. Edward then called the next group. It was Zetto¡¯s group. ¡°Hmm¡­ Maybe we can look forward to this one.¡± Rei crossed her arms and said that. Hubert speaks up. ¡°Being a little sister, you don¡¯t even cheer for your brother.¡± ¡°¡­¡± As always, Hubert¡¯s ability to manipte people was incredible. *** -Aaahhh¡­ When I woke up, it was raining. Immediately, I felt a strong sensation around me. It seems that the group members were also summoned to the same point. ¡°Where are we¡­?¡± ¡°It looks like a battlefield¡­¡± Yuri replied to Lucia¡¯s question. It didn¡¯t take long for the answer to be clear. We could smell the foul scent of blood through the damp earthy odor. ¡°Definitely¡­There are a lot of dead bodies around.¡± Stretching their senses, the corpses strewn here and there were a mixture of human and demonic. The battle seemed to be over, judging by theck of shouts and the shing of des, and the sound of rain in his ears. For the time being, the vision was based on Edward¡¯s memories, so I wondered if it was one of the demons he had encountered on the battlefield in his youth. ¡®I can look forward to it.¡¯ Ever since I entered the vision, I couldn¡¯t get Edward¡¯s wicked smile out of my head. This is no ordinary demon. ¡°Speaking of which, we¡¯ve all changed our outfits¡­!¡± True to Lucia¡¯s words, the uniforms we were wearing were gone, and we were dressed in ponchos and other clothing with te armor everywhere. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s what Instructor Edward was wearing at the time.¡± I nodded at Amon¡¯s answer. It wasn¡¯t full armor, and since he was part of an assassination squad, he was probably armed with something that allowed for more agile movement. ¡°Zetto, are there any enemies around?¡± Yuri¡¯s question cut through the rain. It wasn¡¯t the kind of question you¡¯d ask a blind man with bandaged eyes, but it¡¯s no secret that my abilities are useful for scouting and detection. ¡°¡­At least not around here.¡± I scattered my senses as far as I could, but no living creatures were in sight. Still, there was something suspicious. There was a direction in this vast forest where the corpses of human soldiers seemed to form a path. ¡°Follow me.¡± At my tersemand, the others follow me in search of the enemy. It must seem strange to those outside of the illusion, who will be watching this on their screens. As I walked, I checked on Aizel, who had been unusually quiet. She hadn¡¯t spoken a word since entering the illusion and has been quietly looking around. There was no tension in the air but I was worried that she might lose herposure since we were dealing with demons, but maybe I can put that aside for now. It¡¯s natural for humans to dislike or loathe demons, but unlike the other members of this group, Aizel has had more direct encounters with them. For now, she was keeping herposure. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Lucia swallowed hard as she walked down the street. The gruesome corpses of soldiers, seemingly killed by demons,y on the ground. It was a hard sight to behold, but based on Edward¡¯s memories, it could be thest of those who fought in the war. As we walked down the street, I realized I was following the scent of blood. Suddenly, something touched my senses. ¡°¡­This is it.¡± ¡°Demons?¡± I nodded at Aizel¡¯s short question but the amount of magick I sense from him is out of the ordinary. ¡®No matter what, Edward wouldn¡¯t have prepared a ck Horned Demon¡­¡¯ We immediately took cover in a nearby bush and slowly approached the creature. ¡°Big¡­ Big¡­ Try¡­ Give¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t long before we heard the sound of a man¡¯s voice leading the struggling breathing. With a crunching, bone-crunching sound, the soldier¡¯s body fell to the ground and sagged. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Though it was only a vision, only in Edward¡¯s memory¡­ The tension in the group was palpable as they watched the demon end a man¡¯s life with ease. It was only then that we were able to see the creature. Long, white hair, armor stained with blood and blood-red eyes¡­.His face was eerily familiar. There was only one thing different about him. The horn on his forehead was not ck. Edward had met this creature before, during the war but was unable to kill it so he¡¯s probably still alive in the demonnds. The creature that stood there battered by the rain and slowly scanned the bush we were in. ¡°¡­¡± At the same time, Aizel¡¯s pupils twitches violently when she spotted him. She knew he was the leader of the demons chasing her. He was her worst nightmare. *** Contrary to Zetto¡¯s assumptions, Aizel was not shocked by this. It was true that he was her enemy, but the demon in front of her was¡­ ¡®¡­The demon that killed Zetto.¡¯ Chapter 145: Practice Match (2) Chapter 145: Practice Match (2) Krektar, Zagoras, Echis, Albed and¡­Murka, in front of me. These are the names of the demons that pursue Aizel. Of all of them, Murka is the one responsible for many retries, and their leader. I first learned that Murka encountered Edward during the war but he¡¯s still alive, which means Edward didn¡¯t kill him back then. ¡°Were there any more humans still alive?¡± Murka noticed our presence, hiding among the bushes and darkness. Can he talk? Maybe he recognizes Aizel. I don¡¯t think so. There¡¯s no way Edward can embody his memories. Soon, Murka raises his hand toward us and I can feel the magick being pulled from his body so I spoke urgently. ¡°He¡¯sing, everyone, take cover. The battle has already begun.¡± For a moment, Lucia panics, but the sound of my voice brings her back to her senses and she scrambles out of the bushes so do Amon and Yuri. But in that split second, Aizel¡¯s foot hasn¡¯t left the ground. ¡°Spiral.¡± Murka¡¯s voice snapped and the trees began to twist around the bush so I quickly snatched Aizel up. -Wham!!! The next thing I know, the ground between us is literally crushed. I could feel her heartbeat in my arms. I wonder if it¡¯s the same. Her breathing is ragged, and her racing heart shows no signs of slowing down. *** A day before my death Zetto asked to go see the sea. ¡°What do you mean, that. We¡¯re going to the East in two days.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think Veleshanas is more fun than the East? ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s just a break from the academy¡­¡± I knew full well that I couldn¡¯t go to the East or the sea. They woulde to me so I would head off alone, as I always did, to a ce off the beaten path, to reduce casualties. ¡°Shall we sneak away, just the two of us?¡± But Zetto said it with a gentle smile. It was a suggestion sweeter than any fruit. He¡¯d done it countless times but the ending was obvious: die faster. Leaving the safe confines of the Academy would only make the wolf¡¯s lips curl upward so I had no choice but Zetto offered me a choice. The sound of his voice, the smile on his lips, the look in his eyes, somehow filled me with a sense of trust. With this man. With Zetto. I could run¡­ Maybe I could try. Break the chains of ¡®regression¡¯ that imprison me, and be as free as a bird in the blue sky. In the end, I agreed with him so Zetto and I left the academy that day. There were no demons in the academy, so we put everything aside and walked lightly. Thus began our journey. I was worried, but at least I had Zetto by my side¡­ and that alone made me happy. That afternoon the sun was slowly setting. However, since my journey with Zetto began, I hadn¡¯t encountered a single demon. This was supposed to be the time when their pursuit would have begun. After a while of wondering about this, Zetto suggested we stop at an inn to rest. Sitting in the middle of the room, I was not finding it easy to calm down. I wonder if they¡¯ll track us down. What if they find us? No, they would find us. Would Zetto and I survive them? I wonder if I¡¯ll end up hurting him. Maybe it¡¯s better to leave him now and die alone. It was a time when everything was doubtful and troubling that Zetto brought me a ss of water and spoke softly to me. ¡°Miss Aizel, everything will be fine. What would happen to the world if we suddenly disappeared, and so far nothing has happened?¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong. Strangely enough, when Zetto and I stepped outside, the world was as calm as the ocean, and nothing was happening. What¡¯s more, Zetto and I weren¡¯t heroes or anything else indispensable to the world. We were just a young man and woman, former academy cadets, now wanderers. Once I settled down, the tension that had kept me on edge for the past few days eased, and drowsiness flooded over me. ¡°Good night.¡± Zetto whispered to me as Iy in bed. I lifted my heavy eyelids, trying to capture one more moment of him but it wasn¡¯t long before I was asleep. The dream I had that day was an incredibly rxing and happy dream, so far removed from my nightmarish reality. I went to see Zetto, the sea, and Veleshanas. I was lying in the warm sunshine, whispering my love to him. I was able to open my eyes. It¡¯s a strange thing to say, but I could open my eyes. I hadn¡¯t opened my eyes since that day. The blinding sunlight that seeped through the cracks in the window made me frown. There was a strange scent in the room, sweet and vague, yet somehow familiar. I immediately called out to Zetto but there was no answer. I turned my head in the direction of his bed, wondering if he had woken up yet and that was the moment when a sweet dream turned into a nightmare. Zetto wasn¡¯t in the room, he was nowhere to be seen. A single orchid sits on a table in the center of a silent room, devoid of any sound. A flower whose name means ¡®happy ending¡¯¡­ a contradiction for a flower with such an unhappy story. It was only then that I realized that Zetto had dosed the water with sleeping pills and put me to sleep on purpose. He must have realized that the demons chasing me were closing. I was no longer able to hide my emotions in front of Zetto so he had sensed it in me. I frantically ran outside and wondered where Zetto was but as soon as I left the inn, I knew. I opened my eyes and saw peace that had all been created by a single person. The sweet scent of Obzion in my nostrils masked the foul tang of the demons outside. The small, sparsely popted town was overrun by the corpses of demons. Among the countless corpses of demons were familiar faces. Zagoras, Echis, and Albed, the same ones who ughtered the Ludwig n and used me as a test subject¡­They were after me. Krektar had been killed before, along with Zetto¡­ All that remained was Murka. I scoured the vige but the vigers found me first. Apparently, Zetto had evacuated them to safety during the night. Sadly, I didn¡¯t care about their survival. What mattered to me was not the nameless vigers, but one person. It was Zetto¡¯s life or death. I soon found Zetto in the vige¡¯s small church with Murka, who had been decapitated. I met him, still breathing, in the church, just before it was crushed in the aftermath of the battle¡­ ¡­and we spoke afterward. I can still hear his voice echoing in my head. ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± Yes. His voice was like this. Not too high, not too low, just the right pitch to be pleasant to listen to. It didn¡¯t contain a lot of emotion, so it could have been perceived as insensitive, but his words always showed that he cared about people. ¡°Miss Aizel¡­?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s continued call finally breaks me out of the swamp of my past. As the rain pelted my cheeks, I slowly recalled the current situation. Now in Edward¡¯s illusionary magic Zetto is flying through the air, carrying me in his arms after nearly falling victim to Murka¡¯s telekinesis. When I looked down, he was ring at me and Zetto. Murka¡¯s red re bores into me. ¡°Ugh.¡± Fear was slowly eating away at me. An unstoppable force that always shows up on the same day, at the same time, and takes lives. The one who killed Zetto, the one who made him die¡­ I could barely bring myself to resist him. The fear that had been imprinted on my soul over the years took precedence over vengeance. ¡°Are you afraid?¡± Zetto¡¯s voice was as calm as the stillness of the night when he asked me that question. I barely managed to open my mouth as I hugged Zetto¡¯s body even tighter. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Then I guess we should get rid of it.¡± Zetto smiled. ¡°¡­I wonder if we can take that thing down¡­¡± He wasn¡¯t referring to Edward¡¯s fake Murka below. That¡¯s the Murka of the past. This one is much stronger. Right down to the color of his horns. Still, I wanted to hear it. ¡°Of course.¡± His voice is confident. Zetto¡¯s foot touches the ground. I followed his movements and lowered my feet to the ground. ¡°¡­Why did you save me?¡± I asked, taking advantage of the situation. It was a very strange question. In fact, it was a question I wanted to ask the previous Zetto. A question he wouldn¡¯t understand but since he had just saved my life, it was a question I could ask. ¡°¡­¡± The listener will find it hard to believe¡­ ¡°¡­Because I¡¯m a colleague? Because I¡¯m precious? What is precious? Why am I precious to you, Zetto?¡± When Zetto couldn¡¯t say anything else, I let out the questions I¡¯d been holding inside. I let it all out. I was frustrated. I didn¡¯t need an answer. I just wanted to get it off my chest. I just wanted to get it out. Zetto spoke next. ¡°Why is Ms. Aizel important to me¡­?¡± I thought Zetto would say something like, ¡°Because she¡¯s a friend,¡± or ¡°Does someone you care about need a reason to be important to you?¡± But he couldn¡¯t seem to find the words. He looked like he was really thinking about something. Is this really something to think about? This was not the usual Zetto. ¡°¡­So why are you important to me? I¡¯m¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s silencested longer than I expected, and I became a little nervous, so I asked again. ¡°¡­Ummm¡­¡­¡± Zetto scratched his head in silence. *** ¡°¡­So why are you precious? Because¡­¡± Aizel asks again when I fail to answer. I can hear her voice clearly over the pounding rain. ¡°¡­Ummm¡­¡­¡± I tried to think of an answer, but I couldn¡¯t. [Why would she ask such a stupid question when a demon is right in front of her¡­] Sierra sighs. Well, she¡¯s right, this isn¡¯t the time to have this conversation, but I¡¯mplicated in my own way. Why do I care about Aizel? Why is she important to me? The premise of ¡°she gave me happiness while I was ying a game¡­¡± is hard to understand now that I don¡¯t even know if I was really ying a game or if there was such a thing as a game. That didn¡¯t mean Aizel wasn¡¯t important. Losing her would still be painful. My head felt like it was filled with dark clouds, but then I realized the answer. Why hadn¡¯t I thought of this before? ¡°You know¡­I¡¯m in love with Ms. Aizel, so you¡¯re important to me.¡± Finally, it all came together. I like Aizel, therefore, she is important to me. When I finished and took a breath, I saw Sierra looking at me wide-eyed and wistful. ¡®Wait, so Sierra is¡­¡¯ Sierra is important to me too. Does that mean I like her? No, I think I like her. Yeah¡­It¡¯s not a sin to like people¡­ ¡®Is it a sin¡­?¡¯ Just when I think I¡¯ve got it figured out, a new question hits me in the head. Is this a problem with the ¡®crown¡¯ that reduces emotions? Is it just me? I was terribly confused and I desperately needed Geppeti¡¯s objective judgment. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I wonder if Aizel was confused as well since she opened her mouth but couldn¡¯t speak. Something leaped from the ground andnded in front of Aizel. The leaper stood up and opened his mouth. ¡°You sensed the difference in power and decided to flee. Good judgment, but your opponent was too powerful, so ept your death gracefully.¡± ¡­For a moment, I forgot about Murka. In an instant, I was in his range but before I could reach for my sword, a powerful sh of light erupted from Aizel¡¯s hand. -Bam!!! Aizel¡¯s powerful st sends Murka flying into the distance. She, who nonchntly sent Murka flying, then rushes over to me. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t hear you correctly because of that demon, repeat it.¡± Chapter 146: Practice Match (3) Chapter 146: Practice Match (3) A blinding sh of light fills the broadcast screen in the center of the exam room. Crackle!!! With a menacing roar, a bolt of lightning shoots from Aizel¡¯s hand, sending Murka, who had allowed it to happen without resistance, flying into the distance. The testing grounds instantly erupted into a muffled roar. The eyes of the cadets watching were filled with trust in Aizel. Everyone in the room knew that Murka was the strongest demon that had ever appeared. The sight of Aizel defeating him with a single blow made everyone¡¯s mouths water with admiration. ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s pretty good. I wonder how that ¡®Ludwig¡¯ got into the academy¡­ was it an anomaly?¡± Rei, who had been clenching her jaw, turned her head and nced at Hubert. He¡¯d watched Zetto¡¯s group practice before, but back then, Aizel had made one mistake after another, and¡­ Since Rei had dozed off halfway through holding the doll, it was only now that she was able to see the full extent of Aizel¡¯s skill. ¡°I see. That¡¯s why I felt so strange. A member of the Ludwig n shouldn¡¯t be good at any elemental magic.¡± The bodies of the Ludwig n had a very unique constitution. Not only did they have strange mana circuits that didn¡¯t mix with any elements, but even the simple task of enhancing their bodies with mana was difficult. Still, they had mana, and they could use magic. What they were able to gain by abandoningbat power was none other than the power to manipte time. They were the only ones in the world who could cast time magic, which was used for many things, such as reversing time and predicting the future. However, the price for breaking thews of time is said to be terrible, and nothing more is known about it. Not many people knew of the Ludwig n, but those who did spoke of them in jest. If the Ludwigs had a hidden vault, it was said, it would contain the ¡°future¡± of the world. As Hubert and Rei continued their conversation, the giant transmission screen showed Aizel¡¯s face as she approached Zetto. Aizel then speaks. [ ¡­I didn¡¯t hear you properly because of that demon, please repeat.] Aizel¡¯s cheeks were flushed against the backdrop of the pouring rain. They didn¡¯t know the circumstances of what happened, but Aizel¡¯s flushed face conveys that whatever it was, it wasn¡¯t something to talk about in front of a demon. ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think they were having a conversation.¡± ¡°¡­But aren¡¯t they dealing with demons?¡± ¡°Maybe they¡¯re talking about something more important than demons.¡± This was both puzzling and curious to the onlookers. What on earth were Zetto and Aizel talking about that they would put the demons aside like they were nothing? Someone else wondered that too. Why was Edward, who was broadcasting the screen, showing their conversation and not the demons? Only Edward, with a sinister grin on his face, knew. The image on the screen was being filmed and directed by Edward¡¯s ¡®will¡¯. It¡¯s a fantasy he¡¯s created, and with the tools Hubert has given him, he can easilypose the scene to his liking. Next, the screen cuts to Zetto on the other side of Aizel. His white bandages were mysteriously untouched by the rain, and his wet hair, now calmer, was radiating color. At least, that¡¯s how it seemed to the women in the room, except for Rei. Maybe he was talking about something important. His lips, now moistened by raindrops, were about to open. [I mean, I¡­] Everyone was holding their breath. On the screen, Zetto¡¯s voice is followed by a thick male voice. [Zetto, Aizel! Are you hurt?] Amon, Yuri, and Lucia appear, and the cadets sigh in unison. Judging by Zetto and Aizel¡¯s shaky reactions, the conversation between them was lost, and what Zetto was about to say remains a mystery. The room quickly bes chaotic and everyone has long since forgotten about Murka. ¡°Please finish what you¡¯re saying¡­!¡± Reina, who was the most engrossed of them all, was fuming with frustration. It was a simr feeling to the one known to make people angry, which is to say, to stop talking. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Meanwhile, Edward, who was transmitting it, cleared his throat and frowned slightly. ¡®I was expecting something interesting¡­¡¯ It was a great disappointment. *** ¡°There seems to be only one enemy, and he uses a unique magic whose identity is unknown.¡± The entire group is now gathered and Zetto calmly organizes the situation before Murka approaches them. ¡°It¡¯s probably telekinesis.¡± Aizel adds as she tidies up her wet hair. Telekinesis was one of the rarest types of magic used by demons that utilized magic. ¡°Telekinesis¡­ Amon and I will take the melee, while the rest of you provide cover. I¡¯ll do my best to block his magic.¡± Zetto then drew Sierra from his waistband. Yuri, who was still processing what had just happened, asked a question. ¡°¡­So what were you two talking about?¡± ¡°Nothing much.¡± ¡°Then what was it about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuri¡¯s sharp senses picked up on Zetto and the strange air currents flowing between them, but she was cut off by Aizel¡¯s curt reply. ¡®There¡¯s something¡­¡¯ A suspicion shes through Yuri¡¯s mind, but she gives up on asking further questions. For now, the battle took precedence. Zetto, with his Spectral Sword still clenched, senses Murka¡¯s approach and makes a final check on his men. Among them, he singled out Lucia. ¡°Ms. Lucia, are you making any progress?¡± ¡°¡­¡± At Zetto¡¯s question, Lucia calmed her breathing and closed her eyes. Then she opened her eyes. Her eyes were very serious, not like the usual Lucia. Lucia¡¯s eyes are focused on Murka, who is slowly walking towards them. Turning her attention back to Zetto, Lucia says a few words. ¡°¡­I see it, the horned Amon.¡± It¡¯s a ridiculous line, one that wouldn¡¯t have been out of ce in augh, but there¡¯s no sign ofughter on anyone¡¯s face. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°The enemy looking like an Amon¡± was the most important thing to them. Murka was a far cry from Amon, with long white hair and ck horns sprouting from his forehead. ¡°Hmmm.¡± Still, Amon cleared his throat, feeling a little ufortable. The distance between Murka and Zetto gradually narrowed. Zetto, who had been measuring the distance, spoke first. ¡°Scatter.¡± At the sound of his voice, the three men assigned to cover fire scatter through the bushes. Zetto then turns to Amon, who is standing behind him. ¡°Amon, let¡¯s do what we did then.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Amon paws at the ground, raising a clump of dirt, and quickly forms a gauntlet of rock on his arm. Zetto ces his feet on the thick gauntlet as if he¡¯s used to it. Amon lifts him up lightly and aims it at Murka in the distance. He swings his arm wildly, throwing Zetto off his gauntlet. ¨C Aaah!!! With a sound like air being torn apart, Zetto¡¯s body disappears in an instant. Amon¡¯s throwing power was enhanced by his mana. And Zetto¡¯s leap while stepping on the gauntletbined to send him flying at high speed. Not only that, but as he flew, he cast Chapter 2 of Reverse Heaven to add to his momentum. The speed was phenomenal and it took less than a second for Zetto¡¯s sword to reach Murka. In that instant, Zetto flew in front of Murka¡¯s nose and swung his sword at the creature¡¯s bloodless neck. -Aaah! A red sword light shed, but his sword was blocked by an invisible force that prevented it from reaching Murka¡¯s neck. It was Murka¡¯s telekinesis. Murka¡¯s mouth opens as she opens her palm to block Zetto¡¯s sword. ¡°You¡¯re quite the swordsman, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Murka smiles faintly. His smile shows nothing but lust for power and madness. ¡®Murka is not an easy opponent after all.¡¯ Zetto thought as they locked swords. ¡®To react at this speed¡­¡¯ Of course, Zetto wasn¡¯t using all of his skills, but even the old Murka was still a formidable opponent. It wasn¡¯t a demon that Edward couldn¡¯t kill for nothing. ¡®Edward, you must have fought quite hard¡­¡¯ The implementation rate of the fantasy Murka was quite good. Judging by his personality and tone of voice, it was clear that he had actually encountered him. Then, a thought crossed Zetto¡¯s mind. After all, Murka was an opponent he would have to face at some point. Maybe he could find some hints that would help him deal with him. *** Chop! Chop!!! The sound of sharp des shing echoes through the forest. Edward¡¯s vision of Murka is in a panic. ¡®This blind man with his eyes covered with bandages¡­ It¡¯s quite disturbing. Most of all¡­¡¯ Murka twisted his outstretched hand toward a clump of bushes and aimed it at the mage. ¡°Spirals.¡± A technique he often used to warp everything within a certain range. But before the telekinesis could even get there. -Thud! Zetto¡¯s nimble feet shed at the weak point of the magic, breaking it down. ¡®¡­He cut through the magic.¡¯ It was an intangible energy that was difficult to block even if you could see it¡­but the blind man sliced through it with ease. The same could be said for the telekic force that protected his body. Murka then used his telekic magic to raise the cold weapons around him to block Zetto¡¯s sword. -Boom! However, Zetto shattered those weapons as if they were nothing. ¡®An incredible barrage.¡¯ Murka¡¯s telekinesis was strong enough to handle dozens of swords, spears, and shields at once, but the blind man in front of him was swinging his sword back without showing any signs of fatigue. ¡®If this battlests long enough, there won¡¯t be any weapons around to parry his sword.¡¯ But there was no opening in sight and every once in a while, an attack that he couldn¡¯t parry came in. ¡°¡­Amon.¡± ¡°Coming.¡± An earth mage with a thick gauntlet of stones wrapped around his arm rushes forward, pushing Murka as hard as he can with his immense defense. Amon, guarded by his gauntlets, rolls heavily on the ground, causing mounds of earth to rise from beneath his feet as he struggles to hold onto Murka¡¯s feet. ¡°¡­¡± Running out of options, Murka chooses to fly into the air. But as if aiming for it, magic shoots out from all directions. -Boom!!! In time, Murka unleashes his telekinesis to deflect a bolt of lightning, followed by another pir of fire from the ground. The power of each spell is so powerful that Murka¡¯s magic is loosened and he allows a gust of wind toe at his back. -CRACK!!! Murka¡¯s armor shatters. ¡°Ugh¡­One more.¡± Pushed to the limit, Murka makes a momentary miscalction and is knocked off bnce by Lucia¡¯s wind magic. There was no way Zetto would miss this opening and from below, he immediately swung his sword at Murka. ¡®Chapter 1.¡¯ Zetto¡¯s de crossed the distance between him and Murka, aiming for his throat. ¡®Something¡¯sing.¡¯ But Murka, sensing the mystery in Zetto¡¯s movements, reacted immediately. He realized that the blind man he was dealing with was not one to make useless moves. Using his telekinesis to levitate, Murka barely managed to avoid Zetto¡¯s counterattack. -Ouch! Nevertheless, his cheeks were shallowly cut. Wiping the blood from his cheek, Murka realizes that he¡¯s been cornered. His form of telekinesis requires a high level of concentration. It¡¯s easy to learn, but difficult to master. Nevertheless, if he could master it, he could attack and defend at the same time¡­the possibilities were endless. Murka¡¯s talent for offensive magic was such that it could almost be called an art. For now, he had to defend himself. Once again, magic intercepted him from a distance. -Thud! -Thud! Murka realized that he would be at a disadvantage in a battle of attrition. It was better to y the short game, even if it meant exhausting his magic. ¡®I should aim for the mages.¡¯ However, the fire and wind mages were hard to pinpoint. ¡®Then that leaves the one who uses lightning magic.¡¯ Murka flew at a high speed, dodging the bolts of lightning that shot out, and headed for the Lightning Mage. -Thud. Afternding on his feet, Murka took in the mage¡¯s appearance. It was the tinum-haired girl, Aizel, who had casually fired a lightning bolt at him earlier. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you first.¡± The Murka that Edward had created in his fantasy was the Murka from the war a decade ago. In essence, the current Murka should have known of Aizel¡¯s existence, but Edward hadn¡¯t been able to make it happen, so he didn¡¯t recognize her. Aizel faced Murka alone but there was no fear in her eyes, one love for Zetto and joy that she had gotten him to confess. It overwhelmed the fear that had been imprinted on her soul. For Aizel, Murka¡­was now just a nuisance who interrupted her sweet conversation with Zetto. Looking at Murka, Aizel smiled faintly and drew a golden rod from her arm. With a snap, it transformed into a majestic spear. ¡°What, you didn¡¯t think I could fight in melee?¡± Of all the mages who fired their magic from a distance, he could only pinpoint Aizel¡¯s location¡­ ¡­this was a trap set up because she could fight melee. ¡°Hoh¡­¡± Murka was easily caught in the trap. Aizel, whose body was sparkling, disappeared in front of Murka¡¯s eyes with lightning-like speed. -Zap! Aizel appeared next to him in an instant and lunged her spear at Murka¡¯s throat. ¡°Die.¡± Chapter 147: Practice Match (4) Chapter 147: Practice Match (4) In the end, Murka was unable to withstand the barrage of blows from Aizel and Zetto and was decapitated. The real Murka would not have been so easily finished, but s, that was as far as Edward¡¯s fantasy would take him. Still, everyone in the testing grounds knew that Murka was no ordinary ck horn. Zetto¡¯s group was stunning and the majesty of ss A¡¯s top powers was once again burned into the cadets¡¯ minds. Once out of the illusion, Zetto analyzed the Murka he had just faced. ¡®This time, I was able to lead him to a moderate battle of attrition, but I don¡¯t think I can fight a battle of attrition with a Murka who has already be a ck Horn¡­¡¯ Realizing that Zetto was able to use dispel, Murka blocked his sword with the cold weapons around him. It was an amazing application, even for a fantasy Murka. ¡®It was exactly what the real Murka would do.¡¯ Zetto thought. He hadn¡¯t revealed his full power, and neither had Aizel. But then again, Murka hadn¡¯t shown his full power, either, so¡­ The math gotplicated. In any case, all Zetto wants is for Aizel not to die. And for Aizel¡¯s belligerence towards Murka, which Zetto has seen in this battle. In the game, Aizel could fight alongside the yer and still die. ¡®¡­Maybe we should tie his hands.¡¯ With that memory stuck in his head, Zetto felt that fighting with Aizel was too much of a risk. Not that he hadn¡¯t gained something. The ck-horned Murka he knew and the feeling of having just faced the Murka of Edward¡¯s fantasy. Zetto pictured his power shing with the Murka and came to a conclusion. ¡®I¡¯m about to reach my limit.¡¯ But he realized that he might be able to kill it at the cost of one life. Zetto¡¯s thoughts are knotted. ¡®Well, at least I have one more life¡­¡¯ It was a worthwhile investment, if only to bring Aizel to safety. With that, Zetto¡¯s group¡¯s battle came to an end, and thest group to fight together was the C-ss. It was the group that Kaen was part of. However, even though they were from ss C, their opponents were the same ck-horned demons that the cadets from ss A were fighting and everyone was puzzled by this. As Zetto watched, he thought to himself that there was no way Kaen would reveal her power, so there would be no upset. Indeed, up until the middle of the battle, they were being outmaneuvered by the demon. The cadets of ss C had protested to their instructors that this was unreasonable, but their instructor, Kaliman, had simply replied, ¡°Trust me, trust yourself.¡± The bnce of power seemed to be off, but the battle continued. But even as he uttered these words, Kaliman was growing impatient. ¡®When¡­ When will you reveal your power¡­Kaen?¡¯ On the screen, Kaen was sweating profusely, barely able to withstand the demon¡¯s attack. Her legs staggering and her eyes trembling as Kaen looked like she was at the end of her rope but it was important to note that she was holding on, if only barely while her colleagues had been incapacitated early on. In that moment, Kaen allowed the demon to attack her in an unorthodox manner. She was hit in the abdomen by a blow from the demon, sending her flying and crashing into the wall. ¡®She¡¯s gone¡­¡¯ Kaliman rubbed the corners of his eyes and didn¡¯t think she could get up anymore. This could only lead to two conclusions, either Kaen was too weak, or she had no intention of revealing her power now. Either way, he¡¯d wasted what could have been a valuable experience for the cadets. If nothing else, it should have been a way for him to hand Kaen over to Edward. And so it was that Kaliman was left with a throbbing headache. ¡°Oh¡­!¡± A nameless cadet¡¯s voice came from the screen, followed by¡­ ¡°¡±Ooooooo!!!¡±¡± ¡­followed by an exmation. Puzzled, Kaliman¡¯s eyes immediately followed the screen. On the screen, Kaen was standing tall. ¡®The mood has changed.¡¯ There was no sign of agitation. Her eyes were calm and still, like a stillke. ¡®So that¡¯s what happened. It was all¡­ an illusion.¡¯ Only Kaliman understood Kaen¡¯s intentions and as he suspected, it was all a stunt. Awakening after being pushed to the limit, that was the scenario in Kaen¡¯s mind. ¡°Ha.¡± Kaliman smirked and Reina, who was next to him, looked at him and opened her mouth. ¡°You said you believed in her, is this what you meant?¡± ¡°s, I believed.¡± The corners of Kaliman¡¯s mouth twitched as he said that. As he had firmly believed¡­¡­Kaen was not normal. ¡®I was right to leave her to Edward.¡¯ Impressed with his own wisdom, Kaliman nodded. He didn¡¯t want any more messes since he¡¯d been around too many of them since he was a kid. He knew he had Edward to thank in more ways than one. Kaen wiped the blood from her lip. On her hands, she had a pair of ck gloves. The gloves she had once received from Zetto. Underneath the gloves, Kaen wore the ring Zetto had given her on her ring finger. It was her philosophy that an awakening should be apanied by at least a slight change in appearance. The reverse is about to happen as Kaen rushes toward the demon. This was the moment when an unusual piece of Innocence Academy history was born: a cadet from ss C would be promoted to ss A before the main examination had even taken ce. *** In the barrennds far from the Innocence Academy, two demons rode horses with horns bared on their foreheads. There was no reason for them to hide their horns. This was theirnd, untouched by humans. Grabbing the reins, the red-horned demon halted his horse and pointed to a building in the distance. ¡°I found it.¡± The long-haired, pale-skinned man next to him spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s where the unholy gather, where they serve the sinner¡­¡± The man who spoke those words in a cold voice had a ck horn sprouting from his forehead that emitted an ominous aura. It was the current Legion Leader¡¯s right-hand man, Murka. Rumors of the arrival of a fellow devourer, known as the Second Coming of the Nameless One, in thend of men had long since spread through thend of demons. Indeed, the rumors turned out to be true as an entire branch of the intelligencemunity was wiped out by the creature. Because of this, most of the demons in thend of men are now on high alert. But that was it¡­ It was another thing entirely to have heretics running amok in the Demon Lands, serving a criminal who dared to defy the Demon King. The Nameless One was a demon who, in the distant past, had sought to take the throne of the Demon King. Hundreds of years had passed, and yet there were still those drunk on his power and will. The staff had identified their location, and Murka was about to dispatch them at themand of the Legion Leader. ¡°The soldiers have them trapped in that building.¡± ¡°Is that the end of the area?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The soldier who had followed the dispatch replied briefly, ending the exnation. Murka gestures toward the building. The soldier watching him is puzzled by the move, but the tone of Murka¡¯s voice that follows makes it clear what he¡¯s about to do. ¡°By order of the Legion Leader, you are hereby executed.¡± There was no one to hear him, of course, as they were some distance from the building. ¡°What¡­?¡± The soldier questioned, Murka nced at him and smiled slightly. ¡°They¡¯re going to die anyway, so what¡¯s the point of being disposed of?¡± ¡°Lord Murka, but there are still soldiers in the building¡­!¡± The soldier said in an urgent voice. ¡°Spiral.¡± Murka twisted and clenched his hands at therge building that loomed in the distance. A chunk of earth twists and in a clockwise axis, the twisted buildingpresses into a small sphere in the air. Inside, many demons were crushed. ¡°This area is over, let¡¯s move on to the next one.¡± he could see from the distance that the sphere was oozing ck demon blood. Murka didn¡¯t care about the lives of the soldiers; all he could think about was the urgency of taking care of this nuisance. ¡®That Aizel Ludwig was alive¡­¡¯ Only now did Murka realize the full extent of what had happened in thend of men. Krektar was dead, and Zagoras was unreachable. Alone with his thoughts, Albed had no choice but to tell their leader, Murka. The news of his men¡¯s deaths was not lost on him. In the first ce, everyone around him was Murka¡¯s pawn. But for Murka, who had only juste to power, Aizel¡¯s survival was not good news. ¡®They say they¡¯re my men, but they¡¯re not. It¡¯s going to be a lot of work, but I¡¯ll have to do it myself¡­¡¯ Murka had to make time to visit thend of men as soon as possible. To do that, he¡¯d better get this nuisance out of the way quickly. ¡°What the hell. Come on, don¡¯t follow me.¡± Murka, who had been leading the way on horseback, turned his head and called out to the frozen soldier. ¡°Ah¡­ Yes!¡± The soldier swallows hard and thinks to himself. The current Murka is a monster, an insatiable monster who wants more power. He had learned a little about the Nameless One while assisting the General Staff this time. Until then, there had been few ways to find out more about the Nameless One, who had been condemned to oblivion. Strangely, it was said that the Nameless One would never let his followers die alone, not even his panions¡¯. A demon that preyed on its own kind took care of itspanions. It was a contradiction in terms, but perhaps it was just his mood, looking at the merciless Murka before him now, that made the Nameless One¡¯s words seem more fitting. *** In the afternoon after the joint battle Zetto hurriedly left the testing grounds. Now that the battle was over, he was faced with the aftermath of the words that had already left his mouth, words that he would never be able to take back again. Sierra hadn¡¯t been seen since she¡¯d gone into the Spectral Sword. ¡®It was¡­ yeah, a confession.¡¯ After realizing the absurdity of his ¡®love confession¡¯ in the middle of a battle, Zetto was on his way to meet Geppeti at the dormitory. He¡¯s confused about himself, too¡­ He needed Geppeti to give him a concise and definitive answer. ¡°What you said earlier¡­ I want to hear the end of it¡­¡± ¡­an arm grabbed him. It was Aizel. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Aizel stared at Zetto with her mouth agape and her golden eyes were filled with anticipation. There was no way she could have missed him. Zetto was instantly bound by the chain she extended. Chapter 148: What is a harem (1) Chapter 148: What is a harem (1) ¡°nc, I¡­ I got a confession.¡± ¡°You¡¯re bragging about it when I¡¯m busy¡­ I can¡¯t believe you.¡± She was the head of the southern branch of the ck Hand, the best information guild on the continent, and she had a position where she couldn¡¯t be ignored, and yet she was listening to the love woes of a girl younger than her. It was a strange thing, but she didn¡¯t hate it. For nc, who had seen all manner of humanity, Aizel was such a mystery, so unpredictable even to her own powers of observation. A kind of entertainment. So even though she was busy, she made time to visit her whenever she called. As a bonus, she would get the inside scoop on the closed Innocence Academy. Aizel shook her head vigorously at nc¡¯s stunned response. ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­!¡± ¡°What, no way¡­¡± ¡°I, I¡¯m telling Zetto¡­¡­confession¡­I got a confession.¡± With those words, Aizel buried her burning face into the cold desk but it didn¡¯t cool the heat in her face. ¡°What did he say? Or rather, how?¡± nc, who¡¯d heard enough, grabbed Aizel by the shoulders and shook her. ¡°Well, it just so happens¡­I heard you like it.¡± Aizel poked her head out from between her outstretched arms and recalled the events of the day. We¡¯re not done talking yet. She wasn¡¯t going to let it slip away. She grabbed hold of Zetto. The Zetto she¡¯d caught in the middle of the road was no illusion. So even though the words he spoke were not fantasy, but reality. Still, Aizel couldn¡¯t quite believe it. ¡®I like you.¡¯ The sound of Zetto¡¯s voice echoed in her ears as vividly as if she had just heard it. Aizel was so happy that she wondered if she was having a sweet dream. She had already tugged at her cheeks so many times that they were red and tingling. nc took over, trying to sort out the situation. ¡°Well¡­ I mean, you¡¯re dating, so I guess it¡¯s not that weird, but¡­ Is that why you started a rtionship?¡± ¡°A rtionship¡­?¡± Aizel frowns and at this, nc repeats in disbelief. ¡°You said something.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Aizel, then what did you do?¡± ¡°I¡­ I ran away¡­¡± Aizel was so embarrassed that she couldn¡¯t even look at Zetto¡¯s face, her whole body tingling with embarrassment. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Why¡­? Is something terribly wrong¡­?¡± nc¡¯s meaningful silence made Aizel cry, albeit slightly. Was it a shame to run away after all? Will Zetto be disappointed? Aizel¡¯s current state was like a turbulent sea with violent waves, and she couldn¡¯t control her emotions. ¡°Hah¡­ Aizel, what do you want?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aizel bowed her head deeply. For a regressor, love was too difficult. It was full of emotions she¡¯d never experienced before, and she didn¡¯t even have a basic idea of what to do in a situation like this. nc scratched her cheek wondering if it was because she was so ufortable with her feelings, or because she had never been in love before. ¡°What if that crush means something else¡­¡± Before nc could continue, Aizel shook her head. ¡°He said it didn¡¯t.¡± Aizel worried about that, too. The Zetto she knew, though kind and gentle, didn¡¯t seem like the kind of person you¡¯d think would be interested in the opposite sex, which was why she was worried. If by nice, she meant good as a friend, then she was out of luck but she had already gotten Zetto¡¯s assurance that this was not the case. That¡¯s what prompted Aizel to run away. ¡°¡­That¡¯s good news. With this, I can break the curse myself.¡± nc strokes Aizel¡¯s back andforts her. Aizel already told her about Zetto¡¯s curse. The way to cure the curse supposedly lurking in Zetto¡¯s chest was quite unique: a kiss from a loved one¡­ but nc had researched it and found it to be real. What¡¯s more, the saint herself had put the nail in the coffin, so the question of whether or not it was a curse had long since passed but she had to be careful with the word ¡®beloved¡¯. ¡°But there¡¯s a difference between liking and loving.¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°What exactly is different?¡± ¡°Uhm, people usually categorize it into before and after, but that¡¯s really just a change of words¡­ It¡¯s the difference between a crush and love¡­¡± Even for nc, this was a difficult question. ¡°In this case, I¡¯d say the curse is the dividing line¡­ then of course a rtionship can¡¯t be based on words alone¡­ At the very least, it has to be heartfelt¡­..¡± A distressed nc muttered. It was good to have clear criteria to gauge when it was time to make an attempt at reconciliation, so as to avoid any unfortunate ¡®misunderstandings¡¯ but love, such aplicated emotion, could not have such clear criteria. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± She mutters to herself, then Aizel asks nc a question. ¡°Like¡­ would you die for that person¡­?¡± Death it¡¯s an inappropriate word, too far gone to be a standard. ¡°¡­Well, yes, I suppose that would be love¡­¡± nc, who had been stammering, nodded. Normally, one would not choose to die for someone they merely had a crush on. ¡°¡­But it wouldn¡¯t be a criterion. There¡¯s no way to tell if I¡¯d die for you¡­ and even if there were, I wouldn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± That was nc¡¯s judgment, but Aizel disagreed. ¡­Zetto had died for her. Perhaps not to Aizel, a regressor who could not die, but to others, death was not something to be taken lightly. Suddenly, Aizel¡¯s question was answered. Why had Zetto died in her ce? ¡®That Zetto¡­ He was in love with me¡­¡¯ That was all she could think. It all made sense to the regressor, who had only recentlye to understand the emotion of love. Aizel herself had also realized that she would die for Zetto. It was love¡­ even if it didn¡¯t mean much to her, since she was a regressor. After all, Zetto dying for Aizel was in thest episode and there was no telling what it would be like now but she had a feeling. Zetto, who has a ¡°history¡± of loving her, has already confessed to her that he likes her¡­ ¡­it seemed like the day wasing soon when she would be able to cut the curse from Zetto¡¯s heart. That fact alone made Aizel smile with satisfaction. She couldn¡¯t have asked for a happier day. *** Meanwhile, after whispering his love to Aizel once more, Zetto hurried back to the dormitory to find Geppeti. He left Sierra in the room for a while and went up to the roof with Geppeti for an intimate talk. ¡°¡­So, Lord Zetto, you want to ask me if it¡¯s really normal to like several girls at once, and if you¡¯re not some kind of human trash.¡± ¡°Is that¡­..?¡± Geppeti had suddenly acquired a fairly sophisticated human vocabry. ¡°I¡¯m also suspecting that the Crown may have yed a role in the process.¡± ¡°I need your objective judgment.¡± Zetto, who had been fiddling with the blindfold over his eye, nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯d like to ask you the opposite, Lord Zetto, but if you feel that such an idea is wrong, isn¡¯t it just a matter of choosing one girl?¡± ¡°I suppose so, but¡­¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to give them up, because they would all be precious to you, Lord Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zetto trailed off. She was right, they were all equally precious. ¡°To summarize, it seems that this phenomenon was caused by the Crown. I think you were unaware of it due to Lord Zetto emotions being dulled, but Lady Aizel actions caused you to reflect on it, and you¡¯re only now realizing it. In the process, you were confused by the presence of the others.¡± ¡°Because it is strange.¡± ¡°Why is it weird?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I mean, normal love is just two people¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know about polygamy, but from what I¡¯ve been able to analyze, the women in your life are attracted to you. Are you going to throw them all out?¡± ¡°They have a crush on me?¡± Zetto repeated in a bewildered voice, as if that suddenly made no sense. ¡°¡­¡± Geppeti, now somewhat humanized, barely managed to hold back a sigh. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a natural thing, an extremely instinctive move on the part of the female to acquire the genes of a superior male. In fact, I¡¯m sure a normal person would have seen through it, even without the need to analyze it closely, but since you¡¯re¡­ blind, so to speak, I suppose it¡¯s a matter of the Crown, but¡­ since you¡¯vee to realize this as ofte, why don¡¯t you take the time to review what happened with the women yourself.¡± ¡°Things that happened¡­¡± Zetto followed Geppeti¡¯s lead and recalled the events that had transpired with the women. At the time, he¡¯d gotten away with it, but in retrospect, there were a lot of things he¡¯d done that he¡¯d thought were flirtatious. The problem was that there were a lot of them and they were all people he cared about. ¡°¡­What should I do?¡± Zetto¡¯s confusion grew as he scanned the past while Geppeti, looking impassive, answered briefly. ¡°It¡¯s simple. You just have to embrace them all.¡± ¡°Embrace them all¡­?¡± ¡°You said that Lord Zetto¡¯s purpose is a happy ending for those you care about, but if the person you care about is not chosen by Lord Zetto¡­will that person be happy?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think so.¡± He had to admit that it would never be a happy ending for a favorite person to end up with someone else. ¡°Unless your purpose changes, there is no other option for you, Lord Zetto, so you will have to ept it, and I, Geppeti, highly rmend it. After all, for the survival of the human race, Lord Zetto needs to produce more offspring.¡± ¡°¡­From Geppeti¡¯s point of view.¡± Zetto, whose thoughts had not yet reached the point of ¡®offspring¡¯, responded with a shudder. Undeterred, Geppeti continues. ¡°What¡¯s more¡­ a transcendent being called ¡®God¡¯ wants you to be a ¡®king¡¯, Lord Zetto. That¡¯s a pretty big im for a king, even if it doesn¡¯t mean anything to you. And it doesn¡¯t seem strange for a king to have multiple women. Maybe you were already on your way to bing a king, so you subconsciously decided to embrace them all. Embracing them all is a pretty royal idea, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Zetto tilted his head back in confusion and thought that there wasn¡¯t much in Geppeti¡¯s long exnation that he could deny. How did this happen? Was it all the fault of the blindfold? He didn¡¯t know exactly why, but he wanted them to be unhappy. ¡°¡­As you say, I guess we don¡¯t have a choice.¡± Zetto finally agreed that it was the only way to make them happy. He dered that he would embrace them all. ¡°But¡­Now what?¡± Zetto asked, but he couldn¡¯t think of anything that would work. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re bing more aware, but the biggest problem is that you¡¯ll have to make the women understand what you¡¯re sharing with them, because after all, they¡¯ll only want you to look out for them, and that¡¯s a perfectly normal reaction.¡± ¡°Sure, but no matter how much I think about it, I don¡¯t think anything good is going to happen¡­ Is this right¡­?¡± He could tell by Sierra¡¯s reaction right away. Ever since she¡¯d decided to go all in, her head had been spinning. Geppeti, on the other hand, who seemed to be on track with his n, opened her mouth with a smirk. ¡°I have a n, but do you want to hear it?¡± Chapter 149: What is a harem (2) Chapter 149: What is a harem (2) The love of one man and many women. s, it could never be considered amon form of love. If I was greedy, it was greed. My desire for them all to be happy. I only hope that this greed is not too much for me. For now, I decided to listen to Geppeti¡¯s n. I decided to listen to Geppeti¡¯s n, because I found her voice quite convincing. Soon enough, Geppeti, who was standing on one of the rooftop railings, spoke up. ¡°¡­For now, I think we need to start building a framework, because right now it¡¯s kind of a nk te.¡± Geppeti tilts her head as she continues. ¡°I kind of get what you¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the first step in building a framework, but you have to be special to them, so that they can¡¯t give you up easily, even if something as absurd as sharing you with another woman happens.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Normally, that¡¯s not easy, probably impossible. There are plenty of men in the world, and the women Lord Zetto cherishes are all of superior quality.¡± Well, that was true. I nodded in affirmation at Geppeti¡¯s exnation. ¡°But it¡¯s a process you must go through. Whether it¡¯s obsession, over-possessiveness, or dependency, it doesn¡¯t matter, because you have to get through it somehow before you can move on to the next step.¡± ¡°That sounds pretty risky to me¡­¡± ¡°Of course it is, because you¡¯re doing something that¡¯s just as risky, and you¡¯re not going to stop walking down that path just because it¡¯s difficult and dangerous, are you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Unless you have the power to force this mold, this is the only way to do it, and I don¡¯t think you want to do it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± He wanted them to be happy, after all. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry about that, because from what I¡¯ve analyzed, you seem to be getting through this pretty smoothly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­?¡± At my stuttered question, Geppeti¡¯s mouth drops open again, and she nces at me. ¡°You seem to have a tendency to underestimate yourself, Lord Zetto, but I¡¯m not lying, and since we don¡¯t know what kind of emotional interactions you¡¯ve had with thedies, I¡¯m going to take a very objective look at you, ruling that out¡­¡± As she trailed off, Geppeti turned to face me. Her red eyes slowly scan me then her lips part. ¡°¡­To use an animal analogy, you¡¯re bathed in male pheromones that a female can¡¯t easily resist.¡± ¡°Sorry, that doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± ¡°Animal pheromones¡± was an iprehensible exnation. Geppeti wiggled her eyebrows at my short answer. ¡°Well, how about this¡­Lord Zetto is a man who can mesmerize even me, an A.I¡­?¡± Geppeti blushed and stuttered shyly, as if she wanted to exin this to me somehow. Even an A.I. can be mesmerized. It didn¡¯t make any more sense than the pheromones. More importantly¡­ ¡°¡­Mesmerized?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡± Geppeti jerks her head away from me and continues to exin. ¡°I¡¯ll let it slide, because I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be able to make you understand this, but I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s a process you have to go through in order to build a framework, and it¡¯s a very difficult one, but¡­ I know you can do it, Lord Zetto.¡± ¡°Okay. So what do you think I should do?¡± The conversation was back on track, and Geppeti answered my question sinctly. ¡°You just keep doing what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°As usual¡­?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t give you specifics on how to do that, it¡¯s something that you need to lead on your own, and I shouldn¡¯t have much to do with it, otherwise it won¡¯t be from the heart, so my role is just to briefly summarize the situation and offer advice.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong.¡± I too was curious about the ns of the highly advanced AI, but I had no intention of relying on Geppeti. ¡°Since you¡¯ve only recently be aware of your feelings, your behavior will naturally change ordingly¡­ and I think you¡¯ll move past this stage.¡± Behavioral change¡­ As it turns out, I did have a chance to tell Aizel how I really felt. I exined to Geppeti what had happened with Aizel. I felt like I was making progress because I was telling her the truth. When I finished, I was smiling with pride but the next thing I know, Geppeti lips curl up into a smile that I can¡¯t quite put my finger on. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Lady Sierra heard all of this, too?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I nod quietly. ¡°I had no idea you jumped through so many hoops in such a short time¡­ While it¡¯s a positive thing that you¡¯ve spoken your mind, I would have preferred that others not know about it at this time¡­ I suppose it¡¯s part of who you are. First, I¡¯d like to ask you something. Is Lady Sierra one of the people in the mold?¡± Without further ado, I opened my mouth to answer Geppeti¡¯s question. ¡°I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but¡­ I guess so.¡± ¡°No, even if she is a spirit body, she could still interact with you normally, and she¡¯s been around for a while, so it doesn¡¯t seem strange that you¡¯d harbor such feelings. Anyway¡­Since things havee to this, I can only tell you the next step in advance.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the next step?¡± ¡°Once you¡¯ve established a framework, you¡¯ll need to keep it stable, and to do that, you¡¯ll need to be fair. After all, your goal isn¡¯t to own them, it¡¯s to make them happy, so no one should be left out, and there shouldn¡¯t be anyints.¡± It was an idealized story though I had a feeling it was easier said than done. ¡°But what about Sierra¡­¡± ¡°Due to Sierra¡¯s nature, I¡¯ve been unable to determine if she has feelings for Lord Zetto, but if she does, she¡¯s not in a good condition.¡± ¡­that was true. *** When Zetto and Geppeti returned to the room after their intimate conversation, they were met by Rei, who was urgently searching for Zetto. For some reason, Zetto¡¯s Spectral Sword, which he had ced in the center of the room, was leaking yogi. Seeing this, Zetto casually picked up Sierra, who was emitting powerful yogi, and told them to stay away from him for a while. ¡°¡­¡± For now, Zetto remained silent, kneeling on the ground and holding his sword in an extremely respectful manner. Rei, who followed Zetto¡¯s lead, was sitting on the floor not far away, holding a fluffy Sheddie in her arms and staring at him nkly. Suddenly, Rei has a question. What the hell is going on here? In Rei¡¯s eyes, Zetto waspletely engulfed by the ominous energy emanating from his Spectral Sword. It looked dangerous enough that she wondered if he might be harmed, but the spirit was supposed to be his teacher, so it was not her business. Furthermore, with no knowledge of the Spectral Sword, Rei had no idea what was going on. Geppeti, on the other hand, was nonchntly making dinner. ¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but it¡¯s going to be taken care of,¡¯ she said, ¡®just trust your brother.¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I hope it¡¯s going to be okay¡­¡¯ She didn¡¯t want him to get hurt since she still had a lot of candy left to take from him. *** I open my eyes and immediately feel water on my feet. There was no end in sight to this empty space with shallow water at the bottom. In the sky, I see a purple full moon. ¡®The spirit world of Sierra¡­ I should say.¡¯ Hurrying back to the room from my conversation with Geppeti, I found myself face to face with Sierra, who was leaking yogi. The bonds of the seal were visibly weakened. Then I reached for my sword and realized that Sierra was pulling me in. I prepared myself and epted her touch without resistance. This is how it¡¯s been since my vision went ck but the one who had brought me here was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Master?¡± I call out to her, but there is no answer. The echo-free void was eerily silent. I walked slowly forward as I listened to the sound of the water sloshing in my ears and pondered. I wondered why Sierra had called me here. What had upset her so much that she¡¯d disappeared into the Spectral Sword? Sierra¡¯s behavior was puzzling, as she always referred to the rtionship between them as master and pupil. Even after listening to Geppeti¡¯s exnation, I was still confused and nothing made sense. I was walking around aimlessly and started to think about it. Maybe it was the wrong way to call her. -Pfft. I stopped in my tracks and opened my mouth to speak. ¡°Sierra.¡± I called her name, not Master. When had I ever called her that before? I scratched my cheeks, feeling a little embarrassed, perhaps because she had recognized my feelings for her. Finally, she responded. Out of nowhere, a cloud of purple smoke rises in front of me, and then she appears. Her impassive eyes meet mine as she emerges from the smoke and approaches me, then her mouth opens. ¡°Why have youe?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sierra is pouting hard now. I¡¯m sure of it. Chapter 150: What is a harem (3) Chapter 150: What is a harem (3) ¡°Why have youe here?¡± Once again, Sierra¡¯s blunt voice took over, and I found myself trying to formte an answer. ¡®She asked me why I came¡­¡¯ It was ridiculous. She had brought me here, after all. But I was well aware that an answer like ¡°Sierra dragged me here first, didn¡¯t she?¡± would not be particrly meaningful in this situation. I mulled over her question and reyed the sequence of events. I was more cautious than usual. Words are indeed profound but her question was missing an important word. ¡®Maybe what Sierra really wants to ask is¡­¡¯ Not why I came but why I came sote. With a bitter smile, I spoke. ¡°¡­I¡¯mte, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Sierra hesitates, unable to open her lips. She is clearly agitated, as her violet eyes are fluttering wildly. She hadn¡¯t expected this answer and judging by her reaction, I was right. Finally, Sierra shakes her head. ¡°I¡¯m in a very bad mood right now, and I think you should go back.¡± ¡°Even if you tell me to go back¡­I don¡¯t know how to go back, and I don¡¯t want to go back.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sierra stares at me nkly and wants me to say something more. In response, I spoke up. ¡°Because here, I can hear your voice with my normal ears.¡± ¡°Are you going to reject my words for such a trivial reason¡­?¡± ¡°More than that, why are you in a bad mood?¡± I took control of the conversation, leaving the stuttering Sierra behind. I slowly advanced toward her as waves rippled across the calm water. ¡°Don¡¯te near me¡­¡± Sierra took a quick step back but when I didn¡¯t, she reached out, and something sharp grazed my cheek. ¡®The third chapter of the Reverse Heaven?¡¯ I don¡¯t see a sword anywhere, but my cheek is shallowly cut and blood trickles down. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­I told you to stay away.¡± Another sharp de shes past me. It¡¯s nothing more than a sh, but I take a step toward her in silence. ¡°I¡¯m getting closer¡­¡± I reached Sierra¡¯s front and gingerly grabbed her wrist. She struggled, as if to tell me to let go, but no. She wasn¡¯t really trying to shake me off; she had the strength to do so. I could tell that her current struggle was just to make sure I had a good grip and that I wouldn¡¯t let go so I held on even tighter. And then, just when I thought she calmed down and confirmed my intentions I opened my mouth. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard your answer yet.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sierra turns her head away from me. I wonder what she felt. What must it have been like for her, who had held me in her heart since the beginning, to watch me whisper my love to someone else? I wonder if she resented the fact that she had be a spirit, that she had no body like everyone else. Had she deceived herself into believing that such feelings were inappropriate between master and pupil? Sierra turned away from me, so I couldn¡¯t see the emotions on her face, but I could sense them faintly in the trembling of her wrists in my grasp. ¡°Master¡­No, Sierra¡­¡± Setting aside my rtionship with her as Master and pupil for the moment, I faced Sierra as Zetto. ¡°¡­¡± At my continued call, Sierra slowly turned her head, her eyes once again focused on me. ¡°¡­I like you, Sierra.¡± ¡°That¡¯s, that¡¯s¡­ What a¡­ mess¡­¡± Sierra is taken aback by my unexpected confession of love. It was a natural reaction since she¡¯d been through this before with Aizel. Then she swatted my hand away and yells at me. ¡°Don¡¯t try to fool me¡­ You must be¡­!¡± Sierra starts to argue with me, but I cut her off. ¡°¡­I was, but I can assure you that this is the truth, not a lie: I like Sierra.¡± This was the Sierra I was going to be with for the rest of my life, so I had to jump through hoops and get ahead of the curve. For her, it was an absurdity that was hard to believe, but it was necessary. For this moment, I can only trust in her inclusiveness. ¡°¡­¡± I wonder if my words reached her. With her head bowed, Sierra seemed to have given up on arguing. But the question still lingers in her voice, and it slips out. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The living among the living, leaving the dead like me alone. You should be able to live happily together¡­¡± Sierra¡¯s voice trailed off. She was hesitating. Her uncharacteristically unsure demeanor didn¡¯t mesh with my goal of making everyone happy. ¡°What does it matter if you¡¯re dead?¡± I gently lifted Sierra¡¯s chin from her lowered head. ¡°I can reach you like this, and I can hear your voice.¡± Tears pooled in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s all my greed and I know it¡¯s crazy, but I couldn¡¯t give it up, because Sierra means so much to me, and so¡­As greedy as I am¡­I hope you¡¯ll be just as greedy for me.¡± ¡°¡­Zetto.¡± The tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes quietly slide down. ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not leaving.¡± A contract, an oath and a promise that would be kept for years toe. Sierra lunges at me and hugs me fiercely. ¡°Are you sure¡­ Is it really okay for me, a dead woman, to have a heart for someone who is truly alive¡­ and I only have one apprentice¡­¡± ¡°Why? The tender love between a master and a disciple that even death can¡¯t stop. I like that.¡± ¡°Not even death can stop it¡­ In hindsight, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re wrong¡­¡± From then on, I held Sierra in my arms and talked to her to help her calm down. Most of it was sobbing. She mumbled nonstop about the many things she had piled on me and in between were harsh words directed at me. In the end, I decided to take it in stride because it was my fault. ¡°¡­By the way, it¡¯s good that my apprentice has taken notice, but I¡¯m not happy about it. After all, I¡¯m the second one.¡± Sierra pushed me away and crossed her arms, pouting. Geppeti words from earlier echoed in my head. It¡¯s only fair that I build a framework and then have to build on it to keep it stable. There will be many such things in the future, and I wonder if I should have practiced. In love, ¡®order¡¯ is an importantw. To be precise, the first time or not has a big meaning. Sierra didn¡¯t seem to like that my first heartfelt confession was directed at Aizel, not her. Even if my feelings for them were constant and the same, this order was something I couldn¡¯t control. But so what? I¡¯ll just have to bnce it out as best I can. ¡°Then¡­¡± I trailed off, turning to Sierra, who had pushed me away. I reached out and wrapped my arms around her waist as effortlessly as water flows, and slowly leaned my face into hers. ¡°¡­¡± Panic shed in Sierra¡¯s eyes, but she didn¡¯t pull away. Eventually, her lips meet mine. It was supposed to be a light kiss¡­ I thought it would end there. Soon, Sierra¡¯s moist tongue pushes against my lips. I asked her to be greedy, and she was¡­ well, I guess you could say she was greedy in her own way. Soon our saliva and breath mingle between our tiny lips. Sierra¡¯s tongue tangles with mine, exploring while her arms slip around my neck. Her breath is hot as fire as it slips between our tongues. The sound of our tongues tangling and mingling is the only sound in this silent space where no one else can enter. How much time had passed? ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± We tore our heads apart in silence. ¡°¡­I wonder if that¡¯s fair.¡± I whispered softly, smiling sweetly at Sierra, who immediately blushed. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sierra pursed her lips, unable to say anything else, and nodded weakly. ¡°To take my first¡­¡± ¡°¡­My first, too.¡± ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s good enough for me.¡± Sierra covered her mouth with the cuff of her hand and shook her head. ¡®First kiss¡­¡¯ I never thought my first kiss would be in the Spectral Sword but somehow it happened. Still, it was a big step forward. I was able to tell Sierra how I really felt, and she seemed to ept it somehow. ¡°¡­I thought it was nothing out of the ordinary, but I never thought you¡¯d have two women in your heart.¡± Sierra muttered, not saying much else so I stopped listening to her and asked a question. ¡°What do you mean, two women?¡± ¡°¡­And?¡± ¡°I want everyone to be happy¡­¡± I was thenpletely berated by Sierra, who, in hindsight, fully understood the situation. ¡­After all, order matters. *** ¡°¡­Oh, I¡¯m awake!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The first thing Rei saw when she opened her eyes was a pure white aura enveloping her body. It seems that Rei was worried about me being ovee by yogi, so she used her hero strength toe over and check on me. ¡°Did something happen with your master?¡± Rei asked, and I answered, sneaking a nce at Sierra, who stood silently beside me. ¡°¡­Nothing much happened.¡± Chapter 151: Zagoras and Echis (1) Chapter 151: Zagoras and Echis (1) After Zetto¡¯s confession nothing much had changed. He smiled at me with his usual kindness, and I still hadn¡¯t expressed my feelings for him. ¡®Expressing¡¯ my feelings was much harder than I thought. I felt insanely happy and good after confirming Zetto¡¯s feelings, but¡­so what? Just standing in front of him makes my head go white and I feel like an idiot. Today, I couldn¡¯t even answer him properly. I might as well have been acting wildly, driven by desire. nc suggests that we go on dates in a rtionship, but confession seems difficult in this state. I wonder if things would have been different if I had said no instead of running away. It was a meaningless story, but at the same time, I couldn¡¯t erase my regret. Oh, another change is that Kaen from ss C has been doing monthly sses in ss A. It¡¯s unusual, but it¡¯s not a big deal. It was unusual, but I didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. She seemed to be close to Zetto, so I guess you could say she was anotherpetitor¡­ but¡­ He said he liked me. If anything, it was starting to bother me that he was being friendly to other women. In any case, in order to break Zetto¡¯s curse, I needed to get ahead of them and reach the destination of ¡®kissing¡¯. Now that I had taken a meaningful step in that situation my desire to live became even stronger. Now that I have known such joy and happiness there could be no more regression, no more return of everything to nothing. The demon from Edward¡¯s vision was a face that was terribly familiar to me, if not to others. It was Murka, the leader of the demons who had ughtered my n, and the one who had turned me into a guinea pig. This unexpected encounter led me to recall the horrors of that day at length. I had to figure out the best way to survive, not to mention Zetto¡¯s curse and most importantly, Zetto¡¯s safety. For once, I didn¡¯t want to see him sacrificed. With Krektar dead, there were only four of them left. Aside from Murka, who would be in the Demon Lands, and Zagoras, who was an elusive figure, Echis and Albed remained. Albed is so cunning that it¡¯s very difficult to find him. Echis, however, is different. She has a signature that¡¯s easier to track. However, her wanderings and activities covered arge area, so it was a hassle to ask nc for a favor every time. Well, not everyone is good at finding them. I once sought out Echis in revenge, only to have her ughter me in an instant. Aside from Krektar, who has a unique diet, the other four are all ck horned. At the beginning of the regression, it was difficult to deal with even one of them. ¡®¡­Not now, though.¡¯ I hopped from roof to roof, my eyes taking in the darkened city. ording to my sources, a body had recently been found in the city, bizarrely ¡®disyed¡¯. ¡®They should still be in this city¡­¡¯ The reason I¡¯ll find Echis wandering around is simple. She has unusual tastes and has a disgusting habit of sucking the life out of humans and then disying it as art. All demonic corpses are kept under strict information control by the Temrs but I had nc so I was able to reach the ce in time. Where did you get this information? It came from Echis herself, who was torturing me. She said he was making an artwork and that she wanted to add me into her artwork someday. Echis would tell me these horrific stories as I sat there as her test subject. I¡¯ve long since gotten over the horrors of torture, and now I only see her as a madwoman. I wonder if any of the demons chasing me were sane in the first ce. It was just a bunch of lunatics with nothing to do, all of them missing a screw somewhere. As I strolled across the rooftops, my mind wandered, and I felt a cord touch my body. It was a well-crafted bond made of demonic power, magical energy, and not a single bit of it was leaking out. This is where I could feel the iron will of the demons who had created it. It enveloped this small building beneath my feet. ¡°¡­¡± The silence inside the circle was deafening, drowning out the sounds of the outside world but the silence was short-lived. -Aaaaahhhh!!!! A scream echoes from inside the building. Magically constructed, wlessly soundproofed, with no loose ends, and screams that sounded human from within. There was only one answer: Echis. The disgusting meal of Echis, who tortures her victims to death before sucking the life out of them, is being prepared below. I quickly pulled the spear from my bosom and unfurled it. Ironically, if I have Echis to thank for anything, it¡¯s that her torture has made me numb to most pain, and has taught me how to be a better torturer. Her knowledge of torture, in particr, came in handy this time around. Unfortunately, Echis will not be able to exhibit her work this time around. Maybe she should be thest one on disy. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea and as a bonus, it raised a question. How long could apetent torturerst? *** And so it was that Aizel met Echis and fought her way through the battle. In another city, a nameless demon was dying. The demon fell, unable to put up much of a fight against the beast that was upon him. ¡°Mmph¡­ Ugh¡­¡± The demon, still breathing, groaned in pain and struggled to drag itself across the floor. The pair of men and women slowly following the demon was a strange sight to behold. A blind man with white bandages over his eyes and a girl with snow-white hair. Neither of them seemed to fit in well with the demon, whose ankle tendons had been severed and were oozing ck blood. Then the blind man asked the girl a question. What came through the demon¡¯s ears was a terrifying question that sent chills down his spine. ¡°Should I keep him alive?¡± It was spoken in a casual tone, as if the current situation was nothing. He couldn¡¯t even think about why he was asking such a question and why he hadn¡¯t killed him. But when it realized that its life depended on the answer, it stopped crawling and turned over to look them in the eye. ¡°Please¡­ Please don¡¯t kill me¡­¡± The demon begged. He pressed his hands together and begged until they were on fire. Then the girl¡¯s icy gaze met his and her red eyes were devoid of any emotion that any human should feel. The demon wondered if the girl in front of him was human. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s keep him alive for now.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± The two talked like that, ignoring the demon¡¯s pleading voice, until the girl squatted down to look at it. ¡°So this is the energy storage organ. Why is it shaped like a horn? It would be more efficient if it was inside the body.¡± The demon was being ¡®observed¡¯. The girl¡¯s eyes were focused on the horns that had sprouted on his forehead. The demon quickly rolled his eyes as the girl now in front of him didn¡¯t appear to be carrying any weapons. The blind man over there was clearly unusually skilled. Since he could only cut the tendons in his ankle, he¡¯d have no chance at all, but this girl was different. Unlike the blind man, she didn¡¯t seem to have any overwhelming aura, so he seemed to have a chance. ¡®I don¡¯t know what kind of rtionship you two have, but it¡¯s clear that you¡¯re friends.¡¯ Havinge to the conclusion that it wanted to take the girl in front of it as a hostage, the demon immediately stood up from its waist and wrapped its arms around the girl¡¯s neck, which were still intact, unlike its legs. ¡°Don¡¯te near me¡­!¡± He warned, pointing a finger at the girl¡¯s head. ¡°If you make the slightest move, she¡¯ll be dead¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± But despite the demon¡¯s desperate warning, the blind man made no move. He can¡¯t even see what¡¯s going on since he is blind. Suspicious of the blind man¡¯sck of response, the demon exins the situation in more detail. ¡°I¡¯m holding her hostage¡­! I¡¯m going to blow a hole in her head!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Despite the exnation, the blind man merely scratches his head and doesn¡¯t even reach for the sword at his waist. The girl was equally unmoved. The girl naturally turned her head to meet his finger that was pointing at her head. ¡°So this is Magick. It¡¯s definitely a different form of energy than mana. It¡¯s quite simr to the energy I saw in Lord Zetto¡¯s heart the other day, called Tears of the Dead.¡± The girl¡¯s close analysis continued despite the tense situation of being held hostage. ¡°Tears of the dead¡­? Heart¡­?¡± The demon was not following their conversation at all. The blind man, however, quickly dismissed the demon¡¯s words and continued his conversation with the girl. ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose it¡¯s simr in that it converts life force into energy, and that jewelry was probably made by some crazy demon in the first ce.¡± ¡°I see. Is that the extent of the magick you have?¡± The girl stopped talking to the blind man and looked at the demon and asked. It wasn¡¯t the best question to ask of a demon that was holding her hostage, but when the demon realized it was being ignored, he scraped up all of his magick and concentrated it on his fingers. ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me¡­¡± The girl¡¯s eyes widen and the demon who wonders if she senses fear continues his warning. He must take control of this insane situation. ¡°Are you getting the picture? If I die, you die, too. You¡¯ve picked the wrong guy. I¡¯m not dying in this ce! I¡¯m Kundral, a demon who will one day be a ck Horn!¡± Kundral¡¯s threats and majestic derations echo through the deserted alleyways. The blind man, who nods faintly in response, speaks up. ¡°Ah, I am Jorgal. Though I have no horns.¡± ¡°Jorgal?¡± Before the question can sink in, the girl¡¯s lips part as she stares intently at Kundral¡¯s fingers. ¡°¡­Is this the limit of his magick?¡± ¡°¡­¡­It is.¡± ¡°That¡¯s strange. That¡¯s too little for the amount of energy the Tears of the Dead contain.¡± ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t enough for the Tears of the Dead, it was enough for hundreds or thousands of lives¡­!¡± After another round of the girl¡¯s analysis, Kundral¡¯s voice rose in anger. ¡°¡­So how many humans did you kill to umte that power?¡± ¡°How many¡­? I never counted that¡­ Somewhere around twenty¡­?¡± ¡°Roughly twenty, that¡¯s how much magick you have, I understand.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kundral, who had obediently answered the question for some reason, reyed the absurdity of the previous conversation. ¡°¡­Enough questions.¡± Feeling like he was being yed, Kundral fought back the anger that was rising to the top of his head and slowly drew a magic circle with the magick he had gathered on his fingertips. It was a sign of his sincerity. How could these guys be so out of touch with the situation, how could they be so rxed when the girl¡¯s head was about to be blown off? The question was answered when the girl¡¯s voice continued. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ve run out of questions, so I¡¯m going to ask you this next one¡­¡± The girl¡¯s words trailed off, and an iron ng was hearding from her arm. The strange sound, which could have been made by a machine, was definitelying from the girl¡¯s arm as the girl¡¯s arm that split open, revealing a sharp de. ¡°It wasn¡¯t human after all¡­!¡± With his eyes popping out of his head, Kundral quickly tried to cast a spell. -sh! The girl¡¯s de sliced through his wrist. ¡°Aaaahhhh!!!¡± Kundral¡¯s scream followed. ¡°¡­I¡¯d better dismantle it myself and find out.¡± There was a loud crackling sound, and the girl¡¯s body began to disintegrate, her red eyes still devoid of emotion. Then the dismantling began. Zetto had his back turned to the unspeakably horrific sight, a sight so gruesome that it made Sierra¡¯s eyes widen at his side but Geppeti was unperturbed, continuing to gather information from Kundral. As Zetto listened to Kundral¡¯s incessant screams, he was d he had soundproofed the room beforehand. They were currently collecting data in order to turn the Otherworldlers into Anti-demon Weapons. There was a hint of embarrassment on Zetto¡¯s face, though, as he hadn¡¯t expected the data collection to be a deconstruction and analysis show. Just as the thought crossed his mind that he was forcing Geppeti, who was technically his sister, to dissect demons. -Beep. A beeper beeps in Zetto¡¯s arms. It¡¯s a small sound that could have been drowned out by Kundral¡¯s screams, but Zetto¡¯s superior hearing doesn¡¯t miss it. ¡®The crystal ball¡­¡¯ Zetto reached into his bosom and pulled out the portable crystal ball he had been given by Saint Bernice. He then turned to Geppeti, who was on the other side of the room. ¡°Geppeti, I need to take a call for a moment.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He didn¡¯t know if the word ¡°call¡± is even used in this world, but Geppeti, whose face and clothes were spattered with the demon¡¯s ck blood, nodded in understanding. Then, stepping out of the circle, Zetto channels mana into the crystal ball. He hadn¡¯t heard from her in a while, since she¡¯d given him the information on Zagoras, so he wondered if something had happened. ¡°Zetto.¡± As Zetto speaks into the crystal ball, it crackles and Bernice¡¯s voicees through. [Zetto, you¡¯re awake?] ¡°I¡­¡± [I thought I told you to¡­get some rest¡­] ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t do much. I didn¡¯t even catch that many demons.¡± [You mean you caught some?] ¡°¡­About three or four¡­¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s voice, which was vividly picturing Bernice¡¯s face with a cold smile in his head even though he was listening through the crystal ball, gradually faded as he continued. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± [Phew¡­For breaking the orders of your superiors, you¡¯ll have to make it up to them] Bernice, who found Zetto¡¯s demeanor cute, smiled faintly. ¡°So what¡¯s going on, is it¡­¡± [ ¡­Yes, ording to the information, Delion, the deputy leader of the Golden Lion Knights, was definitely a demon.] Delion was the human form of the demon Zagoras and Zagoras was one of the demons chasing Aizel. His identity made him untouchable, so Zetto¡¯s work with Bernice was finally paying off. ¡°If only we had a solid witness or proof¡­¡± He could go for the kill. Zetto was about to say something like that but Bernice¡¯s voice from the crystal ball interrupted him. [¡­The proof is in my hands now.] ¡°What is it?¡± Zetto asks, purely curious about the situation as Bernice¡¯s calm, rxed voice answers him. [If it¡¯s Delion¡¯s neck with the ck horns on his forehead, then it¡¯s evidence, and I don¡¯t know what could be more conclusive than that.] ¡°What¡­?¡± A question mark appears on Zetto¡¯s face at Bernice¡¯s answer but Bernice¡¯s voice confirms it. *** [ What¡­?] Zetto¡¯s shaky replyes through the crystal ball. Did he really think that after all this time she would not have figured out that Delion was a demon? Bernice, unnecessarily annoyed with Zetto for underestimating her, raises the horn in her hand and locks eyes with the thing that was Delion. ¡°We¡¯ve just finished the ughter, now all that¡¯s left is to take this to the Golden Lion Knights.¡± If nothing else, this lightened Zetto¡¯s burden a bit. Delion, Zagoras was a tricky demon, even for Saint Bernice. It wasn¡¯t so much that he was difficult to defeat, but that his status made it difficult to do a simple investigation. To learn more about Zagoras ying, we must go back a few days to when Aizel came to Bernice. Chapter 152: Zagoras and Echis (2) Chapter 152: Zagoras and Echis (2) ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you why, except that I can¡¯t have anything to do with Cadet Zetto¡¯s curse¡­ If that¡¯s all you have to say, please leave, I¡¯m busy with the Knights.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mouthing my answer, Aizel raises a trembling arm to the desk¡­ and then leaves the room. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I sat dumbfounded, staring at the door she¡¯d left through. There was no lie. No, I would rather have been able to spit out a lie. Aizel Ludwig, a ssmate of Zetto¡¯s at the Academy. She had tinum hair and golden eyes. I¡¯d noticed the forcefulness of her public sses, but I had no idea she was connected to the leader of the ck Hand. Zetto is a fascinating man. No wonder he has so many people who care about him. Should I be d that I wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed his curse, and that it was her ¡°destiny¡± to break it, not mine? Why did the Lord have such a n? My head was spinning. I haven¡¯t done any research on how to do it, but hopefully she can find a way to do it. Shaking off my thoughts, I push myself to his feet and step outside. As I open the door, a woman in robes bows. ¡°How did the conversation go?¡± I smile and answer vaguely as she holds out her robe to me. ¡°It went well. Did you hear anything else along the way?¡± With that, I threw on my robes and headed straight for the investigation headquarters. In¨¦s, who was right behind me, whispered. ¡°¡­I got it.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± We were finally making progress in our quest to destroy Delion. *** Three women sat in a conference room at the temporary investigative headquarters of the Knights of the Silver Wing. Bernice, the Saint of Innocence. Ines, the Order Leader. And Ecline, the deputy leader. Stacks of papers cluttered the conference room¡¯s desks and against one wall were a number of notes with information about Delion, the deputy leader of the Knights of the Golden Lion. They were currently conducting a secret investigation into him based on information from the Honorary Knight Zetto that Delion was a demon. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± A stern silence hung over the room as the matter was discussed. Since they were investigating a Temr from another country, perhaps even an ally, the investigation had to be conducted inplete secrecy to avoid confrontation between the nations, so while it was inevitable that the location would be known to the Intelligence Guild, the information inside the investigation headquarters would not leak out. Soon, a knight entered the conference room and held out a stack of papers to Bernice. ¡°This is what you asked for.¡± The knight who handed her the papers bowed slightly and left the room again, and Ines spoke up. ¡°These are the reports submitted to the Alliance, containing the entry and exit records of all the Knights of the Golden Lion and their recent activities. I¡¯ve been transcribing them, leaving the originals intact.¡± ¡°¡­The informant must have gone through a lot of trouble, have you all read them?¡± Bernice, who had been holding the papers in her hands at In¨¦s¡¯ exnation, asked. ¡°Yes, but it was strangely neat.¡± ¡°There are no entries or exits that indicate predation, which is consistent with his recent behavior.¡± In¨¦s spoke first, followed by Ecline. There was insufficient evidence that Delion was a demon but what they were investigating was none other than human predation. Preying on humans was one of the things demons can¡¯t give up. Demons umte magick by sucking the life force out of humans. Moreover, demons instinctively seek out strength, so human corpses inevitably appear wherever they are. It had to be assumed that most demons who set foot on human soil did so with the intent to prey on humans, so if Delion was one of them, he must be doing just that. Bernice looked at the papers and as Ecline and Ines had said, there were no anomalies in Delion¡¯s personal logs. ¡°¡­But while it¡¯s clean for Mr. Delion alone, there are some things that don¡¯t add up when you look at the entire Order.¡± In¨¦s says this to Bernice, who is still looking through the papers, and Bernice tilts her head. ¡°Lately, the words ¡®no survivors¡¯ have been appearing in their ughters with noticeable frequency.¡± At Ines¡¯ next words, Bernice nced at the internal reports of the Knights of the Golden Lion. ¡°Hmm¡­Definitely. No matter how ipetent and slow to react, this is enough to make me wonder if the Knights of the Golden Lion aren¡¯t even worthy of the name¡­ It¡¯s too frequent¡­ Missing demons is one thing, but the low survival rate of new recruits is another.¡± ¡°No survivors¡­ could it be¡­¡± Ecline¡¯s voice trailed off with meaning. What could happen if the vice-captain of a knight order that was supposed to hunt down demons was a demon? What if the demons were found, but he deliberately missed his own kind, devoured the humans in their ce, and then med the demons for their deaths¡­? Or maybe the demons never showed up in the first ce, and Delion killed the humans and reported that he missed the demons. As the three women¡¯s minds raced with possibilities, Bernice, who had been studying the report, found a clue. ¡°¡­Is it a coincidence that all of the areas reported as having no survivors are slums?¡± Bernice, who often travels to the slums to help people who are struggling to get proper medical care, was able to recognize this. ¡°In the slums, no one would care if their neighbor disappeared overnight if they were killed by a demon. It¡¯s a good ce for predation, where you don¡¯t make a lot of noise.¡± ¡°But even then, the Temrs would have been there, too, and he could have pulled the wolf¡¯s wool over their eyes perfectly.¡± Ecline questioned Bernice¡¯s spection but In¨¦s has a theory. ¡°¡­No, I think it¡¯s entirely possible. If the entire Temr Order is bending to his will, the conditions are right for him.¡± ¡°Does that exin the remarkably low survival rate of new recruits¡­?¡± ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s weeding out those who might go against his wishes, those he can¡¯t recruit.¡± ¡°If all of this is true, he¡¯s quite cunning and clever, so it¡¯s not out of the realm of possibility, and his sophistication should be factored into the equation since he joined the Demon yers in the first ce, but this report seems insufficient as evidence. Unless we catch him in the act¡­¡± Bernice summarized the conversation between Ecline and In¨¦s. Yes, it was just a spection, and the situation was still up in the air but now that it was clear that Delion was a demon, they were going over their research from scratch to see if they had missed anything. Then Ecline spotted something. ¡°Wait a minute, can I have this¡­¡± Ecline holds out the paper she¡¯s been reading to In¨¦s and Bernice, who are looking through a stack of papers on the desk. It was a log of the entry and exit of the Knights of the Golden Lion. Ecline points to a section of the paper and speaks. ¡°¡­Delion seems to have been entering the orphanage at regr intervals in the name of donations, but if he was truly a demon, would he have been handing over donations to the orphanage as normal¡­? It could be a cover for the fact that he might be investigated at some point, but if not¡­Orphans in an orphanage¡­isn¡¯t that quite simr in nature to the slums, and it¡¯s only recently that there have been no survivors of demonic exterminations in the slums¡­ Maybe even before that¡­¡± ¡°¡­He was preying on orphans?¡± Ecline nodded faintly at Ines¡¯ conclusion. ¡°But the younger onescked vigor and would not have been qualitatively enough for him.¡± That was true, a young child would not normally even be considered for predation by the demons, as their bodiescked the vital energy of a robust adult. The same goes for the elderly. At Bernice¡¯s words, Ecline shifts the stack of papers on her desk a bit, revealing a map. ¡°But it¡¯s a fairlyrge orphanage in the capital of the Kingdom of Terracia¡­ Well, as we know, it¡¯s overflowing with children who lost their parents in the war¡­ It¡¯s a horrible story, but the numbers are there. And if the ledger is helping, it¡¯s probably more stable than the slums.¡± Pointing to the map, Ecline said. ¡°The orphanage would normally be a stable source of humans, but for whatever reason, he¡¯s gotten desperate and has been raiding the slums frequently¡­with the intention of tarnishing the Temrs¡¯ reputation.¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± A hush fell over the room after Bernstein¡¯s theorem. It was an unpleasant story, even for their hypothesis. But if it was true, there was no time for them to sit back and rx. ¡°I¡¯d like you to investigate the orphanage. Using the date of his visit as a baseline, if there are any children who were sent for adoption on a nearby date, we¡¯ll have to trace them backwards. And since there¡¯s a good chance that the orphanage¡¯s director and Delion are in cahoots, I¡¯d like you to keep this investigation quiet.¡± At Bernice¡¯smand, Ecline and In¨¦s briefly reply and leave the room. ¡°¡­¡± Bernice remained in the conference room, quietly controlling her anger and hoping that their hypothesis was just a hypothesis. *** Despite her wishes, as the orphanage¡¯s investigation progressed, it was bing increasingly likely that Delion was a demon. No, it was almost certain that their hypothesis had been correct. They traced the children from the orphanage back to where they had been sent for adoption. They visited homes that were supposed to have adopted them, only to be told that no such child existed. On top of that, the adoption rate was ridiculously high. In the name of adoption, the orphanages were filled with new orphans. It was a cycle of sorts. It was shocking, even if the kingdom of Terracia was being left to rot by an old king. Perhaps it was because the world didn¡¯t pay much attention to the overflow of orphans. Delion must have known this, too, and hade to take advantage. He was a very clever man. It was a cunning move, as if he knew what the public cared about and what they didn¡¯t care about. Eventually, Bernice decided to confirm her theory and arrested the director of the orphanage that was supposedly providing orphans to the demon Delion. It was an arrest, not a formal investigation, so it was a kidnapping but it didn¡¯t matter. Even if the director had no connection to Delion, there would still be questions about where all those children had gone. He was tied up in ropes and shivering when he came face to face with Bernice in a basement, unable to speak. He felt as if Bernice¡¯s pink eyes could see right through him and quickly assessed the situation. ¡®It wasn¡¯t the bandits.¡¯ The silver-armored women around him were the Knights of the Silver Wings, which meant that this silver-haired woman was none other than the saint. As sinful as he was, he tried to hide it as best he could, but there was no escaping Bernice¡¯s power. Bernice asked him straightforwardly. Did he ever offer orphans to Delion, the deputy leader of the Knights of the Golden Lion? The answer came back. ¡°¡­False.¡± Bernice replied with an indifferent nce. Somehow, the director, who knew that Bernice was a saint but not of her powers, hade up with a lie to get out of the situation. Not that reciting the truth would make any difference. ¡°Don¡¯t you know what kind of person Lord Delion is¡­! You dare to suspect the vice-captain of a kingdom¡¯s knight order as a demon!¡± ¡°With that answer, it is also confirmed that Delion is a demon.¡± The director suddenly realized the meaning of ¡®innocence¡¯ in Bernice¡¯s title. Somehow, Delion had been found out to be a demon but the director thought quickly. ¡®I¡¯m not going to die right away¡­¡¯ They¡¯d need a witness to touch Delion anyway. But just as he thought that Bernice leaned over and made eye contact with the Director, who was still on his knees. ¡°Do you really think you¡¯re not going to die, that you¡¯re going to go to jail, that somehow you¡¯re going to use your connections to get out, and that¡¯s it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± It hit the nail on the head. ¡°Unfortunately, you will die today.¡± ¡®Why?¡¯ Just as the question shes through his mind, Bernice turns away from him. ¡°Your life means nothing once it¡¯s been established that Delion is a demon, and his head will be further proof. Besides, I don¡¯t want you to live another day, another minute, another second. I must do it for the sake of the children who died in vain.¡± And with that, Bernice¡¯s chilling sentence was delivered and a short, green-haired woman approaches him with her sword unsheathed. Chapter 153: Zagoras and Echis (3) Chapter 153: Zagoras and Echis (3) Zagoras remembered the day he stepped out of the ravagednd of demons and into thend of men. It was a fertilend, overflowing with humans and hope. It was the stuff of dreams. After the Ludwig n was ¡°dealt with,¡± Zagoras, a war veteran, made the best of it. Rather than die fighting a war he knew he couldn¡¯t win, he chose to wait for the Demon King¡¯s resurrection. Well, he didn¡¯t forget to drain the lifeblood from the weaker humans. And so, dodging all the metal and magic that rained down from the sky he survived and his chance had finallye. Infiltrating thends of men, Zagoras studied and analyzed their countries and cities. He carefully chose and to make his home then his eyes fell upon the kingdom of Terracia. An aging king, a power y of leeches beside him and the ubiquitous slums, a symbol of corruption. The kingdom was rotten to the core. Zagoras had a hunch that this would be the perfect ce to unleash his will and he was right on the money. The war with the demons had only just begun, and already Zagoras had managed to take advantage of thex vignce to be Delion, a knight of the Order of the Golden Lion. Once inducted into the order, he proved his worth and made a name for himself. Along the way, some of his own people died at his hands, but it didn¡¯t matter to Zagoras. He epted it as the fate of a weak trout who would one day die, not by predation, but by his own hand. However then Zagoras caught the eye of Terlos Okentia, who was then only the deputy leader of the Order. Zagoras thought that Terlos was easy to use since he was someone who had earned his ce by being noble and had a scent of desire that was far from innocent. But most of all¡­Terlos was woefully ipetent. He was a ¡®pig¡¯ to be used. With that judgment, Zagoras slowly took control of the Order under Terlos¡¯ power. Zagoras first pruned the branches. He weeded out those whose beliefs would turn against him if left unchecked, those who had joined the Order for the sole reason of vengeance, to rid it of demons. As the years passed, what remained were men driven by money and fame, desires that Zagoras found very easy to deal with. Arrows may rain down, but I will not be there when they fall. I know that great sacrifice brings honor, but I don¡¯t want to risk death. I would rather have someone else sacrifice for me. Humans, filled with the simplest of instincts and desires: to survive, to lead a morefortable life. How such scum could find their way into the Order of the Demon yer was beyond Zagorasprehension, but it was good for him. They risked their lives on his behalf, and he used Terlos to put high sries in their hands. They could be safe and happy here and he reminded them over and over again who it was all thanks to. And so it was that the swamp of desire was slowly consuming them. Zagoras, feeling the timing was right, made a suggestion to Terlos. ¡®Let¡¯s kill the captain.¡¯ He suggested that Terlos took over. Terlos, who was ufortable with the dubious position of vice-captain, thought it was a very sweet offer, but Zagoras was more than a little puzzled when Terlos replied without hesitation, ¡°I¡¯ll do it, now we can get rid of the old man.¡± What a terrible twist. His choice was not wrong since what stood before him was no longer human. It was just an ipetent, power-drunk, instinctual pig sitting in a chair. But when Terlos asked how he was going to kill the captain, Zagoras, smelling the disgusting aroma, lifted the corner of his mouth and said. ¡®Some passing demon will do it.¡¯ That night, the leader of the Order of the Golden Lion died. Technically, Zagoras and Terlos worked together, but that¡¯s how it was officially recorded. Zagoras hadn¡¯t forgotten his reaction as he scattered magick over the corpse of the leader, who had been cut deeply by Terlos sword. Zagoras had grown tired of hiding it. What if he was a demon? Would you give up everything you¡¯ve ever known? Behold, the blood on your de is that of a foul demon or a noble human. Terlos¡¯ face stiffened at Zagoras words, but he could not speak. Zagoras smiled a sickening smile, then burst intoughter. He was simply amused since humans are such funny creatures. He had no doubt that Terlos would keep his mouth shut in the future. Since then, Zagoras, who had left Terlos in charge and taken the dubious title of deputy leader, had takenplete control of the Order but the men he now surrounded himself with were nothing more than lowly, useless scum. Terlos was ipetent enough so he needed someone more loyal, more capable, more vulnerable, someone he couldn¡¯t rely on to reveal himself as a demon. It was time for a change as new Temrs began to be recruited from the best and brightest. If a member had a poor, sick brother, he was offered arge sum of money to be his savior. If he was a madman with bizarre tastes, he would kidnap women and bring them to his cer. He provided for their needs and exploited their weaknesses. If they showed any signs of going against his wishes, or if their weaknesses weren¡¯t obvious, he would quickly eliminate them. Purges were easy. The deaths of inexperienced new Temrs against demons had happened countless times in other orders which brings us to the current situation. No one in the Order seemed to think it was strange to have his horns out in the open. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have a good feeling about this.¡± Zagoras muttered, sitting in the captain¡¯s chair and resting his leg on the back of Terlos, who was prostrate on the floor. Terlos should have felt deeply insulted, but there was nothing he could do. His father, the Lord Chancellor of the Kingdom of Terracia, recognized him as the leader of the Knights of the Golden Lion. He¡¯d gotten used to it, and it was starting to wear on him. Zagoras, meanwhile, was troubled as the events since Krektar¡¯s death had been too much. Demons preying on their own kind, the seconding of the Nameless One, and thend of demons seemed to be in an uproar. The presence of Aizel Ludwig was also unwee, and Zagoras had been avoiding Albed¡¯s urgent calls for some time. He had a nagging feeling that if he got involved in this, he might not make it out alive. Krektar had been killed by a nameless swordsman. It wasn¡¯t the Temrs¡¯ doing since it would have been difficult for the Temrs to spot him in the first ce. Even with his peculiar appetite, he wasn¡¯t one to be taken lightly. It was a strange thing. The same could be said for the demon that ate its own kind. ¡®I thought we were on track¡­¡¯ Clicking his tongue, Zagoras was growing impatient. Lately, he¡¯d been raiding the slums with his troupe because he couldn¡¯t stand by and watch. It was often that they left no survivors in their exterminations. After all, the Order of the Golden Lion was supposed to be controlled by the Alliance, just like any other demon-hunting order, so the Order¡¯s reputation and any suspicions it might raise would be avoided. He was allowed to prey to his hearts¡¯ content, including the asional elimination of aTemr, at least until now. Impatience got the better of him, and Zagoras swooped in and devoured the humans. His loyal members had expressed dismay at this, but he hadn¡¯t broken the bonds he¡¯d built with them by killing beggars in the slums. They knew what would happen if they disobeyed. Zagoras had to let go of the stable ¡°source¡± he had established. It was a stable source, but it was only good for the long term, not the short term. Eventually, Zagoras got what he wanted. Finally he¡¯d gotten there, albeittepared to his peers, but he¡¯d gotten there. The color of the horns that sprouted from his jaw and forehead reflected his new status. The horns were no longer ck with a hint of red, but had reached the point of beingpletely ¡®ck¡¯. The amount of magick felt in his body was indeed different after bing a ck horn. How many children¡¯s lives had been lost before this horn waspleted. It was a horrible thing to think about, but it was none of Zagoras business. He let his thoughts wander for a moment then pushed Terlos out from under him and raised himself to his feet, wondering if he should answer Albed¡¯s message now. ¡°Follow me.¡± With that, Zagoras left the room. If Albed contacted Murka, it would be a mess, but betterte than never. He was the leader of the troops, and they feared him. ¡°Guard the house.¡± Zagoras said, not bothering to look at Terlos, who was still on the floor, before leaving the room with his men. Zagoras and the others mounted their horses and the Silver Winged Knights¡¯ informant speaks into the crystal ball. ¡°The target has moved.¡± *** Riding across the ins in the night, Zagoras encountered Saint Bernice and her knights, who were waiting for them at the pass. This did not bode well for Zagoras, who had been deliberately avoiding the saint. They blocked his path for no apparent reason. Bernice, who often wore pure white dresses, was, contrary to what she had been told, dressed entirely for battle, with a white cloak. The tension was palpable, and it was Zagoras who spoke first. ¡°I assume you¡¯re the Saint, I¡¯m Delion, deputy leader of the Knights of the Golden Lion.¡± ¡°I already know that.¡± ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t realize I was so famous, but I am honored, and yet¡­ How did youe all the way here, this isn¡¯t exactly a saint¡¯s front yard.¡± Bernice answers Zagoras question in an even voice. ¡°I know you¡¯re busy, so I won¡¯t drag this out too long. I¡¯vee to vanquish you.¡± ¡°Exterminate?¡± Zagoras frowned, his nerves getting the better of him. The voice sounded as if it was a ghostly reminder, but instead Zagoras was utterly confused. ¡®What is it, when did I get caught, did my recent raids on the slums catch up with me? No, that¡¯s not enough to convince them that I¡¯m a demon, unless I was under suspicion to begin with.¡¯ When Zagoras didn¡¯t answer, Bernice spoke up again. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with extermination, it¡¯s what we do¡­ying demons.¡± ¡°What do you mean, demons¡­?¡± Zagoras asks, but Bernice holds up a hand. ¡°Strike.¡± At the sound of her voice, a massive beam of light rains down from the sky, engulfing Zagoras. Zagoras screams as the Holy Power burns through his body. Thrown from his horse, Zagoras rolls to the side, dodging the beam of light. ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Zagoras forehead revealed the horns he had been hiding. Seeing this, Bernice spoke a single word. ¡°ughter¡­¡± Chapter 154: Zagoras and Echis (4) Chapter 154: Zagoras and Echis (4) After his skin was scorched by a high density of holy power his ck horns could no longer be concealed and sticky magick oozed from behind his armor, shaped like a golden lion. All of this pointed to Delion being a demon. Delion/Zagoras dodged Bernice¡¯s preemptive strike, which he felt was a waste of time even making small talk, and red at Saint Bernice, who lowered her raised arms from a distance. A Saint was one of a kind, chosen by the God Henrys, also known as the god¡¯s agent. Divine power and magick are inseparable, as are God Henrys and Demon Helgenas. As such, the presence of a saint with such an overwhelming amount of divine power is a living terror to other demons. Zagoras had only heard of the saint in words. Zagoras felt the same ¡°fear¡± as the other demons who had seen Bernice before him so he racked his brain desperately but he could vaguely feel it. ¡®All-out war is a losing proposition.¡¯ Zagoras remembered a story he had once told his subordinate about St. Bernice. ¡®Brother Delion, is it true that this Great Saint cannot use mass healing?¡¯ Zagoras had seen with his own eyes the mass healing of the previous Saint in the war. Since it was a divine power, there was no way it could heal demons, but it was arge-scale divine magic that scattered healing light across the battlefield. The healing power, far beyond that of a mere cleric, had the power to turn ordinary soldiers into something akin to ghouls. At first, the human soldiers couldn¡¯t get used to the strange sight of their legs being chopped off and reattached, but¡­ humans are adaptable creatures. It wasn¡¯t long before a wave of insanity that forgot the word death came crashing down on the demons. The result, of course, was the demon¡¯s defeat. Zagoras still couldn¡¯t understand how he had survived that battle. After all, most of the battles the saint fought were on a massive scale, and the demons couldn¡¯t avoid taking heavy losses. In the end, an elite group of the Legion Leader¡¯s handpicked troops managed to assassinate the Saint, but in the process, they were all wiped out. It was an honorable death, but the damage had been done to both sides, and in the end, humans and demons were forced to call a truce. ¡®What, a saint can¡¯t use mass healing¡­ Does that mean she¡¯s a half-assed saint?¡¯ A saint who couldn¡¯t use mass healing, which could change the course of a battle, was a very strange thing but it was good news for the demons. Zagoras mind was racing with the thought that for the first time in a long time, he had information that the General Staff would be pleased with, but he was forced to smile bitterly at his subordinate¡¯s next words. ¡®¡­Instead, a massive bombardment is possible.¡¯ ¡®Bombardment¡­?¡¯ ¡®Hmph, I suppose it¡¯s the feeling of divine power raining down from the sky. Anyway, I heard that she specializes inbat rather than healing, and that the Saint¡¯s specialty changes depending on the era¡­I wonder if Lord Henrys has war in mind¡­ I hope there won¡¯t be a war, at least not until after my death¡­¡¯ ¡®Haha¡­ Speaking of bombing¡­ Do you have any solid information on that?¡¯ ¡®Not really, I heard it from a priest I know.¡¯ A massive holy bombardment. In Zagoras mind, an irresistible beam of light rained down indiscriminately on the demonic army. It seemed far more dangerous than the previous saint and it was also the moment when information that would have raised the corners of his mouth turned into information that would cause his head to spin. He knew that something like mass healing would inevitably require many soldiers to fully utilize its power. With enough soldiers, the damage to allies would be greatly reduced, and the enemy would be left with an undying army capable of inflicting great damage. However, the need to lead arge number of soldiers slows down their marching speed. You¡¯re powerful, but you¡¯ll be caught out. One of the downsides is that they¡¯re easy to spot and deal with. However, divine bombardment is a different story. A single being can have the power of an army and not only are they harder to spot, but they¡¯re also faster. The moment a bombnds on a demonic outpost¡­ a nightmare will unfold. After experiencing the power of such a divine bombardment for a brief moment, Zagoras felt his skin, which had been scorched to a crisp, gradually recovered. Luckily he¡¯s almost a ck horn since a lesser trout would have been burned to a crisp in less than a second. ¡®All-out war with a saint of such power¡­¡¯ Zagoras was not arrogant enough to make such a foolhardy choice, and he knew his limits very well. It was how he had survived this long and how he became stronger than ever. Zagoras ran a hand through his hair and scanned his surroundings. A part of him thought about running, but the ins, with nowhere to hide, seemed like an easy ce to be pursued. This was a ce designed forbat, after all. They were facing a saint and a dozen Silver Wing Knights but he had only four of his own. The only saving grace was that those four were the ones he trusted the most and knew their biggest weaknesses. ¡°Kveditsh, Gilmor, Amil, ir.¡± Slowly, Zagoras calls out their names. ¡°As you know, if I die, you are finished. There will be a massive investigation within the Order of the Golden Lion, and your sins will be exposed for all to see, so there is no turning back.¡± The next part of his voice snapped them out of their panic. ¡°But she¡¯s a saint¡­¡± One of his men makes a weak sound. He had a point. No, he was right. Their opponent is a saint, and not just any saint. But Zagoras focused on the word ¡°saint¡±. Soon, Zagoras drew his sword from his belt and spoke. ¡°I will block the knights so I want you to charge at her and disrupt her as much as possible. Distracting her is enough. If you do, I may see a way to survive.¡± ¡°That may be true, Delion, but do you really think we can distract her?¡± ¡°¡­You mistakenly think you¡¯re demons now but you¡¯re ¡®human¡¯ after all. You can¡¯t be hit by divine power like I can, and I¡¯ve never heard of a saint killing humans.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The members of the Golden Lion Knights nodded in agreement at Zagoras logical exnation. It made sense. As humans, they should be immune to divine power. Moreover, saints were known to take escorts with them wherever they went. If the saint was weak in closebat, it sounded like it could be a winning proposition, especially since there was no immediate threat from Bernice. Eventually, the members of the Order of the Golden Lion donned their helmets and drew their weapons. Bernice, who had been silently watching from a distance, tilts her head. ¡°Are you finished with your conversation?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zagoras pawed at the ground and drove magick into the ground in response. Thud¡­ ck smoke rises from the earth, plunging the in into darkness in an instant. It was already dark, but the night was even darker. In¨¦s, next to Bernice, shouts to her troupe. ¡°Hold your breath, everyone.¡± The helmets of the Golden Lion Knights had already been enchanted by Zagoras spell to prevent magick from entering, but the helmets of the Silver Wing Knights were not. Magick is a toxin to humans. ¡®It¡¯s a trick,¡¯ Bernice mused as she casually inhaled the magick smoke. ¡®Why would he choose to do this when he knows better than anyone that it won¡¯t work as long as I¡¯m here?¡¯ Regardless, it was time to erase it. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Bernice raised her arm, gathered divine power into her sword, and swung, blocking Ines¡¯ attempt to disperse the smoke. -ck! She raised her arm again and snapped her fingers. Keying!!! With one simple, easy movement, a massive surge of divine power erupted from her body, clearing away the smoke and disintegrating it. When Bernice¡¯s vision cleared and she was once again facing the bright moonlight, it wasn¡¯t Zagoras who rushed toward her, but his human minions. Zagoras was charging from the nk, lunging at the knights in the silver breasttes. Bernice suddenly understood what Delion was up to. A saint would not be able to kill a human. She would be weak in closebat. ¡®You wouldn¡¯t think such a foolish thing, Delion.¡¯ Delion¡¯s men were charging at her, quite desperately but in the midst of all this, Bernice took the time to speak up. ¡°In¨¦s, tie his feet for a moment. Don¡¯t kill him.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± In¨¦s had never felt the need to protect Bernice. Even though it was a matter of life and death she would be the one who would face the Zagoras on the nk. It never urred to Bernice that In¨¦s would protect her, she had simply given the order not to kill. Delion¡¯s men were bewildered, but their feet were still pressing forward. In seconds, their des would be at Bernice¡¯s throat. Still, they were dismayed when In¨¦s disappeared from their sight at breakneck speed. Why wasn¡¯t the Saint knight protecting her? Chapter 155: Zagoras and Echis (5) Chapter 155: Zagoras and Echis (5) A saint¡¯s knight left the saint while Zagoras men were charging at her. It was only when they were about to strike that Bernice moved. First, a sword is brought to her throat but Bernice swatted it away with the back of her hand. Even though her hand was bare and unprotected by any kind of armor, a clear sound rang out as if hard metal was colliding with hard metal. ¡°Uh¡­?¡± The view of the member with the sword rotated and flipped. Bernice blocked all the iing attacks and the other members¡¯ vision flipped as well. In an instant, the four Temrs were on the ground after Bernice parried their attacks. They were dazed and unable to speak but now understood why Ines hadn¡¯t protected her. The saint was not weak in closebat so she didn¡¯t need to be protected. She had the ability to strengthen her body with divine power. Strengthening one¡¯s body with mana was a simple skill that even a five-year-old child with more talent than his peers could perform, but divine power was a different story. It was a different category of physical enhancement than normal physical enhancement and there were people in the Holy Land who studied this technique exclusively so they had no need for weapons. One of the members who had fallen to the ground and was making pained noises knew the name of the technique. ¡°Divine Martial Arts¡­?¡± A martial art that is said to have few heirs, as it is difficult to even reach the point of strengthening the body with divine power. A saint who was capable of martial arts was unprecedented in the history of the kingdom. Bernice was chosen by Henrys to be a saint after the death of the previous saint in the war. Her faith is sound, her disposition unblemished, and her character virtuous. However, there was a major difference between Bernice and the other saints. Bernice was naturally gifted inbat. She was able to master the Divine Martial Arts, which was said to be extremely difficult and arduous to learn, in just over a month after bing the Saint. For this reason, the teacher who taught her the Divine Martial Arts dislikes her. Bernice had been called many harsh words during her training, such as ¡°unpleasant,¡± but to her, who was able to distinguish truth from falsehood, they were merely a term of endearment from her shy teacher. Lying on the ground, the knights slowly lowered the weapons in their hands. It was a sign of surrender and abandonment. How could they face a saint who had learned divine martial arts? ¡®At least she doesn¡¯t kill humans, though if we¡¯re unlucky enough to be executed¡­¡¯ The members thought that prison was better than death. ¡°¡­¡± There was still anger in Bernice¡¯s pink eyes as she looked down at them, but they had no idea as she was used to hiding her negative emotions due to her inability to tell a lie. After dusting off her hands, Bernice spoke. ¡°Humans are not harmed by divine power. Even a ¡®saint¡¯ would not kill a ¡®human¡¯. Isn¡¯t that why you ran at me?¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Bernice saw right through them since she could read intentions in people¡¯s actions. This was partly due to the powers granted to her by the gods, and partly due to her own sixth sense. Zetto was probably the only human she couldn¡¯t see through. ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t kill humans with my hands, I was lucky enough to be chosen by the gods, so how can I use this body to take the life of a human, a creature of the gods.¡± At the saint¡¯s next words, some of the members of the troupe who had been lying on the floor, who had not been paying attention, breathed a sigh of relief. Bernice smiled unperturbed since it was the reaction she wanted and moved in front of the sighing knight. ¡°¡­¡± He was about to open his mouth to apologize, his voice thick with embarrassment but Bernice mmed her fist down in one swift motion, crushing his helmet. -Crack!!! The hard golden helmet made a strange sound, as if soft tofu was being crushed. Indeed, his head ispletely crushed inside the helmet, and fresh blood spurts out through the eye sockets. ¡°¡­But I don¡¯t see ¡®humans¡¯ in your eyes, you¡¯re just scum who sold your souls to demons, which is pretty far from ¡®human¡¯, don¡¯t you think?¡± Bernice said, nonchntly raising her blood-dripping fist. She had taken from them the vain hope that they would live. The hopes of the world had been destroyed by them, and now she was giving them back. Slowly and dutifully, Bernice cleared the floor of the ¡®junk¡¯. -Poof!!! Without much resistance, thest helmet was crushed and Bernice wiped the blood from her face then turned her head and caught a glimpse of In¨¦s battling Zagoras in the distance. ¡®Ines aside, what¡¯s wrong with Delion?¡¯ Bernice asks, since it¡¯s clear that they¡¯re both doing just fine. Zagoras was not disying his power. Or, more urately, he was conserving it. As they shed swords, he nced at Saint Bernice, and the sight of his men dying convinced him that an all-out fight with her was inevitable. ¡®So, she¡¯s not even human, is she? It¡¯s not unreasonable to think so.¡¯ That¡¯s right. Killing the previous saint had been a gamble based on her own weakness. There was no way he could have devised a n in such a short amount of time that would have been able to deal with the Saint that had struck without warning. When Zagoras realized that Bernice was closing in on him, he stopped swinging his sword and In¨¦s, who had been fighting him, lowered her sword in response. ¡°¡­So this is what ites down to.¡± Zagora muttered to himself as Ines stood before him, shaking her head. There was no regret. There was nothing to regret. It was for the best, and now the time hade to gamble with his life. Zagora sheathed the sword in his hand, casually shrugging off the burden. The Temrs thought, ¡°Is he surrendering?¡± but Ines could see through it. ¡°You¡¯re not a swordsman after all.¡± ¡°Is it so obvious? I¡¯ve been training hard for years, and it¡¯s a shame.¡± ¡°Your poor swordsmanship had me doubting the quality of the Kingdom of Terracia for a moment.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid Terracia is indeed poor, with a few exceptions. Though even those few seem to be hiding their fangs from you noble fools.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an odd one, and from the looks of you, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any truth to that¡­¡± While In¨¦s and Zagoras are having this conversation, Bernice joins them. ¡°¡­I¡¯m veryte, I apologize.¡± Bernice¡¯s voice immediately follows. It is not directed at In¨¦s, nor is it directed at Zagoras. It was an apology to those whose lives Zagora had taken, who were already trapped in those ck horns and had be magick. Bernice closed her eyes for a moment and prayed, honoring them and when she caught her breath, she opened her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Bernice¡¯s expression changed, and she no longer tried to hide her emotions. Zagoras eyes flickered as she asked a strange question. Zagora glimpsed a glimmer of his life but Bernice wasn¡¯t looking for Delion, she was referring to Zagoras, the demon. ¡®Just for scattering life¡­¡¯ Zagoras realized he was doomed. There would be no all-out fight since the gulf between them was too stark to hope for something like that. The corners of his mouth lifted at the absurdity of his thoughts and Zagoras answered. ¡°It is Zagoras. Remember that. I will kill you¡­!¡± I, Zagoras, will survive. He was about to make that deration. ¡°Divine Martial Art Thirteen¡­¡± But Bernice, who interrupted Zagoras as she knew his name, whispered in his ear and sucked in a breath. -Aaah! The sound of air being torn apart pierces his ears, and Bernice disappears from Zagoras view for an instant. Zagoras, who had been shielding himself withyers of magick, doubted his eyes. In the next instant, Bernice was tearing through his shields. ¡°¡­Condemned.¡± Bernice¡¯s voice was raspy and knotted as her hand clutched Zagoras torn throat. For the sins Zagoras hadmitted, she had ripped his throat out but no one dared to call Zagoras weak when his head was torn off in such a quick, almost futile manner. Would this be enough atonement? Bernice, looking at Zagoras horrified face, did not think so. At first, she had simply thought to ease Zetto¡¯s burden, for it was her role to kill demons. She had only reached out to Zagoras for that reason. It urred to her that if it hadn¡¯t been for Zetto, she would have been blissfully unaware that such a terrible thing was happening, and she realized that perhaps penance was in order. Bernice was only an agent of God. Not perfect. Not omnipotent. She knew this, but she was not satisfied. That was what made her a Saint. Then, when the dust had settled and the corpses were being removed, Bernice, who had been staring at Zagoras neck, made an ¡°ah¡± sound and pulled something out of her bosom. It was a small, round, translucent object, a portable crystal ball. ¡°¡­Are you sleeping, or not¡­ Aren¡¯t you supposed to be sleeping?¡± For some reason, she felt like if she reached out to Zetto now, she would hear his voice immediately. ¡®I told him to get some rest, but¡­ I don¡¯t think he¡¯s doing that¡­¡¯ Still, I¡¯m d it was done quickly enough that I can still look forward to hearing his voice. Bernice smiled faintly as she tapped her crystal ball to visualize Zetto in her mind. Chapter 156: The Ludwig Clan is Twisted Chapter 156: The Ludwig n is Twisted In a room where a human man¡¯s bodyy dead, a demon woman hung from the wall. Her body was riddled with nails that prevented her from struggling, and one of the ck horns that had sprouted from her forehead had shattered, leaving a trail of magical energy scattered across the room. Looking further down, a golden spear emzoned with sigils was embedded in her abdomen. Holding the spear in front of her, the tinum-haired girl once again channeled her mana into the spear. A strong gurgling current flowed through the spear and into her abdomen, spreading through her entire body. -Aaahhhh!!!!! A piercing scream echoes through the room. The girl frowned at the disgusting smell of burnt organs, one that she had been exposed to for quite some time and hadn¡¯t gotten used to, still stinging her nose. As the girl didn¡¯t stop sending out tirades the screaming continued, and continued but only for a moment. ¡°Off¡­ Heh¡­ Hehehe¡­ Heh¡­¡± It¡¯s not long before the screams turn toughter. ¡°This is my first time with electric torture¡­Took me a while to get used to it.¡± The hoarse, exhausted voice of a woman was heard. The tinum-haired girl, Aizel, clicked her tongue and thought to herself that there was no point in further torture. The demon hanging on the wall, Echis, was even more insane than Aizel had expected. After a battle with Echis, Aizel was able to subdue herpletely but despite this, Echis was a ck-horned demon. With Aizel¡¯s power, she should have been left tattered, but as a regressor, she had already fought Echis a few times and was used to her moves, so she was able to take her down without much damage. It wasn¡¯t exactly torture for information, but that didn¡¯t make it any less meaningful. A torture that would be carried out after he had left her barely clinging to life so that she could maintain her resilience. ¡°It¡¯s a shame¡­ I was just getting used to it, and now I can enjoy it¡­ Ugh¡­¡± Echis grunts and spews blood from her mouth. The end was in sight. This was Echis way, torture to the point of death, then death. It was like the death of that nameless man in the other room. Aizel had thought it would be humiliating to die in her own unique way, but against her wishes, it was not. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Echis seemed to be enjoying herself. ¡°¡­Crazy bitch.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, it¡¯s your work, be confident.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Look at me now. Charred skin, wounds all over my body and I¡¯m almost out of breath¡­¡­in a few minutes, I¡¯ll be dead, and your ¡®work¡¯ will beplete. I didn¡¯t realize you had such great artistic ability¡­¡± True to her word, in a few minutes, Echis breath would be taken away from her and that¡¯s when Aizel will get what she wants: Echis death. There should have been a sense of aplishment, a sense of revenge, a sense of relief that her chances of survival had improved but Aizel was in a bad mood. This was not what she truly wanted. Echis needed to suffer far more than this, to be poured over with regret and remorse for her life. That would be the best revenge but things had long since gone the way she didn¡¯t want them to so Aizel was in a bad mood, feeling like she had been yed by Echis all along. Anyway, there was no point in torturing her anymore. Thinking that Echis¡¯ death would be a good thing, Aizel drew her spear and pointed it at Echis¡¯ neck. ¡°¡­Chet, I knew it. Not a good finish. Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s your first work.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no point in shutting up when I¡¯m already dead. I can talk all I want.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Listen, Aizel. I have a question¡­¡± Echis trailed off and her question was ast-ditch effort. ¡°¡­Why are you so angry?¡± Her anger was so out of ce. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s because of the torture you were subjected to during the experiment, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the only reason¡­There¡¯s a lot of anger inside of you. Anyway, the experiment failed, and¡­and you survived. And now you¡¯re strong enough to take me down, and as a bonus, you¡¯re healthy¡­¡± How could she be so angry? Aizel pondered Echis¡¯ question. Was it because she was a demon? The experiments and torture she¡¯d mentioned were enough to drive her to rage and seek revenge. Well, that wasn¡¯t the only answer. In fact, it was a very simple question to answer. If you don¡¯t kill me now, I will die, because you¡¯ve been killing me. That¡¯s the simple answer. But Echis hadn¡¯t yet been told the details of Aizel¡¯s n so she was able to ask the question. Ever since Echis learned of Aizel¡¯s survival, she¡¯d had a vague idea that she¡¯d have to kill her at some point. Aizel had realized this but she didn¡¯t think it was necessary to let her know she was a regressor. She had plenty of reasons to be angry with Echis anyway. Torture is torture, but most of all¡­ It was not so strange to seek revenge on those who had ughtered her family. ¡°¡­Because you are the enemies who ughtered my n. That¡¯s a ridiculous question. I wonder if the torture really drove you insane.¡± She was about to thrust her spear into her throat when she realized that Aizel¡¯s sharp reply would not be necessary to continue the dialogue. ¡°Puhhh¡­! Aizel, what does that mean?¡± Echis, who had beenughing, said something meaningful, and Aizel stopped her spear. ¡°We ughtered your family? We did?¡± Echis tilted her head and Aizel frowned. ¡°You think I didn¡¯t know that¡­¡± Echis interrupted her before she could finish. ¡°¡­No pun intended, you really think that? Hmph¡­ Funny, funny, you¡¯ve forgotten your memories¡­ No, it¡¯s more likely that you¡¯ve been traumatized and erased your memories. After all, your state of mind wasn¡¯t exactly normal to begin with.¡± ¡°¡­Tell me more.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember when we found you?¡± Echis asked, smiling faintly, simply because she enjoyed Aizel¡¯s confusion. ¡°When you found me¡­?¡± Echis¡¯ voice sounded breathless, and Aizel had to fumble through what was probably the oldest memory she had. ¡°¡­On the floor¡­¡­ Blood on the floor¡­¡± Slowly, Aizel recalled the fading memory, which was quite a long time ago for her now. ¡°I remember. There was blood on the floor, and the bodies of the Ludwig n.¡± ¡°It was all your doing¡­¡± It was the carnage of the demons. Aizel tried to recall, but for some reason the memory was disconnected and she couldn¡¯t recall the details. She couldn¡¯t remember the demons ughtering her n, killing them and a question shed through Aizel¡¯s mind. ¡®But how did I survive¡­?¡¯ Was it to be a guinea pig? Aizel couldn¡¯t remember how she, a tiny child at the time, could have survived the massacre. ¡°Khhhh¡­¡± Echis smirked at the thought of delivering a good blow before she died. ¡°¡­Aizel, do you want to know something funny? I¡¯m pretty sure we were ordered to eliminate the Ludwig n, but to find out where they¡¯re hiding on a whim? I thought it was ridiculous, impossible, but we found them. We really did find them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°And what we found was a little girl, a tiny little girl, and yeah, you know, you were the only one left alive, and I guess that made things easier for us.¡± ¡°You guys¡­ You guys did that¡­?¡± In the midst of the disintegrating truth, Aizel denied it. ¡°You can deny it. No, I think you¡¯ve been doing it all along, if that¡¯s what makes it easier for you. I won¡¯t stop you. ¡°Then¡­ then¡­ Who in our n¡­¡± ¡°Try to remember. Over the bodies of your n¡­ who stood in their center?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Aizel grabs her head with a sudden headache. Still, Echis continued to speak, unperturbed since she didn¡¯t have much time left. Breathing heavily at the thought of getting a good look before she died, Echis spoke up. ¡°You were there, Aizel.¡± ¡°I¡­?¡± Aizel stammered, looking down at her hands. Echis¡¯ words were the trigger, and Aizel¡¯s mind began to flicker back to a scene she¡¯d forgotten, a scene she¡¯d forced herself to remember in order to survive. In a ce that looked like a pure white ¡®altar¡¯ all around her people with tinum hair the same color as hersy on it. Their names were unknown, but she was certain they had the surname Ludwig. Red blood oozed from their bodies, converging in a pool that traced a pattern on the altar floor and at the center of the pool of blood was a girl. The girl, named Aizel Ludwig, stood there for a long moment, taking in the sight. ¡°Hah¡­ Hah¡­¡± Aizel rubbed her forehead and breathed heavily. Why do I remember this¡­?¡¯ She had forgotten. ¡°Albed said they sacrificed themselves. I don¡¯t know what they did to deserve the lives of the entire n, but¡­ But you were at the center of it, and perhaps you know more about the ¡®why¡¯.¡± Something everyone in the n would die for. ¡°Lies, all lies¡­¡­Yes, you tampered with my memory during the experiment¡­¡± Still, not wanting to cause a further meltdown, Aizel once again denied it. However, her denial is quickly followed by Echis nonchnt retort. ¡°Memory maniption¡­ That¡¯s easy for you to say. That¡¯s why we had to experiment on you in the first ce. The experiment was unnned. If we had to experiment on the Ludwig n, why would we kill everyone except you? If you think about it, the more samples the better, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Aizel was too stunned by Echis¡¯ logic to continue. Echisughs out loud, like a maniac. After filling the room with herughter, Echis suddenly spits up blood, and then shakes her head in dismay. ¡°s, Aizel, I can feel your despair and pain all the way here. It¡¯s a good look. If only I could cut off your breath now, it would be a perfect piece¡­ I wonder what the name of the piece would be¡­¡± ¡°Shut up¡­¡± ¡°The name of the work is¡­¡­So, how about ¡®The Crooked n¡¯?¡± Echis shed a wicked smile but a the end of that smile, -Boom! Echis throat is cut. -Thud. Just like that, as Echis head fell, Aizel also fell to the ground. Her legs felt weak and she could no longer hear Echis voice tormenting her, but she still ached. The truth as she knew it had copsed, and in its ce was a new, undeniably ufortable truth. The Ludwig n had not been ughtered by demons, they had chosen to sacrifice themselves for the sake of a girl. Aizel had been led to believe that her regression was the result of experiments on her by the demons, but that was not the case. Her regression came at the cost of the lives of her entire n. ¡°Why would they do such a terrible thing for¡­?¡± Even now, Aizel could not understand their choice. Echis was right. Her family¡­The Ludwig n was not normal. They were terribly twisted. Chapter 157: I can’t stand frustration! (1) Chapter 157: I can¡¯t stand frustration! (1) In a room lit by a small candle, a brown-haired woman touched my arm, her strange green eyes examining my wounds. It was Prisci, the Academy¡¯s medic. I had returned from killing Echis in good spirits, but my wounds had caused me to seek her out as soon as I arrived at the Academy. ¡°Not so bad this time. Not too¡­bad.¡± Prisci¡¯s voice was nonchnt, though I couldn¡¯t tell if it contained worry or not. It wasn¡¯t exactly nonchnt, but perhaps she had gotten used to meing to her with scars. In fact, they were just scars, small cuts that could be treated with the right herbs to make them less disfiguring. But there was something I had been dying to ask Prisci, and I hade to her on purpose. ¡°Dr. Prisci, there¡¯s something I wanted to ask you.¡± ¡°¡­What is it?¡± Prisci, on her heels, tilts her head as if my words have divine power. ¡°When a person goes through something traumatic¡­ Is it possible for memories to be erased¡­?¡± ¡°Amnesia.¡± The truth about the Ludwig n, as told to me by Echis shortly before her death, was a strange thing and I couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯d forgotten something so important. I hoped it was a fabrication, but that seemed unlikely. I couldn¡¯t see any ws in Echis logic so I turned to Prisci, the medical officer, for a clear answer. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard of such cases, but was that in childhood?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The reason for the question seemed obvious, and Prisci asked me so, and I nodded. ¡°Hmm¡­ Human memory is veryplex, and while it¡¯s not usually easy to forget something traumatic, it depends on what it is. Humans have a strong survival instinct, especially when they¡¯re young. Just like a newborn baby who can¡¯tmunicate will cry to let you know if they need something to survive so they don¡¯t die.¡± When she was done, Prisci sat back in her chair, then continued. ¡°If you decide that carrying that traumatic memory with you, putting yourself in an extremely stressful situation, is going to be detrimental to your survival in the future, then you need to disassociate yourself from it so that you don¡¯t give up on survival¡­ It varies from person to person, but there are some people who choose to erase their memories, maybe it¡¯s just instinctive¡­ a way of protecting themselves.¡± Erasing memories in order to survive. I understood a little bit. ¡°¡­¡± Prisci suddenly became quiet. She looks like she¡¯s reflecting on something and soon she speaks again. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what happened, but there must have been something that triggered those traumatic memories. Your case is not umon, especially since your generation experienced war as children. The loss and despair as a child is something else entirely.¡± ¡°¡­Though my memories aren¡¯tplete yet.¡± ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s whates after that that counts. There¡¯s a chance your memories will slowly return.¡± ¡°And when they do¡­¡± ¡°¡­it¡¯ll be hard, but what you need to realize is that we don¡¯t live in the past, we live in the present, so you don¡¯t have to give up your present life and your future because of a painful past.¡± With those words, Prisci smiles bitterly. Fortunately, contrary to her fears, giving up was not on my mind. I¡¯ve already given up and failed too many times so I knew it was pointless. For what purpose did my n, my family, carve this¡­this curse, this ability, this regression, into my body at the cost of their lives? Did they have to? I couldn¡¯t reach it yet, but I knew I would have to find out. I didn¡¯t like the n¡¯s choice to take their lives so casually, but¡­ ¡°¡­I¡¯m not giving up.¡± ¡°Good.¡± I stood up, ending the conversation and before I left the room I said, ¡°Thank you, Prisci.¡± And with that, Aizel walked away. The truth she had so firmly believed in had been destroyed, but like Zetto before her, she walked into the future. We all have our own stories to tell. ¡°¡­¡± So did Prisci, who remained in the room, staring nkly at the door through which Aizel had left. After giving the confused Aizel advice and reliving her past for the first time in a long time, Prisci got up from her chair and reached for her drink. She hoped the drops would help her forget, if only for a moment, her childhood covered in blood and the faces of those who had stopped breathing in her arms. ¡°Live in the present¡­ Ha, that¡¯s not something I would say¡­¡± Prisci herself, who uttered those words, was caught up in the past and unable to live in the present. *** Bernice contacted me through the crystal ball, after she dealt with Zagoras in quite a heated manner. I hadn¡¯t heard from her in a while, but I didn¡¯t realize she¡¯d already killed Zagoras. I figured I could leave it to Bernice, but she was a little quicker than I expected. Anyway, Zagoras, or Delion, as he was known, was the deputy leader of a country¡¯s knight order, so Bernice said she wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid ¡®publicity¡¯. Sooner orter, it would reach Aizel¡¯s ears. It would be a bizarre thing for her, as a regressor, to have her future altered. I was not worried, however, as there would be no mention of me. I¡¯m an honorary Temr, an unofficial status that doesn¡¯t do any good to be known, and I¡¯m not much of a source of information. Bernice said she had thought about it. I wondered how she would handle it, given her inability to tell a lie, but I had to leave this one in her hands. Bernice ended themunication by saying that all was well, and that we should all talk soon. Well, it¡¯s unlikely that the saint and her knights will be drinking alcohol, but rather eating delicious food and it urred to me then that we could make up for lost time. I still had a lot to hide from Bernice, but it seemed like a good idea to tell her about Sierra. I hadn¡¯t forgotten about Rei and Geppeti. She didn¡¯t need to know about Geppeti, but I thought it would be better to tell her about the Hero Rei, since she was a saint, and they might one day be allies in the fight against the demons. It¡¯s just a matter of how to exin to her. With that, themunication ended and the ¡®analysis¡¯ wasplete¡­ Geppeti wiped the blood from her face. What was left after the analysis was mine. It was such a horrific sight that I didn¡¯t want to look away, but I had to resist the urge to gulp it down, as the idea of devouring something with shadows requires a lot of concentration. Fortunately, the analysis went well and she got some clues. Geppeti said, it would be better to analyze a stronger demon next time but that was a matter of going out with her whenever I had time again. It could be said that we had gotten one step closer to creating a great anti-demon weapon. However, how would the ¡®otherworldly species¡¯ that had been defeated by ordinary mana-using desert warriors have to change to be able to fight demons? They can¡¯t even use divine power that is at odds with mana¡­so the idea of a great anti-demon weapon was not very clear in my mind. Perhaps I should leave the moreplicated issues to Geppeti. Afterward, I returned to my normal routine and if there¡¯s one thing that has changed in my calm routine it¡¯s Kaen. Originally, Kaen was scheduled to demonstrate her skills during the main exam but she made an unexpected choice. I was curious about Kaen¡¯s intentions, so I asked her once, but the answer I got was a vague ¡°I just happened to¡­¡± I can understand why, but there¡¯s no point in jumping to conclusions right away. It¡¯s not a big deal, it¡¯s just an elerated timeline, so I decided to wait and see. By the way, Aizel¡¯s expression was quite unhappy today. She had her usual sullen expression, but there was a subtle glint in her eyes. A negative aura that said ¡®Don¡¯t touch me¡¯ stretched out around her. There hadn¡¯t been any official announcement about Zagoras, or Delion, the deputy leader of the Golden Lion Knights, yet, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­ ¡®¡­What did I do wrong?¡¯ I slowly reyed what had happened with Aizel before. I had told Aizel that I liked her, and she had blushed profusely, running away in a panic. After that, we treated each other normally. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with being normal?¡¯ However, Geppeti said it¡¯s probably best to hold off on ¡®dating¡¯ until I¡¯ve got the right framework in ce. ¡®If you could secretly have a rtionship without anyone finding out, I¡¯d rmend you try it, but it¡¯s risky. If you do it wrong it could tear Lord Zetto into many pieces. A woman betrayed by love is a terrifying thing.¡¯ I knew what it meant to be torn to pieces, having already been torn to pieces by Sierra. She¡¯d literally torn me apart. ¡®I¡¯m confused.¡¯ No one could talk to Aizel with a face like that. At that moment, Kaen, who was crouching on her back, cautiously approached Aizel. ¡°¡­Cadet Aizel, is it possible that¡­ Can I see your spear change one more time?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Aizel, who was standing with her spear in the middle of ss, utters a questioning exmation. Watching the scene, I raised my eyebrows. ¡®She¡¯s been sneaking nces at her spear for some reason¡­¡¯ It was typical of Kaen, who can¡¯t think of anything cool. ¡°I thought it was cool¡­ I thought it was very cool to change¡­¡± ¡°Ah, eh¡­¡± Unable to resist Kaen¡¯s insanity, Aizel folded and unfolded her spear without much effort. ¡°Oooh¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kaen¡¯s eyes sparkled with admiration, and Aizel scratched her head. ¡®Honestly¡­ I can¡¯t stand it.¡¯ Aizel¡¯s spear, which was cool to look at. After all, it was thanks to Kaen¡¯s madness¡­ Little by little, the color drained from Aizel¡¯s face as she listened to Kaen¡¯s outpouring of praise. Instead of feeling good, she felt embarrassed. It didn¡¯t look too bad, so she managed to sneak a smile. ¡°Hey, Zetto¡­¡± Yuri, who was now standing next to me, whispered to me so I immediately turned my head to look at her. ¡°Yes, Ms. Yuri, I¡¯m listening.¡± Yuri¡¯s expression was troubled and in her hand, she held the Red Dragon¡¯s Orb that I had given her earlier. ¡°I have a problem, can you listen to it seriously?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡­ The orb you gave me, I know it sounds crazy, but¡­ but it¡¯s been talking to me for a few days now¡­?¡± ¡°The orb is talking to you?¡± ¡°Yes. I hear a voice in my head.¡± Yuri nodded, her eyes as serious as ever, and said, ¡°Yeah.¡± The orb had no such function or effect, not that I remember, at least. When I had the orb in the first ce, it didn¡¯t talk to me or anything like that. [Voices echoing in her head¡­I wonder if it¡¯s simr to me?] Sierra¡¯s voice rings in my head as she listens to me and Yuri¡¯s conversation. Well, the good news is that Yuri isn¡¯t the only one with voices in her head and just as she hoped, I was able to listen to her seriously without question. ¡°¡­So what does the orb say?¡± ¡°Well, it says¡­¡± Yuri blushes and stutters at my question. *** It was a few nights ago, the night of the joint battle against the demons in Edward¡¯s illusion. Yuri was having trouble sleeping, thinking about what had happened in Edward¡¯s illusion. ¡°There¡¯s something¡­¡± Yuri muttered to herself as shey in bed, unable to get rid of the feeling that something intimate had been said between Aizel and Zetto. It was then that a harsh and vicious voice sounded in her head. [Stuffy bitch¡­Something that would be neatly solved by taking his body first¡­] The unfamiliar, tongue-in-cheek voice snapped Yuri out of her reverie and jerked her out of bed. ¡°Who is it?!¡± Yuri¡¯s eyes scanned the room quickly, but there was no sign of an intruder. ¡°¡­¡± There was no one but herself, no noticeable change. It was her room, as familiar as ever. ¡°What is it¡­?¡± Yuri¡¯s question was interrupted by another voice echoing in her head. [Oh, do you hear my voice atst, my master.] ¡°Master?¡± [I don¡¯t even want to call you master, even though you¡¯re such a frustrating bitch¡­] ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± Yuri, who had been on high alert, asked. It was more of amunication than a vision, and less of an intruder. Goosebumps were rising all over Yuri¡¯s body, and the voice kindly informed her of its identity. [Over here. Over here. No, not over here. To the left¡­ yes.] Yuri¡¯s eyes follow the voice¡¯s lead. ¡°¡­The orb?¡± It was the ¡®orb¡¯ that Zetto had given her earlier, lying in the center of the room. [Not just any orb, this body is a dragon.] ¡°A dragon?¡± [Tsk¡­I¡¯m so frustrated with this owner bitch.] The orb that imed to be a dragon was quite annoyed. However, it was not a ss half full. ¡°Oh, well, I¡¯m sorry you¡¯re frustrated.¡± Yuri replied in a sarcastic tone, and shook his head. She wondered if she¡¯d gone crazy from all the sleepless nights or was she already asleep and dreaming? ¡®What the hell. Zetto gave it to me as a gift, so I can¡¯t just throw it away¡­¡¯ Yuri, who really didn¡¯t need this annoying little guy, even if the orb was talking to her, was just thinking about it. The orb speaks again. [¡­So when are you going to sleep with him?] ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± [I mean, Zetto.] ¡°¡­Wait, how do you know that name?¡± [Because I can read your thoughts. Didn¡¯t you think of it first?] ¡°I, I never thought of that¡­?¡± [Didn¡¯t you fantasize about marrying some guy named Zetto and seeing your grandchildren?] ¡°I, I never did¡­?!¡± [It¡¯s no use denying it, I know everything about your life.] ¡°Who the hell do you think you are to know me¡­! And what do you care if I f*ck Zetto or not?!¡± [Hmph, clueless bitch¡­ There¡¯s no point in telling me now, you won¡¯t be able to.] ¡°Is this really¡­¡± Eventually, Yuri, pissed off by Orb¡¯s insolent behavior, fought with him in the middle of the night, screaming and yelling. At one point, Yuri even tried punching it, but it only hurt her hand and didn¡¯t do any damage to the creature. It wasn¡¯t until daylight that Yuri finally gave up fighting it. It¡¯s been like this ever since. She wondered if Zetto, the man who had given her the orb, knew anything about this. Yuri had gone back and forth on the question, wondering if she would look like a crazy bitch, but fortunately, the Zetto in front of her was listening to her very seriously. ¡°¡­So what does the orb say?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s¡­¡± Yuri couldn¡¯t give a straight answer to Zetto¡¯s question as she tried to defuse the situation. [Pounce! Pounce! Pounce! ] The voice of the orb in her hand was still echoing in her head. ¡°Hmph¡­ is that just small talk¡­? It said it was a dragon¡­¡± Feeling that she shouldn¡¯t tell him what the Orb said, Yuri somehow managed to rephrase it. ¡°Hmph¡­A dragon. If what Ms. Yuri said is true, I wonder if the orb contains a dragon¡¯s soul or consciousness.¡± The orb muttered something along the lines of, ¡°What¡¯s the point of small talk¡­¡± but Zetto¡¯s solution was quickly interrupted. ¡°Ms. Yuri, can you spare some time today?¡± ¡°Time? I have time¡­ Why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a dragon I¡¯m acquainted with, and when ites to dragons, they know best.¡± Holding up a finger, Zetto replied in a nonchnt voice. ¡®You have a rtionship with a dragon¡­?¡¯ A normal human could spend a lifetime glimpsing the shadow of a dragon. Yuri¡¯smon sense couldn¡¯tprehend what Zetto had been doing all this time to be able to say such a thing as if it were nothing. [Dragon¡­?!] Meanwhile, Orb, who had been so cheerful just a moment ago, was expressing bewilderment. [Master, master¡­He must be bluffing¡­No dragons¡­No dragons¡­] For some reason, Orb was extremely reluctant to meet another dragon. Sensing something was amiss, Yuri raised the corner of her mouth and nodded to Zetto. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Chapter 158: I can’t stand frustration! (2) Chapter 158: I can¡¯t stand frustration! (2) ¡°Chief! Thanks to you, the calf was born safely!¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s very good to hear.¡± ¡°The medicine you gave me must have worked. I thought it would be dangerous since I¡¯m an old woman, but¡­ I feel much healthier and stronger than before. Chief, what kind of medicine did you use?¡± ¡°¡­Well, it was some sort of potion to increase the vitality.¡± The blond young man who was called the Chief smiled wryly as he said that. His name was Thomas, the cksmith who had made Zetto¡¯s Spectral Sword, but he also had another name, Deidros. In a small vige with few cattle, the loss of a cow was a major loss ofbor. Deidros, the gold dragon, was so wealthy that he could turn a small vige into a city¡­ He could have bought so many cattle that the loss of a single cow would have been enough to overflow his pockets, but that was not what he wanted. Deidros knew all too well that if he allowed his wealth to affect the town too much, he would quickly lose interest in the fun he was having. But even he had to make a difficult choice this time. As the vige chief, he couldn¡¯t sit idly by while the vige faced a crisis. With a baby on the way, and no medical knowledge of livestock, he was faced with the prospect of losing both the cow and her calf. I thought, ¡®Here I go, putting elixirs on cows¡­¡¯ In the end, the birth ended safely, and he got to see the adorable calf. ¡®The old cow is healthy again¡­¡¯ This can¡¯t have that much of an effect. ¡®I¡¯ll have to avoid using the elixir every time, but I¡¯ll have to visit the warehouse sooner orter.¡¯ I used to call it a storeroom, but I was referring to the ¡®nest¡¯ I had built as a Gold Dragon. He had recently given away elixirs to Zetto, so he was running low on his supply and thought it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to keep a few bottles on hand for emergencies like this. Deidros was scanning the vige when someone called out to him. ¡°Chief.¡± Deidros had memorized the voices of the few vigers he knew, so he could tell it wasn¡¯t a viger by the tone of voice but it was a familiar voice. He turned around at the sound of the voice calling him and Deidros¡¯ eyes immediately recognized his caller. It was a man from the East, with white bandages covering his eyes and despite his obvious blindness, the bandaged man waves nonchntly, as if he knows exactly where he is. It was his best friend, Zetto, who had recently be his biggest concern. ¡°Zetto, it¡¯s been a while¡­¡± Deidros trailed off, the corners of his mouth turning up as soon as he caught sight of Zetto¡¯s face. Zetto had alwayse to him alone, but this time he had apanion. It was a woman with red hair in a tight braid and he had never seen her before. ¡°¡­Is she your lover?¡± Zetto scratches his head andughs at Deidros¡¯ question. ¡°Haha, let¡¯s just say yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Judging by the way Zetto blushed at his cheeky answer, he didn¡¯t think they were lovers. ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to her.¡± Deidros led them to his mansion, a little excited to see what strange things Zetto had brought with him today. *** They had scales that cover their entire body, harder than any other metal, wings that allow them to soar through the air in a single bound, leaping far beyond the size of a house and razor-sharp teeth and ws, and a tail to keep strangers at bay but what made them truly terrifying is their vast reserves of mana, which are beyond the reach of most humans. And their unique magical system, thanks to aplex mana circuitry that is far beyond that of other races. Born at the very top of the ecosystem, they are the most powerful creatures in the world¡­Dragons. They are so powerful that they could easily rule the world if they were to unite their forces, but sadly, they have never been able to bring the entire world under their control in their long history. Dragons are a highly individualized race. They have different wants, different goals, and they don¡¯t work together. Nor do they want to. Perhaps as a bncing act, dragons don¡¯t like their own kind very much. It is perhaps instinctive for them to be wary of their own kind, who pose a far greater threat than lesser mortals but it was less so for those with the same color scales. Unlike wyverns, which are simr in appearance, dragons are not ssified as monsters. This is because they possess an intellect that is far beyond the reach of most humans, let alone monsters in general. They have a magic called polymorph that allows them to assume human form at will, even if their appearance is far from human. They assume human form and enter the world of mortals. It was a form of entertainment for the dragons, a long-lived species that lived for many years. As a result, there were many dragons in the world with many different stories. Some dragons live quietly in harmony with nature, such as the blue-scaled dragons that live in seclusion by bodies of water such as oceans and rivers, and the green-scaled dragons whose scales resemble the des of tall grass that are the guardians of forests. Some dragons were interested in the human world. Such were the greedy Gold Dragons, who collected all manner of goods and treasures, and the White Dragons, the heretics of the dragon world, who were so impressed by the will of the goddess Henrys that they served her for so many years that they gained divine powers. They were supposed to be able to get along well with humans. On the other hand, there were always the vicious ck-scaled dragons who hated humans and sought only destruction, single-handedly wiping out entire nations. The color of the scales of different dragons often represented their firm disposition. It was often deeply tied to emotions such as greed, anger, and faith. This begs the question. What was this red dragon chasing that made it do such an outrageous thing? Deidros, who had weed Zetto and Yuri into the mansion, was baffled. After slowly exining the situation, the sphere they held out to him contained the soul of an unnamed Red Dragon. ¡°Where did you get this¡­?¡± Deidros asked as he studied the sphere on the table. ¡°In the ¡®Labyrinth¡¯ at the Academy.¡± ¡°The Labyrinth at the Innocence Academy¡­They say it¡¯s a living dungeon, but it¡¯s actually an artificial dungeon created by the Sage who founded the Academy.¡± ¡°Really¡­?!¡± Yuri covered her mouth in astonishment at the exnation of Deidros, who had lived longer than Sage Hubert. At first, she hadn¡¯t believed that Deidros, a in blond young man with a clean-cut appearance, was a dragon at all, but after seeing the inside of his ornate mansion, he seemed to have gained some credibility. ¡°I see.¡± Of course, Zetto wasn¡¯t surprised, as he already knew that. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a dragon for sure, and this wild aura¡­It must be a Red Dragon.¡± ¡°I thought you were lying¡­¡± Yuri muttered, and Deidros picked up the sphere. He wanted to get a closer look at its inner workings. ¡°The Orb, it is essentially a mage¡¯s armor, a tool for storing mana and allowing them to cast more powerful spells, but it is not a suitable vessel to contain the soul of a dragon.¡± ¡°So there is no other vessel that can contain a dragon¡¯s soul?¡± Deidros paused for a moment at Zetto¡¯s question, then set the Orb down and took a sip of his icy drink before speaking. ¡°¡­No, I¡¯d say there¡¯s no such vessel, and even if there were, it would be extremely rare to find one that could withstand a dragon¡¯s strength¡­ No ordinary orb can do that, at least not that I know of.¡± ¡°Then how did this dragone to be¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At their question, Deidros set down his drink and narrowed his eyes. ¡°He¡¯s¡­¡­Yes, he¡¯s sealed.¡± Deidros looked down at the sphere lying on the table with a pitying look. ¡°¡±Sealed?¡±¡± Zetto and Yuri repeated since it was not unusual for a dragon to be sealed. A vicious dragon would be in, while other dragons might be sealed and the fact that it had been found in the Labyrinth also yed a part but a sealed dragon is as dangerous as it sounds. ¡®Why did he put himself through this¡­and why it¡¯s his soul in this thing¡­?¡¯ Deidros had to squeeze his eyes shut again. For the sake of his stature and the honor of all the dragons in the world, he could only spit out a lie. Chapter 159: I can’t stand frustration! (3) Chapter 159: I can¡¯t stand frustration! (3) ¡°¡±A seal¡­?¡±¡± Closing his eyes at their questions, Deidros racked his brain for a usible exnation. ¡°That¡¯s right. Since it was said that it was obtained from the Labyrinth created by the Sage, I wonder if it was a dragon that was defeated by a hero party in the past¡­It wouldn¡¯t be too strange if they were the ones who vanquished the dragon. How they were able to seal it in the orb is beyond me, but perhaps the Sage had a way of doing it.¡± ¡°So what is its condition now, and will it do any harm to Ms. Yuri? Because the orb hasn¡¯t been talking to me.¡± Deidros waves a hand in response to Zetto¡¯s concern. ¡°It only spoke to Yuri because it was connected to her. It¡¯s quite aplicated story, but in simple terms, it¡¯s a mental connection¡­ I don¡¯t know why, but the bond is quite strong, and it seems that Yuri and this Red Dragon arepatible. Zetto, I¡¯m not sure why it couldn¡¯t connect with you, but¡­ In any case, no harm wille to Yuri. Not yet.¡± ¡°So I can use it as a normal orb?¡± ¡°A normal orb¡­¡± Deidros murmured, echoing Yuri¡¯s question. He felt guilty at the look of innocence in her eyes but Deidros continued, trying to avoid Yuri¡¯s gaze as she looked at him shyly. ¡°¡­It seems that it is still possible to increase the power of magic, but it may be possible to harness the power of this Red Dragon if we can find out its true name, though that will not be easy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± At Deidros¡¯ mention of the true name, Zetto¡¯s mouth drops open. Deidros would not know that Zetto knows the dragon¡¯s true name, which will never be easy to discover, and his own. ¡°Do you mind if I try tomunicate with this dragon for a moment, just to see if I can get it to cooperate.¡± ¡°Then do me a favor, if I can harness the power of the dragon, I¡¯ll be stronger, right?¡± At Deidros¡¯ suggestion, the sphere¡¯s owner, Yuri, nodded faintly. ¡°You could be stronger, yes. However, if you do, the bond will be stronger than this, and you will be exposed to the power of the Red Dragon, which may affect you¡­ are you okay with that?¡± ¡°How will I be affected¡­?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a Red Dragon so it¡¯s just that you might be a little angrier than usual, and if it¡¯s a little more severe, you might be overwhelmed with rage and have trouble thinking straight¡­¡± ¡°¡­I suppose I should take that into ount, I¡¯m not the only one who pushes herself to be stronger.¡± As Yuri replied, she looked at Zetto next to her. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll leave you to talk for a while.¡± ¡°Uh, but¡­Orb has been talking a lot less since earlier, is that okay? I mean, he¡¯s usually a big talker and really loud¡­¡± Picking up the orb and standing up from his seat, Deidros frowned at the ss as if it were an oddity. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± No wonder it was quiet. With that thought, Deidros retreated to a quiet room in the mansion. Closing and locking the door behind him, Deidros tossed the sphere onto a table in the center of the room then immediately ced his hand over the sphere. His hand glowed, briefly breaking the link between the sphere and the ss, and then connecting it to himself. It was a temporary and tenuous connection for a moment ofmunication, unlike Yuri¡¯s connection. Once Deidros was satisfied that he was connected to the sphere, he let out a single, loud sigh. ¡°Hah¡­ Answer me if you can hear me.¡± Deidros was now speaking the dragon¡¯s nativenguage. The reason he bothered to use the dragon¡¯snguage, which had be unfamiliar to him after so many years of amusement, was because he didn¡¯t want Zetto, who had excellent hearing, to overhear and say anything that might not be good. [ ¡­ ] But the orb gave no reply so Deidros checked the connection once more. The orb didn¡¯t answer and pretended that it didn¡¯t hear him. However Deidros¡¯ cold gaze continued and there was contempt in his eyes as he stared down at the sphere. ¡°An orb? How ridiculous. Did you think I didn¡¯t know what this thing was for?¡± [ ¡­¡­ ] ¡°I could not tell them the truth. I dare not tell them the truth. A soul trapped in a tool for pleasure. How pathetic.¡± That¡¯s right. The sphere was not an ¡®orb¡¯. To a human, it would appear to be an orb, a sphere containing vast amounts of mana, but this sphere was a female dragon¡¯s ¡°masturbation device¡± that had existed since time immemorial. A dragon would know since it was so famous that it was rumored to have once been a coveted item among dragons. Deidros couldn¡¯t quite exin how the soul of an ancient and noble dragon could be contained in a crude tool for self-pleasuring, so he chose to make up a lie. The usible lie that it had been sealed by the Sage. ¡°I did not do this for you, so you need not thank me. Answer me now.¡± With those words, Deidros drew a line in the sand at the nameless, stupid female dragon. Eventually, the orb began to speak, however, it showed no sign of gratitude. [¡­Gratitude? Why should I be grateful? Sealing? That¡¯s ridiculous¡­ I¡¯m not weak enough to be sealed by some lowly hero.] The Red Dragon was furious in return but Deidros, who hadn¡¯t moved a muscle in response, cracked a smile. ¡°Hah, I thought you knew what I was talking about when you kept your mouth shut, but it turns out you don¡¯t. As for not being sealed by a hero¡­that doesn¡¯t sound like something a woman whose soul is contained in such a crude tool should say but your answer just confirmed it. You¡¯ve done this to yourself.¡± [Ugh¡­] Deidros¡¯ words proved correct, and the orb closed its mouth with an eerie groan. The Red Dragon within the orb fell silent, but somehow the orb began to vibrate and hum. The orb¡¯s true function as a tool had been activated. What had triggered it to emit such an unearthly vibration was unknown, but Deidros ears were stinging from the vibrations rattling across the table, and he quickly grabbed a cloth and wrapped it around the orb. ¡°¡­What in the world could it possibly be? Aren¡¯t the Red Dragons a bunch of stupid people who can only get angry at each other?¡± Deidros, who couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of helplessness at the sight of the orb wrapped in a cloth around, snapped. Ugh¡­shut that mouth¡­! I was just curious¡­] ¡°¡­What?¡± [That is¡­what pleasure would be added if this, this tool, became a part of me¡­] What a shocking thing to say. Even though it was said that it was difficult for a dragon to find its mate, it was supposed to be a ¡®tool¡¯ designed for that purpose¡­ but this was too much, even for a dragon. Just to share sensations, she had transferred her soul. No, does that even make sense? ¡°¡­¡± Deidros, who had no idea what to expect despite the exnation, shook his head in disbelief. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll pretend there was no cooperation from the beginning, and I¡¯ll destroy it right here and now.¡± [No way¡­! I¡¯m too young to die like this¡­! I haven¡¯t even mated yet!] Dragons don¡¯t naturally have a strong sexual appetite, so this obsession with mating seemed odd, but at this point, it would be impossible for her to mate forever. It was then that Deidros realized the purpose of the sensory connections in the orb structure. ¡°There¡¯s no other way since you¡¯ve already decided that a beast with a head full of lust like yours is a dragon. I can¡¯t be so rude.¡± Deidros tightens his grip and was about to crush the orb when it cried out in frustration. [Wait¡­! I¡¯ll tell you my true name¡­I¡¯ll tell you my true name¡­] ¡°¡­True name?¡± [I don¡¯t know about you, insolent one, but my master craves power for a reason! She would be disappointed if you destroyed me in such a situation¡­] ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Deidros snorted. ¡®She was just ying around, but she really meant it when she said she would tell me her true name¡­¡¯ As far as dragons were concerned, a ¡®true name¡¯ was never something that could be given away easily. Amand or contract with a true name carries a great deal of power and can be easily manipted by the person to whom it is given. As such, dragons would reveal their true names when they served someone, or to a lifelongpanion, as something akin to an oath. Even the long-lived Deidros had only given his true name once. To reveal such an important piece of information to a human he¡¯d only just met was iprehensible tomon dragon sense. [Hmph. You can¡¯t break it, can you? Besides, it¡¯s not yours. I¡¯ve heard that Gold Dragons are very careful with things they don¡¯t own.] ¡°¡­¡± Deidros thought as he looked at the orb that had beenughing a despicableugh. ¡®It seems that this stupid bitch has long since lost any sense of pride or self-respect as a dragon.¡¯ Chapter 160: I can’t stand frustration! (4) Chapter 160: I can¡¯t stand frustration! (4) Deidros stood before the spirit of a perverted dragon who would tell him her true name. Despite the esoteric andical nature of the situation, Deidros¡¯ face was deadly serious. No matter what this perverted dragon was like, a normal dragon had to be extremely careful when revealing its true name. And a mage who wielded the power of the dragon would be born. Deidros realized that both this dragon and Zetto¡¯s friend, the woman named Yuri, needed to be investigated further. ¡°Before that¡­Flesh?¡± [Flesh?] ¡°If your soul is here, your body should remain.¡± Deidros scratched his head in frustration. [Aha, flesh¡­ I see you¡¯ve be curious about my magnificent body, perhaps after hearing about me¡­] The orb trailed off. Apparently convinced that he wouldn¡¯t break it, the orb continued in a much more rxed voice, her earlier ramblings gone. [¡­Are you in heat? Hmph¡­s, we are not of the same species.] As the orb continues tough, Deidros ms the desk next to it. -Boom! The sound, followed by the attention of Zetto and Yuri in the hall, reaches Deidros¡¯ ears. ¡°¡­Answer only when asked.¡± After letting out a sigh, Deidros straightened his hair and spoke in a calm voice. [Take the joke, take the anger¡­I¡¯m a red dragon] ¡°So where is your body?¡± [In the nest, I suppose.] ¡°Where¡¯s the nest?¡± Deidros asked again, trying to control his anger at the orb frustrating way of asking questions. [North of Mount Keltanos. There is an abandoned castle there.] ¡°A castle¡­? Is there a mad dragon nesting in the castle?¡± [As a golden dragon, I thought you would understand my desire¡­Mating in a luxurious castle. Isn¡¯t it beautiful to hear?] ¡°¡­Wait, Mount Keltanos¡­¡± Deidros casually dismisses the orb nonsense, cupping his chin as if he¡¯s onto something. ¡°Who found you first?¡± [That was¡­] The dragon reminisces about the time when her soul entered the orb. ¡­After turning into the orb, no one came to visit for a while. It was an abandoned castle, so it was an off-the-beaten-path ce. The dragon was content to let it be a quiet ce to make love but when the soul entered the orb, it was a different story. She would not be visited by a passing dragon in the midst of her revelry. No, she didn¡¯t want her kind to see her like this, and so many other thoughts raced through her head, desperately waiting for help, whoever it might be. It was then that a stranger¡¯s voice was heard near the entrance of the abandoned castle. ¡®An abandoned castle, that¡¯s awesome.¡¯ ¡®Hey, Leon. Be careful. It¡¯s in pretty good shape for an abandoned castle. Someone must have taken care of it.¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s nothing to be careful of in an abandoned castle. You¡¯re too much of a worrier.¡¯ The dragon thought he¡¯d run into an ordinary party of adventurers: they weren¡¯t his kind, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to ask for help, and her body was still intact, so the mere sight of the dragon¡¯s form from afar would send them fleeing in terror. But contrary to the dragon¡¯s expectations, they were not frightened at all. ¡®Hey, Hubert, there¡¯s a dragon lying here with his paws out! I¡¯ve spotted a dragon in a strange position!¡¯ ¡°What do you mean, it¡¯s¡­¡­ real.¡¯ They didn¡¯t run away, but came closer and studied the dragon intently. The first to approach the oddly positioned dragon was a young man with blond hair and ruddy red eyes. ¡®Is he sleeping? He¡¯s not moving. Funny.¡¯ ¡®A Red Dragon¡­¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s probably best not to touch him.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s already dead.¡¯ ¡®What? Dead? There are no wounds?¡¯ ¡®¡­Yeah, no cause of death, which is strange, but what is this¡­?¡¯ A man holding a magnificent golden spear held up the orb containing the dragon soul. The dragon was somewhat perplexed, but there was nothing she could do now that she was an orb. ¡°What is this¡­Cerys, Hubert has found something strange again. ¡®Is this¡­the dragon¡¯s orb?¡¯ The blond youth rushed over to the woman in white robes, while the man with the golden spear peered into the orb and examined it more closely. ¡®Ferocious power¡­ It must contain the mana of the Red Dragon. It might be useful in the future. ¡® The dragon¡¯s memory ended there and the next thing she knows, she¡¯s a giant golem in some sort of temple. [They¡­ they¡­ leered lewdly at me as Iy there in my climax¡­!] ¡°¡­¡± [Now that I think about it, I might have gotten a little excited¡­] Her bullshit followed as soon as she was done talking but Deidros couldn¡¯t care less now. ¡°¡­¡­was that you?¡± Deidros asked, finally sounding incredulous. [¡­well, what do you mean¡­?] The orb stammered, sensing that something was amiss with Deidros¡¯ behavior. ¡°Leon¡­ Hubert¡­ Cerys¡­ Ha¡­¡± Deidros recalled the names from the orb story. If the orb had a head to scratch, it would have scratched it. Leon, the Hero, Hubert the Sage and Saint Cerys were the ones who found her body. Deidros winced at the sudden headache and spoke up. ¡°It seems that it was the Hero Party that found you¡­ At that time, the demons and humans were at war. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware of that, but once, out of the blue, the remains of a dragon were found and distributed as food to the humans. They don¡¯t normally eat dragons, but¡­well¡­They were at war¡­ ¡± [¡­Wait, I don¡¯t understand¡­] The orb struggled to deny reality. [¡­really¡­are you telling me that my body was once food for hungry humans?] Deidros nods faintly at the orb¡¯s question. ¡°At least you died doing good.¡± [I¡¯m not dead yet¡­! Then what did the other dragons do until our kind was eaten by mere mortals!] ¡°When did we ever care about our kind, we justughed it off as a dragon giving away.¡± [ ¡­¡­ ] The orb grew quiet. ¡®¡­Still, she lost her body, so maybe I was too harsh with my words.¡¯ Just as Deidros was thinking that, the orb spoke up. [I guess aerial coption is out of the question¡­ I¡¯ve always wanted to try it¡­] ¡°¡­Crazy bitch.¡± Deidros curses and all his remorse¡¯s were gone. ¡°Whoa¡­ so what¡¯s next?¡± [ When I woke up, I was a giant golem in a temple or something, and I couldn¡¯t see a way out, so I just sat there with nothing to do, and every once in a while, some guys in ck uniforms woulde by and I¡¯d beat the crap out of them. I¡¯d kill all that came at me, or so I thought, but sometimes they¡¯de back at me after they died, so I knew I¡¯d lost my mind.] ¡°You must have be the core of a Golem in the Labyrinth.¡± [I had no idea it was abyrinth, and then I saw Zetto outside.] ¡°Come to think of it, why didn¡¯t I connect with Zetto? It was obviously possible since it seems like the orb belonged to him in the first ce.¡± The orb begins to vibrate once more at Deidros¡¯ question, and Deidros¡¯ brow furrows at the unnatural vibration. [You¡­you don¡¯t know¡­¡­the madness behind those bandages¡­] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [I mean¡­me, when I was a golem. My body was designed to be defeated by magic and I¡¯ve fought enough battles to know that instinctively. Those who came with des were no match for me. There weren¡¯t many ¡®guests¡¯ to begin with, but warriors, mages and pdins all fell to my fists. I¡¯m not bragging, but it was a cakewalk for this body, and then along came a very handsome man in bandages¡­As soon as I saw the sword in his hand, I knew that he would not defeat me.] For some reason, the orb was very proud of her time as a golem. ¡®She went from being a dragon to a mere golem but she didn¡¯t even care about that and she was fighting in the Labyrinth¡­? Should I call it optimism or call it stupidity? She must have had a talent forbat, since she beat a mage with a physical body that was made to lose against magic¡­¡¯ Deidros marveled at the orb attitude and how much it went with the flow. ¡°In any case, you were defeated.¡± [Yes, it was a defeat. I still can¡¯t forget it. The smile, filled with the madness of the blind man, that took so long to crush my flesh¡­] The orb ttered to the ground. ¡°¡­¡± Deidros opens his mouth and stares at the orb, wondering how that vibration thing works¡­ [This male was far too terrifying to be my master, after all. Hmmmm¡­ If anything, I was looking forward to a forced mating, since I couldn¡¯t possibly mate with my master.] ¡°¡­¡± Feeling dizzy from listening to the orb nonsense, Deidros tilted his head and stared at the ceiling. He needed to organize the situation or a stupid dragon in a masturbator and a mage who needed the power of that dragon. The only way to avoid having to hide the truth would be to transfer the soul of the stupid dragon in the orb elsewhere, but looking at the internal structure, that seemed unlikely. ¡°I wonder how they made it such aplicated structure¡­¡± Deidros clicked his tongue as he examined the orb. [Still, my friends say it works pretty well and they love it.] ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡± When you¡¯re dealing with humans or demonic monsters, you¡¯ll have no problem but if that battle is seen by any of the dragons¡­If the dayes when she finds herself facing off against a dragon it will be quite aical sight. There is also the possibility that the lie will be discovered since thest name behind Yuri¡¯s name is Clementine. She was said to be the heir to House Clementine, one of the continent¡¯s four great elemental families. If it turned out that the youngdy of such a famous and noble family, among many, many humans, was carrying around a dragon¡¯s masturbation device¡­ ¡®¡­I¡¯d hate to think of the repercussions.¡¯ However, unlike Deidros, who was full of worries and concerns, the dumb orb was optimistic and spoke with a nonchnt voice. [¡­So what, dragons aren¡¯t thatmon, and what business does my master, who is still only a cadet, have dealing with them?] ¡°¡­Haven¡¯t you already met me?¡± [That¡¯s right, this Zetto guy is weird, and what¡¯s your connection in the first ce? How did a dragon get friendly with a human¡­?] ¡°That¡¯s not something I¡¯d say to a dragon whose soul is trapped in a shitty tool.¡± [¡­Uh, it¡¯s extremely rare for a human to meet a dragon until the end of their life anyway, you know that well, don¡¯t you?] The orb changed the subject impatiently, knowing full well that she could never win a battle of words. ¡°Well, it¡¯s undeniably true. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s a bunch of dragons in the back mountains somewhere¡­.And this was a special case¡­¡± [Yeah, what¡¯s the harm in that?] Deidros sensed an unspoken reluctance, but the facts did seem to indicate that the odds of encountering a dragon in the middle of a battle that revealed the orb, or of ying a fierce dragon by ident, were extremely slim. ¡®So let¡¯s just say the device is still an ¡®orb¡¯¡­¡¯ The next step. ¡°¡­You said you would tell me your true name. What is your purpose?¡± The promise to reveal its true name meant that the dragon would make a kind of ¡®contract¡¯ with Yuri outside. What does the red dragon want in return for sharing its power? Yuri would have to answer that question anyway, but Deidros, wondering if she would ask for something outrageous, asked. [The purpose¡­? You mean the terms of the contract?] Deidros nods and the orb immediately responds. [There is only one thing I want.] The orb¡¯s majestic voice echoes in Deidros¡¯ head. ¡®Still, a dragon is a dragon.¡¯ The orb¡¯s majestic voice continues, leaving Deidros relieved that for once, it was truly dragon-like. [I will eat Zetto with my master¡­!] Chapter 161: I can’t stand frustration! (5) Chapter 161: I can¡¯t stand frustration! (5) ¡®He¡¯spatible with me¡­?¡¯ I was sitting on a luxurious couch in the center of the hall of the mansion, thinking back to the words of Deidros, the dragon that Zetto had introduced me to. Connection¡­ bonding¡­ the words were hard to make out, but the gist of it was that I and the red dragon inside the orb were a good match. I wanted to deny it since she¡¯d been spouting off a bunch of crap ever since we met. I waited patiently for Deidros. His voice had long since stopped echoing in my head, so the conversation seemed to be going well. But as I fidgeted with my hair, I felt uneasy. I wondered if she¡¯d been spewing out some strange sounds to Deidros as well. Then it happened. -BANG!!! The sound of an angry mming on a desk came from the room ¡°¡­Maybe he¡¯s angry.¡± Zetto reacted. He scratched his head, thinking it was the first time he had ever seen Deidros lose his temper. It was a strange thing for a dragon who rarely lost his temper. He wondered if the Orb had been talking nonsense. Somehow, he could picture it. ¡°¡­Can you hear what they¡¯re talking about?¡± I asked, sneaking a look at Zetto. If I overheard their conversation, I would bebeled as a strange woman. He said they were just making small talk, but it wasn¡¯t really small talk. It wasn¡¯t as if the dragon was spouting obscenities. ¡°I can hear them, but they¡¯re talking in thenguage of dragons, so I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Good. I¡¯m d, but I¡¯m still worried that Deidros is angry and that the conversation is going to drag on for a while longer. Zetto, who was sitting next to me, turned to me and spoke up. ¡°What kind of dragon was that?¡± ¡°What kind of dragon?¡± ¡°We already talked about it, I was just wondering what kind of dragon it was.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± I had to roll my eyes at the difficult question. No, it wasn¡¯t a hard question to answer, but I wasn¡¯t sure how to describe that perverted lizard. ¡°Well, it was just¡­ It was a dragon with a lot of lust¡­?¡± ¡°What kind of desire was it?¡± ¡°Nothing much, just in¡­ Yeah¡­¡± Even as I said that, I wanted to sigh at my own excuse. A dragon¡¯s desires can¡¯t be ordinary. They must be on a different scale than humans. ¡°Ordinary¡­ I don¡¯t think the Red Dragon has a good heart, and she must have asked for something quite troubling.¡± Zetto paraphrased my answer. It was correct. ¡°Troublesome, yes¡­¡± ¡°Like, world domination?¡± Zetto jokes, his voice filled withughter. ¡°¡­Like that?¡± I couldn¡¯t help butugh. I wanted to conquer Zetto, if not the world. If world domination was about eating, then she wanted to ¡®eat¡¯ him. ¡®Eat him¡­¡¯ It was the kind of word that would make my father cringe. ¡°World domination,¡± Zetto muttered under his breath. ¡°Can I help you?¡± He asked me, sounding quite serious. ¡°No¡­¡± There¡¯s no need to be so serious. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t tell him that his request is to ¡°f*ck¡± Zetto. Soon there was silence between him and me. Deidros didn¡¯te back for a while. I didn¡¯t know much about his background, so I had no idea what they were talking about. ¡°¡­Why does Ms. Yuri want to be stronger?¡± Zetto asked, breaking the silence. Why do I want to be strong? It was a question that made me think a lot. When I was younger, I wanted to be strong because I had to be. It was the honor of the Clementine family. I wanted to be strong to fulfill people¡¯s expectations. Until I entered the Academy, I didn¡¯t think much of it. I thought I was strong enough, that I could just step on a solid foundation and let things go the way I thought they would. But the world is a big ce. I didn¡¯t expect to meet people my age who were stronger than me. Not just strong enough to beat me once in a duel, but strong enough that I couldn¡¯t even keep up with them without breaking out. Not to mention Aizel, I¡¯ve fought with her many times and seen the results. Zetto was also much stronger than me. To be precise, he grew so fast that he outgrew me. ¡°¡­I felt like I was falling behind.¡± ¡°Falling behind?¡± ¡°I felt desperate and thought I had to do something¡­I couldn¡¯t go on like this¡­¡± Because I have someone I want to protect more than anything and I don¡¯t want him to push himself too hard. I felt like I was going to lose him if I stayed still so I was anxious. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to feel impatient.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯sing from someone who¡¯s been spewing blood from overexertion.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Zetto shrugged and scratched his head. Come to think of it, he hadn¡¯t been bleeding as muchtely, and he felt much better. Was the diet working? Just as I was thinking that a trickle of blood dripped from Zetto¡¯s mouth. ¡°¡­¡± ¡­Not exactly. I spontaneously wiped the blood from the corner of Zetto¡¯s mouth and opened my mouth. ¡°¡­Anyway, I¡¯m grateful for the orb.¡± ¡°It was a delicious meal, and it energized me¡­ The orb was something I didn¡¯t really need anyway, so there¡¯s no need to feel pressured.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I smiled wryly, but then I had a question. ¡°¡­But why was it me? You have Aizel, and it¡¯s not like you had to give me the orb in return for my cooking¡­I didn¡¯t cook for you to receive something in return¡­ It¡¯s weird to give someone something as valuable as an orb for cooking for them in the first ce, isn¡¯t it?¡± Looking back on it now, it was very strange. I was grateful, but his behavior didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°Why was it Yuri¡­?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m important to you? Does that mean Aizel isn¡¯t important to you?¡± ¡°¡­Not exactly.¡± Well, then. Zetto is sweet and kind to everyone. That¡¯s not a bad thing, but for some time now, I¡¯ve wanted him to be different. But what if he was already different? Aizel hadn¡¯t gotten that from Zetto. The question was answered by Zetto¡¯s next words. ¡°Then let¡¯s just say it was a gift for someone I like.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it normal to give a gift to someone you like?¡± ¡°No, it is, but¡­¡± I wonder what he¡¯s talking about. So he gave me the orb because he likes me? ¡°¡­¡­¡± My head went white and I couldn¡¯t continue speaking. The corners of Zetto¡¯s mouth turned up but I couldn¡¯t tell if he was being serious or joking. No one else was speaking. ¡°¡­I apologize for the wait.¡± From the other side, Deidros appeared, holding the orb. ¡°Uh, what happened?¡± I scrambled up from the couch, trying to clear the awkward atmosphere that was hovering between Zetto and me. ¡°Well¡­She said she¡¯d tell you her true name.¡± It was good news, but there was a shadow over Deidros¡¯ face. Somehow, I thought I knew why. I wondered if she was a dragon so insane that she would say such strange things, even to her own kind, and it seems that was exactly the case. Finally, Deidros, who had taken a seat, managed to stifle a sigh and spoke up. ¡°Miss Yuri, are you sure you¡¯re okay? Dragons are quite difficult to control. A true name isn¡¯t a cure-all, and I could throw it in my storeroom¡­¡± Deidros¡¯ reaction to the conversation was prized between before and after. ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay, I can handle it if I can get stronger.¡± I nodded, showing my enthusiasm. She may be strange, but the fact remains that she¡¯s a dragon and I need strength so there¡¯s no other choice. ¡°Hmm¡­ If that¡¯s your opinion, I¡¯m not going to argue with you, since she belongs to Ms. Yuri anyway.¡± Deidros looked reluctant, but he tapped the orb and it glowed. The orb then spoke. [Hah¡­ How are you, my master, I¡¯ve missed you so much in the few minutes I¡¯ve been away, I almost broke you.] The orb yawns nonchntly. He almost broke it¡­ I wondered if she had offended Deidros. ¡°May I speak with this child for a moment?¡± I asked cautiously, wondering if it would seem odd to talk to an orb since the others wouldn¡¯t be able to hear it. ¡°She¡¯s not exactly a child, but I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind either, although she¡¯s not exactly a child.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t know what to call it yet¡­¡± I can¡¯t really use a pejorative like ¡°kid¡±. Maybe if it was Deidros, who seemed to have realized her true nature, but not in front of Zetto. [You shall call me ¡®Benno¡¯] Then the orb interrupted the conversation and gave her name. Benno was a rather cute name, I thought. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s not your real name, is it?¡± I frowned, looking at Benno. [Real name? With a few letters missing at the end] ¡°Don¡¯t you have another name?¡± [Calling me Benno would help with the bonding.] ¡°Well, if you say so¡­¡± After a brief conversation, Deidros went on to exin the process of signing the contract. To summarize, Deidros exined that after Benno offered to serve me, if I recited her true name and said I epted, I would be able to use her powers. She¡­was. Benno was female. Well, I¡¯d guessed that from her voice and her weird targeting of Zetto¡­and Deidros confirmed it. Anyway, the stronger the bond with Benno, the better I would be able to use her power. ¡°How do I make my bond stronger?¡± ¡°If you grant her requests or fulfill her desires, the bond will grow stronger. There is no such thing as a contract with a dragon in the first ce. It¡¯s just the way she¡¯s stuck in the orb, but keep in mind that the stronger the bond, the more power you can wield, but you can¡¯t escape the effects.¡± Deidros assured me and I couldn¡¯t help but worry since I had a clear picture in my head of what this perverted lizard wanted. Chapter 162: I can’t stand frustration! (6) Chapter 162: I can¡¯t stand frustration! (6) ¡°What can I do to make the bond stronger?¡± ¡°Granting their requests or fulfilling their desires will strengthen the bond. There is no such thing as a contract with a dragon in the first ce. It¡¯s just the way she¡¯s structured the orb, but keep in mind that the stronger the bond, the more power you can wield, but you can¡¯t escape the effects.¡± Deidros cautioned me to the end. After all, a dragon¡¯s power is not to be taken lightly. ¡®I¡¯ll have to control it better¡­¡¯ Zetto told me to feel free to consult him if I had any concerns. Now it was time to make a deal with Benno. I couldn¡¯t let the words fall on deaf ears, so I grabbed Benno and left the mansion alone. And so, in the quiet of the forest, where no one else was around, we made our pact. Benoglias, that was Benno¡¯s true name. The pact was a simple exchange of words, but it was effective. As soon as I granted her request, the mana from the orb erupted and poured directly into my body. Benno¡¯s mana shattered and rebuilt my mana circuit to open the way for Benno¡¯s power. My whole body felt like it was on fire and I could barely contain myself, but I gritted my teeth and held on. How much more time passed? [It¡¯s over.] Benno¡¯s impassive voice echoed in my head. ¡°¡­¡± Judging from the still-dark night sky, it didn¡¯t seem like much time had passed. I immediately examined my body, sensing a change. ¡®This is a dragon¡¯s mana circuit¡­¡¯ It¡¯s still only a small part of it, but the change in the mana circuit is enough to cause my mana to fluctuate wildly. I could feel the power of a dragon once again. When I returned to Deidros¡¯ mansion, I found Deidros, who was drinking, waiting for me, and Zetto, who was sipping tea in front of him. ¡°You didn¡¯t take too long, I thought you wouldn¡¯t be back until morning at the very least.¡± [What do you think I would do with her body¡­? Rebuilding circuits takes an hour.] Benno blushed unnecessarily at Deidros¡¯ words. Unfortunately, Benno¡¯s voice didn¡¯t reach him. ¡®It felt long, but it only took an hour?¡¯ Perhaps Benno was a greater dragon than I had realized. ¡°Your mood has changed.¡± Zetto said, sipping his tea. ¡°Can you feel it?¡± I asked, sitting down next to him. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s gotten quite a bit rowdier.¡± It wasn¡¯t unreasonable, as even I could feel my mana rampaging. Besides, my body had been cramping up from earlier and it seemed like it needed to be relieved. ¡°By the way, I¡¯d like to test my powers, do you know of a suitable ce?¡± Of course, I can¡¯t just unleash my magic anywhere. When I asked Deidros that, he looked up from his drink and pped his chin. ¡°A test, Clementine, of course it¡¯s fire magic, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Well, I have a good ce for you.¡± *** We followed Deidros to a forest not too far from the vige. ¡°Goblins¡­?¡± There were goblins in the forest. They had cleared away the surrounding trees to create a clearing, and they had set up camp there. There were not only goblins, but also hobgoblins, and there were quite a few of them. This had to be a colony. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to clear it out sometime, but I¡¯ve been busytely. I¡¯ve just been dealing with the asional one thates into town.¡± Deidros exins, as he holds the colony up to his eye. ¡°This certainly seems like a good ce to test your strength. What do you think, Miss Yuri?¡± ¡°Yeah, it seems about right.¡± I nodded and stepped forward. The only problem is¡­ [I have no power to give away to a stuffy bitch¡­] ¡­is that Benno is in this state. As we made our way to the goblin colony, Benno must have been running through my memory, because she let out an unintelligible cry of ¡°Coption, coption!¡± followed by disappointment. I asked Benno why she was being so frustrated and why she wanted to f*ck Zetto. ¡®What do you mean, you¡¯re going to f*ck him?¡¯ I didn¡¯t know about f*cking, but I didn¡¯t mind making love to Zetto. In fact, it would be nice. Of course, if it was Zetto. But we¡¯re not yet engaged, let alone married. Most of all¡­I was embarrassed. ¡®Still, it would be nice to take the right steps.¡¯ My face heated up unnecessarily. I should be killing goblins, but Benno¡¯s nonsense was distracting me. [Foolish master¡­I assure you, at this rate, Zetto first time will soon be taken by someone else.] ¡°Benno, cut the crap¡­¡± I whispered into the orb, not very loudly. But still, Benno whispered something else, as if she didn¡¯t want to lend her power. [No, maybe there¡¯s no such thing as a first time already.] ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± [There¡¯s Aizel, and her request is oundish to say the least. You saw her the other day, and they were having an intimate conversation¡­ Maybe she¡¯s already sharing her body with Zetto every night. ] Benno¡¯s next words make my hand tighten unnecessarily on the orb. ¡°Are you trying to piss me off?¡± [What are you going to do if you get pissed off? You¡¯re going to turn into a frustrating bitch? You¡¯re going to f*ck Zetto? What are you going to do? ] ¡°¡­¡± My teeth grinded together as I had a picture in my head of Aizel and Zetto making love. I wondered why I was so angry at a scene like that, with Aizel and Zetto making love. The rising anger eventually made me spit out those words. ¡°You can just f*ck him, you can just f*ck him¡­!¡± It was a quiet shout, but it must have been heard by Zetto and Deidros. There is no subject. There was no subject. ¡°Hmph.¡± Deidros coughed. ¡­I hope he didn¡¯t realize I was talking about Zetto. ¡°¡­That¡¯s enough. Lend me your strength, Benno.¡± I wanted to smash something and the perfect target, the group of goblins in the distance was in sight. [Now that you¡¯ve given me a satisfactory answer, I¡¯ll have to reciprocate, and judging by their size, a pir of fire should do the trick.] I followed Benno¡¯s lead and attempted to cast Fire Pir as usual. At the same time, Benno¡¯s mana flows out of the orb, ¡°running wild¡± as it travels through the mana circuit built to allow her mana to flow freely. I lifted my finger, and a me of unusually great power burned into the ground, consuming the whole colony. ¡®Still a bit slow.¡¯ Although the scale of the magic was considerable, the casting speed was not fast. -Thud!!!!! The firepower was unmistakable as a huge pir of fire rose up from the colony¡¯s floor. In an instant, the entire colony was engulfed in mes. The mes burned away the goblins until not even their shadows could be seen¡­.But the shape of the pir of fire was a little different than usual. Something about the tip was a bit more blunt¡­No, I don¡¯t understand the shape. ¡®¡­I didn¡¯t do this.¡¯ I looked up at the oddly shaped pir of fire with a confused face. [Since it was my first magic, I tried to express the ¡®pir of fire¡¯ in a special way. It¡¯s a work of art. I¡¯ve made a rough approximation of the silhouette of Zetto¡¯s ¡°it¡± from your memory. How do you like it? ] It was Benno¡¯s doing. She was able to interfere with my magic. I felt bad for some reason, and as soon as I realized it, I threw the orb and Benno against a nearby tree. [Master¡­?!] I hope it didn¡¯t break. No, it might as well shatter. But the orb did not shatter. Benno hits the tree with a dull thud and falls to the ground. ¡®More than that¡­¡¯ I jerked my head back to look at Zetto and Deidros. ¡°¡­Hmm, a pir of fire.¡± Deidros avoids my gaze. But at least Zetto¡­ ¡°Wow, I can feel the heat from here.¡± Zetto holds out his palm to the me as if it were warm. His eyes were still covered in pure white bandages. ¡°Hah¡­¡± I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. I don¡¯t know if I should be thinking this, but for once, I was d he was blind. Really. I would have died on the spot if Zetto had been able to see this magical form. A woman using magic to represent male genitalia, how repulsive. I was thinking about having a conversation with Benno about itter. -Bam! The urgent footsteps of a goblin came from the colony. Apparently, there was a survivor. As I was ready to finish it. ¡°Burning c*ck! Burning c*ck¡­!¡± Without a chance to stop it, its shout echoes through the forest as the colony burns to the ground. ¡®Why are you saying that¡­?¡¯ I panicked, and before I could respond, Zetto had drawn the sword from his waistband. -sh. Zetto sliced off the head of the shouting goblin. He wiped the blood from his sword and opened his mouth. ¡°Burning¡­ What did he say? I couldn¡¯t hear him, his voice was so strange.¡± I could tell that Zetto heard everything. Chapter 163: There’s a reason Chapter 163: There¡¯s a reason After a series of twists and turns, the contract went well, and Zetto and Yuri returned to the Academy. ¡°Benoglias¡­¡± I¡¯d never heard of her before. ¡­She¡¯s a bit vulgar, but I have to admit, she¡¯s powerful. What bothered me more was¡­Zetto. For perhaps the first time, I saw him manipte his spectral sword. ¡°Reverse grip¡­ I don¡¯t see that often.¡± Perhaps he was simply influenced by his teacher, Sierra. I¡¯ll never know, but it made me think of someone I¡¯ve missed for a long time. It was a memory from a long time ago, far away from now. As uncertain as the other memories were, his end was still vivid in my mind. Even now, when I close my eyes¡­ ¡®¡­Go home now.¡¯ I hear his low, gravelly voice. The long-haired man, staring at me with cold eyes, had horns on his head. He was a demon but not an ordinary demon, of course and his horns, sprouting from odd ces, proved it. With my body covered in bite marks, I held him at bay. ¡®My lord, we can¡¯t go on like this¡­¡¯ ¡®Yes. I see the end.¡¯ There was futility in his eyes as he watched his enemies charge, kicking up dust in the distance. Failure. Failure to finish. ¡­I couldn¡¯t cut it off. A million emotions must have shed through his mind. ¡®I will stand by your side until the end.¡¯ I stayed on my knees, fists pounding the ground, head bowed, even when he told me to back off. ¡®What can you, a mere dragon, do?¡¯ ¡®Lord¡­!¡¯ ¡®Go back. Survive. Lust for life. From now on, the most precious thing you have is your life, and if you live it¡­¡¯ He smiled. ¡®¡­we may meet again.¡¯ With that, he pushed me away. I stood back up and tried to walk towards him, but¡­ ¡®Alzracrot, this is mystmand to you. Survive, you must.¡¯ Hemanded, reciting my true name and I could no longer reach him. Then he raised his hand to the iing army, and the entire area around us was plunged into ¡®shadow¡¯. He left me alone and walked slowly forward. ¡®Too bad, too bad.¡¯ He gripped his sword in a reverse grip and greeted them. ¡®After saints, now demons¡­What a joke of fate. Funny, this is getting old.¡¯ There was no fear in his voice. ¡®Henrys, will you not grant me rest now?¡¯ The demon looked up to the heavens and sought Henrys, and that day he found rest. The memories in my mind gradually faded. ¡°¡­¡± Feeling a little dizzy, I gulped down the drink on the table. ¡°You look alike.¡± Manipting spirits and holding a sword in reverse grip. ¡®Well, the lord wasn¡¯t blind, but¡­¡¯ I wondered if the ovepping features of Zetto and the Lord were just a coincidence. Since then, I have survived. I have served no one since then. I followed my master¡¯sst orders and survived to the bitter end. The power of fate is terrifying. In that sense¡­ ¡°¡­she was a madwoman.¡± I gave away my true name so easily. It was a choice that didn¡¯t make me feel proud as a dragon at all. ¡®What the hell does it matter to me if Yuri takes Zetto?¡¯ ¡®Well¡­ It¡¯s romantic, isn¡¯t it, mating with a blind man? It¡¯s almost as exciting as public coption.¡¯ I shook my head vigorously. I could still hear Benno¡¯s bullshit ringing in my ears. My ears felt unclean. ¡°Hmm, maybe we should invite a band to y sometime, so the people can hear it in peace¡­Maybe around the time of the pilgrimage performance by the anonymous donor.¡± After all, it wasn¡¯t easy being an ordinary vige chief. *** The dragon¡¯s power was great and Yuri pir of fire was huge and formidable. ¡­For some reason, its shape was quite odd. The whole thing was almost ruined by a lucky goblin, but I thought I did a good job. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but feel awkward. On the way back to the academy, Yuri¡¯s face was bright red and she didn¡¯t bother to look at me. All she wanted to do was argue with the Orb. ¡®Benoglias.¡¯ The name of the Red Dragon that seemed to have been sealed away by the hero party. I don¡¯t know about Yuri, but I had a hero in my house who could have been responsible for that. I made it back to the dorm safely in the middle of the night, and Rei was sprawled out on the bed with her doll, sleeping soundly, so I went up to the roof for a moment to talk to Geppeti. ¡°You mean the data from this world?¡± ¡°¡­Right, like information that¡¯s not readily avable, like¡­her real name?¡± I picked up the Sheddie at my feet. ¡°Kerung.¡± He licks my face. This encounter with Deidros has raised a question. The Blindfold That is Beyond Reason is a ¡°crown¡± and has many functions. I wondered if one of those functions might be the reason I had discovered the true names of Deidros and Sheddie. My hypothesis that it had something to do with the word ¡°Beyond¡± that was somewhat undermined. ¡°¡­¡± Geppeti looks at me impassively as I wipe my face free of Sheddie saliva. Then her lips part. ¡°¡­As far as I know, there is no such function. If the ¡®crown¡¯ contained all the data of this world, it would have to know the names and information of everyone it encountered. The crown is all about adaptation, and it¡¯s hard to imagine that a spirit¡¯s true nature has anything to do with adaptation.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Then why did I know her true name? I stared at Sheddie in my hand, which had grown even plumper, but I couldn¡¯t figure out why. ¡°This is hard.¡± So far, my powers had only helped me recognize people and objects I already knew about without looking at them. That didn¡¯t mean I knew the real names of Deidros and Sheddie. I already knew Deidros, but I didn¡¯t know his real name and Sheddie was new to me at the time. ¡°An error?¡± ¡°Errors¡­ Before we get to that, I think we need to figure out whether a transcendent being like God is capable of making errors or not.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way to know that. ¡­Come to think of it, didn¡¯t Geppeti make an error?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Geppeti cocked her head at my question. ¡°You said you could learn emotions, but didn¡¯t Geppeti warn me that emotions lead to unnecessary errors? What about you, did you make any errors?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that¡­¡± Geppeti hesitates and wonders if she should be ashamed, since errors are ¡®ws¡¯ for machines. I don¡¯t know when she learned to be ashamed of anything. ¡°Feel free to say it. For humans, it¡¯s not even an error, it¡¯s part of the natural progression.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not human.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re human enough Geppeti. I mean, you¡¯re hiding a de in your arm, but¡­this world is a fantasy, after all, so what¡¯s impossible?¡± ¡°So far¡­I haven¡¯t made any errors.¡± ¡°Really? Should I say thank goodness¡­Anyway, how are you getting on with learning emotions?¡± ¡°I¡¯m learning quite a few emotions. Most recently, I¡¯ve been learning fear.¡± ¡­Fear. I think I know where she learned it. ¡®What was his name¡­? Kundral¡­?¡¯ Surely the demon being analyzed by Geppeti had disyed enough fear for her to learn. ¡°Anyway¡­I think so. You can be human, and in fact, you already look human right now.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Geppeti replied in a small, shaky voice. ¡°So you can act like a little sister whenever you want, even when we¡¯re alone. That is, if you¡¯refortable with it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know aboutfortable, but I hope I¡¯m not bothering Lord Zetto¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind, I don¡¯t know why, but I feel like I¡¯ve outgrown caring for people, and right now I feel like I¡¯m being too stiff and distant.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a very sisterly response.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°¡­Okay, big brother.¡± At my urging, Geppeti finally nodded her head and said, in a rather cautious voice. ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like a little sister.¡± I stroked Geppeti¡¯s head. ¡°¡­¡± Geppeti stood still, feeling my touch and then she smiled, a small smile. The smile was so natural that I immediately realized it wasn¡¯t an act. I wonder if she¡¯s feeling something likefort. ¡®I really need to teach her some more proper positive emotions instead of things like fear¡­¡¯ I chided myself, returning her smile with a bitter one. *** Rei woke up before I left for school at the Academy, just as the sun was streaming through the windows. I asked Rei, who was still in her pajamas, wiping away drool from her disheveled hair before leaving the room. When had she ever sealed a Red Dragon? I was simply curious. What kind of dragon was Benno? Maybe someday, when she told Yuri about her troubles, it would give me a clue to solve the riddle. ¡°Hah¡­? A red dragon?¡± Rei frowned at my question, as if she didn¡¯t know what it meant. ¡°They said it was sealed by the Hero Party in the past, do you not remember?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Rei¡¯s old memories came flooding back as soon as she woke up. She kept muttering ¡°Red Dragon¡­¡± and scratching her head, but then she remembered something. ¡°Uh¡­¡± She trailed off. ¡°Did you remember?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t remember anything at all.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± That was strange. Surely Benno, the Red Dragon¡¯s Orb, was obtained from the Labyrinth of the Sage¡­ If there was anyone who could seal a dragon, the only one I could think of was the Hero Party. ¡°¡­No matter how much I think about it, I don¡¯t remember sealing the dragon. No, no¡­I don¡¯t know how to seal them in the first ce.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. Hubert would know.¡± ¡°You mean the Sage, right?¡± ¡°Yes, the sage¡­ No, call him the Archmage.¡± ¡°Archmage¡­?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Rei stifled a chuckle at my rambling but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s particrly funny. [That¡¯s bizarre, by the way, I wonder if she was sealed by someone other than the hero party?] Sierra, who has been wondering about Benno, has a word to say about that, too. It certainly didn¡¯t seem like Deidros was wrong. ¡°¡­¡­¡± With that, Rei, who had been stifling a giggle, suddenly goes quiet. ¡°¡­Wait, did you say Red Dragon?¡± ¡°Yep. Red Dragon.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never sealed it, but I¡¯ve seen a red dragon¡­¡± ¡°What kind of dragon was it?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t even know what kind of dragon since it was already dead. It was lying in a weird position, like¡­ like this¡­ like this¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Rei stops talking andys down on the bed, demonstrating a rather awkward position. ¡°Ah, well¡­ I guess this won¡¯t exin it to my brother very well.¡± ¡°Well, it exins enough. I have a feeling, so why don¡¯t you just stop that posture¡­¡± I held up a hand to stop Rei and Geppeti, who had been watching, sighed. After scratching her cheeks in frustration, Rei pushed herself to her feet. ¡°By the way, I remember now. I¡¯m pretty sure Hubert picked up something weird back then¡­¡± ¡°¡­Something strange?¡± I ask, interrupting Ray¡¯s reminiscence. ¡°Oh, it was¡­ It was a sphere. An orb or something.¡± ¡°¡­An orb.¡± [For some reason, I think that dragon is Benno¡­] I nodded faintly, confirming Sierra¡¯s words. ¡®Benno¡­?¡¯ The fact that she was dead in such a bizarre position was making less and less sense. ¡°So what happened to the dragon?¡± ¡°It was eaten.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s weird, but we were at war, and people were starving to death, and I couldn¡¯t resist some nutritious dragon meat.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It was the first andst time I had dragon meat, and it was actually quite good, though most of it was given away to people, so I only got to eat the tail¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± To summarize the situation, Benno¡¯s soul had somehow been transferred to the orb¡­The Sage, or rather, the Archmage, had only picked it up¡­ [Hmmm¡­was Deidros lying¡­?] Sierra questioned with her eyebrows raised and even I found it hard to believe that Deidros had lied. If he was lying, he must have had a good reason so I could only cautiously specte. Chapter 164: You’re supposed to wear it Chapter 164: You¡¯re supposed to wear it I have made it to ss A. Unprecedented in the history of the academy, I jumped two grades before the final exam. It was a haphazard move, but the audience was definitely there, and I think I gave them a good time. Many people were also interested, especially the guys in ss C¡­ ¡°Oooooh! Kaen, I believed you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the hero of ss C.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do our best too!¡± It was an overwhelmingly positive response. The old me would have been thrilled by the attention but amidst the outpouring of praise and enthusiasm, I felt empty. It was all meaningless. They had no value to me now. I was just climbing the stairs to fulfill my purpose. My purpose, the object of my attention, was a man. His calm hair reflected the silence of a starless night. Beneath it, a white bandage hides his eyes. The blind saint of the academy, the blind swordsman or the acupuncturist brother. He had many other nicknames but his name is Zetto. My first impressions of Zetto, and how I first came to know him, were not favorable, but as I got to know him, I realized that he was more than that. I was instantly drawn to his charm, which was like an unfathomable ocean. I was intoxicated by his scent. I did. I admit it. I have a crush on him so I want his attention. What¡¯s more, I even have my grandfather¡¯s permission. I realize I can¡¯t have him now, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have him someday¡­If it¡¯s Zetto¡¯s child. However, my rtionship with him was quite secretive so I didn¡¯t see a natural opportunity to talk to him andtely, he hadn¡¯t been looking for me. Has the world suddenly be peaceful? It was a good thing for the world that he wasn¡¯t looking for me, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed. I felt dissatisfied and wondered if it was because of the physical distance, but nothing much changed. After observing him for a few days after the trip I came to a conclusion. Zetto was very busy so he didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to me. The day began with Lucia Windless, a fresh-faced, cute girl with bluish hair. She took a bite out of the bread she had brought with her, and with her eyes still wide awake, she casually walked up to Zetto and tapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Mr. Zetto, Mr. Zetto, I¡¯m going to buy underwear this time, but I can¡¯t decide on a color, can you help me¡­¡± ¡°What color?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m torn between light blue and white.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­I don¡¯t know about colors, but I¡¯m guessing light blue would be a good choice.¡± ¡°Light blue. Your choice, Mr. Zetto, I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± Mostly, it was a very stupid question. More than that, it was ridiculous to ask Zetto, who was blind, about colors¡­ It was ridiculous. I wondered why she was asking Zetto, a man, about the color of the underwear she wanted to buy in the first ce. ¡°What do you think, Amon and Crank?¡± Lucia asked the two cadets who were eating bread. ¡°Hah? Underwear, that¡¯s what you call it¡­Who gives a shit about your underwear?¡± ¡°I think any color is fine.¡± They replied, but their response was less enthusiastic than Zetto¡¯s. Lucia then turned to Ophelia, another member of the Four Elements. ¡°¡­¡± The famously silent Aisin didn¡¯t answer. ¡®Why don¡¯t you just ask her a normal question¡­?¡¯ As if Lucia had read my thoughts, she spotted Aizel, who was walking to school with a sullen expression. ¡°Ms. Aizel!¡± Lucia rushes over to Aizel and asks her a question, and Aizel nods as if she¡¯s listening. ¡°Don¡¯t wear it.¡± ¡°Eh¡­?!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re that worried, don¡¯t wear it.¡± ¡°Does that mean you don¡¯t wear underwear¡­?!¡± ¡°Sometimes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aizel¡¯s nonchnt reply is followed by an open-mouthed Lucia looking at her with a face tinged with embarrassment. ¡®She doesn¡¯t wear underwear sometimes¡­?¡¯ I nced around quickly, wondering if the other cadets had overheard their conversation. ¡°Phew.¡± Luckily, no one else seemed to be paying much attention to their conversation, and they were all busy talking to their friends. Then I heard Zetto¡¯s voice. ¡°Ms. Aizel, you shouldn¡¯t y pranks like that. Lucia believes it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Was it a prank, Ms. Aizel¡­!¡± Lucia smiled, and Aizel turned her head to look at Zetto. ¡°I wasn¡¯t kidding.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not wearing it now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Can you tell with your senses whether I¡¯m wearing underwear or not right now, I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°¡­Do you really need to check that?¡± ¡°Just kidding.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Leaving the frozen Zetto alone, Aizel nonchntly sits down. ¡®What kind of a request¡­¡¯ Aizel¡¯s tone is almost begging and her natural charm flows like water. Aizel was a strong opponent. Charm is a woman¡¯s weapon, a sword and a spell to seduce a man. It was the force I would use to win Zetto. Just as the thought was passing through my mind a head of blue hair lifted, and her wild eyes were in my face. ¡°Lou, Cadet Lucia¡­?!¡± I was surprised. ¡°I was thinking of something else, I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Kaen.¡± ¡°No. Is there something you need?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I was going to buy some underwear¡­¡± She was asking me too. ¡®What the hell is bothering you?¡¯ At this point, Lucia was asking so many people questions that I wondered if she was advertising underwear. ¡®¡­So what color should I get?¡±¡¯ Lucia tilts her head, her eyes serious. I tilted my head to look at Zetto, who was a short distance away. Zetto must be listening to this conversation just like he did with Aizel earlier. What would be a good answer? ¡°Umm¡­¡± I think about it, but I can¡¯te up with an answer. My answer was far from colorful or desirable. Lucia speaks up first, even as I¡¯m drooling over my answer, wondering if I can keep Zetto¡¯s attention. ¡°I¡¯m very troubled¡­!¡± As if that¡¯s the right response, Lucia crosses her arms and snorts. ¡°Well, yeah¡­You do have a problem.¡± ¡°So what color is it, Kaen choice?¡± ¡°Umm¡­I think sometimes it¡¯s better not to wear it.¡± ¡°What? I asked about the color¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say, so I mimicked Aizel¡¯s answer but Lucia¡¯s response was too serious. ¡°Ka, Kaen sometimes doesn¡¯t wear underwear either¡­?¡± ¡°Sometimes? I think it¡¯s good for my health.¡± ¡°Health¡­¡± She muttered, then looked at me as if I were a strange person. ¡®You were fine with it when it came to Aizel¡­¡¯ Why is she so strict with me? I don¡¯t care about the color of Lucia¡¯s underwear either. After all, it was Zetto I was after. ¡®At least I¡¯ll get his attention.¡¯ As I thought that, I tilted my head to check Zetto¡¯s reaction on the other side. ¡°¡­¡± Zetto, who had kept his mouth shut, turned his head toward me. He must have been listening. I didn¡¯t think it was a very good answer because it sounded like I was mimicking Aizel, but I didn¡¯t feel too bad about it since I had his attention now. Suddenly, Zetto stood up from his seat. He stalks over to me, stomping his feet. ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ He puts his hand on my shoulder and tilts his head, his lips to my ear. ¡°¡­Miss Kaen, I need a moment.¡± ¡°Eh¡­? Cadet Zetto, why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I need to talk to you about in private.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± I trailed off and stood up from my seat. I wondered what this was about. For some reason, Zetto grabbed my hand as I stood up and dragged me away, rather roughly. Something seemed urgent. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ Was it really urgent? In the same instant that I was being dragged away by Zetto¡¯s hand, a million erotic fantasies shed through my mind. I said I wasn¡¯t wearing any underwear¡­ ¡®What do you mean¡­?¡¯ ¡®This, this, this.¡¯ ¡®No, it¡¯s impossible¡­ that size¡­¡¯ I shook my head vigorously, trying to clear the tender imagery from my mind. It couldn¡¯t be. It couldn¡¯t happen without any foreshadowing. But as Zetto¡¯s footsteps dragged me out of the ssroom and into the hallway, somehow he didn¡¯t stop walking. His legs were headed in the direction of¡­The direction of the restrooms. There was no reason for men and women to go into the restroom together¡­ My worst fears wereing true. I scrambled to stop him and shouted. ¡°Hwa, you can¡¯t go in the bathroom¡­!¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s my first time, but I don¡¯t think toilets have any wealth or atmosphere¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zetto scratches his cheek silently. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, but it seems to be reasonably quiet in here.¡± ¡°Not in the hallway, if you¡¯re going to do that, I¡¯d rather be in¡­¡± What on earth is this guy trying to do so early in the morning in a hallway with all these peopleing and going? I suppose it¡¯s a good thing he¡¯s active, but¡­I¡¯m embarrassed. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I need to go into the restroom, at any rate.¡± Zetto says in a calm voice and puts his hand on my shoulder. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± His mood had suddenly be quite serious so I unnecessarily averted my gaze from his face. Then I hear Zetto¡¯s voice. ¡°Kaen.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should tell you this, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­but I think you should wear your underwear properly.¡± ¡°What?¡± What is this man talking about? ¡°It¡¯s just good manners between people.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that¡­¡± ¡­It¡¯s a joke. Why does he actually believe this? ¡°Everyone wears normal clothes, except for their underwear¡­¡± Zetto, who was rubbing his chin, said in a voice that couldn¡¯t have been more serious. ¡°Ah¡­¡± I¡¯m speechless and breathless at the same time. Lucia did the same and so did Zetto. I didn¡¯t think I was any different from Aizel, but why have they reacted that way? Their reactions were too serious for me to simply say it was a joke. ¡°Anyway, make sure to dress properly next time.¡± Zetto says, and smiles at me. I didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to say, ¡°I¡¯m kidding,¡± to such an earnest smile. The water had already been spilled. ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°Well, different people have different tastes, and I respect that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± My head went white and Zetto¡¯s voice was barely audible in my ears. Just as I was about to let out a sigh, someone walked down the hallway. Red hair in a tight braid, a face equally as red, it was Yuri Clementine. Zetto turned to greet her. ¡°Miss Yuri! You¡¯re a littlete for some reason.¡± ¡°¡­Zetto¡­ Uh, Kaen¡­ What are you two doing there?¡± ¡°We were just having a little chat.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°More than that, Yuri, did you wear the right underwear today?¡± ¡°¡­Mu, what kind of question is that, you¡¯re being inappropriately flirtatious¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I have no ill will, I just want to make sure¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re supposed to be wearing underwear!¡± Yuri, whose face was bright red, got angry. ¡­It was a situation that would normally make her angry. As Yuri stalks down the hallway, Zetto taps me on the shoulder again and gives me a kindly smile. ¡°See, everyone¡¯s wearing them, right?¡± Don¡¯t smile like that when you say that. It wouldn¡¯t mean anything to him if I showed him I was wearing underwear, and if I let him feel them, the picture would be too weird¡­ Most of all, it was impossible. Now that I think about it, it would be very difficult to exin to a blind man that I was wearing underwear. ¡°¡­¡± I trailed off and became a shirtless maiden. *** ¡°¡­¡­Come on, I¡¯m supposed to be wearing at least some underwear!¡± Yuri thought as she walked down the hallway, ignoring Zetto¡¯s strange question. ¡®How did he know¡­?¡¯ She wasn¡¯t wearing underwear today because of theughter that was now ringing in her head. [Cackle, cackle, cackle¡­] Benno was the reason. Yuri had to fulfill Benno¡¯s demands as the price for using Benno¡¯s power. Surely, she thought, she would be able to handle whatever it was. As Yuri was getting ready for school, Benno demanded that she wear no underwear. Benno made up some bullshit story about being prepared for a sudden mating. It was a good reason but not wearing underwear was unreasonable. That¡¯s when Benno spoke up. [You said you were going to take Zetto. Show me how you¡¯re going to do it.] I didn¡¯t know what the connection was between taking the Zetto and not wearing underwear, but if I didn¡¯tply with Benno¡¯s request, my bond with her would be weakened and I would have less power to use. Not wanting to be weakened any further I¡­ ¡­came to a decision. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Unusually, the slightest breeze bothered me. ¡°I¡¯m crazy, really¡­¡± [¡­To make such a fuss about not wearing underwear¡­ I don¡¯t understand humans. It¡¯s easier to mate if you don¡¯t think about it. Why did you hide it? You could have just said that you didn¡¯t wear it for Zetto.] ¡°Shut up, perverted lizard¡­!¡± Yuri was worried. She had gotten this far, but there was no telling how much more dangerous this perverted lizard¡¯s demands might be. She would have to find a way to control Benno before the road ahead became even more treacherous. *** Meanwhile, at that time, an investigative team from the Alliance has been dispatched to the Order of the Golden Lion in the Kingdom of Terracia. With their deputy leader, Delion, discovered to be a demon and in, the Alliance has chosen Saint Bernice to lead the investigation since her powers would prove useful in this endeavor. The purpose of the Inquisition was to investigate and, if deemed necessary, disband the Order. The Knights of the Golden Lion were, of course, knights of the Kingdom of Terracia, and there was some bacsh against them, but the Alliance shrugged it off, saying that they should be grateful that the incident was not publicized. The Kingdom of Terracia couldn¡¯t afford anymore opposition. Humans and demons were only in a truce, after all, and their intelligenceworks had been informed that the Demon King would soon be resurrected. Going against the Alliance would leave Terracia isted when war came and the nation itself would be destroyed. The roles are reversed if the kingdom finds the hero first¡­but finding the hero would be no easy task. ¡°So he was right.¡± Ines, who had been sent on the investigation with the Saint, murmured as she perused the Order internal information. ¡°This country is rotten to the core¡­¡± ¡°If you were a demon, you would be able to look at this country with a more objective eye.¡± Bernice interjects and soon, Ecline, who had been investigating outside, enters the room. ¡°There are tails over here, too. Most of them, I suspect, were tied to the First Prince and his father, Grand Chancellor Crente Okentia.¡± ¡°The First Prince¡­¡± Bernice, who had traveled in and out of the royal castle several times as an investigator, could quickly recognize the various issues surrounding the session in the Kingdom of Terracia. As the Allied Commander-in-Chief had said, her powers were useful in many ways. Bernice had met the First Prince. As a bonus, she had also met the Second Prince, who was still a boy. In her eyes, it was the second prince who was fit to be king, but¡­ The power seemed to be in the hands of the First Prince. He was already the crown prince. ¡®First Prince¡­I could definitely sense a bad aura from him.¡¯ Even if the Knights of the Golden Lion were gone and a new demon-hunting organization was to take over, would that be enough of an excuse? In the chaos that would ensue, Terracia would be a fertile ground for demons. ¡°Ha¡­¡± I swiveled in her chair and stretched, but it didn¡¯t help. All-nighters and overwork. I was physically fine, but mentally exhausted and in need of healing. With that thought, a man¡¯s face appeared in my mind. I longed to hear Zetto¡¯s voice. ¡®Why don¡¯t I take it easy tonight and talk with him?¡¯ She had heard that her patron, Anthony, had made a fortune this time. Maybe it was okay to be that greedy. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Bernice smiled faintly and returned to her work. Watching her, Ecline thought to herself. ¡®She¡¯s thinking about Zetto again.¡¯ Chapter 165: Forming the New Hero Party (1) Chapter 165: Forming the New Hero Party (1) The investigators sent to the Kingdom of Terracia continued their work in the dead of night, even as the city¡¯s fires were being extinguished one by one. The Knights of the Golden Lion were not the only major anti-demon organization in the realm, but their loss of a major force had temporarily stranded the Alliance¡¯s enforcers in Terracia. Bernice gave them a blessing to ward off the fatigue of a long day and night¡¯s work, then slipped out of the Inquisition¡¯s temporary headquarters. Finding a quiet clearing to rest, she held a small crystal ball in her hand. She listened to Zetto¡¯s voice. ¡°¡­So I don¡¯t think it¡¯s all going to be solved by eliminating the Knights of the Golden Lion, because it won¡¯t change the underlying cause.¡± Bernice wanted to talk about something more mundane, but she had been talking about work for the umpteenth time in response to Zetto¡¯s questions about the situation. [Hmmm¡­ a session plot, maybe the First Prince wasn¡¯t such a good guy in your eyes.] ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit much to talk about that, but¡­I could sense a bad aura.¡± [¡­ck magic, for example.] Zetto¡¯s answer came a littleter, and she gasped slightly. ¡°Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on it, it was just the distance, but it felt like my powers were being interfered with somehow, though it¡¯s strange that a human would carry something that interferes with divine power in the first ce.¡± Bernice continues to talk, unperturbed. [Haha, I see. An object that resists divine power¡­] Zetto interrupted. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Come to think of it, she had a simr feeling about Zetto once. That was about the time that thought shed through Bernice¡¯s mind. -Crackle!!!! A roar came from the crystal ball, it was a terrifying sound, like the earth shaking, the sky tearing apart. ¡®Again¡­?¡¯ This was the third time and unable to take it anymore, Bernice asked. ¡°¡­Zetto, what are you doing? Why am I hearing a roar¡­? Are you having trouble concentrating on the conversation¡­?¡± [That, that¡­] It was then. -CRACK!!! Another booming sound came from the crystal ball. [¡­I almost got hit this time.] [I told you, getting hit doesn¡¯t kill you.] [More than that, when is this going to end¡­?] [I don¡¯t know, only God knows.] Next, Bernice heard Zetto whispering with a woman. It was quiet enough in the clearing that Bernice was able to hear it without missing it, and she immediately asked a question. ¡°¡­Excuse me, who are you?¡± [¡­what?] Zetto¡¯s voice, trying to sound nonchnt. He was trying to y it cool. Bernice¡¯s eyes narrow as she realizes this. ¡°I heard a woman¡¯s voice, but¡­ Is there anyone else around?¡± A woman¡¯s voice. Zetto was with another woman? It¡¯s a voice she seems to remember hearing somewhere. Question marks filled Bernice¡¯s face as she squatted on a rock in the center of the clearing. [Did you hear that¡­?] But even Zetto, the culprit, was questioning. [ ¡­Why did you hear it?] ¡°You can¡¯t ask me that, can you?¡± You¡¯re not supposed to be surprised. Bernice bit her lip in disbelief. He was with a woman. He was having a conversation with a woman next to him. She was mortified. Bernice was about to say something when she heard Zetto¡¯s voice. [The woman next to me is¡­ none other than my teacher.] There was no falsehood in his voice. ¡°Your master? Surely¡­ I¡¯ve heard of her, but¡­Aren¡¯t you at the Academy now, and when did you meet her?¡± [Around the academy, I guess¡­] ¡°Ah, so your master was around the academy, because if you had told me, I would havee to visit you.¡± [Well, thatplicates things a bit, I was going to tell you when I saw you anyway¡­] ¡°There¡¯s nothingplicated about it, but even if I did meet with her, I¡¯d rather talk to you separately¡­¡± -Cackle!!!! ¡°¡­Wouldn¡¯t that be better?¡± [It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s hard to get away¡­I¡¯ll make sure to tell you about it next time, because I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to exin it in this state.] ¡°No need to apologize, you said you were Zetto¡¯s teacher, this is the first time we¡¯ve met, my name is Bernice, Saint of Innocence. I¡¯ve heard good things about you from Zetto, and I¡¯m grateful that he had a teacher who has helped him to walk well even when he couldn¡¯t see, and to handle a sword well¡­¡± [Uh, well¡­ yeah.] ¡°Hmph, you can say whatever you want.¡± Bernice smiled faintly, but she was also feeling a bit odd. ¡®This woman, Zetto¡¯s teacher, doesn¡¯t have any power.¡¯ It was not for Bernice to test Zetto¡¯s teacher, after all, her powers were uncontroble. She should have been able to sense the truth or falsity in the answer, but there was none in the woman¡¯s voice just now. I wonder if this is part of what Zetto is trying to exin. ¡°And what was that roaring noise from earlier?¡± Bernice, who had a pile of other questions, asked. [Ahaha¡­maybe some lightning is falling¡­] ¡°Lightning?¡± During the conversation, Bernice looked up at the sky. In her eyes, the night sky was peaceful and tranquil, with the stars and moon clearly visible. It was the surroundings of the Academy, and the distance between the Academy and the capital of Terracia kingdom shouldn¡¯t be so great that the weather would be so different¡­ ¡°Lightning in a dry sky¡­¡± It¡¯s like a divine punishment, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s not like Zetto is going to be punished for suddenly offending the gods. The more questions Bernice asked, the less she understood what was going on. Just then, another voice came from the crystal ball. [Brother, what are you doing there?] It was the voice of a child, an infant girl. She was calling Zetto her brother. This time, however, her voice was a little quieter, as if there were some distance between them. [Rei, you can¡¯te this way now!] Zetto¡¯s urgent voice immediately followed. [Huh? What¡­] The young woman called Rei let out a confused voice, and at that moment, a booming sound once again poured through the crystal ball. However, it was a different sound than before. ?Kwadwadwad!!!!!! The sound of something slicing through the air traveled through the crystal ball. [Oh, my brother¡­!] It was Rei¡¯s voice. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?!¡± For a moment, Bernice worried that something had happened to Zetto. [¡­You cut the lightning¡­¡­!] She could tell that wasn¡¯t the case by the answer that followed. ¡°¡­¡± Bernice listened in silence, deeply perplexed. Who was Rei, what did she mean when she said he cut the lightning, and what the hell was going on in Zetto¡¯s ce? It was a total mess. ¡°Somehow I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to be able to talk anymore today¡­¡± Bernice shook her head. She had given up trying to understand. [¡­Yeah, I guess so.] Zetto¡¯s voice sounded a little tired, as he gasped for breath every now and then. ¡°You can exin it all to me the next time we meet, right?¡± [I¡¯ll do that, I¡¯m sorry, Saint, I feel like I¡¯ve taken up valuable time¡­] ¡°No. I had a feeling you had a lot of secrets, so let¡¯s make it about getting to know each other.¡± Bernice had to hide her disappointment that she hadn¡¯t gotten the rxed conversation she¡¯d hoped for¡­but at least she¡¯d heard Zetto¡¯s voice. She decided to stay positive. As the conversation was winding down, she heard Zetto¡¯s voice. [¡­Still, it was nice to hear the saint¡¯s voice. ] ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bernice trailed off. ¡°¡­¡± She quickly withdrew the mana she had been channeling into the crystal ball and hastily ended her conversation with Zetto. What else would she do so suddenly? Still, even if it was a bit of a mess, hisst words had made her feel better. She knew that the sweet voice that said it was good to hear Bernice¡¯s voice was a solid ¡®truth¡¯. ¡°¡­I, I liked it too¡­¡­¡± Bernice, who had been staring at the unlit crystal ball, finally told the truth. *** ¡°Sister? Sister?¡± I called out to Bernice, but no answer came. [I think we¡¯ve lost the connection.] ¡°This is sudden.¡± [I wonder if the saint wouldn¡¯t be sudden too.] Sierra¡¯s words made me turn my head and look around. The forest was dotted with lightning strikes. Tonight, I¡¯d been doing my own research on the three chapters of Reverse Heaven, including Rei and Geppeti¡¯s training. ¡®It just so happened that Bernice contacted me after I used the third chapter¡­¡¯ Rei was sprawled out on the floor, her eyes zed over, and Geppeti, approaching from the other side, was tilting her head as if to ask what this was all about. [I wonder what it sounded like¡­?] ¡°I was wondering about that myself.¡± Sierra¡¯s voice traveled through the crystal ball, a mana-enhanced power. [Would she recognize a lie¡­?] ¡°I don¡¯t think so, though I can¡¯t be sure.¡± If there¡¯s a reason, it¡¯s that Sierra¡¯s body is truly dead, so it doesn¡¯t work. ¡°¡­And I told you not toe near it.¡± I then turned to the small girl at my feet. ¡°¡­¡± Rei scratched one ear as she listened. I had to dodge a lightning strike as Rei jumped out from the direction it wasing from. The arm holding the Spectral Sword was still tingling and trembling from the lightning bolt, but it hadn¡¯t stopped. ¡°¡­If you¡¯re just going to leave me with that, I should be able to hold back my curiosity as lightning falls from the sky.¡± Rei picked herself up off the ground and brushed the dirt off her clothes. Rey was curious but she was also a hero, with a soul as clear and pure as any. Innocence and curiosity. ¡°What¡­ I guess a hero is a hero.¡± At my rambling, Rei nces at me and opens her mouth. ¡°What do you mean, all of a sudden¡­ a saint? Brother knows a saint?¡± ¡°Not just an acquaintance, I¡¯m actually a knight of the Saint.¡± Though I was far from holy to be called a knight of a saint. ¡°Hmm? If you¡¯re a Knight of the Saint, isn¡¯t that the Order of the Silver Wings, which only women can join?¡± No. I thought so, too. ¡°Not necessarily.¡± ¡°¡­Well, never mind. What kind of saint is this one?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Powers, powers. A saint must have it.¡± ¡°Aha, power¡­¡± ¡°¡­Cerise had some unusual powers, and I¡¯m wondering what power this one has.¡± Cerise was a saint back when she was the Hero Leon, in other words, a former colleague of Rei. ¡°You¡¯ll find out when you meet her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to meet her? Does that mean I have to go?¡± ¡°Yes, since she will be one of Rei¡¯s allies one day¡­ I thought it would be a good idea to introduce you.¡± ¡°Is that suddenly okay?¡± Rei shrugged and looked at me nervously. ¡°She¡¯s trustworthy, and most of all¡­ lying doesn¡¯t work around her.¡± I didn¡¯t mean to lie, and I don¡¯t need to. I didn¡¯t have a choice about Rei in the first ce. Bernice had already met her at the Academy, which meant she was allowed to roam the grounds. It would look even more suspicious if we wentter and found out she had a sister, and was then questioned. ¡°Hmm, I think I know what her power is. I guess that makes it easier to talk to her.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Hero party¡­ I miss it¡­¡± ¡°Well, there will be a new one soon enough.¡± ¡°Hehe, when that happens, I¡¯ll bring brother along.¡± Rei scrunched up her nose as she said that. ¡°You mean me?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? This is a hero party, and we get to share in the greatness.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s my role in the party?¡± At my question, Rei purses her lips and begins to think seriously. ¡°A swordsman is kind of¡­ I guess it oveps with my role as a hero¡­ An assassin doesn¡¯t seem like it would belong in a hero party¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­How about a porter, you¡¯ve got a subspace pouch, right?¡± ¡°Oh, there was a porter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, right? It¡¯s safe.¡± Reiughs at the bash. ¡°No.¡± Her smile was cut short. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be a porter.¡± I rejected Rei¡¯s offer coldly. As far as I could tell, the porters of the Hero¡¯s Party fell into two categories. Either they were wronged, or they were viins. Chapter 166: Forming the New Hero Party (2) Chapter 166: Forming the New Hero Party (2) In the days that followed, the aftermath of the events began to unfold at the Innocence Academy, as the investigative team sent to the Kingdom of Terracia concluded their investigations. First, news of the disbandment of the Order of the Golden Lion spread through the Academy. Corruption and irregrities within the Order were cited as the reason, but this was a deception for the general public, who were unaware that the Order of the Golden Lion was a major demonic organization. Yuri, a native of the Kingdom of Terracia, was nonchnt. Perhaps she was vaguely aware of the inner workings of the Order of the Golden Lion. As soon as Aizel heard the news, her face grew serious as she tried to figure it out. It won¡¯t be long before she realizes that Zagoras is dead. Even if she did, it would be none of my business. Even if she somehow manages to reach Bernice, the woman who killed Zagoras, she¡¯ll have to go to her and ask her questions, and she won¡¯t tell Aizel, who isn¡¯t involved. There is no problem. It¡¯s just a twist in the future. Let¡¯s hope Aizel thinks positively. As an added bonus, the Temr leader, Terlos Okentia, is no longer an Okentia. House Okentia has disowned him. It may have been a mere stroke of the pen, but the news could not have been more devastating to his son, Keefe Okentia. I¡¯ve seen Keefe pack up his things and leave the dormitory in a daze ever since. With graduation less than a year away, he would no longer be able to attend the Academy. He didn¡¯t have to leave the Academy, as the Innocence Academy stood in an independent position, unconnected to the political situation in other countries, but it seemed to be his choice, or Terlos¡¯ choice. In fact, Terlos and Keefe are now in a position where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they disappeared without a trace. It¡¯s no wonder they¡¯re being sought out forplete elimination for dishonoring the family name. It¡¯s not umon for nsmen to look out for their families. Perhaps they chose to flee. Somewhere along the way, Yuri was contacted by her father, Xerath Clementine. It was an obvious call for this time of year so it¡¯s probably something to do with the First Prince. This was all to prevent Aizel¡¯s death, but things had changed. Delion, or Zagoras, was dead, but that wasn¡¯t the end of it. Even in death, Zagoras left behind many troublesome problems. The loss of power to keep the demons at bay and a royal castle that reeked of the foul odor of the gutter. The Kingdom of Terracia would be plunged into chaos for a time. A new order is being formed to rece the Order of the Golden Lion, and it will probably be made up of people who have a lot to do with the First Prince¡¯s rise to power, not like the Order of the Golden Lion, which was led by demons. If my predictions are correct, and the future as I know it ys out, it won¡¯t be long before the King of Terracia dies. The aging king will finally meet his end but before that happens, I need to intervene in the castle. To prevent Yuri¡¯s betrothal and breathe new life into the decaying kingdom of Terracia, I must eliminate the First Prince. Behind the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Terracia is a warlock from none other than the Dark Order. The Dark Order is the same one I met in the North, the one that tried to resurrect the Lich. I had a n in my head, a n that would eliminate the first prince and allow the second prince to be recognized as the true king. It wasn¡¯t an impossible n, if I could capitalize on the chaos that had descended upon the Kingdom of Terracia in the present time. I had the ingredients to make this impossible n possible. Jorgal, the demon that brought chaos to the kingdom, dies at the hands of two brave princes. It¡¯s a pretty good picture, but¡­ ¡®¡­I¡¯m not good at ying viins.¡¯ Just as I was thinking that, I heard a young girl¡¯s voice next to me, shaking me out of my thoughts. ¡°Hey, big brother, what are you nning to do that makes you smile so slyly?¡± I turn to see Rei with her mouth hanging open, staring at me. ¡°Was Iughing?¡± ¡°You were smiling, slyly.¡± ¡°It was the smile of a viin, Mr. Zetto, the kind of smile that makes a hero¡¯s friends and lovers weigh him down.¡± Rei affirmed again, and Geppeti nodded. ¡°What else can you be so detailed about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the only thing I¡¯ve learned.¡± I smiled weakly, catching Rei and Geppeti¡¯s eyes as they whispered. Rei, Geppeti, and Sierra clinging to my back. Oh, and let¡¯s not forget Sheddie in Rei¡¯s arms. It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve had a family outing like this. When Bernice¡¯s work with the Inquisition isplete, we finally meet. This meeting was in the aftermath of Zagoras death, but also an introduction. The gathering was organized by none other than Anthony, who had rented out an entire restaurant. ¡®He must have made a fortune already.¡¯ One could only guess his wealth from the luxurious decorations in the carriage. Currently, we were traveling to the venue in a carriage arranged by Anthony¡¯s merchants. ¡°Really, you caught him and killed him?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t kill him but I wanted to kill him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s frustrating, that bat guy¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what heroes are for, isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s the cool part.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯d be cooler if I didn¡¯t kill the demon¡­?!¡± ¡°That would be¡­different.¡± Leaving Rei and Geppeti, who seemed to be having an interesting discussion. ¡°So why didn¡¯t you ask her if she was wearing underwear or not?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t see if she¡¯s wearing them or not anyway, right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t like that.¡± Just when I was making light conversation with Sierra. -Squeak. The carriage¡¯s wheels screeched to a halt and Rei was the first one out of the carriage. ¡°Ack.¡± As soon as it stopped, Rei stood up and quickly opened the door and ran out. The carriage must have been quite stuffy. ¡°Oh¡­!!¡± I heard Rei exim as I was getting out of the carriage. The exmation was well deserved. I got out of the carriage and took in the building in front of us. ¡®¡­I heard it was a restaurant.¡¯ It was arge mansion with a garden that looked like it could host a party for some rich nobleman. ¡°It¡¯s grand, but¡­ Where¡¯s the dining room?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry. We didn¡¯t eat lunch just because we could get something nice to eat.¡± We stepped out of the carriage and into a huge garden. Instead of walking aimlessly, I made my way toward the man standing in the garden. Soon, the man standing at the fountain in the center of the garden spotted us. ¡°There you are!¡± He exims, waving his hand, but then withdraws it, looking between his hand and my eyes. I walk over to him, coughing, and greet him with a warm smile. ¡°Anthony, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I don¡¯t know if I should call you Mr. Acupuncturist or Mr. Zetto. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Haha, no need for titles.¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re my daughter¡¯s lifesaver, so I can¡¯t not honor you. More importantly, these children¡­must be Mr. Zetto¡¯s younger sisters.¡± Anthony shook my hand and looked at Rei and Geppeti. Sierra was there, but of course he didn¡¯t see her. ¡°I apologize for the dy in introducing them, but they¡¯re Rei and Geppeti.¡± They both bow in response to my introduction. ¡°Haha, Ms. Rei must be about the same age as my Emilia.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to introduce them sometime.¡± ¡°Haha, Emilia¡¯s been obsessed with swordstely, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯d like them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, because my Rei is also very interested in swords.¡± As I said that, I looked at Rei. Rei nces at me cautiously, like she doesn¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about. Well, I¡¯m not wrong since she¡¯s a reincarnated hero. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside, the saint is waiting for us.¡± We follow Anthony¡¯s lead into the garden. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a restaurant, but with all those fragrant flowers¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a typical restaurant.¡± After a brief sniffle, Anthony smiles at my question. ¡°I¡¯m hosting some dignitaries, and I¡¯m not satisfied with an ordinary restaurant¡­ so I rented out the entire banquet hall in the neighborhood.¡± How can a banquet hall be a restaurant? It¡¯s amazing. ¡°¡­Thank you for your concern.¡± ¡°Haha, maybe the banquet hall was too much.¡± Anthony smiles broadly at my shaky voice. We walk through the garden and approach the main entrance of the banquet hall, and when Anthony nods faintly, the staff of the Chamber of Commerce standing in front of the door opens it for us. ¡°At least the food is ready.¡± Anthony walks in first and leads the way. ¡°Smells delicious¡­!¡± Rei exims as she enters the banquet hall. ¡°I¡¯m going to retire now, please enjoy yourselves.¡± ¡°Thank you for showing us around.¡± Neat entrance and exit, Anthony. He could have joined in the fun¡­The thought crossed my mind, but I couldn¡¯t help but realize that the conversation around the table today would be anything but mundane. In the center of the empty ballroom, where there was not a single unfamiliar face in sight, soft music was ying. They even had a band. Anthony was a good organizer in many ways. I walked forward and soon I heard Bernice¡¯s voice. ¡°Zetto, over here.¡± Bernice descends the stairs from the second floor. ¡°Saint.¡± I bowed my head in greeting. ¡°Next to you are¡­?¡± Bernice trailed off, and I looked up to see her face. Her eyes took in Sierra, Geppeti, and Rei, who had followed me. Then Rei pointed a finger at Bernice. ¡°The saint?¡± ¡°Yes, I am the saint, but¡­¡± ¡°I am the hero.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bernice tilted her head and her face was filled with question marks. Rei also tilted her head in response. This was the first meeting between the hero and the saint. *** Zetto exined, step by step, about the people he¡¯d brought with him. He didn¡¯t have to bring Geppeti, but he felt it was best to tell her all at once. First was Sierra. When Bernice spotted her, she immediately recognized her. She was Zetto¡¯s teacher that she had previously seen in the Coliseum during the Academy¡¯s public sses. ¡®I didn¡¯t realize he had a teacher or that she was dead¡­¡¯ Bernice thought. The source of the ominous aura emanating from Zetto¡¯s sword was now clear. A Spectral Sword. She wondered what he was thinking by carrying such a dangerous weapon, but it did make sense that the spirit within it was his teacher. Purple Moon Sierra. Bernice was of a generation that might not have known her, but she remembered being told the name by the teacher who had once taught her the divine martial arts. ¡°You must be Purple Moon. It is an honor to meet you.¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Ecline and In¨¦s watched as Bernice shook hands with Sierra, their eyes narrowing. ¡°Captain, what do you see?¡± ¡°I can sense a vague aura, but¡­¡± Bernice couldn¡¯t possibly be lying, so of course they believed her, but they couldn¡¯t help but notice how odd she looked as she waved her hands in the air. After Sierra¡¯s introduction, it was time for the long-awaited reincarnated hero. In¨¦s, Ecline, and Bernice were the only ones present so Zetto, whom everyone had deemed trustworthy, spoke up. ¡°I saved her by ident right before the demons killed her. I don¡¯t know if the information had already gotten out or not, but it was definitely an attack targeting the hero. Well, for that reason, for safety¡¯s sake, I took her to the academy now under the guise of being my sister.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Something of a rambling exnation passed, and Ecline and Ines looked at Bernice to see if it was true. Bernice spoke up. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s normal to have memories from before reincarnation.¡± Bernice didn¡¯t seem to mind Zetto¡¯s words. She didn¡¯t see anything false in his exnation. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± At this, Rei shows signs of difort. It was an admission that Leon, the hero, had turned into Rei, the girl. ¡°Anyway, I am the hero.¡± Rei nodded in agreement. ¡°She is the hero.¡± Bernice exins to In¨¦s and Ecline that the little maiden is the reincarnated hero. In¨¦s and Ecline don¡¯t believe it, but if Bernice says so, they can¡¯t help but believe it. Soon, Rei speaks up. ¡°Saint¡­I have a question.¡± ¡°What is it, hero?¡± Then, with a serious look in his eyes, Rei points at Bernice. ¡®I wonder what she¡¯s going to ask.¡¯ ¡°Why does the saint wears suchscivious clothing¡­?¡± Rei says and points to Bernice¡¯s dress. She wore a snow-white dress that showed off her side breasts. It was a dress that gave off a strange aura, as if it was revealing or not. At Rei¡¯s question, Sierra squeezed her eyes shut and nodded, as if he was right. [I¡¯ve always wondered why the Saint dressed like that.] Bernice frowns at this. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be saying that.¡± Chapter 167: Forming the New Hero Party (3) Chapter 167: Forming the New Hero Party (3) ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be saying that.¡± Bernice¡¯s retort, though she was smiling, her eyebrows twitched slightly. I couldn¡¯t help but nod, but I had to agree. Sierra¡¯s outfit was far more risqu¨¦, given the level of exposure. The red robes of the East were so offensive that you could almost see her breasts. It made me wonder why she was even wearing it in the first ce. In response to Bernice¡¯s retort, Sierra replies in a nonchnt voice. [What does it matter what I wear, it¡¯s not like anyone is watching.] ¡°Well, it¡¯s¡­¡± Bernice trails off. Meanwhile, Sierra sneaks a nce at me and tilts her head. Only I can see her anyway. It was a gesture like that. Well, I can see everything. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t deny it.¡± Bernice, who had stood up from her chair in excitement, conceded neatly and sat down again. Rei, who has been watching, looks back and forth between me and Bernice. ¡°Why? Why? What is she wearing?¡± It¡¯s a normal reaction to not being able to see Sierra¡¯s form properly. In¨¦s and Ecline remained silent, but their thoughts must have been the same. Of course, I couldn¡¯t give them an exnation for Sierra¡¯s attire. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll try to keep my mouth shut.¡± Bernice exchanged a nce with Sierra, then fell silent. But Rei¡¯s question remained unanswered. ¡°Hmm¡­ More than that, why is the saint dressed in such indecent attire?¡± ¡°Hero, it¡¯s best to keep your words to yourself¡­¡± In¨¦s interrupted. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be an ally, and I can¡¯t even ask a question like that. How naughty¡­¡± Rei¡¯s expression is one of genuine curiosity, without malice. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ines. As long as I don¡¯t die before the demon king¡¯s resurrection, I¡¯ll naturally be your ally.¡± Bernice said, cutting Ines off. ¡°I¡¯m just curious, Cerise didn¡¯t tell me.¡± ¡°If it is Cerise¡­You must mean the Saint of the Iron Wall.¡± ¡°Oh, you know, I think it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m a saint myself, so of course I¡¯ve learned the history of all the saints before me.¡± ¡°Hmph. Her powers were unusual, but¡­ but her defense was incredible.¡± As Rei nods her head, her chubby cheeks sway with it. Such a cute little girl is the hero. That sentence probably describes the look on Ines and Ecline¡¯s faces right now. I wonder if they¡¯re feeling disconnected when the topic of the pastes up. Bernice and Rei continued their conversation. ¡°Isn¡¯t Cerise¡¯s power absolute defense? Is there anything unusual about it?¡± ¡°Hmm? Isn¡¯t that what it says? The price of power. The price.¡± ¡°The price of power?¡± Rei closed her eyes and tried to exin, but Bernice¡¯s reaction was that it was a mystery. It was the same for me. Was there such a thing as a price for the power granted by the gods? Not that I know of. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve ever heard of a price for power¡­¡± Bernice must have been the same. Rei¡¯s eyes widened, and she spoke up. ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure she said there was a price¡­ Every time she used her powers, she¡¯de into my room and sleep in my bed, iming it was the price of power¡­I¡¯m the kind of person who doesn¡¯t sleep well when someone¡¯s around.¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± As Rei continued, I realized something. There was no such thing as a price for power, and it was all a lie by Cerise, the Saint of the Iron Wall. ¡°¡­You were just sleeping, weren¡¯t you?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°I slept. What else could I do? She¡¯s a coworker, and I¡¯m the one who made sure nothing happened to her. Wouldn¡¯t she be grateful?¡± ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s good.¡± I don¡¯t think Cerise would have been grateful. It¡¯s a passive thing for heroes to not notice. Bernice, however, was thinking seriously. ¡°Poweres with a price¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but Cerise did.¡± ¡°¡­I see, there must have been a price to pay for using the power. I¡¯ll have to find out about that.¡± As she continued to speak, Bernice stared at me. I wondered why she was looking at me. ¡°So why are you dressed like that?¡± Rei repeated her question, the hero was quite persistent. ¡°Ah, that question hasn¡¯t been answered yet. The outfit is to be prepared for a battle that could happen at any moment¡­And to keep me cool.¡± ¡°Battle? You don¡¯t seem to have any hidden weapons¡­¡± ¡°Ho-ho-ho, that¡¯s what I was aiming for.¡± Bernice smiled faintly. Well, given herbat style, it wasn¡¯t wrong to say that she was dressed to catch her attackers off guard. So concluded the ratherplicated introduction to Rei and Sierra. By the time the meal was served, Bernice¡¯s gaze turned to Geppeti. ¡°So, that kid¡­¡± ¡°You mean Geppeti?¡± ¡°Yes, as far as Rei and your master are concerned, I understand, but¡­¡± What is Geppeti? I couldn¡¯t say it was an A.I. from another world, but I had to mix truth and lies in a clever way. Soon, Geppeti, who had been sitting still with a bright smile on her face, realized it was her turn to speak and bowed to Bernice. ¡°I¡¯m Geppeti.¡± I continued to introduce her. ¡°Geppeti is¡­She was more of a chance encounter. She was on the road and had nowhere else to go, so I took her in¡­.I don¡¯t mind having a little sister. She¡¯s very smart and capable for her age.¡± ¡°She has nowhere to go¡­¡± Bernice looks sympathetic. ¡°I know, because I¡¯ve been in the same situation, and I can rte.¡± There was no lie in my answer. Me and Geppeti had lost our Earth, our ce to return to. ¡°Does it feel like you¡¯ve saved her life?¡± Ecline added. ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal¡­ but it gave her something to live for, and I hope she¡¯ll continue to learn from me.¡± ¡°In the future¡­I hope¡­¡± Bernice murmured softly, then seemed to be lost in thought. With that, Geppeti¡¯s introduction is over, and her eyes are drawn to the food on the table. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Rei, meanwhile, can¡¯t bring himself to pick up her cutlery as she watches the others stare at her in silence. I pped my hands together and spoke up. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first.¡± They all agreed, and the meal began. It went as I thought it would. The introduction was over before Bernice had a chance to pick up on anything. It was a good thing, because it would have been quite cumbersome to respond to her questions. There were many different types of food. All of them looked delicious, and each one was a real treat. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Rei cuts off arge piece of steak and shoves it into her bowl. Ecline, who had been staring at Rei, suddenly realized something and turned to me and opened her mouth. ¡°Zetto, I still don¡¯t quite understand¡­ So, to summarize the situation¡­ Rei and Miss Geppeti are living as Zetto¡¯s little sisters¡­?¡± ¡°We are, yes. We¡¯re not connected by blood, but¡­I think of her as a real sister.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re not revealing that you¡¯re the hero¡­? I wonder if it¡¯s okay to hide your existence from the rest of the world¡­ What do you think, sister?¡± Well, she¡¯s the ¡®hero¡¯ who has to defeat the demon king. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to reveal the existence of the hero?¡± Ecline asked. Bernice, wiping the corner of her mouth with a napkin, replies. ¡°That will not be necessary, Ecline. I think this is the ideal situation.¡± ¡°Ideal situation¡­? Why, she¡¯s the ¡®hero¡¯ that everyone in the world is waiting for, and you¡¯re supposed to tell the Holy Land¡­¡± ¡°The problem is that everyone is waiting¡­ If the existence of a reincarnated hero were to be known to the world, political strife would be inevitable. Moreover, there was a war only a decade ago¡­ So it¡¯s not strange that anything could happen¡­ A war between nations could break out.¡± ¡°A war for the hero¡­¡± Bernice had predicted correctly. I brought her the hero in advance to avoid that headache. Being a ¡®hero of a nation¡¯ gave that country a tremendous advantage. I decided to add to Bernice¡¯s exnation. ¡°¡­Most of all, I didn¡¯t think it was safe, even though I had taken care of all the demons that were around when I rescued her¡­I don¡¯t think it would be strange if and when the information leaked out, so it was imperative that we move, and I figured that the Innocence Academy would be able to keep the demons from scouting us out. Of course, it¡¯s always good to have insurance, so¡­¡± ¡°And you informed me of this?¡± I nodded in affirmation at Bernice¡¯s next words. ¡°Surely the Innocence Academy is supposed to be a politically independent ce, so¡­¡± In¨¦s finished, emphasizing how the current situation was ideal. ¡°Such a deep meaning¡­¡± I was just trying to make my body and mind feel better. As Ecline rambles on, Rei grabs my arm. ¡°What are you all talking about, a battle or something? I¡¯m here because I want to be by Zetto¡¯s side.¡± ¡°Well¡­ As you can see, she has a will of her own.¡± ¡°Is there a reason you care about him hero?¡± Bernice¡¯s question is followed by Rei¡¯s sinct answer. ¡°Because he gives me candy.¡± ¡°Candy¡­?¡± Rei¡¯s answer was met with a collective gasp and a deep question. How do I organize this? I scratched my head and shrugged. ¡°Haha, it turns out that the hero is very fond of candy¡­¡± ¡°I love it too!¡± Geppeti added in a cheerful voice. Indeed. Recently, Geppeti had started looking for candy, too. ¡®It¡¯s a trade secret¡­ I can¡¯t reveal it like this.¡¯ Just as the thought was crossing my mind Rei drops the bombshell. ¡°¡­so I decided to take Zetto to the hero¡¯s party.¡± Hero Party: a small elite group that will work alongside heroes to defeat demons. I wanted to say it again, but it didn¡¯t sound like a joke when I said it in front of Saint Bernice, who was sure to be my future ally. ¡°¡­Because of the candy?¡± ¡°Well, not necessarily¡­¡± Rei stuttered and scratched her cheek. I wonder if there¡¯s another reason. Bernice bursts. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re going to bring Zetto to the hero party. Are you sure about this, Hero?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m serious. If you have anyints, you should say so now, since we¡¯re going to be colleagues.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m all for letting him join our party, but¡­¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± The Saint and Rei stare at each other, then nod. ¡°¡­Since we already have two heroes.¡± Rei nodded, troubled. The hero was a transposition, of course, and Bernice had been epted as a transposition quite naturally. It was partly because Cerys was the only saint she¡¯d ever known in her life. Ines and Ecline would be aware of Bernice¡¯s radical fighting style. A heated discussion ensued around the table about Zetto¡¯s position within the Hero Party. ¡°Carrying a shield from now on¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible¡­ and pointless¡­¡± ¡°Zetto, have you ever shot a bow¡­ no, a blind archer wouldn¡¯t work.¡± By now, Ecline and Ines were seriously joining the discussion. A blind archer. It¡¯s not like they can¡¯t shoot a bow, but they don¡¯t have any relevant skills, so it¡¯s no use against the demons. I finally decided to ask the question that had been on my mind since I¡¯d been listening to their discussion. ¡°¡­Why is it that you want to take me to the Hero¡¯s Party?¡± Rei, who had been setting her jaw at my question, nced at me. ¡°Because you¡¯ll bepetent if we take you, it¡¯s a warrior¡¯s instinct.¡± ¡°I think we¡¯ll need him somehow.¡± Bernice¡¯s firm voice. ¡°Zetto, it¡¯s not like it doesn¡¯t make sense, given your history. You found a reincarnated hero¡­and protected her under the worst of circumstances. Even with Delion this time, if it weren¡¯t for you, we wouldn¡¯t have gotten to the bottom of the truth about him being a demon.¡± ¡°So you think I can do a lot of things.¡± So, to summarize, my actions so far have caused their high opinion of me. I thought about it slowly and realized that they had a point. I¡¯ve since given up. It¡¯s all just talk anyway, and even if they¡¯re sincere, it¡¯s still a long way off to organize the hero party. In the end, the discussion ended when the food on the table was almost gone. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that using a blind man as a porter will attract a lot of public criticism¡­ but it¡¯s the safest way to go.¡± The conclusion was a porter. A swordsman is too much like the hero so it wouldn¡¯t work but there was nothing to be done about falling to the back. ¡®A porter is¡­ a bit¡­¡¯ My opinion didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Here¡­¡± Rei mmed a small fist down on the table. She gestured to Bernice, then tugged on my arm, bringing the three fists together. ¡°¡­The New Hero Party is hereby formed!¡± Rei shouted. ¡­It didn¡¯t quite sink in but Bernice lightly touches my fist and smiles weakly. Yeah, I guess I should just enjoy it since this will all be a memory to cherish. ¡°To see the formation of the Hero Party in your eyes¡­ I am truly honored.¡± ¡°Deputy, there¡¯s no need to cry.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this since I joined the Knights¡­! Now all that¡¯s left is the Saint¡¯s wedding.¡± Ecline wipes away a tear. ¡®What a strange bucket list¡­¡¯ And a wedding¡­Is that even nned? ¡°A wedding would be premature, Eileen, when I don¡¯t even have a significant other¡­¡± Judging by the way Bernice blushed, it wasn¡¯t. A little time passed, and the meal waspletely finished¡­ Rei was talking to Ines and Ecline, recounting her time in the Hero¡¯s Party. Geppeti was listening to their conversation but strangely, no one else was asking questions about the hero turning into a woman. Had they noticed? Or did their minds not reach that far. More likely thetter since it was aplicated story. Bernice stood up and walked over to me, whispering to Sierra, not me. ¡°May I borrow your apprentice for a moment? We have some unfinished business.¡± [Ahem¡­ have it your way.] Sierra shakes her head in disbelief, but I take that as permission. ¡°Zetto, I need to talk to you.¡± With those words, Bernice leaves the ballroom. ¡®I¡¯m not done talking¡­¡¯ I left Sierra on her seat and stood up. I followed Bernice to the garden in front of the ballroom. Bernice, who was waiting for me after exiting the ballroom, had her eyes on the colorful flowers in the garden. -Aaahhh. My footsteps startle Bernice, and she turns her head. She was looking like a painting against the backdrop of the flowers. ¡°¡­Hello.¡± Chapter 168: Denial becomes confession Chapter 168: Denial bes confession Bernice, who had summoned me to the garden because she had something to tell me, walked quietly through the garden, examining the flowers but saying nothing else. ¡°¡­¡± I slowed my stride as I followed her. The scent of the colorful flowers and the crisp night air cleared my head. Bernice¡¯s silver hair was beautiful against the stillness of the night as she led the way. Her hair glistened with every ray of moonlight. Soon, she stops and her tousled silver hair is stilled. She turned her head to look at me, and her lips parted. ¡°¡­That was a funny story, wasn¡¯t it?¡± A funny story. It sounded like she was talking about the formation of the hero party. ¡°¡­I think it was a fun story.¡± My shaky voice echoed through the garden. ¡°¡­Phew.¡± Bernice paused to see if she could think of anything, then burst outughing. Berniceughed out loud. Even the sound of herughter had a hint of nobility to it. As sheughed happily amidst the scent of the flowers, she was very beautiful. She looked so happy. I tilted my head, wishing I could see more of her like that, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what she wasughing about. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ it¡¯s just that¡­¡± Bernice¡¯s smile faded, and she wiped at the corners of her eyes with a snow-white glove. ¡°It was my first time.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean that the answer you gave me just now was the first lie you ever told me, and I thought it was kind of funny¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± I replied that it was funny. I said it without thinking, so I didn¡¯t care if it was true or false, and I didn¡¯t think it was an answer I should care about. Being a porter is a serious matter. ¡°Hmm¡­ Is that why you didn¡¯t want to go on the journey with me?¡± Bernice leaned back and looked up at me. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that, but¡­¡± ¡°You might as well ept it, my dear warrior, you soundedpletely sincere.¡± ¡°You mean it wasn¡¯t a joke?¡± ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t even have to use your powers, I could feel it in your eyes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I sighed, rubbing my chin. I need to learn some other tricks besides swords. Actually, if there was another skill, I already had it, including Sheddie, but it wasn¡¯t a power I was willing to show everyone. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just not greedy,¡± said Bernice, ¡°whereas everyone else would be desperate to get into the party, be it as a porter or anything else, because it¡¯s a chance to win all the riches and honors in the world.¡± Bernice trailed off then muttered, ¡°Maybe you have other reasons to be reluctant¡­Maybe you don¡¯t want to do it.¡± Maybe I just don¡¯t like the idea of being a porter. In retrospect, I don¡¯t think she even heard me in the ballroom. ¡°Zetto, I want you to make me a promise.¡± Bernice held out her little finger to me. ¡°Come on.¡± I suddenly wonder what she¡¯s promising. I hesitate, and she backs me up. Eventually, I reached out and sped mine with hers. ¡°We¡¯ll go capture the Demon King together.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I nod weakly, and Bernice¡¯s eyes narrow as she stares at me. She slowly opens her eyes and speaks. ¡°No matter what¡­ We still have a few years to go before the Demon King¡¯s resurrection, so we might as well take care of ourselves until then, right?¡± ¡°Haha, at least I¡¯ll have my limbs intact to carry my luggage.¡± ¡°¡­I promise.¡± Bernice struggled to smile at my joke. I guess she didn¡¯t find it funny. She turns her back on me and walks out of the garden once more. I quickly catch up with her and ask her a question. ¡°So you have something to say¡­¡± ¡°The unfinished business?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Because our conversation got cut offst time.¡± ¡°It certainly did.¡± ¡°It was a mess then, and I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s just as messy now, because I wanted to have the conversation in a quieter space.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Clearly, I had a lot of exining to do, and it was cluttered and messy. That was part of the point, but¡­ It must have been awkward for Bernice, and she needed time to organize her thoughts. ¡°By the way, is this the first time we¡¯ve ever had a conversation, just the two of us?¡± ¡°¡­I guess so.¡± It was the first time I¡¯d ever had a conversation without Sierra, who had been around my waist before. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Bernice smiles briefly then walks out of the garden into the night. The garden was quiterge, and she could walk for miles and miles and never see the end. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say the other day that it was nice to be able to hear my voice?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°What about now?¡± Bernice turned around and looked at me with a look of expectation on her face. ¡°Of course¡­¡± I blurted out the truth. ¡°¡­I am happy. As a knight of a saint, how could it not be good to hear her voice?¡± I trailed off, feeling a little embarrassed while Bernice licked her lips. ¡°Hmm¡­ Actually, many of my knights are reluctant to speak with me¡­ and not just my knights¡­ People who know of my powers usually feel that way.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The power to recognize lies and truth. We all tell lies, big and small, to avoid being found out. In that sense, their reluctance to talk with Bernice¡¯s is a surprisingly normal reaction. Power is an indescribably useful thing, but it also has its downsides. ¡°¡­Of course, I¡¯m not lonely, as I have many good people around me, including Zetto.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored.¡± ¡°More than that, I¡¯m honored to hear your voice¡­ Isn¡¯t that something you¡¯d only say to a lover, no matter how much you think about it?¡± Bernice said, frowning slightly. Looking back on it now, it was a bit embarrassing. At the very least, it didn¡¯t seem like something that would be exchanged between a saint and a knight. ¡°¡­¡± I scratched my head in frustration. Bernice walked over to me, grabbed my lowered chin and lifted it, forcing my eyes to take in her face. She had a sharp nose, long silver hair, and a single eye that was obscured by her long hair. Then Bernice¡¯s moist lips parted. ¡°The saint¡¯s knight¡­ I dare say you coveted the saint¡­?¡± ¡°Uh, nothing like that, just as a knight¡­¡± A reflexive reply. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Only afterward did I notice Bernice¡¯s blush. Oh, so that answer sounded false. This is how it must have felt to Bernice. Zetto, the Saint¡¯s knight¡­was coveting the saint. It sounded so dangerous that my reflexive denial became an unexpected confession. *** ¡°The knight of a saint¡­How dare he covet a saint¡­?¡± I was just trying to tease him and see the embarrassment on his face. I wasn¡¯t expecting anything. ¡°Well, not really, just as a knight¡­¡± But Zetto¡¯s reply to the joking question was a lie. That is to say Zetto, the knight of the saint, was lusting after the saint¡­That¡¯s all it sounded like to me. ¡°Zetto wants me¡­? The thought shed through my mind quickly, making me both happy and extremely embarrassed. Flustered, I pulled my hand away from his face. ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was a breathless silence but I quickly turned my head away and managed to stammer out. ¡°No, I was joking. There¡¯s no way Zetto would¡­¡± No, he wouldn¡¯t. I should have said¡­but I couldn¡¯t, because it was true. I wanted to let it go, but my power would not allow it. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± There was a strange atmosphere between Zetto and me. It was ufortable, as if neither of us werefortable around the other. I blinked away the fever that had risen in my face and slowly took in the sight of him. White bandages, hair the color of the night sky, a sharp nose and a slender jaw line. Zetto was a mysterious figure. At first, it was curiosity. After searching for him, I found him. Little did I know, however, that a revtion would soon follow. Every now and then, he would point me in the right direction so I couldn¡¯t give up on him. I couldn¡¯t give him up so I took him and I made him my knight. What have I gained? I was able to capture a vicious demon. I thought that in capturing the demon, I benefited both God and myself, who had a mission. I thought it was a revtion in that sense. I thought that the feelings I had for him during the process were just idental but when I realized how he felt I couldn¡¯t take it lightly. I felt that I shouldn¡¯t let my rtionship with him grow any deeper than this, that if I did, it would make it harder for me to lose him¡­ I would be breaking my God¡¯smand to not touch the curse that lurked in his heart. ¡®This¡­ Is this a test from the gods?¡¯ For the first time, I don¡¯t understand the will of the gods so I asked the Lord. ¡®My dear child¡­ I only want you to be happy.¡¯ The Lord spoke thus. I couldn¡¯t understand it anymore. Where could happiness be? I knew that if I epted his heart now, I would only end up miserable. There is no telling how long he will be able to keep the me of life burning. I thought of the tinum-haired girl who hade to visit me once, Aizel Ludwig and I had a vague suspicion that it was up to her to break Zetto¡¯s curse because she looked desperate. She must be in love with him. So it wasn¡¯t my turn to step in, I thought. All I could do was lighten his load, make him happy for the time he had left. That¡¯s what I thought but as fate would have it Zetto had me in his heart. Not Aizel, but me. Inwardly, I hoped so since I had always had him in my heart. I hadn¡¯t had much contact with him, but I had fallen in love with him. Zetto made me feel things I hadn¡¯t felt since I became a saint, things that might be small to others, but to me they were invaluable. He treated me like a woman, not a saint to be admired. So I can¡¯t help but fall in love with him. That¡¯s why it felt like a trial. I was happy, but my heart was heavy. I felt like I knew how this story would end. I wondered if only two desperate women would be left in the end. As I watched, Zetto seemed worried that the pursing of his lips was giving away his feelings. I had to choose. Not as Bernice, the Saint of Innocence, but as Bernice, the woman. I had to decide what to make of his heart. The happiness in front of me¡­Should I chase it? What would happen to Aizel? Thoughts raced through my mind and I finally made a decision. ¡°¡­¡± I walked over to Zetto and grabbed his hand but he shook his head and reacted with bewilderment. I knew that Zetto had the ability to feel things, so I didn¡¯t need to hold his hand as we walked down the street. He¡¯s been following along just fine so far. ¡°I just¡­¡± That wasn¡¯t what I meant. ¡°¡­I hold on because I want to hold on.¡± I hung my head low. ¡®I didn¡¯t realize it was so embarrassing to be unable to tell a lie¡­¡¯ I took Zetto¡¯s hand, hid my blush, and walked forward in silence. The silence of the garden somehow made it seem even more beautiful. How could the world seem so beautiful just by holding hands? I had chosen. Even if it ended in tragedy I chose to walk with him and carry what he carried just like I am holding his hand now. I wanted to be a ¡°light¡± in his dark world. Nothing happened yet and he wouldn¡¯t be a pale corpse overnight. ¡°¡­I must keep my promise.¡± Nothing should happen to him until the Hero Party is formed. I wanted him to survive. ¡°I will keep my word.¡± There was no falsehood in Zetto¡¯s reply, and that fact gave me a great deal offort. He must be doing his best. *** As Saint Bernice and Zetto were taking time to confirm each other¡¯s hearts a demon was walking through the night. He wore a robe that hid the ck horns that should have been on his forehead, making him look quite human. His blood-red eyes peeked through the robe and stared at the humans passing through the bustling streets. He clicked his tongue. ¡°Tsk, tsk, we¡¯ve wasted time on nothing.¡± Murka, the Legion Commander¡¯s right-hand man, finally stepped onto human soil. ¡°Aizel still hasn¡¯t been dealt with¡­I wonder why these ipetents can¡¯t get their act together¡­¡± Murka doesn¡¯t know yet that he is destined to fight a blind man he has never heard of. Chapter 169: Amon Troubles Chapter 169: Amon Troubles After a series of twists and turns, the meeting with Bernicees to a close, and while I didn¡¯t get everything out in the open, I still felt a sense of closure. Anyway, I think Bernice must have liked Sierra¡¯s stern demeanor. There was a lot of information, so she didn¡¯t ask me many questions, but I think she was worried about me. ¡®Don¡¯t try to take it all on yourself.¡¯ She whispered that to me. Well, it wasn¡¯t that I wanted to carry it all alone. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s me or nothing so I had to move forward. After talking with Bernice and returning to the ballroom, we were able to talk a bit about the demons, and that¡¯s where I got some unexpected information. It turns out that a case simr to the one I¡¯d already cleared, that of the theater actor Oswald¡­Krektar, had recently urred. However, this time, the demon was a ck Horn. It was a female demon that had been tortured with lightning magic. The demon¡¯s body was a work of art, its entire body nailed to the wall by sharp objects such as nails. The Silver Winged Knights were too busy with Zagoras case to see the scene, but the report of the Alliance said so. For whatever reason, the scene was too horrific to write about. In any case, the Order Leader, Ines, asked me if I had anything to do with the horns that were left behind, simr to the one in Krektar. A ck-horned demon and signs of electrical torture. It wasn¡¯t that there wasn¡¯t a lot of evidence, but it was clear who had done it. Bernice was present, so I settled for a rather vague nod. It¡¯s not official, but there¡¯s no reason for me to do such a thing as a Knight, so they didn¡¯t probe further. It was a question that In¨¦s had asked out of curiosity, so I let it slide. I was even more convinced when I realized that there was a male corpse at the scene, one that bore suspicious, tortured marks. Aizel must have killed Echis. It was a fierce idea, but I doubted it would have worked on Echis, who was a bitch. It would have been a more humiliating way for her to die. The irony is that I don¡¯t have time to let her enjoy it. In any case, Echis¡¯ death was a useful piece of information for me. Finding Echis, who wandered from ce to ce, was no easy task¡­ and it was not without its challenges. I¡¯d almost wasted a step. That only left Albed and Murka. With the death of Zagoras, who shouldn¡¯t have had to die in the first ce, there would be a reaction from everyone involved. For now, Aizel alone hadn¡¯t shown up at the Academy since news of the disbandment of the Golden Lion Knights had reached her ears. The same could be said for the demons. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve realized the deaths of their allies and won¡¯t stand idly by any longer. In a way, it was Albed¡¯s presence, not Murka¡¯s that mattered most. Albed, the man behind Aizel¡¯s experiments in the first ce, is more of a scientist, a researcher, than any of the otherbative demons. He was also the one who made it possible for Aizel to be tracked. It¡¯s believed that Aizel¡¯s blood samples from her research were used to create a tracking device. In other words, if we get rid of Albed, the demons won¡¯t be able to track Aizel. But that¡¯s easier said than done. Of all the demons chasing Aizel, only Albed has been able to locate her. Call him cunning or call him prepared. It was impossible to find hisir before the raid. My understanding of the game was that it was systematically blocked. But it doesn¡¯t make much difference now that I¡¯m faced with the question of whether there was a game or not. There are still no hints or information, so I had to ept their ¡®pursuit¡¯ as I thought it would be insane to try and find a single demon hiding in an unknownir on this vast continent. In any case, the final battle is not far off. In fact, I thought that with Echis dead, I wouldn¡¯t have to use the Tear of the Dead, but Murka isn¡¯t such an easy opponent. I wonder if he¡¯ll make bold decisions now that he¡¯s lost his power. In fact, I remember in the game, when Murka lost his allies, he became even stronger, as if they were trying to bnce things out. As a result, some yers tried to clear the game without touching any of hispanions. This is because Murka¡¯s mysterious buff, which gets stronger the more allies he loses, is so vicious. If you don¡¯t feel confident enough to block all of them at once, you¡¯ll have to sacrifice Aizel¡¯s chances of survival, but it¡¯s a trade-off. Well, I had to rule out that route once I took out Krektar. In any case, Murka is unlikely to be put off by the repeated deaths of hispanions, and I¡¯m sure Albed would have created a tracker by this point¡­ I had my own expectations of how the story would y out. At the very least, I don¡¯t expect Murka to suddenly appear with ¡®wings¡¯. So what am I doing now? Before I had to rescue Aizel, I was catching up on some work I¡¯d been putting off. With Zagoras death, I¡¯ve been on a bit of a tight schedule, so I¡¯ve had to put the Kingdom of Terracia on the back burner, and I¡¯ve been working on the lighter stuff that¡¯s left. [He¡¯s on the move.] Sierra, who was spying with me, whispered. My eyes follow her voice, and I see arge, familiar man. ¡®Not a very good choice¡­¡¯ It was Amon Caligus. For your information, this is a city near the Academy but cadets don¡¯t have to leave the academy for most things. Amon didn¡¯t leave the academy just to eat. Dressed to the nines in robes, Amon slips into a dingy alleyway with a stealthy gait that belies his size. Beside him is a nameless male cadet who used to be one of Amon¡¯s gang. Probably some kind of asshole 1 or something. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve hung out with them, so why did this suddenly happen? For me, it¡¯s a small matter, but for Amon, it could be a matter of life and death. Amon is at a crossroads. Actually, I¡¯d say he¡¯s already been corrupted by the time he stepped into that alleyway¡­ It was just a question. I wondered why Amon, who was more sincere than expected, didn¡¯t bully the weak, and didn¡¯t hang out with the bullies, would suddenly make such a choice. Well, maybe I was paying less attention¡­ Still, I asked him toe to me in the desert if he was worried about anything, so I was kind of relieved. [Is he in danger?] Sierra, who had been questioning me for spying on Amon out of the blue, asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d say so¡­Anyway, the point is, there¡¯s a demon at the end of that alleyway.¡± [A demon¡­? Does that mean we have to save him?] ¡°¡­I suppose we should.¡± At first Amon Caligus was a bit of a jerk, but as we bumped into each other, I kind of got to know him. So even if he chose to go astray of his own volition, I can¡¯t condone it. As for why he didn¡¯te to me for counseling¡­ Let¡¯s hear itter. *** Amon had been wonderingtely. Why isn¡¯t Caligus the strongest? When he entered the academy, he thought he was an exceptional talent and would easily bring honor to his family. However, upon entering the academy, he met two unexpected powerhouses, Aizel and Zetto. Amon realizes that the world is a big ce but he recognizes it and epts it. No, he couldn¡¯t help but ept it. It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t feel inferior but the barrier was too high to ovee. They were only first-year cadets, but they already possessed a power far beyond that of a cadet and des were pouring in around them. He pondered this deeply, trying to keep up with them, for he could see that the other heirs of the Four Elemental Houses were also cowering before them. That¡¯s where the weirdness is. Indeed, the heirs of the Four Elemental Houses were quite aplished for first-year cadets, but Aizel and Zetto were the odd ones. It wasn¡¯t until recently that his thoughts changed. ¡®What, did you just see that fire magic?¡¯ ¡®When did she get so strong¡­?¡¯ ¡®Dude, it¡¯s House Clementine.¡¯ ¡®Yeah¡­¡¯ Yuri Clementine had gotten stronger. With the orb, Yuri¡¯s me magic was iparably stronger than before. I see. I can be stronger with martial arts. It¡¯s not exactly cowardly¡­ The stronger the martial arts in the first ce, the better you can handle them. Amon recognized Yuri¡¯s ability to handle an orb of such immense power. He had to let it go. Barely able to ept it, Amon¡¯s next challenge was to face Kaen. He knew something about Kaen. She¡¯d faced Zetto before and been decapitated within seconds. Amon had recognized her performance in their joint battle but Amon, the heir to the Caligus family with a formidable defense, hadn¡¯t thought about losing to a swordsman who wasn¡¯t Zetto. ¡®I told you, I¡¯m from ss C. You¡¯ll have to show me what ss A is made of.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll give you a run for your money.¡¯ And so the duel began. Amon had to admit it was strange. It was nothing fancy, just basic swordsmanship. The problem was that the fundamentals were so solid that he couldn¡¯t see any weaknesses. ¡®Cadet Amon, you¡¯re as solid as I expected. I guess I should say you¡¯re a Caligus¡­¡¯ Amon was defeated but theid-back praise of the victor fell on deaf ears. It was true. He felt the wall. ¡®Why¡­ Why¡­¡¯ Amon was deep in thought. Why can¡¯t Caligus be the strongest? As it is, he is reduced to a ¡®burden¡¯ that can¡¯t protect anyone. The strength of House Caligus is the defense of the weak. That¡¯s what Amon had been told as a child by his father. His father¡¯s upbringing had been quite perverse but it was different now. Amon had undergone his own inner growth, and he fully understood what his father was saying. But that made it all the more troubling. With this kind of power, who could he protect? If anything, he would be the weak one being protected. As Amon pounded the ground in frustration, the thought struck him. In truth, there was nothing to be impatient about. He just happened to be surrounded by ¡®monsters¡¯ he hadn¡¯t thought of, such as the granddaughter of the Sword Saint, a regressor, and a wizard with dragon powers. Not to mention Zetto, the Irregr of Irregrs. But Amon¡¯s inability to recognize this only made him feel like he was falling behind. Something needs to change. It can¡¯t be this way. Amon was contemting going to see Zetto when he realized this. ¡°What are you¡­Trix, if you¡¯re going to talk trash, get lost. It¡¯s a distraction. It was Trix, the one he had once known. ¡°Amon Caligus¡­ Don¡¯t you want to be stronger than you are now¡­? Trix, who had a sinister grin on her face, didn¡¯t flinch at his presence. Normally, the words would have fallen on deaf ears since Trix words were weaker than his own but it piqued Amon¡¯s interest to make a change. Amon followed Trix into the dark alley. ¡°So if I meet him, I can be stronger?¡± Amon said, looking around at the darkness of the alleyway. Even he feltpelled to see what it was but Trix hadn¡¯t told him about it, saying it would do no good for anyone to know. The alleyways that led out of the academy had a distinctly ¡®underworld¡¯ feel to them. From the alleyways, he could hear the asional giggle and sinisterughter. Feeling ufortable, Amon thought about turning back, but he knew he had to see what was going on, so he followed Trix. ¡°Over here.¡± Soon, Trix approached a house in an alleyway and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal a scantily d woman. What the hell is she wearing¡­?¡¯ Amon thought he¡¯d walked into a brothel. ¡°¡®Ms. Knalusha, I¡¯ve brought him here. Hehe¡­¡± ¡°My darling, Trix¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Trix and Knalusha exchanged warm words. She was barely old enough to be treated as a woman. Amon clicks his tongue at the thought, but Knalusha smiles and shakes his hand. ¡°You must be Amon Caligus, of the House of the Four Elements.¡± ¡°Well, yes, but¡­¡± Amon declined the handshake, but Knalusha didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°Come inside.¡± As Amon was led into the house, he couldn¡¯t help but notice something strange. ¡®¡­This aura.¡¯ For a moment, Amon¡¯s expression hardened, but he didn¡¯t speak up because he was curious as to why Trix was hovering over her. After entering the house, Amon followed Knalusha and saw that the house had a fairlyrge basement. ¡®The aura is getting stronger, and so is the smell¡­¡¯ Amon¡¯s suspicions turned to conviction as he descended into the strange cer. Once they were fully in the basement, Amon was ushered in and sat down on the couch, but it was Knalusha who spoke first. ¡°I have heard the tale. That the heir to Caligus is seeking greater power¡­¡± ¡°I see, but¡­ I wonder how?¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ I hope I¡¯m not cutting to the chase too quickly, but since you¡¯ve taken the trouble toe here, I¡¯d like to quench your thirst first¡­¡± Knalusha, who was leaning forward to emphasize her breasts, poured herself a mysterious drink. Amon nudged Trix beside him but he was already drooling, his gazepletely fixed on Knalusha chest, and he looked like he was already losing his mind. ¡°¡­Never mind the drink.¡± Amon said in a cocky tone, knocking the drink away from Knalusha. Trix was furious and shouted at Amon. ¡°Amon, are you out of your mind, how dare you refuse Knalusha kindness?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay Trix.¡± Knalusha chuckleszily as she sits back down. Amon nced back and forth between Trix, whose eyes were red and angry, and Knalusha, whose jaw was clenched. Then Amon asked. ¡°¡­Are you deceiving me with your lowly body?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t get it, no matter how much I think about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°¡­That an academy cadet has fallen to a demon.¡± Amon took off his cumbersome robes and tossed them on the couch, then turned to Knalusha, who was fidgeting. ¡°Knalusha is a demon¡­!? What nonsense, Amon!¡± Trix red but looking at him, Amon said, ¡°How did that happen¡­¡± Amon clicked his tongue and ignored him. ¡°Aha, I¡¯ve already been caught, you have a good sense.¡± ¡°How can I not notice when you¡¯re reeking of magick like that?¡± Amon had dealt with demons before in Edward hallucinations and could recognize them. Then Knalushaughed out loud, and with a purring sound, she revealed a horn on her forehead. ¡®A ck horn¡­¡¯ Amon had seen iting, but she was a formidable foe to face alone. However it was toote to run away. No, ¡®run¡¯ was not a word in Caligus¡¯ dictionary. ¡°So? You don¡¯t want to get stronger? I heard from Trix that you recently lost a duel to a swordsman ss C cadet¡­. Perhaps House Caligus¡¯ prestige has hit rock bottom.¡± Knalusha, with her horns bared, spoke leisurely. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. I lost to the swordsman, the Caligus¡­¡± ¡°So why don¡¯t you take the power, heir to the Four Elements? I¡¯m sure we can give you better treatment than the bum next door.¡± ¡°What do you mean Knalusha¡­? Are you more of a demon than that¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Knalusha very lightly dismissed Trix¡¯s stupid question and turned to Amon. ¡°If you are Amon, who has epted magick, then you should be able to take my body as well.¡± Sitting on the table, Knalusha gestured seductively and her hand gently stroked Amon¡¯s cheek. -Aaah! Amon, who was wearing a nonchnt expression, pped her hand away. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Knalusha smiles cheekily. Shaking his head, Amon stood up and pointed to the wall of the cer. A clump of dirt bursts through the wall toward his mana-fueled hand and clings to his arm. Amon, who had justpleted the Earth Gauntlet, cleared his throat and opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­Women stronger than me are not my cup of tea¡­¡± Chapter 170: Post-Mortem (1) Chapter 170: Post-Mortem (1) ¡°Huh¡­ Huh¡­¡± Amon¡¯s gasping breathing can be heard down in the cer. ¡®I¡¯m at my limit¡­¡¯ Amon¡¯s arms were shaking violently. The rocky gauntlets on his arms were scuffed and scratched from all the bumps and bruises. Amon¡¯s eyes focused on the demon before him. Dressed in skimpy, revealing clothing, the demon wielded a hammer the size of her body. Amon was no stranger to close-quartersbat, but for once, he was helpless. Part of it was that they weren¡¯t very well matched¡­ ¡°Amon¡­ Why¡­¡± A pathetic, sobbing man¡¯s voice came from behind Amon. It was Trix. The demon and Amon were attacking indiscriminately, but even so, there was no way that Trix, who had lost his mind, would be able to take care of himself. ¡°Pathetic¡­¡± Amon didn¡¯t give Trix a second nce and raised his guard. He was protecting Trix. There was no reason for him to die, even if he was a stupid, stupid man who had fallen under the spell of a demon. Besides, if Amon was going to stand by and watch Trix die¡­ he didn¡¯t deserve to see his father, Maxim Caligus, Shield of the Empire. To protect and defend. Never letting arade die. That was the spirit of Caligus. Once more, the ugly blunt weapon in the demon¡¯s grasp swung toward Amon. It was a monotonous attack that even Amon could dodge, but if he did, it would crush the skull of Trix behind him. Boom!!! A shock immediately followed. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Amon¡¯s tired arms could only block the hammer, even though he had been able to parry and fire a series of blows before. ¡°Persistent¡­¡± But the demon was tired, too, since it was unable to pierce Caligus¡¯ shield. ¡®Why doesn¡¯t it fall¡­?¡¯ Amon¡¯s opponent, the demon Knalusha, was in trouble. The lowly cadet behind Amon had no intention of killing him. This was a golden opportunity to get her hands on a heir of the renowned Four Elemental Families. She channeled all the magic she could into a few dozen blows. Amon¡¯s health was such that he should have fallen immediately but Caligus had someone to protect, and she was unable to prate it. ¡°Hmph¡­Huh¡­¡± But even that seemed to being to an end since Amon was no longer able to raise his arm. ¡°Hmph¡­Caligus is Caligus.¡± Knalushaughed. She reveled in the thought that soon she would be able to use the sturdy man as her puppet. ¡®I hope he passes out soon¡­¡¯ Possessing an unconscious man was a simple matter for Knalusha. Make them ept her, then pour a potion down their throats that would make them physically sensitive and unable to escape the pleasure afterward¡­A lustful, obedient puppet. That way, she¡¯ll be able to gather information about the Innocence Academy, which is said to be an irond fortress¡­ What¡¯s more, Amon is the heir to the Caligus family, and if she does it right, she might be able to swallow them whole. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Licking her lips in delight, Knalusha spits out a questionable word. For some reason, her tongue tasted fishy. ¡°Blood¡­?¡± A quick nce at her face reveals a ck, thick liquid on her hand. ¡°This sword technique¡­¡± Amon muttered to himself as he watched then turned to look in the direction of the basement stairs. Knalusha followed his gaze but there was no one there. ¡®What are you talking about, swordsmanship?¡¯ While she was thinking about it, her vision split in half. -Crack. Diagonal shes followed and Knalusha¡¯s head fell to the ground. ¡°Heh, heh, heh! What the¡­ what the¡­!¡± Trix panics. A momentter, the massive hammer on her shoulder knocked her off-center, and her body copsed with a loud thud. All the while, Amon¡¯s eyes were drawn to the stairs, the only way out of the basement. Soon, the basement was silent. Creak, creak, creak. The sound of footsteps descending was heard and soon, Amon recognized the figure descending into the basement. ¡°¡­It was you.¡± Amon sank to the ground, barely able to stand as a man descended into the basement and approached him. Even he couldn¡¯t tell what he was looking like now. The white bandages covered his eyes. He has a smile on his face, as always, but as far as he can tell, he¡¯s notughing at Amon. Then his lips parted. ¡°Good work Amon¡­leave the cleanup to me.¡± ¡°¡­How long have you been there?¡± Amon, who was on the verge of copse, somehow pulled himself together and asked him. ¡°I just got here.¡± Scratching his cheek, he was obviously losing his cool. ¡°You¡¯re funny¡­ So, were you trying to test me?¡± A smirking Amon looked up at him. ¡°Haha, there¡¯s no test. I just got here, and I was still guarding¡­It¡¯s a shame it¡¯s a prince and not a princess, but you seem to be okay anyway, and¡­ Well, normal.¡± ¡°Normal¡­?¡± ¡°The Amon Caligus I know.¡± His words trailed off with a wicked smile, and Amon fell to the floor. ¡°Caligus¡­¡± How the hell had he gotten here? What was the identity of the unorthodox swordsman who had just shed through his struggling opponent? There were many questions, but the fact remains that Trix¡¯s body behind him bore no marks. He had honored Caligus, he thought, a little like his father, who had returned from battle with more scars than any other soldier. Amon closed his eyes with a faint sense of satisfaction. *** I thought I¡¯d triggered some sort of ¡°fate force¡± and Amon had suddenly be corrupted, but it wasn¡¯t like that. I just felt bad for doubting him. Amon¡¯s determination is amazing. It¡¯s something I should try to emte. I would have preferred to give Amon the ¡®final blow¡¯, but the situation was not easy and I had to step in. The small amount of magick left in Trix¡¯s body that Amon had managed to save was a debuff of sorts¡­Acupuncture could fix it. However, I had to silence Amon¡¯s ranting and raving about how he¡¯d died because of me, as he was in a lot of confusion. The two stunned men had to be loaded into the wagon. I don¡¯t know about Trix, but with therge Amon in the mix, it was a bit much without spending mana. ¡®I¡¯m a coachman, not an undertaker.¡¯ I had to silence the coachman¡¯s grumbling with a small tip. Afterward, I went to see Prisci and she scolded me for bringing two men in the middle of the night. I decided to leave the rest of the nagging to Amon for when he woke up and stormed out of Prisci¡¯s house. After all, I¡¯d made a connection with Prisci, so what¡¯s the harm in that? On my way out of the house she asked me. ¡°Aizel hasn¡¯t beening to school thest few days, do you have any idea where she¡¯s gone?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to find her,¡± I said. I¡¯m sure Aizel has a pretty good idea of what¡¯s going on. I knew where she was headed, and I knew who to look for but there was still a little time left. She¡¯s preparing for the showdown so I had to start preparing myself, too. I didn¡¯t get home until after sunrise, so I was about to exin my n to Rei and Geppeti. It was insurance, just in case. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Faced with a groggy Rei, who had just woken up, and Geppeti, who was staring intently at me as I recited my n, I coughed once to clear the air. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Good, she¡¯s paying attention so I cut straight to the chase. ¡°¡­In the next few days, I could die.¡± ¡°¡­What, brother is going to die?¡± Rei, who had been rubbing her eyes at my rather shocking words, opened her mouth. ¡°What do you mean, all of a sudden¡­Am I still dreaming?¡± Rei tugs at her sobbing cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s not a dream, it¡¯s real. I could actually be dead.¡± ¡°¡­That, that shouldn¡¯t be¡­?¡± Rei stammers, her voice trembling. She knows me as a prophet or something, so it wasn¡¯t a strange reaction. For one thing, she still doesn¡¯t know about the Tear of the Dead since she was asleep thest time I spoke to Geppeti about it so as a side note, I told her about the Tear of the Dead in my heart. Luckily, Rei knew what Tear of the Dead was, so it was easy to exin. ¡°You put it in your heart? Is brother out of his mind¡­?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but feel like a lunatic. Sierra, who had narrowed her eyes at this, added, [He¡¯s crazy¡­in more ways than one¡­] I offer her a faint smile. ¡°Anyway, the important thing is that it¡¯ll be of use, right? It just so happens that I might die this time¡­ not really, but¡­¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°To save someone I care about. I¡¯ll be fighting a powerful demon, so¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rei nodded in iprehension at my vague exnation and pursed her lips, followed by Geppeti, who had been listening in silence. ¡°So, Lord Zetto¡­death is final?¡± ¡°Not definite, I¡¯m not dying because I want to die or anything, just that I¡¯m willing to die if it takes my death to cut out the roots.¡± If it ends without me dying, I¡¯m happy. I¡¯m prepared for anything but I can¡¯t help but feel a nagging sense of unease since I¡¯ve never been able to prevent Aizel¡¯s death. ¡®In another sense¡­ failure is already¡­¡¯ ¡­In any case, it just feels like an impossible task to me. Things are not going well for the demons so it was unlikely that Murka would fall down helplessly without taking any action. ¡°Why does brother has to step in?¡± ¡°There are many secrets that are not good for the outside world to know¡­ I feel that in order to protect the lives of others, I must go it alone. I¡¯m sure I can handle it on my own but it¡¯s just that I¡¯m going to die.¡± ¡°So if you die, you¡¯ll be resurrected?¡± ¡°If it goes ording to n, yes. If it¡¯s an immediate resurrection, I¡¯d love that¡­ but¡­ I¡¯m not sure how long it would take, even for me.¡± Right, I¡¯m all for resurrection, but¡­ It¡¯s just a matter of how long it would take. I know that resurrection is possible, but I don¡¯t know when it will happen. I might open my eyes when I¡¯m in a coffin and buried in the dirt. ¡°If it¡¯s a littleter¡­we might have to organize a funeral.¡± ¡°Funeral¡­?¡± ¡°Well, a person is dead.¡± [¡­That sounds like a dangerous thing to say.] ¡°I know. I¡¯m sure everyone¡¯s thinking the same thing, that there¡¯s something that should never happen at a funeral¡­but what can I do, I can¡¯t go around telling people not to worry because I¡¯m going to be resurrected soon, can I?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­It¡¯s the Tears of the Dead, after all¡­¡± Rei nodded in agreement. The Tears of the Dead were jewels containing the life force and souls of countless people. In other words, they are the mark of a massacre and it was a dangerous object, far more dangerous than a Spectral Sword. From where it was obtained, to why it was ced in my heart, to how it was ced. There were a lot of unanswered questions. ¡°So¡­ I like the idea of my resurrection being presented as some sort of ¡®miracle¡¯ in the eyes of others. Well, preferably I don¡¯t die, but if I do, I¡¯d like toe back to life quickly¡­However I don¡¯t know how things will turn out.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been told that no matter how good a prophet you are, your own future is unclear. You can¡¯t help it.¡± Rei sidestepped the question. ¡°What matters is what happens after I¡¯m gone. When that dayes, I¡¯ll be lying in a coffin, unable to move or speak, so it seems like a good idea to n ahead.¡± ¡°Is there anything else I should do?¡± Geppeti asks, realizing where the story is going. ¡°Sure. I don¡¯t know about you, Master, but¡­Rei and Geppeti have a job to do for me when I¡¯m in my coffin. It¡¯s a big responsibility, but I¡¯m hoping you¡¯ll do me a favor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed, but¡­It doesn¡¯t matter. As long as you survive, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Scratching her head, Rei spoke up. ¡°If it¡¯s for Lord Zetto sake¡­¡± Geppeti bowed her head and murmured. ¡°Okay, so we have an agreement¡­ It was time to exin my afterlife n. I mean, after I die¡­It¡¯s not a sure thing, but it¡¯s still an ¡®if.¡¯ If there will be a ¡®mess¡¯ after my death by those left behind¡­this is an insurance and preparation to prevent the mess from growing into an unmanageable problem. Chapter 171: Post-Mortem (2) Chapter 171: Post-Mortem (2) ¡°First, Ms. Aizel Ludwig.¡± ¡°Speaking of Ludwig¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve met her, I¡¯m sure. She¡¯s the most important person in this case, and the one I¡¯m trying to save.¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying to save Ludwig¡­¡± Rei, who seems to know something about the Ludwig n, murmurs. ¡°So what are we supposed to do with Aizel?¡± ¡°Save her.¡± Rei¡¯s question is immediately followed by a short answer. ¡°Save her¡­? Won¡¯t brother die to save Aizel?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you have to save her, so that my death won¡¯t be in vain. There is a possibility that after learning of my death, Ms. Aizel will choose to take her own life.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The words make Rei think. It¡¯s as if she knows she¡¯s a Regressor. Perhaps it¡¯s best to save the exnation forter. [I don¡¯t understand. Why would your death lead to her suicide just because you and Aizel have developed a rapport?] Sierra, however, not knowing the information about Aizel being a regressor, asked me if she didn¡¯t understand. It was a perfectly normal reaction. ¡°I can¡¯t really exin all the reasons but¡­ there¡¯s a chance, and if that happens, all my hard work will be for naught.¡± I can¡¯t exin everything. As with any piece of information, the source is just as important as the information itself. I can¡¯t reveal the source so I have to admit that I don¡¯t have a clear idea of the source either. Aizel¡¯s self-determination. This means that she chooses to regress. I still had a question mark hanging over my head. Would Aizel choose to regress just because I died? I don¡¯t know the answer to that question, nor do I want to. I just wanted to be prepared. Anyway, if this goes through, a lot of things will change. A regressor is a regressor for a reason. When you die youe back to the past and get another chance. However, if you fail to break the wall, you are trapped in a time loop¡­but in that time, you gain information and experience to replenish your strength and break the wall. Therefore, a regressor is a regressor only when he dies. Assuming the current Aizel survived ¡°that day,¡± she would no longer be a regressor. This was significant in many ways and from then on, I would have the information advantage. ¡°Well, after the Academy¡­ I mean, after the game¡¯s ending, I¡¯ll be in the same position¡­ The fact that Aizel survives shouldn¡¯t be ruled out, but I can¡¯t deny that it would make things easier. Above all¡­I want to experience it. I want to show her the world after that day, a world that is free from the horrors of regression. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s all assuming everything goes well, that I¡¯ve managed to eliminate the risk factors.¡± ¡°Lord Zetto, are you saying you might fail?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s possible. I¡¯ll give it my best shot, but without knowing the enemy¡¯s strength, it¡¯s hard to tell.¡± With the Tears of the Dead, there is no such thing asplete failure. But without the Tears of the Dead, I might have said something different. ¡®If I fail, don¡¯t stop Aizel from self-destructing.¡¯ Or something like that. It doesn¡¯t really matter whose death it is, mine or hers. If someone died, my goal would also be shattered. I feel like that. I wonder if I wouldn¡¯t have taken full advantage of Aizel¡¯s regression if I were in the present day¡­ It sounds harsh, but I think I would have done that to achieve my goal. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to appear in Aizel¡¯s next regression even if I die now, but I¡¯d bet on it. ¡®No¡­ maybe I already did¡­¡¯ I said, as the nightmare that had risen from nowhere was slowly taking over my mind. ¡°But what¡¯s to stop her from taking her own life?¡± Rei¡¯s voice snapped me out of it. Yeah. After all, we walk through the present with an eye to the future. The now is what matters. It¡¯s in my hands to decide if the nightmare will end up being just a nightmare. I¡¯vee this far because I didn¡¯t let my past fears stop me. ¡°¡­how to stop it.¡± I muttered without pause. Fortunately, I had an idea. ¡°There are many ways to stop it, but physically stopping it would be difficult for Geppeti and Rei right now, so¡­¡± I told them how to stop Aizel from killing herself. I exined to Rei and Geppeti the situation she was in and how to use them the emotions she was feeling as a weapon against. After listening to my exnation, Rei opens her mouth with trepidation. ¡°I can¡¯t do this¡­¡± Geppeti, who was next to him, steps forward. ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it.¡± Geppeti nods with an expressionless face. ¡°¡­Then please do me a favor, it¡¯s enough if it¡¯s a critical situation.¡± It seemed like a good idea to leave this to Geppeti since she¡¯d handle it perfectly. ¡°Next up, Miss Yuri Clementine.¡± I went on to simte what ¡®might¡¯ happen after my death, giving them tips on how to deal with it. Given Yuri¡¯s personality, when she learns of my death, she will be furious. The only problem would be that there would be nowhere to direct that simmering rage. If all went well, the demon that killed me would have died with me. But if the timing coincides with events in the Kingdom of Terracia, she¡¯ll have an outlet for her anger. This needed to be dealt with appropriately and it was something that Rei was willing to take on. Rei is supposed to be pretty far removed from politics¡­I didn¡¯t quite understand how she could stop it, but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. As for Kaen, I didn¡¯t say much. Even though she usually ys the role of a lighthearted idiot, she is a woman who can control her emotions. As for the other characters, I didn¡¯t think they would cause much trouble. Any small problems would be resolved quickly after I woke up, even without Rei and Geppeti. ¡°And finally¡­Bernice, the Saint of Innocence. She will be a very important figure in my resurrection.¡± ¡°¡­A miracle?¡± [Is that what you¡¯re going for?] Rei and Sierra guessed the answer. As they said, Bernice was the closest thing to a miracle and a Saint¡¯s miracle will hide the existence of the Tears of the Dead. Even for Bernice, it would be unbelievable, but with the witnesses of the miracle around her¡­it would be true, regardless of her denials. ¡°It¡¯s not like she¡¯s going to cause any trouble anyway¡­everyone knows about her powers, you just have to be careful with your words. As for the rest, I¡¯ll just have to time it right. If my resurrection is dyed, it¡¯ll be enough to tie her hands a bit.¡± Timing was crucial since once my death was known to Bernice, there would be an approach, official or unofficial¡­so I had to wake up in time for that approach. To do that, I couldn¡¯t wake upte or early, thought I¡¯d rather be early. I think I¡¯ll need some preparation to get the timing right. Well¡­ I¡¯ll think about the exnation after I wake up. ¡°I think I¡¯ve exined everything, it¡¯s going to be a littleplicated and a lot of work, but I know you can do it.¡± And that was the end of my post-mortem. Even if Rei misses something, I¡¯m sure Geppeti will be able to fill in the gaps. Now all that¡¯s left is¡­Aizel and Murka. I wonder what they¡¯ll both bring to the table¡­ *** Meanwhile, Murka, having set foot on human soil, is finally able to meet Albed in and unremarkable alcove that didn¡¯t even have the most basic arrangement for a hideout. Perhaps that was the point. ¡°Here¡­this way. Near the academy.¡± Albed was so engrossed in his work that he didn¡¯t even realize Murka¡¯s entered the room. In any case, Murka hade to talk to him, so he knocked on the alcove door, which was wide open, and opened his mouth. ¡°¡­Albed.¡± ¡°Moo, Murka?!¡± Albed, who had been studying the map, was startled. ¡°Your focus is still there, and so are your weaknesses.¡± ¡°Da, you were at the Legionnaire¡¯s side¡­¡± Albed trailed off in embarrassment, and Murka dusted off an empty chair nearby and sat down. ¡°Well, you know¡­ah, I didn¡¯te alone¡­one of the staff was following me¡­Don¡¯t worry too much about it. It¡¯s a simple matter of killing one of the humans. So what¡¯s the situation? There are a lot of people I can¡¯t reach¡­including you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Albed swallowed hard at Murka¡¯s question about the current situation. ¡°The situation is.¡± Murka¡¯s icy gaze pierces through him and he ducks his head, and exins the situation as he knows it. He skips right over Krektar¡¯s death, as Murka knows, and on to Zagoras and Echis. Albed realizes that they are dead but he wasn¡¯t just sitting on it. He tried to interpret the information and rack his brain but the picture was too strange. In the end his conclusion was this. Krektar died to a nameless warrior, Zagoras died to the saint and Aizel killed Echis. Of the five demons who had once been ordered to ughter the Ludwig n, only two remained. Murka smirks at Albed¡¯s exnation. ¡°¡­I see. The rest are dead.¡± He had expected this, but they weren¡¯t going to die for nothing. Murka chuckled softly at the mention of his men¡¯s deaths. It was just funny. Dead and ipetent. Were they ipetent because they were dead? Murka hadn¡¯t expected the little greed he¡¯d harbored in the past toe back to haunt him like this. The point was simple. Three demons linked to Aizel had died in a rtively short period of time. So while Aizel¡¯s involvement could not be ruled out, she certainly did not act alone. She must have an assistant and someone with the power to enlist the saint. Neither Albed nor Murka were the first to realize this. The only catch was¡­ ¡°But they¡¯re hard to defeat without information, aren¡¯t they?¡± Murka asked while listening to Albed¡¯s exnation. Information. Krektar was a theater actor, Zagoras was the deputy leader of a kingdom¡¯s knights order and Echis had been wandering around, though she hadn¡¯t made it known. Even if they were dead, Aizel wouldn¡¯t have had information on all of them, but all three were dead in such a short period of time. It was like a carefully nned hunt but it didn¡¯t make sense, even if Aizel had an assistant by her side. ¡°I also suspected that they were helped by someone from inside, but¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Strange¡­Now, Albed, you¡¯re the only one left.¡± ¡°Haha¡­That makes it sound like you¡¯re suspecting that I¡¯m a spy¡­¡± Albed smirks but Albed had been suspicious of Zagoras, however Zagoras was dead now. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t understand Murka¡¯s thoughts, but it was frustrating. ¡°So¡­I¡¯m the one with the connections?¡± Murka¡¯s question was followed by a gust of wind that whipped through the alcove and several des were brought to Albed¡¯s throat. Masked figures leap out of the darkness with daggers pointed at Albed¡¯s throat. ¡®This is¡­Drakkir¡­¡¯ Drakkir: the faceless killer. He heard they were an assassination unit under the Legionnaire, but why are they following Murka¡¯s orders? ¡°Legionnaire has given me five drakkir this time. They have yet to see blood on their swords at mymand¡­ but¡­ I never thought I¡¯d be the first to use it on a former subordinate.¡± ¡°Lord Murka¡­ I hope you will reconsider¡­¡± Albed¡¯s gravelly voice trails off, and Murka raises his hand, before the drakkir disappear back into the darkness. ¡°¡­I know there is no reason or rationale for you to betray me¡­which makes it all the more bizarre. I wonder what kind of stranger he is who did this¡­ I wonder.¡± Murka muttered. Albed, who had been groping for his throat just moments before, decided to share some good news with the distressed Murka. ¡°More importantly¡­¡± Approaching the desk with the map, Albed picks it up and hands it to Murka. ¡°¡­is that Aizel¡¯s death is now final.¡± Albed shed a wicked grin. What Albed had given Murka was a ¡°tracker¡± of sorts that would allow him to locate Aizel. This situation and all the troubles caused by the unexpected survival of Aizel Ludwig would be solved if Aizel dies. Chapter 172: Cage (1) Chapter 172: Cage (1) ¡°I will fetch Miss Aizel.¡± Zetto has been visiting Edward since the morning. At his words, Edward, who had been leisurely sipping his coffee, turned his head. ¡°It¡¯s almost time to travel¡­I¡¯ll have to take her with me before I leave for the East. It should be an interesting trip.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back in time.¡± ¡°The unauthorized departure of a cadet is a matter for which an instructor should be responsible¡­ It does seem a bit odd that a blind man would go looking for someone, but¡­Well, it¡¯s Cadet Zetto, so I¡¯ll give you the benefit of the doubt.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Edward opens a drawer in his desk and pulls out a piece of paper, holding it out to Zetto. ¡°This is your ess permit. It¡¯s not only a permit, but it¡¯s enchanted to give the Academy your location. You¡¯ll want to keep it on your person.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Zetto epted the ess permit and tucked it into his pocket. Then he turned and was about to leave the instructor¡¯s office. ¡°But why?¡± Edward¡¯sst question made Zetto turn his head slowly. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­I wonder if there¡¯s a reason you need a permit this time.¡± Edward was curious as to why they were getting permission to leave the academy this time, even though they usually did so without saying a word. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just thought that if I seemed to be taking too long, you might want toe look for me, in case I got lost.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Edward raised a brow at Zetto¡¯s joke. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Zetto bowed and walked out of the room. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sitting back in his chair, Edward frowned. For some reason, he didn¡¯t have a good feeling about this. ¡°Why? What¡¯s going on?¡± Reina, sitting next to him, nudged him out of his thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­He said he¡¯s going to go out.¡± ¡°Going out? Hmm, he¡¯s not going to get into an ident, is he?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid he might get into an ident.¡± ¡°¡­Then shouldn¡¯t you stop him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying that it feels like it, and as long as it¡¯s not a grave ident¡­¡± Edward trailed off, then muttered, ¡°¡­it¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡®You can¡¯t stop it anyway, can you? Cadet Zetto.¡¯ Edward had a hunch. This is a huge current, and no matter what he does, he can¡¯t stop it. And just like that, Zetto was out the front door of the Academy. There were two people watching from a distance, a young woman and an old man with a long beard. It was an unlikely pairing, to say the least and no one would ever figure out their connection to the ¡°hero and sage¡± who had once set out to y the demons. ¡°The Tears of the Dead¡­¡± The old manmented. ¡°He must be a madman.¡± The young woman added. ¡®A Tear of the Dead is a very dangerous thing.¡¯ Even he, with his status as a trustee, can be of no help since the moment they were discovered in his possession, he would face a massive investigation. It was a matter that couldnd you in jail for failing to report. They would ask one question. Who is the bearer of this dangerous object, human or demon? In a world where demons were working around the clock, it was not natural to carry an object that could only have been made by a demon. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you like it better? Madmen change the world. Isn¡¯t that what you used to say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a phrase I use in times like these¡­He¡¯s pretty good at putting that stuff in his body, by the way.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to be offended at all, which is what a human should be, and it¡¯s not like he¡¯s a demon.¡± That¡¯s right. Zetto wasn¡¯t feeling the difort they felt as soon as the words Tears of the Dead left their mouths. No wonder he could drive that thing into his heart. ¡°Well, he¡¯s obviously human, but¡­¡± The old man rubbing his chin nodded. They had seen many demons, so they could say for sure. In response, the young woman who hadn¡¯t taken her eyes off the carriage Zetto was riding in spoke up. ¡°¡­I see. Since it¡¯s just you and me, you should be able to understand. If it were any other human, they¡¯d be offended.¡± ¡°By the way, are you on to something with this whole ¡®going there¡¯ thing? It¡¯s been more than a decade since the massacre, and there shouldn¡¯t be anything left of it¡­¡± ¡°Maybe there is. Don¡¯t you wonder? The future as the Ludwig n would have seen it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The old man, Hubert the Sage, stared into the face of the reincarnated hero. ¡®These eyes¡­¡¯ The body had changed, but the soul remained the same. The hero¡¯s eyes were the same, curious and eager for adventure. ¡°He had a job for me. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Rei said as he climbed into the carriage that Hubert had summoned. Hubert climbed into the carriage as well and spoke. ¡°Did you say the First Prince of Terracia?¡± ¡°Do you know anything about him?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­He¡¯s your average power-hungry, old-fashioned bastard. Can you just stop him from showing up?¡± ¡°Sure, please.¡± ¡°Well, politics has always been my thing, so leave it to me.¡± Rei nods faintly and turns to look out the window. Zetto, coincidentally, has set out to save thest survivor of the Ludwig n. ¡°I wonder if the future he sees is the same as the future the Ludwig n sees. Hero Rei wanted to know the secret hidden in the great maelstrom that is about to swirl. *** Zetto left the academy and went straight to the alchemical guild Midas. It was for ¡®preparations¡¯ for the miracle. After Zetto exined what he needed and waited in the room for a while, an alchemist from Midas entered the room. Seated across from him, the alchemist set two vials down on the desk. ¡°Here,¡± he says, ¡°is what you ordered. It¡¯s called The Last Trick.¡± The vials each contained what appeared to be pills. ¡°¡­A final trick. You¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°Haha, thanks for thepliment. Chew them and the effect will be immediate ¨C you¡¯ll look and feel like a corpse ¨C no heartbeat, no breathing ¨C just remember, they¡¯re not meant to be used in bat¡¯.¡± The alchemist said, ncing at the sword at Zetto¡¯s waist. When Zetto shakes his head, he fills in the nks. ¡°I can¡¯t really move my body. Have you ever heard of a basilisk?¡± ¡°Basilisk¡­ The famous petrifying beast¡­¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, this is a medicine made from the tears of that basilisk. It¡¯s more of a poison than a medicine, as it literally hardens the inside of your body.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­I see why it¡¯s so expensive.¡± ¡°I guess ingredients are ingredients¡­Anyway, if you mess up something, you could end up as a real corpse, so you¡¯ll need to chew the antidote if you want to get up before you die.¡± Pretending to be a corpse and then turning into one wasn¡¯t exactly the best way to sell a product, but the alchemist was honest enough toy out the caveats and downsides. ¡°Don¡¯t worry though, you¡¯ll be able to move your jaw, I can guarantee it, I¡¯ve tested it on my own body.¡± ¡°¡­You don¡¯t spare your body.¡± ¡°Haha, all alchemists are like that. Anyway, the antidote takes a while to get your body moving, unlike the poison, which spreads in an instant.¡± The alchemist smirked and tapped the cap on the bottle. ¡°I¡¯ve already drawn a line through the lid of one of the vials for you. The side with theb is the antidote, the side without is the poison.¡± Mimicking the alchemist¡¯s words, Zetto put his hand to the bottle and caressed the lid. ¡°Can it fool a saint?¡± ¡°A saint¡­¡± The alchemist taps his fingers on his desk in response to Zetto¡¯s question. The corner of his mouth raised, the alchemist spoke. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve also included ingredients in my poisons that resist holy power, just in case a cleric should intervene. So¡­It¡¯s more dangerous when there¡¯s no antidote.¡± Even as he spoke, the alchemist realized there was a reason this wasn¡¯t sold. It¡¯s not the kind of thing that would make you scream to death if you tried it, and it¡¯s too expensive to use as a real poison. Zetto grinned and ced the money bag on the desk. ¡°That would be the perfect trick. Here¡¯s your payment.¡± Zetto then unscrewed the lids of the vials on his desk and stuck two pills into his mrs. ¡°Poison on the left, antidote on the right. Right?¡± Zetto pointed to his cheeks in order. ¡°¡­Exactly.¡± Said the alchemist, checking theb on the lid. ¡°Good deal.¡± Zetto stood up and left the room. The alchemist who was left in the room stares at the door Zetto left through, muttering to himself. ¡°You¡¯re a tough customer. What are you going to use that for¡­?¡± He had hastily retrieved a potion from the storeroom that he had made but hadn¡¯t expected to sell. ¡°Well, it¡¯s none of my business, isn¡¯t it?¡± The alchemist smirked as he looked at the bag of money sitting on his desk. After all, he¡¯d gotten his money¡¯s worth. How many times had he been scolded by the Guild Leader when he was just making potions? ¡°How much is all this worth?¡± He was gleeful as he sold off his useless inventory. *** I sat dazed on the couch, lost in thought. The sudden dissolution of the Knights of the Golden Lion surprised me and through nc, I learned that Zagoras had been sacked by the saint. There was nothing that could be done about the Alliance, the Kingdom of Terracia, or the shocking revtion that the Order¡¯s vice-captain was a demon, so the Order was disbanded. Despite all the regressions, Zagoras was never, not once, in by the saint. It was a variable. A variable that helped me, but the question was who caused it. It wasn¡¯t without merit. This regression had changed quite a few things, but in the end, the biggest variable was one person. ¡®Zetto¡­¡¯ I already knew there was some connection between him and the saint. But I had a question. How he¡¯d gotten her to help him. How he¡¯d gotten to the point of realizing that Delion, or Zagoras, was a demon¡­ There were many possibilities. The one that seemed most likely was. What if he¡¯d done the regression with me? What if Zetto was a regressor like me? It was a far-fetched idea, but it didn¡¯t quite exin what had happened. But I didn¡¯t believe it. Regressors aren¡¯t thatmon. I didn¡¯t understand how Zetto could be a regressor, let alone me. I quickly traveled to my ¡°hometown¡± to see if there was a key to solving this mystery. The ce where I was born and where the Ludwig n had been was also the ce where they chose to die. Throughout my regression, I had never set foot there. I was afraid that no trace of their deaths remained, or at least that I would revisit them when I had gotten my revenge but Echis¡¯ story changed my mind. I wanted to ask them questions, too. Why they made the choices they did, why they sacrificed their lives to imprint the regression ability on me. I knew that if I went back there, I would find the answers. Maybe even the answer to Zetto¡¯s identity. ¡°¡­Aizel, when did you get back?¡± The voice of the woman who opened the door snapped me out of my thoughts. It was nc. Well, this was her house. I¡¯d been indebted to her for a while after I left the Academy. She opened the door and took off her coat, hanging it on a chair in the center of the room. I looked at her and opened my mouth. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°So¡­Did you find anything?¡± ¡°¡­Nothing.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The vige of the Ludwig n was a small vige, hidden in the forest by a covenant that prevented anyone from finding it and contrary to my expectations, there was nothing there. It was an eerily quiet vige, with not a soul in sight and everything was intact, as if it hadn¡¯t been touched in years. There was not a single broken house to be seen, not even a trace of a massacre, but rather a remnant of their former lives. Eventually, I reached the ¡®altar¡¯ deep within the vige. It was the same ce I¡¯d seen before, when my memories were triggered by Echis. The memories came flooding back. In my mind¡¯s eye, every member of my n was holding a short dagger, with me in the center of the altar. ¡®With this, the shackles shall be broken.¡¯ Those were the words they spoke as they chose self-destruction but I couldn¡¯t tell what kind of shackle they were referring to. An examination of the area around the altar revealed a giant, unidentifiable ¡®door¡¯¡­ but I couldn¡¯t open it. I realized that it was magically treated to prevent entry, but my mana could not open it. It was a door that even thest survivor of the n was not allowed to open. Who, then, was behind this door? Frustrated, I had no choice but to turn back since I couldn¡¯t waste any more time. nc catches my eye and speaks cautiously. ¡°More than that¡­I have news.¡± ¡°Good news or bad news?¡± ¡°I should say good news. He came looking for the ck Hand.¡± ¡°¡­Zetto?¡± ¡°Yep. He hasn¡¯t met with me, but¡­ From the way he described it, it sounds like he¡¯s looking for you.¡± ¡°So they gave him information?¡± ¡°No, they didn¡¯t. The guild that dealt with him in the first ce doesn¡¯t know your location.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He¡¯s looking for me after all. Again, around this time. ¡°So what are you going to do, just keep running around like this?¡± nc asked, casually sitting next to me on the couch. I had to stop Zetto from trying to save me. I didn¡¯t want to relive his death again and I still hadn¡¯t dealt with his curse. I must stop him from going into battle at all costs but it was likely that he would find me. He would find me somehow, just like he did back then. ¡°Where is Zetto now?¡± ¡°¡­ He¡¯s staying at an inn not far from here. Do you want to meet him?¡± ¡°¡­I suppose so.¡± I¡¯ve been outmatched by Zetto before, but this time I¡¯ll make the first move. Fighting together is not an option since I¡¯m not strong enough to protect Zetto in the middle of a fight. I don¡¯t have the option of letting him fight alone either. This battle is mine alone. I will tie the knot at my own risk. To do so, I need a cage to trap the blind bird that flies into my arms, unaware of the danger. Come with me Zetto. To the cage I have prepared for you. Chapter 173: Cage (2) Chapter 173: Cage (2) Aizel went to the inn room where Zetto was stayingte at night and saw Zetto standing near the open window. He wasn¡¯t asleep. Not only because his bracelet of origin prevented him from feeling any physical fatigue, so he didn¡¯t need to sleep, but also because his senses alerted him to Aizel¡¯s approach. Aizel approached the window. ¡°Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­Miss Aizel.¡± ¡°You said you were looking for me.¡± Aizel, who no longer used honorifics even when they were alone, stepped lightly over the window sill and into the room. ¡°I was, but more than that, my being here¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a way.¡± ¡°¡­Even that, I suppose?¡± Zetto asked, knowing but Aizel shrugged it off. Entering the room, Aizel scanned the interior with a grim face. Zetto, still wearing his coat, asked. ¡°¡­You¡¯re not going back?¡± Not going back to the academy? It was just a formal question for the sake of naturalness. ¡°What if I can¡¯t go back?¡± ¡°Then I have no choice.¡± ¡°Zetto, go back.¡± Aizel decided to try to talk him out of it. If he gave up now it wouldn¡¯t hurt either of them more. ¡°¡­Is that what you want?¡± ¡°When it¡¯s all over, I¡¯ll go back.¡± ¡°When it¡¯s all over?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Aizel was saying please go back. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zetto was silent since there was no way he could do that so he decided to y his hand first. ¡°Maybe we should just run away together, leave everything behind.¡± With Zetto¡¯s voice in her ear, Aizel thought. Again. That¡¯s the way to go. He really hasn¡¯t changed. His words had sounded so sweet then and it was the same now. By following him, nothing really happened, and Aizel would not be killed by the demons. She could survive. Well, it was all a lie, concocted by Zetto. There was no way she could have gotten away from them so easily¡­ Back then, Aizel had been lost in a sweet dream, unable to wake up. But this time was different, she knows what he¡¯s going to do next so Aizel decided to take out her hand. ¡°¡­I wonder.¡± Aizel pretended to be tempted by him. ¡°Is there somewhere you¡¯d like to go? The sea, for example.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to go to the sea, but¡­¡± She smiled widely as she stepped closer to Zetto. Hoping that smile would rub off on him. Hopefully, when this was all over, it wouldn¡¯t contain a single falsehood. With a bright smile, Aizel continued. ¡°There¡¯s a ce I¡¯ve always wanted to visit.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s where you¡¯re going, Miss Aizel¡­¡± Zetto smiles back. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll follow you anywhere.¡± *** We were on our way to the ¡°cage¡± for Zetto. I thought over and over again and restraining him by force seemed unfortunately impossible. I had to give up relying on sleeping pills and other medications. After all, Zetto had used those methods on me before, would they work on him? I¡¯m sure he would doubt it and deal with it so I decided not to choose such a method, but¡­ ¡­but a ce. I needed a safe ce where I could keep Zetto for at least a few days. ¡°¡­What kind of ce is the Demonic Chasm?¡± Zetto asked me. The Demonic Chasms was a strange terrain between the kingdoms of Terracia in the center of the continent and the Holy Land in the west. A cliff of unknown depths cut into the in, and many monsters were known to lurk beneath. Once called the Cliff of Asceticism, it became a ce to test the skills of adventurers who specialized in ying monsters. It is said that you can be a tinum-ranked adventurer by harvesting a special ore that only grows in demonic chasm. There is a separate entrance and exit, and we headed for the entrance. Strangely enough, monsters can¡¯t get in or out thanks to the seams near the entrance and exit, so there¡¯s no backflow of monsters from the Demonic Chasm. ¡°It sounds like an interesting ce.¡± Zetto smiled faintly as he listened to my exnation. ¡°Do you happen to know about Kurden of shes?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard of him. He¡¯s definitely one of the Knights of the Round Table, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Kurden once entered the Demonic Chasm and set a record for being the fastest to get out.¡± ¡°How many days did it take?¡± ¡°Normally, it¡¯s supposed to take about a week to two weeks¡­Kurden got out in just two days.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Are we going to go in there and try to set a record?¡± ¡°No, just to watch.¡± I thought with a faint smile. It had taken Kurden, the shing man known for his sword and speed two days to get out. Zetto, who had in many demons, including Murka, in one fell swoop, would be no danger in the Demon Chasm. That didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d return any faster than Kurden. Even if Zetto was faster than Kurden, it would still take him a day. The chasm was deep and wide, and there was only one day left until the final battle. Now that I was on the carriage, it would only take me a day to reach the Demon Chasm, and I nned to prepare for the battle immediately after locking Zetto in the cage. The n seemed perfect unless Zetto, who had the same idea, pushed me off the cliff first. Of course, I had no intention of letting that happen. ¡®¡­More than that.¡¯ What¡¯s even more bizarre is that there hasn¡¯t been a demon attack, which should have started by this time of year. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I sneaked a nce at Zetto, who was sitting quietly in the carriage. He snapped his fingers now and then, but he wasn¡¯t swinging his sword. If he wasn¡¯t stopping the raid in front, who was? It was the same asst time. There hadn¡¯t been a raid since I¡¯ve been with Zetto. I¡¯d assumed he¡¯d taken advantage of my absence to take care of the demons while I was out of sight. This time, however, we were in the carriage together. There was no escaping my gaze. I wonder if they¡¯re just dying the attack. Or perhaps there was no attack this time. Is it a coincidence or an anomaly? I had no idea. *** ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to die this time.¡± Albed said from his horse, looking at the map. The map showed Aizel¡¯s location in real time via the tracker he had created. She must be riding a carriage or horse, given her speed. Albed had been sending out the nearby demons in hopes of catching up to her, but none of them had returned. ¡®I told them to tell me as soon as they saw the tinum-haired girl¡­¡¯ But the demons had disappeared without a word. Albed had a special ability. As one of the Legionnaire¡¯s many children, he had inherited one of the Legionnaire¡¯s powers: the power tomand weaker demons. He was still too young, but he could control a small army in real time. As long as there was a connection, it was possible tomunicate over a considerable distance, but all the demons approaching Aizel were disconnected without a sound. Even if it was lightning magic, how could it be done so stealthily without even the slightest gap for the sound to pass through? Unable to make sense of it, Albed furrowed his brows. At this, Murka, who was next to him, spoke up. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s too much for the tiny ones to handle, so I figured I¡¯d have to do it myself. I don¡¯t know how she gained her strength, but she¡¯s strong enough to defeat Echis¡­¡± ¡°I wonder if she has helpers with her. There¡¯s something unnerving about being defeated by Aizel.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Murka grunted as he grabbed the reins of his horse and brought it to a halt. ¡°They may be little more than hounds, but we can¡¯t leave them to die to our prey. Let¡¯s stop the raid and gather our forces.¡± ¡°Yes, sir, I will gather the rest of them.¡± ¡°Where is Aizel heading?¡± ¡°¡­From the looks of it, she¡¯s headed for the Demon Chasm, a wilderness-like area with no people around.¡± ¡°They must have guessed we wereing.¡± Albed nodded in affirmation at Murka¡¯s words. At the same time, thest of the demons he had sent out quickly disconnected, one by one, and thenpletely. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± Albed clicked his tongue in frustration. ¡®I thought we could get some kind of information¡­¡¯ Aizel or her helper, whoever it was, were being very sneaky. Meanwhile, Zetto in the carriage stopped tapping his fingers. ¡®¡­ That was thest one.¡¯ Without Aizel¡¯s knowledge, he was utilizing the power of Sheddie to devour the demons that came. Or more urately, he¡¯d beheaded them with a sharp shadow. If he didn¡¯t attack now, they could wreak havoc on Aizelter. Zetto wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, since his life force was drained by the use of Sheddie power. ¡®The Demonic Chasm¡­¡¯ He knew about this world from the game, and he knew about the Demonic Chasm. He remembered it as a ce where experience could be earned, and a ce he had to pass through when traveling the Adventurer¡¯s Route. ¡®It won¡¯t be dangerous, but it will take time.¡¯ There were no shortcuts through the Demonic Chasm. ¡®By the way¡­¡¯ He swallowed bitterly, convinced by Aizel¡¯s behavior of his own failures in the past. Zetto had a vague idea of what was toe, but¡­¡­he decided to go along with it. *** Zetto and I made it to the gap in time. ording to the calctions, it would take us about a day. Sadly, we weren¡¯t near the chasm yet. After all, the Demonic Chasm was a ce beyond human control, a ce that was gated but infested with monsters. Because of this, no one was allowed to live close to it so the carriage stopped in front of an inn in the woods, some distance from the Demon Chasm. The innkeeper, who had been drawn out by the sound of the carriage, tried to entice me by saying, ¡°If you¡¯re headed to the Demon Chasm, stay here,¡± but I insisted that I was just here to take a look. Zetto quickly followed and so it was that we were headed for the Demon Chasm. Once we were out of the forest and looking out over the destend, I asked him a question. ¡°Zetto¡­Are you okay?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Even if you don¡¯t go back to the academy.¡± ¡°Even if I go back, I thought it might be better if you went back with me.¡± Zetto¡¯s answer was a little different from thest time I told him I was being chased by demons. There were many things I wanted to ask him. I wanted to ask him if he had memories of the previous round. Had he really regressed like me? How did he end up with such a terrible curse? If he loved me enough to risk his life to save me. But I decided to keep my mouth shut. One more day. In a day, it would all be over and it wouldn¡¯t be toote to ask him then. Just this once¡­Zetto won¡¯t die. And so it was that I drew nearer and nearer to the Demon Chasm, and the time for the final battle approached. Fear was bubbling up inside of me, but I tried to ovee it by holding Zetto¡¯s face in my eyes. To save him and have a future with him I had to get through this. Hadn¡¯t he shown me that before? The way he¡¯d crushed my fate. Then we arrived. ¡°The Demonic Chasm¡­¡± The Demonic Chasm, which looked like a giant pit, was a depression in the ground, and despite the bright moonlight, it was so deep that it was dark and endless below. ¡°¡­Is there really a ce called the Demon Chasm?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s just a name people gave it, so I don¡¯t know if the Demon Chasm really exists.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­So monsters are down here, huh? It¡¯s a strange ce. I don¡¯t even feel anything¡­How deep is it?¡± Zetto peers down into the demonic chasm. He shouldn¡¯t be able to see, but thanks to his senses, he¡¯s curiously aware of the boundaries, and he¡¯s standing in a fairly safe position. ¡°This is the entrance.¡± ¡°This is it? If we fall, won¡¯t we die¡­?¡± Zetto trailed off, his voice trembling. ¡°Not really, there¡¯s a strong wind blowing to absorb the impact of the fall.¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m starting to feel a bit like Ms. Lucia.¡± ¡°The monsters down there won¡¯t even feel that strong to Zetto, they¡¯re only challenged by gold- or tinum-ranked adventurers at most.¡± I continued to exin the Demonic Chasm. ¡°So let¡¯s really set the record straight, did you say two days?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I hope he doesn¡¯t set that record. It¡¯s not going to happen anyway, and even if it did, it would take a day but that was enough to keep him in for a while. ¡°You know¡­Zetto.¡± I slowly prepared myself. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m listening.¡± He turns his head from the pit and gives me a gentle smile. ¡°You know, you said you liked me before¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s lips close immediately. It wasn¡¯t the best thing to say right now but I had to tell him now. I didn¡¯t want him to misunderstand what I was about to do. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t answer you then.¡± I hung my head low, unable to bring myself to face him. ¡°¡­Me too¡­¡± I approached Zetto, who was standing at the edge of the cliff. Emotions welled up in me, but I didn¡¯t want to show my tears. This was not the end, but the beginning. ¡°¡­I really like you too, Zetto.¡± I smiled as brightly as I could. I smiled at the blind man, wondering if that would hide my feelings. Then I touched his chest. I felt a faint but ominous aura and knew that Zetto¡¯s curse was still gnawing at him. But if I could just get through this, I could fix everything and everyone would be happy. I had no doubt. ¡°So¡­¡± I trailed off, pushing Zetto off the cliff. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zetto remained silent, offering no resistance, and plummeted into an unknown abyss. ¡­Forgive me. This is all for Zetto¡¯s sake. When this night is over, I will have finished everything, and I will be waiting for him. Soon, the darkness that poured from the demonic chasm swallowed him whole. ¡°¡­¡± I wiped the moisture from my eyes and turned away. The blind bird was trapped in a cage. He will try to escape, but I hope he doesn¡¯t try too hard. ¡®All that¡¯s left is¡­¡¯ Murka. Sooner orter, he wille for me so I can only prepare myself ordingly. *** The man¡¯s mouth opens and his ck hair flutters as he falls through the chasm of the demonic chasm. ¡°¡­Kerung?¡± Then his form dissolves, and he disappears, caught by the shadows that leap from the wall. Chapter 174: Showdown (1) Chapter 174: Showdown (1) In a space that was dark on all sides I bent down and petted Sheddie at my feet. ¡°That was a little close.¡± ¡°Keryung!¡± Out of Aizel¡¯s line of sight, through the gap where she hung her head guiltily, I barely managed to switch ces with Sheddie. I¡¯ve gotten pretty good at manipting Sheddie. [ ¡­Protective?] Sierra, who was floating in midair, over me, asked as I cupped Sheddie¡¯s chin. Aizel shoved me into the demon chasm. If I had fallen, it would have taken me a while to get out and I would have lost time with no way of knowing if Aizel would survive. ¡°Perhaps she did¡­she decided it would be safer for me to stay on the other side.¡± But Sierra and I knew she hadn¡¯t meant to hurt me. Her intentions were in to see now, and the Aizel from earlier hadn¡¯t hidden her expression at all. Well, I guessed it, but I didn¡¯t expect her to actually shove me. Regardless of the situation, Sierra wasn¡¯t happy. She¡¯d just heard a confession. I was in the ground but I could feel the stirrings of the other party, Aizel. ¡®Heading for the forest.¡¯ It was a good choice. Thend near the Demon Chasm was barren, with not a de of grass in sight. The terrain is not suited for a lonebatant. Hiding in the shadows, I walked in the opposite direction from where Aizel was headed. Again, there was a forest at the end of this path. Luckily, Albed had sent me the demons so I had a general idea of where they wereing from. I deliberately acted how Aizel desired and gave her the result she wanted since that way she would have been reassured that I was safe¡­ I wonder how long it will be before Aizel, waiting for Murka in the quiet of the forest, realizes that something is amiss. I don¡¯t know, but it will buy me time to deal with Murka. [Apprentice.] ¡°Yes, Master.¡± [My oath to you, my contract with you¡­] Just before the final battle Sierra, who had blocked my path, stroked my cheek and asked in a concerned voice. ¡°¡­If I don¡¯t die, there¡¯s no reason to worry, but if I do, well, I don¡¯t know about that, of course I¡¯ll have toe back to life¡­¡± [ ¡­] I nced at Sierra and smiled. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s broken, we¡¯ll just have to sign another contract, so don¡¯t worry about it too much, and by then¡­ Maybe we¡¯ll understand each other better than we did before, now that we¡¯ve both been dead once.¡± [¡­phew.] Sierra smiles faintly at my cheerfulness. [¡­I suppose my futile worries got the better of me, with a trusty apprentice who promises to defy death¡­] ¡°¡­¡± I give Sierra a leisurely smile, then quickly pull up my status window . I was level 50 and I had 9 skill points left. Actually, it¡¯s been a while since I reached level 50 but it hasn¡¯t been going up since then because there¡¯s a barrier after level 50 that needs to be broken. It¡¯s like changing jobs. I needed an ¡®awakening¡¯ to reach a higher level¡­but I¡¯ve been busytely and haven¡¯t had a chance to prepare for the Awakening. I was a little disappointed that there was no experience to be gained from killing Murka, but that wasn¡¯t an immediate concern. To kill Murka or not to kill Murka. Faced with such a stark choice, I decided that I needed to utilize my full power, more precisely the Reverse Heaven. I used 4 points to open Chapter 2 and 6 points to open Chapter 3 of Reverse Heaven. Well, now that I had invested eight points and I reached level seven, it worked out. I invested the remaining skill point in Psychic Sense and it reached level 6. ¡®I wonder if there¡¯s anything that¡¯s immediately obvious¡­¡¯ I¡¯ll definitely feel it in battle. I¡¯m ready to go. Aizel was taken care of and all that remained was Murka. I wonder what he¡¯lle up with. ¡®This is the second round, so I¡¯m feeling fresh.¡¯ Game 2. I could tell from Aizel¡¯s demeanor this time. I had a feeling, but I was trying to ignore it. It wasn¡¯t good news for me. Now it was an undeniable fact. At the same time, I had a question. Why did the old me fail? I couldn¡¯t save Aizel. Did I save her, but I died and she chose to regress. I stepped forward, toward the future, with questions that only Aizel knew the answers to. ¡®Anyway¡­¡¯ There was no such thing as failing twice. *** Murka and Albed were still chasing after Aizel. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re in position, she¡¯s in the forest on the other side of the Demonic Chasm.¡± Albed reported, studying the map. ¡°¡­¡± The voice jolted Murka out of his reverie and he opened his eyes to look at Albed. Albed pushed up his sses and continued. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve prepared some trap spells, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to take care of that with the help of those ¡®guys¡¯.¡± Albed led the way through the darkened forest, his eyes taking in the demons under his control. There were fifty demons and most of them were red-horned, with only a few ck-horned demons visible. They were of low quality, but they would be a good horse to throw into the trap field. Albed thought. He wondered if it would be too much of an investment to capture a single Aizel, but he figured it would be a good enough number for her mysterious helpers. Meanwhile, the demons under Albed¡¯s control, assembled in the middle of the night without knowing what awaited them, were making small talk among familiar faces they hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. ¡°Oh, Smektar. What¡¯s with the armor?¡± One of the demons asked as he walked out of the forest, a hulking fiend wearing a stunning suit of armor that was wless. ¡°Hmph, I just bought it this time.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± ¡°Do you know where this is from?¡± The big guy snorted and chuckled. ¡°Where? Wait a minute¡­ Let me guess.¡± The demon, who was usually interested in martial arts, examined the hulk¡¯s armor. ¡°Red Beard Workshop or ck Legs Workshop?¡± The demon tries calling out the names of the studios, but the big man shakes his head, keeping his grin on his face as if it were a pleasant sound. Then. ¡°Blue Moon Workshop.¡± The correct answer appears. Immediately, the big man shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth. ¡°Correct! Blue Moon Workshop¡­Hmph.¡± ¡°Yes, this imprint is¡­ It¡¯s a unique engraving that can only be found on armor made by the Blue Moon Workshop.¡± The correct answerer stroked the engraving on the armor as he spoke. The demon who didn¡¯t answer correctly turns to him and questions him. ¡°¡­But who are you?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Before long, the correct answer emerged from among the demons, but it was a face they had never seen before. ¡°¡­Was this one of the guys under Mr. Albed?¡± The man¡¯s jet-ck hair was slicked back, and his eyes were covered in pure white bandages. ¡°Yes, who are you?!¡± The big man, who had finally recognized him, was furious. ¡°Are you even blinder than him¡­?¡± The demon rubbed his chin and let another question slip out. ¡°Well, I¡¯m just a passing blind man, but¡­¡± The blind man draws a knife from his belt. ¡°¡­It looks like this is a new piece of armor, but perhaps I should test it to see if it¡¯s of good quality.¡± ¡°You have no fear, have you lost your mind?¡± Immediately, the demon drew the sword from his belt and held it to the blind man¡¯s throat, but therger demon stopped him. ¡°Well, I was just about to give you a test.¡± The hulking demon held the blind man¡¯s red sword to his eye. ¡®That thin de will be no match for me¡¯, he thought. ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Hmph. I won¡¯t cut you alive.¡± The big man held out his stomach for a sh, as if inviting him to take a shot. The blind man¡¯s arm, which was holding the sword in a reverse grip, moved. It was a normal speed, not too fast, not too slow. However, -Thud! The sound of thick, hard metal being gently sliced away was heard as the light of the sword pierced through the demon¡¯s proudly disyed armor, carving thin lines into its body. -ng!!! The demon¡¯s ck blood sshes against the moon in the sky. Soon, the hulking demon is split in half, along with its armor. At the unbelievable sight, the demon¡¯s arm that was holding the sword up to the blind man trembled violently, and the blind man casually clicked his tongue and patted the demon¡¯s trembling shoulder. ¡°Tsk, he must have been scammed, it was a cheap imitation.¡± His voice echoed through the forest as the gazes of dozens of demons, who had been busy chatting amongst themselves, immediately focused on him. ¡°Who are you!!!¡± The demons, who had just seen one of their own sliced in half, raised their voices, wary of him. This was also reflected in the eyes of Albed and Murka, who were following behind them on horseback. ¡°¡­¡± Murka was struck by the fact that he hadn¡¯t noticed his approach at all. ¡°Blind¡­?¡± It was the same for Albed. The blind man slowly lowered his arm toward where Albed and Murka were, sending them a polite greeting as the demons turned their sharp eyes toward him. ¡°As I said¡­ I¡¯m just an ordinary blind man passing through.¡± He then drops the crystal shard from his arm to the ground. The crystal shard soaks into the ground, and in an instant, a crystal circle envelops the forest. ¡°Divine power¡­¡± Murka¡¯s eyes narrowed as he watched the circle unfold without moving. The blind man¡¯s voice came from the other side once more. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to stop you, I just¡­don¡¯t want themotion in here to get out of hand.¡± The blind man adjusted the bandage over his eye and said, ¡°I hope not.¡± There was a strange tension in the forest as night fell and the mes of the final battle were already burning. Zetto slowly scanned the faces of the demons around him. ¡®Dozens of Albed¡¯s minions¡­No sign of Echis¡­ Did they bring the drakkir with them?¡¯ The numbers wererge, but not overwhelming and there was no sign of any variation. It was the kind of force he¡¯d expected. In that moment, Zetto thought. ¡®If I do this right¡­¡¯ Maybe he wouldn¡¯t die. Chapter 175: Showdown (2) Chapter 175: Showdown (2) A girl stood in a pool of blood at the center of the altar. Her tinum hair was the same color as the humans whoy bleeding all around her. He had been ordered to exterminate a n, but when he arrived, there was nothing left of the n but a young girl. He held the knife to the girl¡¯s throat, blood dripping down her face, but her eyes never changed. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Aizel¡­Aizel Ludwig.¡± The girl¡¯s lips parted, and her eyes held a depthless emptiness that belied her age. That was his first encounter with Aizel Ludwig, the legacy of the Ludwig n¡¯s ability to manipte time. At first, it was curiosity. It was clear that some kind of ritual had been performed at the altar. What had they left for this girl? I wondered if I could harness its power. I wondered if I could make the power to manipte time my own. I defied the orders of the Legionnaire, who had ordered theplete erasure of Ludwig¡¯s existence from this world. Me and my men began to study the Aizel but sadly, we were unable to aplish much. What we have learned is that Aizel can manipte mana and elemental magic like any other Ludwig. It was far from the power to manipte time that I had hoped for. Furthermore, even if she did have that power, she had no idea how to use it. All the other Ludwigs who were supposed to teach her how were dead. There hadn¡¯t been much time so I had to get back to the Legionnaire before the war broke out. And just when I was beginning to think I should give up. Aizel made her escape but it wasn¡¯t hard to keep up with the little girl with her narrow stride. Let¡¯s end this now. Let¡¯s pretend it never happened. With that thought in mind, I chased after Aizel but before I could catch her, she fell off a cliff. I thought she must be dead. There¡¯s no way a young girl could have fallen off a cliff this high. That¡¯s what I thought. Then I returned to the Legionnaire with the heads of the Ludwig n. Although I did not get the head of the little girl who was their heritage, the Legionnaire had no way of knowing that. I had earned the Legionnaire¡¯s favor. I had returned with the heads of the entire elusive Ludwig n, and it was only fitting that I had aplished a seemingly impossible mission. The Legionnaire had sent them out just in case, but he hadn¡¯t expected us to return with their heads. As it turns out, we weren¡¯t the only ones who were sent on that mission. ¡®I hope there¡¯s not a spark left.¡¯ He asked me, the corners of his mouth curling up in satisfaction. I bowed my head and replied. ¡®¡­Yes, Legionnaire. The Ludwig n no longer exists in this world.¡¯ I firmly believed that at the time but I didn¡¯t know then that my curiosity about the Ludwig legacy, that little bit of greed to take the power of the Ludwigs woulde back to haunt me like this. ¡°CRACK!!!¡± A piercing scream echoed from the forest, piercing my ears. I turned to see a man with a white bandage over his eyes in the distance. He was wielding a razor-edged red sword, and he was running into the middle of the enemy camp, cutting down one demon after another with speed and precision. ¡°What kind of power is that¡­?¡± Albed frowned, a hint of bewilderment in his voice as he watched the blind man¡¯s battle. It was understandable since even I had no idea what that power was. -Aah! The blind man shed at his adversary and immediately ducked into the ground. ¡°He¡¯s gone!¡± The blind man disappeared from sight, only to reappear on the back of the demon who was shouting. -Poof!!! The blind man¡¯s sword pierces through the demon¡¯s chest. ¡°Kirk¡­!¡± The blind man seemed to be quite skilled in one-on-onebat. Using shadows¡­. It might not be a power that humans could handle, but he wasn¡¯t a demon. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s run!¡± Several of the demons, disoriented by the sight of theirpanions being ughtered so easily, started escaping. ¡°These bastards¡­!¡± Albed was about to use his powers, but before he could, the demons¡¯ bodies were sliced apart as they disappeared into the forest. ¡°Ho-ho¡­¡± I faintly marveled. ¡°¡­A ¡®thread¡¯.¡± Squinting, I flicked the thread in front of my nose. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the thin threads were spreading like a spider¡¯s web from tree to tree, blocking the demons¡¯ movement. More precisely, it seemed to be blocking my and Albed¡¯s approach. I don¡¯t think this will stop me from approaching¡­ but it¡¯s asking me to stay out of the way for now. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I shed him a coy smile. This was a funny guy. He couldn¡¯t be just a ¡®normal¡¯ blind man passing through, as he¡¯d introduced himself. ¡°He must be a helper.¡± I turned my head to look at Albed beside me. ¡°A helper¡­? Aizel¡¯s?¡± ¡°If not, what other reason would he have to stop us, though it does seem odd that he hasn¡¯te with Aizel¡­¡± I trailed off, recognizing his intent. I could feel the faintest hint of divine power, but it was not, as he said, a cordon to keep me out. I¡¯d been feeling deafened since earlier in other words, it was a sound barrier. His intentions were in to see so I raised the corner of my mouth. ¡®Are you trying to protect¡­Aizel?¡¯ A helper who stood alone to protect her. They said Zagoras was killed by the saint. Then I had some idea of the source of this divine power. I had a hunch that he had to be Aizel¡¯s ¡°helper¡± and one who had nned all of this. I don¡¯t know how he is rted to her, or what he knows, but I¡¯ll take his head and go to her. I will give her despair, brutal despair. I wanted to see Aizel¡¯s empty eyes again. As the demons were soon swept away by his de, their numbers rapidly dwindling, Albed acted in time. Using the power of domination, he began to control the demons. Soon, the demons that had been at his mercy began to organize themselves. ¡°Albed, you won¡¯t be able to get to his throat with your jokers anyway. I¡¯ll use the drakkir. Be a shield.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Albed replied briefly, bowing his head. I lifted a finger and barked an order to the drakkir lurking in the shadows. Bring me the blind man¡¯s head. *** ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± The demon whose throat was deeply shed falls to the ground, gurgling blood. ¨C Thwack! I neatly wiped off the blood on the ¡®Sierra¡¯, steadied my breathing, and scanned my surroundings. ¡®The atmosphere¡­It¡¯s changed.¡¯ My eyes focused on Murka, who hadn¡¯t made any move yet. Beside him, Albed¡¯s horns were naturally exposed as he used his magick, but Murka still hadn¡¯t bared them. He was still watching and analyzing me. That¡¯s the kind of choice Murka would make. He craves power. I mean, what demon doesn¡¯t? But he¡¯s much worse. When he sees a new power, he can¡¯t let it pass him by. He analyzes it and takes it. That¡¯s Murka¡¯s way. What¡¯s more, he¡¯s a very good learner. Among demons, he can be called a genius. Battle after battle, he understands, learns, and grows stronger. In that sense, I thought my presence would pique his curiosity. ¡®Well, for once, his lust for knowledge will be a rope around his neck.¡¯ Just as I was thinking this, the reapers I sensed moved their feet. The drakkir were already on their way. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± The demons had been manipted by Albed and had stopped talking at some point but there were still dozens of them left, despite the ughter. Are they nning a joint attack? ¡®¡­I might have to use it this time.¡¯ I thought. I decided that I needed to hide my power as much as possible until I faced Murka. Drakkir, the faceless killers are the guys you¡¯ll face when you take on Murka. Drakkirs are not your average assassins. They are killing machines and expendables, emotionally stripped from their early training. They have no instinctive fear of death. They move as one, unleashing a barrage of death-defying shots as they seek to tear the throats out of their enemies. Even if their arms are severed and their legs are cut off, they will not hesitate to immobilize their enemies and bring them to their deaths. As a result, there is a saying among demons. If there are more than three drakkirs trying to take your head, don¡¯t expect to survive. There are five of them lurking in the shadows in formation. Albed¡¯s minions, who had also organized themselves, slowly surrounded me. ¡®Dozens of demons with no regard for life, all at the same time¡­¡¯ Anyway, I was thinking of a short-term battle, so I had to quickly bring my sword to Murka¡¯s throat. ¡°¡­¡± I reached out and retrieved Arachne¡¯s thread, which had been spreading through the forest and maintaining its tension. From now on, it would hinder my movements. [ing.] Sierra¡¯s voice echoed in my head, as she, too, was aware of the drakkirs movements. Albed¡¯s minions charged at me in unison while the drakkirs, finally emerging from the shadows, hid among the demons and closed in on me at breakneck speed. I clenched my hand around my sword and thought. ¡®After I kill them¡­I will strike Murka¡¯s throat.¡¯ I had fought Murka before, in Edward¡¯s illusion. The corpses and weapons around him are all shields and weapons for Murka, who wields telekic magic. It would be one thing to use Sheddie to devour them, but that would take an equal amount of time and concentration. ¡®So¡­¡¯ Do as I say, Murka. *** The demons lunged at Zetto as one, and he leapt at them, too. There was no shouting and only the sickening sound of tearing flesh echoed through the forest. Zetto, who had been easily slicing through the demons under Albed¡¯s control, now faced the drakkirs daggers. -Crack!!! Zetto parried the dagger of one of the Drakkir who had subtly gotten ahead of him. He thinks he¡¯s parried, but the dagger¡¯s de shatters and flies off, embedding itself in a tree on the other side. Murka wondered if it was a coincidence that the dagger shattered with a single swing, and he wondered why Zetto hadn¡¯t cut down the drakkir. Clearly, there was an opening to slice through the subtly outmatched creature but Zetto didn¡¯t cut him down. ¡®Maybe he instinctively recognized that he was outmatched.¡¯ Murka thought, but the truth was that the movements Zetto had made a moment ago were driven by the red lines in his eyes. The red line on the drakkir body, his weakness, had been cut off in the middle. If Zetto had ignored this and plunged his sword into the drakkir body, the drakkir would have grabbed Zetto¡¯s sword mid-sh and held it there. The subsequent attacks from the other four would have decapitated him. Zetto would have lost his only sword, or his head. Either way, the result is death. As if on cue, the daggers of the other four Drakkir sprang from all directions, pointed at Zetto¡¯s throat. -Aaah!!! But Zetto, who had already lowered his stance, swung his sword fluidly and shattered their daggers. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Murka let out a questioning sigh as he had missed his movements for a moment. ¡®When did he lower his stance¡­?¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter if the daggers of the Drakkirs were broken, there were plenty of masterless des around¡­but a sword that was beyond the Drakkirs perception was a different story. Making that quick judgment, Murka turned to Albed. ¡°Bind his feet.¡± Albed bowed his head in response and immediately gave the demons their orders. -Chop! -Chop! The demons continued to throw their bodies against Zetto¡¯s sword, even as their throats were shed. Zetto swung his katana, but there were too many of them, and it wasn¡¯t long before his sword was bound into a drakkir body. ¡°¡­Grrrr¡­¡± The drakkir stood stiffly, despite having his throat half-shed, and desperately grasped at Zetto¡¯s de as it passed over his neck. ¡°¡­Grrrr.¡± The faceless killer, whose entire face was covered in tattered bandages, grinned maniacally at the thought of aplishing his mission. -Aaah¡­ -Aaahhh¡­ Soon enough, demons and drakkirs rushed at Zetto like a tidal wave, surrounding him on all sides. Eventually, Zetto was trapped in the flesh of the demons. ¡°It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t take the head with me, but¡­I can¡¯t help it.¡± As he speaks, Murka¡¯s forehead reveals a jet-ck horn. He shes through armor, daggers, and everything in between with his strange swordsmanship and his speed beyond the perception of the drakkir. Amazing, but if that is all you have, then die now. With that thought, Murka clenched his hand where he had gathered his magic and was about to cast Spiral. All he had to do now was twist his hand, and Zetto would join the demons while his body would be twisted beyond recognition. Meanwhile, trapped by the demons with his sword strapped to him, Zetto smiled to himself. Everything was working out as he had intended. This, of course, did not reach Murka, who was on the other side, obscured by the bodies of the demons. ¡®Are youughing¡­?¡¯ Only Albed, who was sharing his vision with the demons holding Zetto , could see it. ¡°Murka¡­ Something¡­ Something¡¯s wrong¡­!¡± Albed eximed out of nowhere and Murka tilted his head. As far as he could see, Zetto¡¯s sword was still mped to the drakkir neck while the rest of the drakkirs had a firm grip on his de. ¡®What more can a swordsman who can¡¯t wield a sword hope to aplish¡­?¡¯ Murka pushed the question from his mind and cast Spiral. It was a split second. ¡°I¡­¡± Murka opened his mouth, his wrist rotating slowly. Following his fingers, the area where Zetto had been twisted into a chunk of earth. At the same time a strange sound echoes through the flesh of the demons where Murka¡¯s spell, Spiral, had been directed. The clear, sharp sounds of flesh cracking and twisting were heard. Surely Zetto¡¯s sword was still bound by the drakkir, but¡­Dozens of inexplicable red sword beams erupted through the flesh of the demons. ¡°¡­Good.¡± Murka, who had been squinting, quickly finished. Had he only revealed his power at the end? A power beyondprehension¡­A strange power, but it¡¯s over now. Murka thought, but the thought didn¡¯tst long. ¡°¡­¡± From the liquid that oozed from the flesh that had been distorted by his magic¡­There was no sign of human blood. ¡®He escaped¡­through the gap.¡¯ Then¡­Where is he? As Murka pondered these questions there was a sudden sh of light and a blindingly bright sh of light appeared in the otherwise dark forest. ¡®Lightning¡­?¡¯ Lightning struck from nowhere in the area swept by Spiral but Murka¡¯s gaze was immediately drawn away. Zetto had appeared close to Murka. -sh! And a pure white light shone from the red sword he was wielding, followed by an ear-splitting thunderp. ¡°Die, Murka.¡± Zetto¡¯s sword fell toward Murka¡¯s throat. Chapter 176: Showdown (3) Chapter 176: Showdown (3) -Aaah!!! The sword, which emits a pure white light, falls towards Murka¡¯s throat, only to be blocked by Murka¡¯s shield. Zetto¡¯s vision reveals a faint red line, a ¡®weakness¡¯ in Murka¡¯s shield. -Kagagak!!! Zetto twisted the trajectory of his sword in an instant and shed down at the weak spot. The shield shattered in an instant. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The shield shattering was surprising enough, but Murka saw that the flow of mana in Zetto¡¯s body was distorted at that moment. ¡®Something¡¯sing.¡¯ Murka predicted Zetto¡¯s subsequent sword path. ¡®He¡¯s aiming for¡­ the neck.¡¯ Zetto twists and turns in midair. In the blink of an eye, Zetto¡¯s series of shes continued but as Murka had predicted, Zetto¡¯s red sword was aimed at his throat. ¡®I wonder if there¡¯s any chance I¡¯ll be able to unleash my katana again¡­¡¯ But Murka, who had predicted the path of the sword, used telekinesis to twist Zetto¡¯s sword slightly. -Knock! Murka¡¯s throat is shed. However, the cut was so shallow that it was only a scratch on his neck. As the de twisted, Murka stuck out his neck, narrowly avoiding a fatal wound. -Ouch!!! Murka immediately struck Zetto in the abdomen with a powerful blow of telekinesis, creating distance. Zetto, who was moving away, shed the ground with his sword before crashing into a tree,nding safely. Murka was in a hurry to react, so Zetto was simrly unharmed. ¡°¡­Not easy.¡± Zetto wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth as his body was strained by the force of Reverse Heaven and Sheddie. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Murka did the same, wiping his neck and looking at his bloodied palms. ¡°Ha¡­¡± He smiled weakly. It had been years since he¡¯d been hurt by a human. ¡®Not since the war?¡¯ Murka paused for a moment, remembering the sinister, snake-eyed man he had met in the past. ¡°Funny¡­ Funny.¡± Murka finally blurted out. He didn¡¯t deny it. It was such a fine line. The slightest misstep, and his throat would have been cut deeply and he would have bled profusely. For a brief moment, he felt ¡®fear¡¯. It had been a long time since he had a battle where he felt the fear of death so heughed. Since he had gained power and stabilized his position, he thought he had nothing to fear anymore. But the blind man who had appeared out of nowhere had rung the rm bell in Murka¡¯s carefree life. ¡°I see. It was always like this¡­¡¯ ¡­To live as a demon. ¡°¡­¡± On the other hand, Albed, who had remained silent by Murka¡¯s side, was stunned. ¡®I couldn¡¯t see it.¡¯ There was no way for him to know what Zetto and Murka had exchanged in that short period of time, less than a few seconds ago. ¡°¡­I see you know my name.¡± Murka said as he dismounted. Zetto, who had been stalking toward him, spoke up. ¡°I do, Murka, and next to you is Albed.¡± Zetto nonchntly points his finger at them in order. ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t recognize your face¡­ How did you get the information? Is it Aizel?¡± ¡°¡­If I tell you, will you praise me or something?¡± ¡°Yes. I will personally give you death.¡± ¡°Haha¡­I¡¯ll pass on that.¡± With that, Zetto straightened his stance. ¡®There is no reason or need to hide anymore.¡¯ Murka looked around quickly, assessing the situation. He analyzed Zetto thoroughly. His swordy was strangely aimed at weapons, breaking them and the shield that had shattered just a moment ago. There were too many things he was reluctant to chalk up to luck or coincidence. If the shield hadn¡¯t shattered immediately, Zetto would have been twisted from head to toe by Murka¡¯s telekinesis. ¡®He was confident.¡¯ Confident that he could break the shield. No, the move had been made with the idea of a shield in mind in the first ce. ¡°Hmph¡­For a blind one, you fight strangely well¡­¡± Murka continued to analyze Zetto. ¡®This is not a foe to be trifled with.¡¯ If his hypothesis is correct, the blind man in front of him is an outrageous monster, an out-of-scale powerhouse that could threaten his life. He wasn¡¯t like other demons who spouted nonsense on human subjects to stroke their egos. Murka recognized Zetto and epted the situation. Only then did he begin to see clearly how to deal with him. ¡®I¡¯ve already acted as he wanted.¡¯ Murka nced at the ugly spheres of flesh. Zetto could have easily defeated them, but he had crushed them with his own power. ¡®¡­But at the same time, I¡¯ve discovered his weakness.¡¯ Murka continued to rey Zetto¡¯s movements, analyzing him. Of course, Zetto, who knew this, didn¡¯t want to give him that time, so he lunged at him, but Murka had already reached his conclusion. -Aaah!!! Murka then parried Zetto¡¯s rapidly approaching sword, deflecting it with telekinesis, and opened his mouth. ¡°Albed, how long are you going to stand idly by?¡± ¡°Ha, but¡­ I can¡¯t match his speed¡­¡± Albed swallowed hard on his trailing words. He had already lost the battle. Murka knew his limits. He hadn¡¯t been a hand-to-handbatant in the army. In the first ce, Zetto had been relentlessly targeting Murka, as if Albed¡¯s presence posed no threat at all. ¡°¡­Scatter Matan around. As many as you can. That¡¯s all you need to do.¡± Murka, who had already gotten used to Zetto¡¯s speed, dodged Zetto¡¯s shots and hit him with another telekic spell as he spoke. ¡®Matan¡­?¡¯ The basic magic of demons, a simple sphere of condensed magic. It might shock, but it would be far too weak to kill such a monster. The thought crossed Albed¡¯s mind, but he had no time to question Murka¡¯s judgment. After all, no matter how bad he was at fighting, it was still a ck horn, not to mention the amount of magick it had¡­ -Pah-bah-bah!!! ¡­Albed scattered an unfathomable amount of magick around the forest. Murka then used telekinesis to pick up the nearby Matans and threw them in Zetto¡¯s direction, bombarding him indiscriminately. -Aaah! -Boom!!! The impact of the Matans shattered the old trees in the forest, and the ground caved in. Unable to dodge anymore, Zetto leaped backwards, increasing the distance. ¡°You¡­You see a lot.¡± Murka grinned, feeling the joy of battle for the first time in a long time. ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± Albed merely shuddered. He had a bandage around his eye, as if to say that he was blind. The idea that a blind man could see so much sounded quite strange. ¡°He sees through the fabric of magic. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he sees through the fabric of everything in this world.¡± ¡°The fabric of magic¡­The fabric of magic? What¡­?¡± Albed found it hard to believe that there was such a thing, but he had to believe it. He had seen it with his own eyes how Murka¡¯s shields shattered so easily. ¡°He knows the structure, so he¡¯s simply tapping into a structural weakness and breaking it. It¡¯s like a dispel. Maybe it¡¯s the ability he got for losing his vision, but¡­He definitely has weaknesses.¡± As Murka spoke, he hurled the Matans at Zetto, who was nowhere in sight. Before he has a chance to catch his breath, Zetto sprints out of the way. ¡°Quantity.¡± ¡°Matan?¡± ¡°He only has one sword, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Zetto breaks magic by striking at its structural weaknesses. It was very simr to dispel, but Zetto¡¯s method was different in that it was a physical act. He could only break the spell if he swung his sword directly at the spell¡¯s weaknesses. ¡°But isn¡¯t he fast, he should be able to hit them all¡­¡± ¡°I thought there was a limit. What is the structure of the Matan?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just condensed magick¡­¡± As Albed rambles on, he realizes something. The structure is simple. Because it¡¯s simple, it can be sophisticated. With sophistication, weaknesses fade away. ¡°Ha¡­!¡± After realizing this, Albed is amazed. ¡®In such a short amount of time, he analyzed it and found a way to counter it¡­¡¯ He wasn¡¯t exactly smart, but he couldn¡¯t match Murka¡¯sbat sense, intelligence, and quickness. Zetto, meanwhile, could see the Mataning for him in his eyes. Murka was right. The Matan¡¯s weaknesses were faint, and it would take a lot of concentration to cut through them. ¡®I expected the dispel to be read, but¡­¡¯ It was the sheer number of them scattered throughout the forest that was annoying. As he moved forward while being hit by them, the amount of them was overwhelming. The impact would quickly take its toll. But if he tried to take out Albed first, it would take too much time. This could not be a war of attrition. With that, Zetto calcted the duration of the protection and quickly rushed towards Murka. ¡°Now, what will you show me this time?¡± With a rxed voice, Murka floated in the air with Albed. Murka thought it would be an easy victory if he could lead Zetto into a battle of attrition. Nevertheless, Zetto strode toward Murka without hesitation. There was still more power he hadn¡¯t analyzed. ¡°You¡¯ve slowed down, are you tired already?¡± Murka threw the Matan without missing a beat at a much slower target. At the same time, he twisted his hands. ¡°Spiral.¡± He casted Spiral. -Kugugung!!! The area around Zetto twisted as Murka¡¯s invisible hand wrapped around him but Zetto wasn¡¯t really slowed by exhaustion. He hadn¡¯t cast two cards, and he wasn¡¯t even running, just casually walking towards Murka. ¡°Sierra Reverse Heaven Chapter 3¡­¡± Zetto muttered in a low voice. -Kwagakak!!!!!!! The red sword light defied causation and began to rampage. Under the countless sword strikes, Matan, Spirals, and other weaknesses are cut and shattered. Soon, the shattered magick scatters into the air and disappears. Zetto walks leisurely toward Murka, who is now airborne. ¡°How did that happen¡­?¡± Albed trailed off, unable toprehend the situation. Neither did Murka, who squinted. ¡°Not that again. A bizarre sword technique triggered by distorting the flow of mana¡­¡¯ A sword strike appeared from thin air, even though no sword was swung. There is no cause, but there is an effect. The blind man below was clearly defying cause and effect. Kwagak!!! Zetto, who had been walking while grinding all the Matans in the air, finally arrives beneath Murka. There¡¯s no point in throwing Matans anymore so Murka stops attacking for a moment and looks down. Zetto¡¯s sword, which he hadn¡¯t swung since he walked up, still glowed with a pure white light. The power of that light was dangerous, his instinct told him so. It was an instinctive fear carved into the very fabric of the demon race. ¡®There¡¯s no way he could be the reincarnation of the hero¡­¡¯ But the only thing that could be is the strength of the hero. ¡®¡­I just can¡¯t figure out who he is.¡¯ Murka shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and turned to Zetto below. ¡°¡­So what more can you do, your sword doesn¡¯t seem to reach this far.¡± True to Murka¡¯s words, Zetto¡¯s Chapter 3 was not able to travel through space like Chapter 1, so it had no chance of reaching Murka in midair. There were no allies to intercept him, as there had been in Edward¡¯s vision. Zetto could only stare helplessly up at Murka. At least that¡¯s how it seemed to Murka. But Zetto wasn¡¯t looking at Murka, he was looking at the sky. ¡®It¡¯s almost time¡­¡¯ He was waiting for the punishment that would soon befall him for defying cause and effect. Zetto stomped on the ground and sped toward Murka in midair. ¡®I never thought you woulde¡­¡¯ Already ustomed to Zetto¡¯s speed, Murka decided to see the end. He was in the air, and Zetto was no longer able to dodge. Murka summoned as much of his magick as he could and aimed for Zetto. At that moment, a light shed in the sky. It was a lightning bolt, a penalty of Chapter 3. The lightning bolt fell to the ground where Zetto was but it hit Murka, who was directly above him. No one can react to the speed of light. Zetto couldn¡¯t react either. He simply calcted the time and timed it perfectly. ¡°Boom!!!¡± The impact of the lightning bolt had been manageable, but the unexpected damage had broken Murka¡¯s concentration. Thus, Zetto was able to approach Murka unhindered by the telekic magic. -Keying!!! Zetto¡¯s red sword was already swinging at Murka¡¯s breastbone. ¡°Lord Murka¡­!!!¡± Albed shouted and scattered Matan to intercept Zetto, who was aiming for Murka. Zetto swings his sword and is intercepted by a Matan. Lucky for him, it kept Zetto¡¯s sword from reaching Murka but in that moment, Albed doubted his eyes. ¡®I only threw it because I was in a hurry¡­ How did I manage to hit him when I couldn¡¯t even keep up with his speed?¡¯ Another moment of doubt. -No!!! Zetto¡¯s sword shes across Murka¡¯s chest, causing ck blood to gush out. Zetto has utilized a trick he¡¯s been saving up. For the moment he swung his sword, Zetto had only cast one Chapter, not two. This allowed him to travel through space and sh at Murka. However, even in his momentarypse of concentration, Murka had a strong shield around his neck. He even ced the weak point of the shield in the opposite direction from where Zetto wasing from so he could only aim for the heart. ¡°¡­Boom.¡± It wasn¡¯t easy to go straight from Chapter 2 to Chapter 3, so he was forced to use the easier Chapter 1, and then Zetto was struck by Albed¡¯s Matan just as he was about to cast Chapter 3. -Aaaaahhh!!!! Thunder rumbles in the sky and the trio crash to the ground. Even the mortally wounded Murka can no longer levitate with his telekinesis. -Thud. Albed, who was falling with Murka, picks him up. ¡®His chest is deeply cut. He won¡¯t die immediately, but he¡¯ll die soon¡­¡¯ Frowning, Albed examines Murka¡¯s condition after being cut by Zetto. ¡®I¡¯ve put some distance between us, but¡­ Against such an outrageous monster, we won¡¯t stand a chance without Lord Murka. With that judgment, Albed turned his head to look in the direction where Zetto had been blown away by the Matan. With the forest all around him, he couldn¡¯t see it yet. ¡®Now is our chance to save our lives.¡¯ Albed swallowed hard but s, he could not act. He knew that if Murka, the Legionnaire¡¯s right-hand man, died and his failure to deal with Aizel came to light, he would be hunted to death by demons and humans alike. He might as well go on a rampage but the moment Albed had that thought. -Aah. Suddenly, Murka grabs him by the throat. ¡°¡­Cur¡­ Kirk¡­ Moo¡­Lord Murka¡­?¡± Soon, magick was being pulled up by Murka¡¯s hand, which was mped around Albed¡¯s neck. Murka could not die like this so he made a decision. -Thud! The gruesome sound of someone¡¯s throat being cut echoes through the forest. *** ¡°Hah¡­ Ha¡­¡± Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, Aizel was running in the direction of Zetto. She was feeling strange that Murka didn¡¯t appear no matter how long she waited, when she heard the sound of lightning. -Crackle!!!! Another lightning strike. ¡®Something must be going on over there.¡¯ Lightning strikes in a dry sky are so strange. As she ran, she stared at the distant portal, at the cage. ¡®That can¡¯t be Zetto¡­¡¯ She pushed him in herself so there was no way he could crawl out fast enough. Gasping for breath, Aizel thought. ¡®If Murka really is there, then who the hell is that blocking him¡­?¡¯ ***. ¡°Saint¡­?¡± In¨¦s tilted her head to look at Bernice, who hadn¡¯t been moving and Bernice began to walk again. ¡°¡­Is something wrong?¡± In¨¦s asked, noticing that Bernice¡¯s expression was particrly unhappy today. ¡°¡­No, it¡¯s nothing, I just have a feeling something ominous is about to happen.¡± ¡°Something ominous is¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Unable to formte an answer, Bernice nced back at the empty room. She felt like someone she knew was going to die but she didn¡¯t want to say those cursed words. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Unable to lie, the Saint chose silence. Chapter 177: Showdown (4) Chapter 177: Showdown (4) -Aaaahhhh¡­ Meanwhile, in the forest where Zetto and Murka were battling, a small, ball-sized eyeball was stealthily pping its wings. It was a low-level dark spirit of some kind. Its owner was a red-horned demon named Keraf, one of the soldiers under the Chief of Staff. He had previously stood by Murka¡¯s side as he dealt with those who served the Nameless Ones in the Demon Lands. Hiding in the bushes and pping his wings, the dark spirit now looked at Murka, whose chest had been cut deeply by Zetto¡¯s blow. It was a mortal wound, even by his standards. However, in Keraf¡¯s eyes, Murka didn¡¯t seem to be in any danger. -Aaah¡­ Murka, who was crouching beside Albed on the ground, seemed to be mesmerized, and his eyes were filled with an unidentifiable¡­ -Crunch¡­ ¡­chewing on something hard. Keraf gasped at the shocking sight. ¡®He ate¡­ A fellow¡­ a fellow¡­ a fellow¡­¡¯ Preying on its own kind was a taboo among the demons. Having cut off Albed¡¯s head, Murka immediately consumed Albed¡¯s magick and the horns that harbored the life force of the in. Devouring the horns, Murka sucked thest of the life out of Albed¡¯s body into his horns, and Albed¡¯s corpse shriveled. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Murka lifted his head in admiration. He looked ecstatic, drunk with his newfound power. For a moment Murka suddenly grabs the ground and cries out in pain. ¡°Ouch¡­ Aaaah¡­.Arghhhh!!!!!!!¡± His screams are apanied by the unpleasant sound of crunching bones and tearing flesh. -Crunch¡­ -Crackle¡­ Soon, a huge, jet-ck thing sprouted from Murka¡¯s back and soon, the membrane surrounding Murka¡¯s body spread out, revealing what appeared to be ¡®wings¡¯. ¡®¡­Wings¡­¡¯ Was it natural if a ck Horn consumed another ck Horn, or was Murka already on the verge of breakthrough? Even Keraf had no way of knowing, but what mattered now was¡­ Just in time, a blind man emerges from the bushes and spots Murka. Murka turns his head to look at him. The wound on his chest has already healed, and new, wless flesh has sprouted. ¡®All that matters now is that the blind man can no longer survive¡­¡¯ Closing his eyes tightly, Keraf shook his head. Despite being a demon, he was rooting for Zetto, not Murka. It wasn¡¯t that he held a grudge against Murka. It was simply that the power he had seen in Zetto bore an uncanny resemnce to the power of the being he considered his ¡®ideal¡¯. Keraf had learned quite a bit about the Nameless One during his research at the behest of the Chief of Staff. It was said that all records of him had been erased under the punishment of record annihtion for other lesser demons, but his records remained. But he didn¡¯t know everything, especially not his name. Here¡¯s what Keraf could find out about the Nameless One so far. He was a male ck-haired demon that wielded the power of the dark elementals, most notably the Shade, a shadow elemental. In addition to his power over spirits, he was said to be extremely skilled in swordsmanship¡­His swordsmanship is rare among swordsmen, as he holds his sword in reverse. He didn¡¯t know what his unique technique is¡­but from the information he gleaned so far, the blind was quite simr to him. The difference being that he was blind and that he was human¡­Perhaps it was the blind man who should truly be called the seconding of the Nameless One. Keraf cautiously entertained the thought. As much as he liked the ideals of the Nameless One and what he stood for, he was worried. He wondered if the blind man was going to die. In the first ce, demons with wings possess powers far beyond those of ordinary demons. Most demons would never see the High One, and would die chasing ck horns for nothing more than a fleeting moment, but there was a sky above them. Keraf had seen another demon with wings before. This was due to the fact that Keraf was, surprisingly, a very talented individual that the Chief of Staff was quite fond of. ¡®I don¡¯t think he¡¯s in that league¡­I hope not.¡¯ The Legionnaire¡¯s young right-hand man had only just sprouted wings. But even so¡­ Murka, raising his hand slyly toward Zetto, exims. ¡°¡­Spirals.¡± The telekinesis magic was directed at Zetto¡¯s bandaged left arm. The range wasn¡¯t as wide as before but it was too fast for him to react. -Boom! ¡­He had a new level of power. *** ¡°Huh¡­ Huh¡­¡± Zetto, hiding behind an old tree, could barely exhale the breath that had filled his chin. Things were not looking good since he hadn¡¯t expected Murka to eat his friend, Albed. ¡®I should have¡­I should have stopped him then.¡¯ This was something that even Zetto, who was confident that he knew Murka quite well, hadn¡¯t expected. Zetto¡¯s Chapter 3 was a disappointment, but it was his influence that led Murka to make that choice. His actions spread rumors of the return of the Nameless One, and even Murka, who had no interest in the matter, was forced to learn more about the would-be demon who broke the taboo of eating his own kind. In a desperate attempt to save his own life, Murka decides to eat his own kind. The Nameless One, who devours his enemies in order to save his own life and break the cycle of evil that is the original sin of the demons. Murka, who ate his panions¡¯ simply to continue his lineage, to gain strength, to create change, to win the battle at hand, was a different story altogether. In any case, wings sprouted from Murka¡¯s back. Zetto knew of demons with wings. They were a foe to be reckoned with, at least at this time but they only appearedter in the ¡®story¡¯ he knew. Zetto was powerless against Murka, who had grown many times stronger with his wings. Murka¡¯s strength was one reason, but more than anything¡­ ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Zetto held his breath, barely able to keep the groan from escaping his mouth. ¡­He lost his left arm. The pain was excruciating, and his left arm was torn to shreds. His center of gravity was disturbed, and he was unable to exert his power. The situation was so bad that he was lucky he hadn¡¯t lost his right arm, which controlled his sword. What should I do? I can¡¯t do it this time. I have to kill Murka. At that moment, Zetto was thinking about it. ¡°Keryung¡­!¡± Suddenly, Sheddie, who was at Zetto¡¯s feet, called out. Zetto looked at her. She had a very serious look in her eyes and was staring at his left arm. It was a sealing technique, but Zetto understood its meaning because he was its master. Sheddie was offering to rece his severed left arm. ¡®You can actually do that¡­?¡¯ As I read Sheddie¡¯s thoughts, I realized that this was a manifestation. It was the act of making the spirit ¡®real¡¯. ¡°There.¡± Murka¡¯s voice came from the other side. -Quang!!!!!! There was an immediate crash and the old tree Zetto was hiding behind shattered. He didn¡¯t even give Zetto a moment to think. Rolling to the ground and narrowly escaping Murka¡¯s telekinesis, Zetto thought. ¡®The seal has long since been shattered by lightning¡­ Aizel must be running here.¡¯ If the frantic Aizel ran into the winged Murka, there would be nothing more to see. ¡®I lost my arm¡­¡¯ Sheddie could fix that, but it would take a physical toll. I rolled and rolled on the floor. ¡®It¡¯s just¡­¡¯ Zetto thought as hey on his back, staring at the sky. ¡®I should just¡­Die.¡¯ Zetto didn¡¯t think of death easily either. He had tried to live his life in his own way, but¡­He could only go so far. With that decision, Zetto reached out to Sheddie. -Tsk, tsk¡­ As if waiting for him, Sheddie attached itself to his body, then settled on his left arm in the empty space, and the ck liquid began to wriggle and form an arm. -Aaah¡­ Zetto now had a ckened left arm that was no longer human, but a hideous, grotesque shape. Unlike the fluffy and cute Sheddie, it was quite a gruesome sight, and Zetto¡¯s eyes narrowed for a moment. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Zetto, whose life force had been drained by Sheddie, spat out a mouthful of blood. Zetto coughed up arge amount of blood, enough to make it difficult for him to live. He staggers back and grabs a nearby wooden beam to steady himself. He wiped the corner of his mouth nonchntly and looked over at Sheddie, who had be his left arm, before asking the question. ¡®I wonder if my arm will regenerate when I resurrect¡­Well, if not, so be it.¡¯ Dismissing the lighthearted question, Zetto raised his left hand, and at his touch, the already dark forest was plunged into pitch-ck shadow. Arge, ck, dome-shaped nexus settles over the forest but only Zetto and Murka are inside. As Murka approaches the opening, he sees Zetto standing in the forest with a hideous left arm growing out of his body. ¡°¡­¡± Murka tilted his head and spoke as he approached Zetto. ¡°¡­You can¡¯t possibly be human after all you¡¯ve done.¡± Zetto responded with a faint smile. ¡°Human. You mean¡­I look like a demon, right?¡± And so began the final battle to defy fate. *** ¡®What the hell is going on in here¡­¡¯ What¡¯s going on? Suddenly, a jet-ck circle enveloped the entire forest and I leaned my head against it. It must have been created by demons as I could feel the ominous aura that usuallyes from demons. On this day they were the only demons in my immediate vicinity. I hadn¡¯t seen anything like this since the regression, but at least it¡¯s certain that Murka is inside. So¡­ who is in here dealing with Murka? Had they been chasing me ande face to face with a mysterious powerhouse? Over and over again, I ran these thoughts through my mind, but I couldn¡¯t get rid of the uneasy feeling I was getting. A sense of foreboding that felt somehow familiar. It can¡¯t be. It must be my mood. Zetto. Why am I thinking of Zetto? It doesn¡¯t make sense. I pushed him with my own hands, and I saw it with my own eyes how he fell in the chasm. And yet, this absurd thought, that somehow Zetto could be inside this dome¡­this absurd thought kept invading my mind. I became anxious since I was with Zetto on the way here. It was another day, and I must have gotten anxious because I remembered the previous episode. I was with him again. There was no attack likest time, but¡­ It wasn¡¯t Zetto¡¯s doing. That¡¯s what I believed. Of course, I couldn¡¯t be sure. Zetto is a man of many secrets so it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he had some kind of power. But not now. -Boom! I struck the dome and I even tried using my spear to unleash a st of magic, but to no avail. The corners of my mouth lifted as I stared at the unmoving dome. I thought to myself. ¡®Couldn¡¯t there have been an ally who stopped their attack?¡¯ There was an ally I didn¡¯t know about. That ally used the saint to kill Zagoras, and now¡­and now he¡¯s fighting Murka on my behalf. -Boom! -Boom!!! I wanted to deny the nightmare that was now ying in my head. ¡°That can¡¯t be¡­¡± Finally, my legs gave out and I slumped to the ground. The day was slowly dawning and the first rays of sunlight were creeping through the trees and leaves. It¡¯s the same as it was then. No, no. Not yet. I haven¡¯t even fought them. I hadn¡¯t killed Murka yet. The nightmare wasing back. I hung my head and denied reality. How much time had passed? The dome, which had remained unscathed by my attacks, suddenly began to ooze like liquid. -Aaah! Soon, the domepletely exploded. -Aaah¡­ An unidentifiable ck rain pours out of the dome as the situation inside the circle is now clear, and the forest is revealed. The fierce battle had shattered the trees around them, making it clear who was where and what they were doing. The first thing I see Albed¡¯s severed head lying on the ground as I continued to make my way through the forest. ¡°¡­¡± The back of a white, long-haired, ck-horned demon I recognized as Murka came into view. It had a pair of strange ¡°wings¡± on its back, which I had never seen before. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Suddenly, Murka¡¯s neck tilted and his severed head fell to the ground, then before long, his body copsed. Only then does Aizel realize that a man is standing in front of her. ¡°Ah¡­Aah¡­¡± For some reason, no wordse out of her mouth. She had a throbbing headache and had forgotten how to speak. ¡°Aaahhh¡­!¡± You. You¡¯re not supposed to be here. My head was pounding. My breathing slowed. My chest was tight. I couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. It was Zetto. The one who should be in the demon chasm. The blind bird that should be in a cage. Why was he here? I didn¡¯t know why, but it didn¡¯t matter. I stared at the staggering Zetto with a puzzled expression on my face. He was mangled, his left arm missing, and had a gaping hole in his abdomen. I didn¡¯t have to get close to see that he was dying. Chapter 178: Goodbye, Zetto (1) Chapter 178: Goodbye, Zetto (1) I caught a glimpse of the stumbling Zetto, and I ran frantically. ¡°Zetto¡­!!!¡± Luckily, I managed to catch him just before he hit the ground. Immediately, I leaned Zetto, who was shaking fromck of strength, against a nearby tree. ¡°¡­Can you hear me¡­? Zetto¡­!¡± Blood continued to ooze from his punctured abdomen and torn left arm. ¡°Zetto¡­¡± I pressed a cloth to the wound, hoping to stem the bleeding somehow. ¡®The arm, yes, but¡­What about the stomach¡­What about the abdomen¡­¡¯ My head was spinning and my body refused to listen. I had to save Zetto. I didn¡¯t want to let him die like this. I was desperate that I couldn¡¯t defy fate and that I couldn¡¯t prevent his death this time. I wasn¡¯t sure I could continue if I failed again. ¡°Hmph¡­ Hmph¡­ Hmph¡­¡± My eyes burned and the tears that kept rolling down his cheeks were blurring his image. Then he moved. He leaned against a tree and turned to face me. ¡°¡­Miss Aizel¡­ is it¡­¡± Zetto struggled to keep his voice steady and smiled faintly. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Zetto¡­ I¡¯m here. I¡¯m here¡­ so¡­¡± ¡­It¡¯s all going to be okay now. As long as the blood stops, as long as we get him treated quickly, he¡¯ll live. I fumbled through the small backpack in my arms to see if I could find anything useful. ¡®Surely there¡¯s a healing potion or something¡­¡¯ Not this one. Not this. Nothing. Why not¡­? Why¡­? Sadly, there was no such thing. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have time to take a potion in the middle of a battle with them. ¡°Yes¡­! Clerics¡­ If we find a cleric¡­¡± I started to push myself up in impatience, but Zetto stopped me. ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not fine¡­ Not okay at all¡­ Why is Zetto here¡­?¡± I didn¡¯t understand why Zetto was in this situation on my behalf. Not once, but twice. What was okay? Why was he here? I must have pushed him. I¡¯m pretty sure I locked him up so this wouldn¡¯t happen. Despite my usations, Zetto smiled weakly. ¡°Well, maybe I set a new record or something¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Red blood was dripping from the corners of Zetto¡¯s mouth as heughed lightly as if it was no big deal. If I leave it like this Zetto would die. I reach a conclusion, and for a moment, my mind goes nk. ¡°You can¡¯t die, you can¡¯t die, you can¡¯t die, you can¡¯t die, you don¡¯t have to die, you don¡¯t have to die, you don¡¯t have to die, I¡¯d rather I¡­ I¡¯d rather I¡­ I¡¯d rather I¡­¡± Zetto held my head, muttering frantically, and slowly reached out to me. His hand, still warm, touches my cheek. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The warmth of Zetto¡¯s hand brings me back to reality. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t say that.¡± With that, Zetto tilts his head and coughs up arge amount of blood. ¡°Zetto¡­!!!¡± ¡°¡­ Ha¡­ I¡¯m fine, I know¡­I know¡­¡± Zetto, who didn¡¯t even have the energy to wipe the blood that had spilled out, continued to speak while breathing heavily. ¡°¡­I just know there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to make it out of this alive¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s soothing voice finally brings him back to reality. ¡°So¡­ You don¡¯t have to try.¡± His wounds shed into view. I knew that no matter what I did, I couldn¡¯t make him whole again. I couldn¡¯t save him. I hastily tore off his robe and bound his left arm, which had stopped bleeding, but¡­ There was nothing I could do about the gaping hole in his abdomen. His organs weren¡¯t just damaged, they were gone. I can¡¯t even imagine how much it hurts. ¡°Hmph¡­Ugh¡­¡± How can Zetto smile? How can he show me that smile? The smile I saw in front of me was¡­ It was always so sweet and gentle, and that made it all the more terrifying. I was afraid that I would never see it again. ¡°That was a tough one, that one¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s chuckle was followed by a blood-curdling giggle. ¡°Too much¡­ Don¡¯t push yourself. You don¡¯t have to tell me¡­¡± I tried to stop him, but he shook his head slowly. It must hurt to even open his mouth. Even though I know it, I can¡¯t stop him. I could feel his intense determination. After he regains his breath, Zetto asks me. ¡°¡­You were scared, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I shake my head. I knew immediately what he was talking about and what he meant. It didn¡¯t matter what he knew or how much he knew. I just feltforted. The hellish past of not being understood by anyone quickly shed through my mind and hot tears fell onto myp. ¡°Yeah, I was scared¡­ I was scared a lot¡­¡± ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to be scared anymore¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t have to struggle alone anymore¡­¡± Zetto pawed at the ground and his hands groped for mine. When I lifted my head, he was still smiling. ¡°¡­I¡¯m so d.¡± I wanted to return his smile with one of my own, but¡­my face contorted with unstoppable tears. I¡¯m sorry, Zetto. You¡¯ve done so much for me. I¡¯m still scared. The truth is I¡¯m scared right now. I¡¯m so scared of losing you, it¡¯s driving me crazy. This is the hardest part. I¡¯m alone in the world without you. Please don¡¯t leave me alone. Please don¡¯t leave me behind. So¡­ ¡°¡­please don¡¯t die¡­ Huh¡­? I¡¯m begging you¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zetto was silent at my desperate request. He didn¡¯t answer. No, he couldn¡¯t answer. Because¡­It was an impossible request. Zetto leaned his head against the tree. The warm sunlight streamed down through the leaves. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Aizel for putting you through this¡­ But¡­¡± It was the only way. Zetto said. ¡°¡­C¡¯mon.¡± Blood spurted from Zetto¡¯s mouth. Upon closer inspection, the negative aura lurking in his body was growing stronger. The curse that had been gnawing at his heart all along was hastening his death. I asked urgently. I wanted to know if I could make him feel any better. ¡°¡­Zetto, do you love me?¡± ¡°What kind of question is that, all of a sudden¡­?¡± Even though I knew it was the wrong question at the wrong time. ¡°¡­Do you love me¡­?¡± But I wanted to make sure. This could be thest time. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s mouth fell open, contemting. I didn¡¯t know why he was thinking about it, but then his mouth opened and I realized why. ¡°So¡­Why does Ms. Aizel think I did this?¡± I followed the sound of Zetto¡¯s voice and looked around. The forest was in shambles in the aftermath of the battle. Albed and Murka with their throats slit. Zetto had fought to protect me. All for me. That¡¯s what he was saying. If he didn¡¯t love me, he wouldn¡¯t have done this. Understanding, I gently slipped into his arms. I pressed my face to his lips. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Zetto let out an embarrassed exmation, but I didn¡¯t stop. I had to break the curse. It was all pointless now. I knew it was toote, toote. But even a little. I wanted to put him out of his misery, even just a little. It was the best I, an ipetent regressor, could do. Soon, Zetto¡¯s lips met mine. He could barely move his tongue or resist my movements. His hot breath was entwined with mine. Maybe this was my first proper kiss but it didn¡¯t feel good and only tears streamed down my face because Zetto¡¯s hot blood was being transferred to me through his mouth. I slowly explored the pain he must be feeling. I wanted him to forget his pain, at least for this moment. Hopefully, his pain would subside. I hoped and hoped and hoped. Finally, our lips parted. ¡°Hah¡­ Ha¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was an eerie atmosphere of impending death, but it wasn¡¯t long before something changed in Zetto¡¯s body. The ominous aura emanating from the curse was slowly dissipating. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was relieved. My efforts were not in vain. Zetto really does love me. s¡­After a very brief moment of happiness¡­ was even greater despair and loss. The one I love, the one who loved me was dying before my eyes. It was easy to see the noticeably slower breathing and right arm hanging limply. As he leaned against the tree, I could see the strength slowly draining from his body. I realized how little time he had left. Zetto¡¯s voice rings in my ears. ¡°Ms. Aizel¡­ Are you still there¡­¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I¡¯m here, Zetto.¡± I grabbed his hand and brought it to my cheek. I¡¯m not going anywhere. I¡¯m going to stay right by your side. Zetto¡¯s arm trembled but he moved his fingers to wipe away my tears. However, more tears fall, more than he can wipe away. ¡°Finally, there¡¯s something I wanted to ask you¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m listening.¡± Zetto¡¯s breathing slowly fades as he asks hisst and final question. ¡°¡­Did my former self protect you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± My eyes widened in surprise. ¡°That¡­ that¡­¡­ How could Zetto¡­?¡± ¡°¡­You were that obvious from the beginning, haha¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± How Zetto knows about my regression. How he could ask me about my previous regression. I was terribly confused, but that didn¡¯t matter now. I answered him in time. ¡°¡­Protected me. Zetto saved me¡­ But¡­ But¡­ But¡­ Hmph¡­ Hmph¡­¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay.¡± I couldn¡¯t stop crying, and Zetto smiled in satisfaction. ¡°This time¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s voice faded away. ¡°This time¡­¡­¡± Zetto muttered in a low voice. The warmth of his hand caressing my cheek slowly faded, and soon his voice trailed offpletely. He could no longer speak. ¡°Hmph¡­ Hmph¡­¡± I sobbed like a little child. My world, my everything, my reason for living and moving forward is dead. ¡®Today is the entrance ceremony.¡¯ All the memories I had with him shed before my eyes. ¡®The sea, your favorite ce¡­I hope we can go see it together next time.¡¯ It hurt and I couldn¡¯t breathe properly. ¡®¡­Is there something you want me to see?¡¯ My vision blurred and I couldn¡¯t see. The world seemed so dark, even though the sun was up. Had Zetto always lived in a world like this? ¡®This time¡­¡¯ Two encounters and two deaths. The ipetent regressor could not change anything in the end. ¡°It hurts¡­ It hurts so much¡­ Zetto¡­¡± I pounded his chest, already drained of all warmth. I resented that he left me with words like that. This life you saved¡­ I can¡¯t let it go. Why did Zetto save me again? Why doesn¡¯t he resent me? If you disappear like this I can¡¯t be happy anymore. Despite my repeated questions, Zetto didn¡¯t answer. He was just smiling as always. His smile was as gentle as the warmth of the sun and at the same time so cruel. Chapter 179: Goodbye, Zetto (2) Chapter 179: Goodbye, Zetto (2) A foul odor wafting in on the cool breeze of the forest. I can¡¯t forget it, I can¡¯t forget it¡­A sickening, disgusting odor. The scent of the demon¡¯s blood grew stronger with each step. It wasn¡¯t long before I could see chunks of demon flesh strewn across the forest in bizarre shapes. ¡®Not too long ago.¡¯ As an added bonus, there were traces of lightning strikes on the ground. Wondering if it was the work of a bad apprentice, I bent down to examine it more closely. ¡®This¡­not magic.¡¯ Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t my student magic as no trace of mana remained. Still, that didn¡¯t reassure me. I immediately moved my legs since I had a bad feeling about this. I could smell the scent of human blood, not demonic, as I neared my destination. I cleared the bushes, and then I saw it. The forest was in disarray but in the corner of my eye, I could see the faces I was looking for. I recognized my students, the dark-haired boy leaning against a tree and the tinum-haired girl clutching him tightly. But¡­¡­things were not looking good. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The forest was silent. It looked so peaceful in the warm sunlight, but there was a puddle of red, thick liquid on the ground. The boy¡¯s arm was torn off and his abdomen showed damage beyond repair. ¡°Cadet Zetto¡­¡± Until thest moment, when the spark of life was dying the boy was smiling. I hadn¡¯t expected to see him like this at all. The man I had seen, the man I had observed, was not one to end up in a ce like this but as soon as I looked away, I realized why. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was the demon who supposedly battled him, a ck-horned demon but the problem was, it had ¡®wings¡¯ sprouting from its back. ck horns were one thing, but wings were another. It was definitely not a foe that a mere academy cadet could handle but for some reason, the severed head of the demon rolling on the ground, and his long white hair, looked familiar. ¡®What a joke of fate.¡¯ I silently sobbed in disbelief. What kind of bad blood is this? I hadn¡¯t even dared to expect that the man I had failed to finish off in the previous war would take the life of my disciple. I was so angry at the embers I hadn¡¯t been able to extinguish. Not me, but my precious disciple. I swallowed my bitterness and felt a faint admiration for the unspeakable horror. It was no cause for celebration but admiration nheless. His talent and hard work allowed him to kill a winged demon at such a young age. It was pure admiration but that admiration quickly turned to bitter regret. If only he had been given just a little more. They say that geniuses are short-lived, but this was cruel. In the end, I failed as a teacher. I was supposed to protect my precious student, the hope of humanity¡­but I failed. As I stare at his calm face in the distance, my vision shes back to thest of my colleagues, my friends, who died on the battlefield at an early age. After friends, now students. I was the worst of friends and the worst of instructors. Apart from that¡­ I knew this wasn¡¯t the time to sit andment. I slowly approached them. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The tinum-haired girl, who must have noticed me, slowly pulled herself to her feet. ¡°Instructor Edward¡­?¡± She said hoarsely, her head bowed and her body shaking. Her voice carried emotions that were all too familiar to me. Sadness, despair, emptiness and a deep-seated sense of loss. Whatever it was, I thought, it wasn¡¯t what this young girl in front of me should be feeling. At the very least, I had hoped that my students would not have to go through this¡­ but against my wishes, they had been forced to experience loss far too soon. It was still a cruel world, and the harsh realities of it held back those who should be looking ahead and moving toward the future. Eventually, Aizel lifted her head. Her eyes reddened from crying so much, she twisted her face and spoke. ¡°Instructor, Zetto¡­ What¡¯s going to happen to Zetto now¡­?¡± ¡°¡­We¡¯ll have to bury him, and I don¡¯t know that we have any other options, so I think we¡¯ll have to go back to the academy and talk about it¡­¡± I trailed off and looked at Aizel¡¯s condition. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Aizel¡¯s mouth tightened at the word funeral. She was dripping tears onto Zetto¡¯s chest, seemingly unable to recover from the shock. It must hurt so much. I could tell by the way she was shaking violently that Aizel¡¯s mind waspletely shattered. I should have asked how this had happened, what was going on¡­ but of course, this was not the time. She must not be disturbed any longer. Soon, Aizel, who was sobbing, looked at Zetto, who was smiling, and asked me. ¡°Instructor¡­ Please¡­ Just a moment¡­ Can you give me a moment¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a ce I was supposed to go with Zetto¡­ There¡¯s a ce I have to go¡­ I have to show him this time¡­ I need to show him the scenery¡­¡­¡± Aizel could no longer speak through the tears that kepting. I smiled bitterly and stroked her hair. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sure Cadet Zetto would agree, so leave theplications to me¡­ Goodbye, Cadet Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aizel wiped away her tears and nodded. It would only slow us down a little so for now, I¡¯ll grant her wishes. I decided to help her say goodbye, this was my role as an instructor, after all. Aizel leans against the tree and pulls Zetto¡¯s slumped body to his feet. Aizel carries Zetto on her back and walks on, as if mesmerized. As I stared at their backs, I reached out to them and channeled my mana. Instantly, Zetto¡¯s scarred body resumed its normal form, his missing left arm reappearing, the hole in his abdomen disappearing without a trace. After that the blood stains on their clothes were washed away. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zetto, who had been cradled on Aizel¡¯s back, looked as if he had fallen asleep. ¡­This should be enough. *** Aaah¡­ The soothing sound of shallow waves crashing into the shore rings in my ears. ¡°¡­Pretty.¡± I hold the sea, and Veleshanas, in my eyes. ¡°You know, Zetto.¡± I said to Zetto, who was lying across myp. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°This is Veleshanas. What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zetto made no reply. His mouth was firmly closed, refusing to open. ¡®It feels cool.¡¯ But somehow, I could hear his voice, his answer. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? The sea is so sparkling because it¡¯s catching the sunlight.¡± Stroking Zetto¡¯s head, I replied nonchntly. ¡®Sparkling¡­¡¯ ¡°Mmm¡­ Shiny, dazzling.¡± ¡®That¡¯s a little hard for me to understand.¡¯ Zetto would have dabbed at the bandages over his eyes. ¡°¡­I see. I see. Yeah.¡± Soon, the tears that had been pent up break free and run down Zetto¡¯s cheeks. ¡®¡­Miss Aizel, are you crying¡­?¡¯ ¡°Just¡­ The sea is beautiful¡­ so beautiful that it brings tears to my eyes.¡± I give him a cursory nce and turn away. Just then, my eyes catch sight of a young man and woman running down the beach, giggling. ¡°They look like they¡¯re having fun¡­¡± ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just so tired right now¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­No, of course you are. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I had tough. I should have given him a happy smile but I couldn¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Zetto¡­ I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s sote¡­¡± ¡®It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s notte at all, I¡¯m just so happy right now.¡¯ I stroked Zetto¡¯s cheek as heforted me and hot tears fell on the back of my hand. ¡®So don¡¯t cry.¡¯ ¡°Yeah¡­I won¡¯t cry.¡± I steadied my breathing and slowly exined everything I was feeling after I finally stopped crying. How warm the sun was in Veleshanas. The mysterious emerald color of the sea. How pretty the pink sky was at sunset. What the people on the beach were doing. Weughed and chatted, asionally interrupted by Zetto¡¯s jokes, and managed to get through the description. Before I knew it, we had melted into the scenery and wereughing and whispering sweet nothings to each other like good lovers. ¡®¡­It¡¯s a beautiful ce, Veleshanas.¡¯ ¡°Really¡­?¡± ¡®Well, the most beautiful one is Miss Aizel.¡¯ ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡®You thought I was just talking in circles, didn¡¯t you?¡¯ ¡°¡­That¡¯s right, Zetto¡­¡± I can¡¯t see. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m pretty.¡± ¡®¡­Fuhaha.¡¯ ¡°Why are youughing?¡± ¡®Don¡¯t go around saying things like that. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get called names.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡®Miss Aizel is more beautiful than the sea of Veleshanas.¡¯ ¡°Am I¡­?¡± ¡®You¡¯re beautiful.¡¯ Zetto replied briefly, his voice firm. ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Aizel chuckled as it wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d heard that. She remembered hearing it from Zetto in the previous round, though not this round. It must have been then. I took Zetto¡¯s hand and brought it to my face, just as I had then, as I reyed the memory. ¡°This is your nose¡­¡± ¡®See, it¡¯s not just the nose that¡¯s bad.¡¯ ¡°¡­Here are the lips.¡± ¡®Well, nothing more to say.¡¯ ¡°¡­This¡­¡­is the eye, and¡­¡± I stuttered as I pointed to my single eye. My voice had gone hoarse. ¡®¡­Miss Aizel, I thought we agreed not to cry?¡¯ ¡°Yes¡­ I did¡­¡± It was all the same as before, except this time, I didn¡¯t feel the warmth of his touch. Zetto¡¯s hand was cold as it brushed the corners of my eyes. ¡°Zetto¡­¡± ¡®Yes, I¡¯m listening.¡¯ ¡°¡­Shall we go back?¡± ¡®Already? That¡¯s a shame¡­¡¯ At the sound of Zetto¡¯s voice, I shook my head. ¡°Ugh, let¡¯s go back¡­ I¡¯m sure everyone is waiting for you.¡± ¡®¡­Do we really have to go back?¡¯ ¡°Yes, because it¡¯s time to let Zetto go.¡± ¡®¡­But I want to stay with Ms. Aizel.¡¯ Zetto was uncharacteristically writing like a child. That¡¯s because¡­ It wasn¡¯t him. It was all my delusion. I knew it. I didn¡¯t want to let him go. I couldn¡¯t let him go. Because it wasn¡¯t him, it was me. There were so many things I wanted to say. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t protect him. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t change his fate. How much he knew about me. How long he¡¯s been watching me. ¡°Zetto¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± I hugged him tightly when he didn¡¯t answer and shared my warmth with his chilled body. ¡°¡­I love you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± There were still so many questions I wanted to ask, so many feelings I wanted to convey. ¡°I love you¡­ So much¡­¡± But this one word was all I had to say to Zetto. So much for my greed. It was time to tie the knot and really let him go. ¡°¡­So let¡¯s go back.¡± Back to where you belong. Finally, I said onest goodbye to Zetto. ¡°Goodbye, Zetto.¡± This is thest time. No more turning back. I don¡¯t deserve it. *** Later that day,te at night news of Zetto¡¯s death reached the Innocence Academy. Chapter 180: Death and those left behind (1) Chapter 180: Death and those left behind (1) Yuri Clementine was the first to hear the news of Zetto¡¯s death. When Zetto didn¡¯t return from his outing, she went outside the academy to look for him¡­but there she met Aizel and Edward, who were returning to the academy. ¡°You¡¯re lying, aren¡¯t you¡­? Zetto¡­¡± Yuri burst outughing. She denied it. Zetto, who was being carried by Aizel, had been wrapped in rags because Edward¡¯s illusion magic had worn off. To Yuri¡¯s untrained eye, it looked like Zetto was simply sleeping on Aizel¡¯s back. ¡°Zetto¡¯s dead.¡± But Aizel¡¯s voice sounded so serious and clear that Yuri couldn¡¯t believe it. Aizel¡¯s clothes were stained with blood, Zetto¡¯s face had no color and Edward¡¯s silence, everything felt strange. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡± Yuri stumbled forward on weak legs, toward Aizel, toward Zetto. Her eyes caught sight of the blood on Zetto¡¯s cloth. Yuri¡¯s fingertips trembled violently as she reached for the cloth. Yuri wanted to deny it. It was so unexpected but death alwayses unexpectedly. Yuri clutched at the cloth and eventually, her hand revealed the brutal truth. ¡°Oh¡­?¡± The cloth is pulled away, revealing Zetto¡¯s horrific scars to Yuri¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yuri¡¯s trembling eyes ask Zetto, ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Why are you doing this? Why is he bleeding? What is all this? Yuri¡¯s head felt dizzy and she had an excruciating headache like she¡¯d never felt before. She couldn¡¯t quite process the brutal truth that Zetto was dead. At that moment, she heard the voice of Benno, the orb in Yuri¡¯s arms. [¡­Master, calm down.] Why would Benno say such a thing¡­Yuri didn¡¯t understand, but when she came to her senses and looked around, she realized that the entire forest was engulfed in mes. mes were rising around her as she clutched her hair. Aizel and Zetto were unaffected by the mes thanks to the shield Edward had cast in time. Yuri stared at Aizel, her eyes expressionless. She was feeling doubtful. Zetto is dead, isn¡¯t he? Why can you be so unaffected? If Zetto is dead, why can you make such a nonchnt face? Eventually, Yuri¡¯s warped mind came to the wrong conclusion. ¡°Yeah¡­ It¡¯s your fault¡­¡± Yuri approached Aizel with mes. Aizel was carrying Zetto¡¯s body, but that didn¡¯t matter to her now. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault¡­Zetto died because of you¡­¡± Yuri asked, reaching for Aizel¡¯s throat as Edward¡¯s protective shield was slowly dissolving. Yuri remembered why Zetto had left the academy. ¡°I know. It¡¯s all my fault.¡± Aizel didn¡¯t dodge Yuri¡¯s hand. ¡°Zetto died trying to protect me. If you want to kill me, kill me. I¡¯ll die by your hand if you want it so badly. But¡­¡± Aizel¡¯s empty eyes trailed off. ¡°¡­My death will not bring Zetto back.¡± It was the truth. Still, Yuri denied it. She continued, reaching for Aizel¡¯s throat but at that moment a hand reached through the mes and grabbed her arm. Yuri turned her head. -Aaah¡­ Edward¡¯s hand on Yuri¡¯s arm was burning. ¡°¡­Cadet Yuri, I understand your desire to find someone to me, but¡­ please stop.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you just looking for someone to take out your anger on, Cadet Yuri? You want to make Cadet Zetto¡¯s sacrifice in vain?¡± Edward, who didn¡¯t even groan in pain as his hand burned, said so in a calm voice. ¡°Cadet Aizel is the same way, please don¡¯t encourage her any further.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Aizel turned her head, avoiding Edward¡¯s gaze. ¡°Think about what we must do, if we truly care for Cadet Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Unable to speak, Yuri looked into Aizel¡¯s golden eyes. There was no indifference in them but only a deeply rooted emptiness. Aizel was already broken. Yuri¡¯s arms trembled, sinking to the floor, Yuri hung her head low. She realized what an ugly thing she had just done. ¡°¡­Come back when you¡¯ve gotten your emotions under control, for there are things that those left behind must do as they are left behind.¡± With those words, Edward picked up the cloth from the floor and wrapped it around Zetto. Soon they turned away from Yuri. Yuri did not follow them, nor did he hold them back. Left behind in the mes that engulfed the forest, she could only stare after them, after Zetto, as they walked away. *** Arriving at the academy, Edward headed straight for the headmaster¡¯s office to report the incident. Edward reported to his father, Julius, who was also the headmaster of Innocence Academy, what he had seen and what he had learned. ¡°¡­Cadet Zetto¡¯s body has been turned over to Medical Officer Prisci.¡± Julius grimaces as he listens to the report. ¡°Hmm¡­ Where is Cadet Aizel now?¡± ¡°She said she would stay by Cadet Zetto¡¯s side¡­¡± ¡°¡­I see. Cadet Zetto¡­ Did he say he has sisters?¡± ¡°They were living with him in the Academy¡¯s dormitory.¡± ¡°They had¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell them myself.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Julius swallowed hard. ¡°I¡¯ll put all the cadets on hold for now. I need you to arrange his funeral as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± For now, the first-year cadets were scheduled to travel to the East tomorrow, but Zetto¡¯s death would naturally push back the schedule. After all, Zetto had died as a cadet and had no other connections, so the academy would have to take care of his funeral. ¡°¡­So that¡¯s it for the report?¡± Julius asked, suspecting that he had not heard the whole story, but Edward hadn¡¯t moved a muscle but after a while his tightly closed mouth opened. ¡°When this is over¡­I¡¯ll quit.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m afraid not.¡± ¡°Why? Don¡¯t we need someone to take responsibility for this?¡± Julius frowns at Edward¡¯s insistence and ces his sses on the desk. ¡°¡­I appreciate your willingness to take responsibility, but¡­ Don¡¯t try to run away, son.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°My student was killed by a demon. You think this father doesn¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking¡­¡± Julius stared into Edward¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­Are you going back to the old days, Eddie?¡± The Edward in front of Julius¡¯ eyes looked exactly like the Edward of the past. He had a vengeful gaze that only wanted to ughter his enemies. It was the same Edward who had told Yuri not to look for someone to me, but in truth, he was no different. His words were ultimately directed at himself. ¡°Been there, done that. ughtering all the demons around you won¡¯t change anything. Most of all, it¡¯s not the same. You have people to protect now, and besides¡­ I heard you had a child¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Frowning, Edward turned his head, remembering the face of his wife, Vanessa. ¡°If you can¡¯t protect them, you will desperately defend what is left of them. That is the role of a father, and the virtue of an instructor.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If you understand, then go away.¡± Edward bows his head in silence and leaves the headmaster¡¯s office. Alone in the principal¡¯s office, Julius stared at the window, where raindrops pattered against it. The rain was pouring down, and the city was mourning. *** -Aaah¡­ The rain was pouring down and the mes in the forest had long since died down. Water droplets trickled down the back of my hand. s, it was not rain. The heat from the droplets told me that. Another drip, another drip. I had to admit it. No, I couldn¡¯t deny it. I had to ept it for Zetto¡¯s sake. Zetto was¡­dead. As the rain beat down on me, I thought of Zetto. I remembered the way he looked, the scent of his arms and his soothing voice, now lost forever. I remembered thest time I had spoken to him. It must have been in the morning. We met on the way to school and he was heading in the opposite direction of the academy. When I asked him where he was going, he said he was going out with Aizel for a while. ¡®So when will you be back?¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t know, but¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­Whatever.¡¯ Feeling unnecessarily upset at the sight of him taking Aizel somewhere, I cut him off and turned away. ¡°¡­Well.¡± That was thest thing I said to Zetto. ¡°Ugh¡­ Hmph¡­.¡± I patted the damp ground in frustration as tears rolled down my cheeks, mingling with the rain. ¡°I have to apologize¡­¡± I had to say I was sorry so I scrambled to my feet and ran toward the city. I wondered where he¡¯d gone. Zetto, where are you? As I frantically ran through the city, I spotted Zetto. He was a blur in front of an unlit restaurant, talking to me. ¡®Ms. Yuri is really good at eating.¡¯ ¡®Shh, shut up¡­!¡¯ ¡®Haha¡­¡¯ As I get closer to the smirking Zetto, our figures turn into raindrops and disappear. ¡®Yuri¡­¡¯ ¡°Zetto¡­?¡± Hearing his voice again, I immediately turn my head to look around. ¡®¡­Yuri, it¡¯s strawberry milk.¡¯ ¡®Oh¡­! Yes, it was the street he often walked on. The streets were filled with Zettos and I walked as if mesmerized. I relived my memories, my memories of him. ¡®You¡¯re going to read me a fairy tale¡­?¡¯ ¡®Yes, there¡¯s a fairy tale I¡¯ve always wanted to read to Zetto¡­¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m good, right? It was the first time I ever feltfortable talking to a man outside of my family. I turned my gaze away and saw Zetto and I sitting at a table on the terrace of a closed caf¨¦. ¡®What do you think, this saint¡­? He looks like Zetto, doesn¡¯t he?¡¯ ¡®Does he¡­?¡¯ ¡®Yes, they look alike¡­!¡¯ ¡®Then who is the princess?¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡¯ ¡®What about you, Ms. Yuri? Don¡¯t you like princesses?¡¯ ¡®No, don¡¯t say that¡­!¡¯ Really¡­He was like a fairy tale. Whenever I¡¯m with him, I¡¯m easily misled. If it was Zetto¡­I wondered if pure love, the kind you read about in fairy tales, wouldn¡¯t be such a dream but it was all for naught now. As I wander aimlessly, I see a distance in my eyes that I can¡¯t forget unless I want to forget. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± It was an ordinary street, nothing different but this street, thisndscape, was unforgettable. My feet moved of their own ord and I walked down the street just like that. I was going back to the beginning, to the beginning of everything. I could see my past self on the side of the road and my eyes caught the corner at the end of the road. If I turn that corner¡­Zetto would bump into me. ¡°Stop¡­¡± I chased after my past self. I had to stop what was about to happen. But my past self runs around the corner without a second thought. Then I hear Zetto fall. ¡°Stop¡­ Please¡­¡± I slumped to the ground. My whole body was drained of energy. My voice pierces my ears as I shout harsh words at Zetto. It was painful. ¡°Ah¡­¡± It dawned on me. I remembered Zetto¡¯sst words. He had said it to me with his back turned. ¡°You said you¡¯d¡­e back¡­¡± With those words, Zetto left me. ¡°This¡­ You¡¯re noting back¡­¡± With that, Zetto left me and returned to me as a cold, dead man. I wanted to be strong enough to protect him. I didn¡¯t want him to push himself too hard and I didn¡¯t want him to leave my side but I wasn¡¯t even given the chance to protect him. It was just too painful. Chapter 181: Death and those left behind (2) Chapter 181: Death and those left behind (2) It¡¯s morning but the city refuses to lighten up at all. The rain pours down as a chill wind brushes against her skin. She let out a long sigh, apanied by a puff of smoke. ¡°¡­I thought you said you quit?¡± She turned around at the sound of a voice. His graying hair was drenched as if he didn¡¯t care that it was raining. ¡°Edward¡­¡± Prisci took a long drag from her cigarette without looking at him. ¡°¡­¡± Running a hand through his damp hair, Edward stood beside Prisci. A silence falls between them, and the sound of rain fills the air. ¡°How was it?¡± Prisci ducks her head at Edward¡¯s question, a shadow falling over her face. ¡°¡­It was terrible.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I mean, there¡¯s not much left of him. His muscles were all torn to shreds, his mana circuitry waspletely out of whack, and¡­¡± Prisci trailed off. She was an expert in holy power and medicine so she could tell the pain Zetto must have endured and his desperate will to fight, even to the point of extinguishing the me of life, even though he was at his limit. Even in the past, when there had been wars, she had never seen a body rolled so badly. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for leaving you to do this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it was something I had to do.¡± Prisci felt guilty that she hadn¡¯t been strong enough to stop Zetto when she knew he was overdoing it. It was the same for Edward. But they were both aware that nothing they could have done would have stopped him. ¡°¡­What happened to your hand?¡± Prisci asked, noticing the severe burns on Edward¡¯s hands. Edward waved his hand away. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Then he looked at his own horribly burned hand. ¡°It¡¯s my scar to bear.¡± Prisci nodded faintly at Edward¡¯s answer. ¡°Where is Miss Aizel?¡± ¡°¡­At his side, with Yuri.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Aizel and Yuri¡¯s world stopped for a moment but it was enough for now. They had to let go, so they could move forward. Prisci and Edward, well aware of this, tried not to interrupt them. ¡°¡­I thought I was used to it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any good in getting used to it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°At least¡­¡± A single tear rolls down Prisci¡¯s cheek. ¡°At least I thought you wouldn¡¯t be sad.¡± It wasn¡¯t just Aizel and Yuri who needed to see him go. Zetto was kind and gentle to everyone. He was an unusually good-natured person, which made the aftermath of his death all the more devastating. Edward patted Prisci¡¯s shivering back. ¡°It¡¯s been raining a lot today.¡± *** Meanwhile, in the morgue where Zetto¡¯s bodyy, Aizel and Yuri were there. It¡¯s a building that doesn¡¯t really fit in with the Academy, an educational institution, but the morgue was built during the war against the demons in the past. In fact, some cadets were unaware of the existence of the morgue, but it was not well known because it was a ce where no good coulde of it. Aizel was squatting against the wall of the morgue while Yuri looked over at Zetto, whose eyes were closed. Wrapped in a clean white cloth, only his face was exposed, and for the first time, without the bandages that had always covered his eyes, Yuri could see his bare face. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be sleeping soundly as if he would wake up any minute. ¡®I slept well.¡¯ They felt like he was going to say. Yuri and Aizel had watched him sleep once before. That made it all the more unbearable. After wiping away her tears in silence, Yuri spoke up. ¡°You know what, Aizel?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Do you have any idea what color Zetto¡¯s eyes were¡­ Do you know what color they were?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aizel had seen Zetto¡¯s eyes before. Not this time, but thest time. His eyes wouldn¡¯t suddenly change so the color would be the same as she knew. ¡°The same color as the blue sea¡­ Prisci said.¡± ¡°The blue sea¡­¡± Yuri looked at Zetto, who had his eyes closed, and imagined. They would have looked so good together. They must have been really pretty eyes. She thought to herself. ¡°Earlier¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Yuri said, plopping down next to Aizel. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I almost tainted Zetto¡¯s death.¡± Almost tainted Zetto¡¯s death. Maybe it would be easier for her to die like this, staring at the rage-filled Yuri. Aizel thought about it. She hadn¡¯t realized the implications of Zetto¡¯s deathst time, but now she did. She can¡¯t die. She can¡¯t go back. No more seeing Zetto. Aizel¡¯s eyes were empty. The hellish regression hade to an end and what was left was an emptiness far worse than hell. For a moment, Aizel recalled Zetto. Suddenly, Yuri¡¯s voice echoed in her ears as he squatted down, her head bowed deeply in herp. ¡°Zetto¡¯sst¡­How was it¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aizel paused before answering. What was it like for him as he drew hisst breath? It was the worst moment of her life, but she had to tell her. She deserved to hear it. ¡°¡­Heughed.¡± ¡°Heughed¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, he smiled. He gave me a kind smile, like everything was going to be okay.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s so Zetto.¡± Yuri smiled faintly. It was like Zetto¡­ It was just a forced smile, hoping it would make her feel better. ¡°I liked Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­¡± At Yuri¡¯s sudden confession Aizel was silent. ¡°I liked Zetto, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t tell him I liked him. I was ashamed. I really didn¡¯t know. I thought I had time. I thought he could wait for me.¡± Yuri sobbed but Aizel couldn¡¯t offer her any words offort. She wasn¡¯t given the chance to see hisst moments with her eyes, the chance to confess their love and confirm their feelings for each other. Aizel took it all for herself and she wasn¡¯t happy about it. To like a person, in and of itself, was never a sin. It didn¡¯t make her feel jealous or anything. After all, Zetto was no more. I can¡¯t be anyone¡¯s lover. I can¡¯t listen to anyone¡¯s confessions. So Aizel, who had only confirmed her love for Zetto at the end, could not be happy. It was only more painful. Time passed and after hours of silence the eyes of the two women at Zetto¡¯s side had gonepletely nk. Yuri and Aizel sat still, staring at Zetto¡¯s body but the sight in their eyes was different. They saw memories of Zetto that only they knew. They were reliving them trying to remember as much of him as they could. -Bam! Soon, urgent footsteps could be heard from the other side of the entrance. It was morning, and the others had arrived. It was the cadets of ss A, Zetto¡¯s ssmates, who had been close to him. The first to enter the morgue was surprisingly¡­Amon Caligus. Amon pushes himself off the ground andys his eyes on Zetto¡¯s body in the center of the room. ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± Even without lifting the old cloth, he could see clearly that Zetto¡¯s left arm was missing. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Amon was just in angry. He was sad, but his first emotion was anger. Why did this fool have to carry this burden alone? Now that he thought about it, everyone was leaning on him. Amon was no different. He¡¯d been saved by him just a few days ago. He was angry at that fact and at his own weakness. If he had been stronger, he could have been the one to hold Zetto up. If he had been stronger, he could have had Zetto¡¯s back. Amon¡¯s fists tightened at the thought. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Crank and Orphele came in after Amon. They look at Zetto¡¯s face and fall silent. ¡°¡­Mr. Zetto?¡± Lucia, who arrivedte due to her slow legs, catches Zetto¡¯s eye. ¡°Why is Mr. Zetto¡­?¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­.¡±¡± Everyone in the morgue fell silent at Lucia¡¯s question. There¡¯s a world of difference between being told and seeing, especially when it was death. When it¡¯s so sudden, tears are hard toe by but the emotions were like an inted balloon¡­ ¡°Hmph¡­ Hmph¡­¡± Lucia blinked back tears. Soon, her childlike cries echo through the morgue. ¡°Hhhhhh¡­ Ahhhhh¡­.¡± ¡­The thinnest of needles quickly burst the balloon starting with Lucia. Amon and Crank silently wipe away their tears while Yuri can¡¯t bear to look at them, so she covers her face. The only ones who don¡¯t cry are Orphele of House Aisin, who is known for hiding her emotions, and Aizel, who has no more tears left to shed. The morgue became a sea of tears and soon, all that remains is the sound of exhausted sobs. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± The atmosphere became even more somber as she wiped away her emotions with tears. -Bang. They hear someone walking toward them from the entrance. That¡¯s right. She was still there. Tsk. She didn¡¯t run, she just walked in silence and soon she was in the morgue. Raindrops trickled down her soaked hair as she approached Zetto. ¡°¡­I see.¡± Her voice was emotionless as she looked down at him. ¡°You¡¯re dead, Zetto.¡± With that, she turned and walked away. She walked out of the building once more with a frightening nonchnce. The tone of her voice, the way she speaks, the atmosphere and her demeanor are very different than usual. Sensing something amiss, Amon grabs her shoulder to stop her. ¡°Hey, Kaen¡­?¡± Immediately, Kaen turned her head and shook off Amon¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t stop me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Amon swallowed hard, goosebumps were rising all over his body. Kaen quickly left the morgue and Amon rubbed his neck as his eyes followed her back. He was surprised that his neck was still attached since just a moment ago, Amon had felt something touch his neck. Now, with just that glimmer of life, scattered by Kaen, Amon had experienced death. There was no time for fear. Kaen¡¯s current state was not good, to say the least. Contrary to Zetto¡¯s expectations, Kaen was not in control of her emotions at all. Right now, she was like a bomb that could explode at any moment and someone had to stop her. Chapter 182: Death and those left behind (3) Chapter 182: Death and those left behind (3) Zetto, lying there with his eyes closed, was no longer looking at me. He couldn¡¯t turn his head. He probably wouldn¡¯t wake up anymore. When I first heard the news, I was in denial. He couldn¡¯t be dying. I mean, he¡¯s strong. But once I saw Zetto¡¯s cold body with my own eyes, I was quick to admit it. Zetto is dead. It¡¯s not strange when people die. Where there is life, there is death. Death is so far away and yet so close. I have seen countless people bleed out and take theirst breaths. We all die, just at different times. ¡°Where are you going?¡± A man¡¯s voice called out from the road ahead. I look up and see a familiar face. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was Kaliman, the instructor of ss C. Sheltering from the rain in the shade of a tree, Kaliman scratches his head and speaks up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re not allowed to go out for a while.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need permission.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to go out without permission.¡± At Kaliman¡¯s adamant reply, I drew my sword from my waistband. ¡°Please don¡¯t stop me.¡± ¡°Your friend is dead, what do you want to do outside at this time?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s not why.¡± It was. It had nothing to do with Zetto¡¯s death. It¡¯s just that the world doesn¡¯t seem fair. There¡¯s so much garbage in this world. It just didn¡¯t seem fair. A hero who saves people dies a painful death, and an evil person who harms people lives without a care. I didn¡¯t want Zetto to feel wronged so it¡¯s okay to reduce the number of scum but Kaliman didn¡¯t seem to be backing down. He pushes himself to his feet and stands in my way. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m living paycheck to paycheck. I need to get to work.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°At least as long as I¡¯m here, the only way you¡¯re going outside is after you knock me out.¡± ¡°¡­I wouldn¡¯t count you as an instructor.¡± ¡°Ha, that¡¯s a lot to take from a guy who¡¯s been around for a while.¡± Kaliman clenches his fist and releases mana. -Boom!!! The ground around him cracks under the pressure of the mana. ¡°¡­¡± What an overwhelming feeling. I had heard that he was a war hero, but he was a much more formidable monster than I thought. Kaliman¡¯s hands clench and unclench, and then he speaks. ¡°Well, it¡¯s part of an instructor¡¯s job to ept cadets¡¯ tantrums¡­¡± *** ¡°¡­¡± I stared at the crystal ball in his hand but the crystal ball was still unresponsive. I had an uneasy premonition, so I kept sending out signals, but Zetto didn¡¯t respond. At first, I thought he was busy but as his silence continued, the anxiety in the back of my mind grew. Nothing could have happened. Nothing should have happened. I was so nervous that I even asked others to get information on Zetto at the Academy. He¡¯d just been unreachable for a while. It was just something that could happen due to normal busyness or a mistake. Nevertheless, the anxiety refused to go away. The sensation was too strange. Ecline said ¡®What are you so worried about?¡¯ But I couldn¡¯t answer that question since I was afraid that my answer would be reality. I was that anxious. The way I was now was not normal, to say the least. I hoped I was being overly obsessive. I hoped it was a side effect of being so close to him. I turned my head and looked out the window as the rain was pouring down from beneath the dark clouds. It was a gloomy sky but I stood there, watching the rain fall. -Step. Ecline, who had arrived at that moment, opened the door and entered. ¡°¡­Sister.¡± I wonder if she¡¯s brought news of Zetto. ¡°Everything went well, didn¡¯t it¡­?¡± I ask, smiling bitterly. ¡°¡­¡± Ecline¡¯s mouth fell open and she avoided my gaze. ¡°Ecline¡­?¡± Don¡¯t give me that look, just give me an answer. Tell me nothing happened. Please scold me to get my shit together. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ecline didn¡¯t open her mouth at my call so I walked over to her and grabbed her shoulders. ¡°Ecline.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Nothing happened, right?¡± Even as I asked, I could feel it in the air and I could tell by the look on her face. ¡°Was he seriously injured? It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll heal him and that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°¡­Saint.¡± ¡°Or maybe the curse has gotten worse. I can break it, even if it means going against the Lord¡¯s orders¡­¡± ¡°¡­Saint.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Please don¡¯t speak. Don¡¯t open that mouth. Don¡¯t tell me that news. It¡¯s strange. I haven¡¯t heard anything from him. And then one day, he¡­ ¡°Honorary Knight Zetto¡­¡± ¡­can¡¯t be dead. ¡°¡­is said to be dead.¡± ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re lying, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ecline lowers her head at my question. ¡°Ecline, it can¡¯t be true.¡± I was spitting out the truth. I was sincerely in denial. But it was only for a moment. ¡°¡­¡­¡± No more words came out of her mouth so I could tell with my powers that Ecline was not lying. I had to cover my ears since I didn¡¯t want to hear it. I wanted to deny the truth. I wanted it to be a lie. I hoped I¡¯d lost my mind for a moment. But it wasn¡¯t. The anxiety I felt inside me had a basis that couldn¡¯t have been more solid: the power of God. I stopped plugging my ears because I realized there was no point. Denial doesn¡¯t change the truth. ¡°¡­I am sorry to be the bearer of such news, Saint.¡± Ecline bows her head, tears falling from her eyes. I pull myself to my feet and embrace her. I stroke her back. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­Ecline didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± I was the guilty one. I could have done anything to stop him. I could have done anything to ease his pain. But I couldn¡¯t break God¡¯smand so I thought it must mean something. After all, a saint is only an apostle of the Lord. I¡¯m just trying to lead the world ording to his will. I just¡­ ¡­it¡¯s just that I wasn¡¯t happy at the end of it. Being loved by God does not mean that all Saints are able to live happy lives. Everyone in this world has their own destiny and that destiny cannot be defied. Zetto¡¯s death was his fate and my loss of him was also my fate. But¡­A part of me wondered. I resented the gods for leading me to such a harsh fate. For the first time in my life I med God. *** ¡°Hah¡­ Ha¡­¡± My body felt like it was going to break. My grandfather was right, I was rusty. Not only was my skill rusty, but there was no way in hell I could defeat instructor Kaliman in front of me. He was a seasoned martial artist who had fought on countless battlefields and I could never catch up to him in terms of experience. I was weak and ipetent. Soon, I hear Kaliman¡¯s voice from the forest, where the rain is pounding down. ¡°¡­I will stop here, but¡­¡± ¡°More¡­ I can do it¡­¡± ¡°I understand where you¡¯reing from¡­but this is the wrong way.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Ha¡­ What do you mean you understand¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I¡¯ve been lost, too¡­¡± Kaliman trails off and then looks up to the sky. He¡¯s been through war so of course he lost friends and colleagues but Zetto was more than just a friend to me. He was radiant. He was sweet and gentle. He was my hero. ¡°¡­a lover.¡± With those words, Kaliman approached me. ¡­I had never heard of a lover before. ¡°Her name was Castile¡­.Her green eyes were like jewels and I went crazy after losing her. How I could be with her¡­I still don¡¯t know the answer to that question.¡± I sagged, and Kaliman, in front of me, pulled me into a hug. ¡°We were even engaged, but¡­ As you know, the war came at just the right time. I had no intention of joining, and neither did she. War is scary, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s even scarier when you have someone to protect.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I slumped into Kaliman¡¯s arms, listening to his voice. ¡°But Castile asked me toe with her. Shouldn¡¯t we protect thend we love with our own hands? I had no choice¡­ So I went to war. Many people died: friends, colleagues¡­nameless soldiers. I took it for granted. It¡¯s just the way war is.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Kaliman¡¯s blunt voice conveyed his pain. ¡°¡­It was one day. Rain was pouring, just like now. The smell of damp rain, the scent of demons¡¯ blood¡­ It was a very pleasant day, and when I returned to the base after the operation, Reina came up to me with a serious face and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I smiled. Iughed, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ Ugh¡­¡± The tears I¡¯d been holding back burst out. I shook my head vigorously. I didn¡¯t want to hear it. I knew all too well how it ended. ¡°There¡¯s been a lot of deaths in my life, but I can¡¯t ept her death. I feel injustice and resentment. I didn¡¯t understand why she had to die.¡± Kaliman strokes my hair. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡­ did too¡­¡± His hand is cold through the rain. ¡°Rage boiled up in me. I wanted to wipe out the demons as soon as I could, but there¡¯s only one reason I¡¯m still alive, and that¡¯s because I was about to run into enemy territory¡­ alone. Reina and Edward stopped me. Reina said, ¡°You have to survive. Don¡¯t you think you should survive? Don¡¯t you think you should survive and remember her¡­?¡±¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Hmph¡­¡± I didn¡¯t want to cry, I didn¡¯t want to be sad, but the tears wouldn¡¯t stoping. ¡°That¡¯s why I had to stop you. I had to make sure you survived and remembered him¡­ Now that I¡¯ve lived, I realize that those left behind have to do what they have to do¡­¡± Kaliman turns to me. ¡°Did you tell him how you feel¡­?¡± I shake my head in his arms. I hadn¡¯t, I have not confessed my heart. I thought I was finally getting a grip. I thought I would finally have the courage to speak but it was no longer possible. Suddenly, as Kaliman strokes my hair, a single hot drop of water falls, not a cold raindrop. ¡°¡­Then it must hurt a lot worse for you than it did for me¡­¡± There was a faint tremor in Kaliman¡¯s voice as he said those words. Chapter 183: He’ll be back Chapter 183: He¡¯ll be back It was a rainy day and Edward, who had been tapping on the door since morning, came with Zetto¡¯s obituary. He looked at the bare-faced Zetto, whose eyes were now closed. ¡°¡­I was wondering how to pretend to be sad.¡± I grumbled softly to Geppeti, who was staring at Zetto from the side. ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯m still a little sad. This is¡­¡± I swallowed the bitterness that was forming in my mouth. Zetto was covered in a clean cloth, but even a cursory nce showed the wounds. He¡¯d tried desperately but the problem would be the others who didn¡¯t know he survived. ¡°At least you made it back in time, hero.¡± Geppeti whispered in a low voice and her voice was calm, despite her expression. ¡°What I was looking for was not hard to find¡­¡± ¡°What you were looking for¡­ did you¡­ find it?¡± ¡°Well, I suppose.¡± I shuddered a little since it was a secret of the Ludwig n but knowing about Zetto¡¯s past made me feel a little better. ¡®The only one who can break the chains¡­¡¯ As I stared at Zetto¡¯s corpse, a question came to mind. ¡°But, Geppeti¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°My brother¡­what if he doesn¡¯te back to life until he¡¯s buried?¡± From what the others were saying, it sounded like the funeral would be held tomorrow but Zetto was showing no signs of waking up. Geppeti answered in a gruff voice. ¡°Saint.¡± ¡°The saint¡¯s miracle is¡­?¡± ¡°Well¡­I¡¯m going to dig with the Saint.¡± ¡°Geppeti¡­¡± ¡°¡­Just kidding. You¡¯re looking a bit down, so maybe the Saint should stroke the tombstone, since she¡¯ll be able to sense the life force beneath the ground. Well, h h h, but the ideal time would be at a funeral.¡± ¡°Do you think she¡¯lle, since she¡¯s not officially connected?¡± My nervous question is met with a firm answer from Geppeti. ¡°She¡¯sing.¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll want to see it with her own two eyes.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Geppeti tone and voice are strangely trusting. ¡°What do you think Zetto is doing right now, anyway? Unconscious¡­sleeping soundly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­Maybe he¡¯s meeting with God?¡± Geppeti next words almost made meugh in a ce I shouldn¡¯t have. It was almost too funny. ¡°God¡­ Luckily, I was able to keep it to a faint smile, but it didn¡¯t seem so outrageous given Zetto background. *** After identifying Zetto¡¯s body, Rei and Geppeti quietly left the morgue. Geppeti was in tears, and Rei had her head down, unsure of how to react. However, her reaction didn¡¯t seem so strange to others. The people looking at her thought she was too young to understand the true meaning of death. Regardless, Rei and Geppeti¡¯s roles were just beginning since Zetto had already assigned them a task. Crying in Edward¡¯s arms, Geppeti quickly checked the reactions of those standing in the hallway. First was Aizel since she was the most important person in this situation. Every now and then, she would steal a quick nce at Geppeti and Rei but for now, she didn¡¯t seem to see anything. On the other hand, Geppeti was feeling suspicious. ¡®Lord Zetto clearly told me to stop her from taking her own life¡­¡¯ But the current Aizel didn¡¯t seem like the kind of person who would make such an extreme choice. ¡®Maybe she¡¯s had a change of heart.¡¯ Zetto had one request. If I believed that Aizel would choose to end her life, I would approach her and say the lines that Zetto had given me. To summarize, the lines were [How can you so easily give up the life my brother saved? He died because of you, so I want you to live too.] Guilt is used to keep people from taking their own lives. The words were extreme and aggressive, but Geppeti decided they were enough to stop her from taking her own life. But Geppeti had feelings, too. While this method will work to prevent Aizel from taking her own life, it will leave an indelible mark on her. It was one of the problems with Zetto that Geppeti had seen over the years. She¡¯s always been one to make harsh judgments, eliminating any risk for the sake of the best oue. Geppeti had been thinking of moderating her methods, but with Aizel in such a state, there was no point in saying so. ¡®I wonder if she had a conversation with Lord Zetto at the end.¡¯ In any case, she seemed much better than Zetto had feared. Well, as long as she didn¡¯t choose to end her life. In fact, Geppeti had already been told by Zetto what Aizel was capable of. The Regressor Aizel had a very unique ability to travel back in time after her death. Geppeti had his own data on ¡°regressors¡± and she knew what their mindset was. So when she chooses to end her life, she¡¯s choosing regression¡­This was not a good thing. The fact that she showed no signs of choosing to end her life at all meant that¡­ ¡®¡­giving up on Mr. Zetto.¡¯ Thus, Aizel was thoroughly shattered. Regression is, in its simplest form, an immensely powerful ability. The power to undo what has happened, what has existed, to nothing. The power to remember and deal with it. So even if Zetto was dead, she could undo it and start over. She would have to go through the confusion of whether or not that world was truly a meaningful one, but still, bringing the dead back to life was a huge advantage. But he had given up that advantage. He had made it so that the regressor could no longer choose to regress. ¡®What on earth did Zetto say¡­?¡¯ No matter how much she thought about it, Geppeti realized that there was no way Zetto could have died without saying something. But this was not a good situation to be in. Now that the regressor had given up the enormous advantage of regression, Zetto¡¯s resurrection was inevitable. It¡¯s usually much more dramatic when something you¡¯ve given upes back to you. In this case, Aizel¡¯s emotions could have gone to extremes. ¡®You could have left it with me.¡¯ That¡¯s what Geppeti thought, realizing that Zetto had overyed his hand. After all, the method he had taught her was merely an insurance policy, a backup n in case things didn¡¯t go the way he thought they would. ¡®I don¡¯t know if she cared about Aizel or me¡­No, maybe both.¡¯ Zetto tried to carry the burden alone again, this was another one of his bad habits. Barely holding back a sigh that threatened to burst into tears, Geppeti turned to the next person. ¡®Yuri Clementine.¡¯ Yuri, squatting beside Aizel, had her face buried in her knees, unable to lift her head. But there was no anger in his expression. She seemed to be in control of her emotions. In contrast, on the other side of the room, Kaen was covered in dirt and a graying bearded man, likely an instructor at the academy, was stroking her hair as she silently wiped away tears. Zetto¡¯s expectations were not perfect. ¡®I¡¯ve already taken care of Yuri¡¯s problem, so let¡¯s move on¡­¡¯ Watching them closely, Geppeti decided that there didn¡¯t seem to be any immediate moves to be made. Contrary to Zetto¡¯s fears, they were each coping surprisingly well. ¡®If there¡¯s one thing that¡¯s holding me back¡­¡¯ What happens after this? Rather, Geppeti was worried about what would happen after Zetto was resurrected. Just as Geppeti¡¯s thoughts wereing to a close Aizel approached Edward, who was holding Geppeti and Rei. ¡°¡­Instructor, what happens to these children now¡­?¡± In the midst of her distraction, Aizel asked about Zetto¡¯s sisters. This drew the attention of everyone else in the hallway until finally, Edward spoke up. ¡°Now¡­they don¡¯t have a chaperone, so I think we¡¯ll have to discuss this further.¡± ¡°¡­Then how about I take care of these children until then.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I want to help.¡± At the sound of Aizel¡¯s voice, Yuri wiped the tears from her eyes and pushed herself to her feet. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Soon, Kaen joined them, nodding faintly. ¡°¡­Well, as long as they¡¯re okay with it¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s too much to ask.¡± Edward replied, leaning down to look at Geppeti, who was in tears, and Rei, who was clutching Edward¡¯s pants. Aizel immediately bends down and locks eyes with them. ¡°¡­What do you say, do you want to stay with your sisters for a while¡­?¡± Aizel tries her best to smile. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Geppeti, who has finally stopped crying, wipes the tears from her eyes and nods. She wipes the tears from her eyes and nods, knowing that if something were to happen, she¡¯d be better able to deal with it if she was by their side. Well, even if it wasn¡¯t¡­ there was no point in rejecting their good intentions. *** They say grief is lessened by sharing so Aizel, Rei, Geppeti, Yuri, and Kaen, who hade to stay in Aizel¡¯s room for a while. They were all able to return home at night, though they were busy preparing for Zetto¡¯s funeral, which would be held soon. Without Zetto¡¯s sisters, they would have been left to grieve alone, but they couldn¡¯t help but notice Rei and Geppeti. They didn¡¯t talk much, but they were clearlyforted by each other. After all, they were in the same situation. They were able to understand and empathize with each other so it didn¡¯t take a lot of conversation. Later that night, darkness fell over the room. Geppeti had fallen asleep, exhausted from crying, and Rei was asleep, hugging a doll. Meanwhile, the others were having trouble falling asleep. They¡¯ve been through so much¡­that they couldn¡¯t get rid of the feeling that if they fell asleep now, somehow they would see Zetto in their dreams. Unlike the Zetto they had seen during the day, who was not warm at all¡­they knew that Zetto would be waiting for them with a gentle smile on his face. They couldn¡¯t imagine waking up from such a sweet dream so they did not fall asleep. Soon, a voice broke through the silence and reached their ears. ¡°¡­He¡¯ll be back¡­¡± Rei¡¯s voice came out of nowhere, and the women in the room naturally listened. Rei, who had fallen asleep cuddling her doll, tossed and turned in her sleep. ¡°My brother¡­he¡¯ll definitelye back¡­¡± But the words broke their hearts. Rei hadn¡¯t spoken all day and they thought it was because she was young and didn¡¯t understand the meaning of death but it was because she believed Zetto would return that Rei didn¡¯t cry. However they knew that Zetto would not return. ¡°¡­¡± Aizel struggled to turn her head and look out the window. ¡°Well¡­¡± Yuri was tormented by a harsh reality that was hard for a child to ept. ¡°¡­¡± Kaen hoped for a miracle. May the poor child¡¯s wishe true. She desperately hoped for such an absurd miracle. Finally, Aizel, who had been sobbing, spoke up. ¡°The rain¡­ won¡¯t stop¡­¡± And with that, the silent cries of the three women filled the room, apanied by the mournful pounding of the rain against the window. *** It was a close call with Murka but I had seeded¡­ ¡­opened my eyes. I was clearly losing consciousness. I couldn¡¯t see anything. But what was this? Just a moment ago, I was talking to Aizel, and then my eyes suddenly opened. I couldn¡¯t see anything, but it was the same as before. Everything around me was pitch ck. ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± What was even more bizarre was that I was able to stand up normally. ¡®My left arm¡­¡¯ My severed left arm was still intact and I could no longer feel the excruciating pain of having a limb torn off. I groped for my abdomen and there was no hole, that¡¯s when I realized that I was dead. That was it. Reaching this simple conclusion, I squinted, trying to make sense of the situation. ¡®So where am I, in the afterlife¡­?¡¯ Hell or heaven? It wouldn¡¯t really matter either way. I rubbed the corners of my eyes out of habit. It was a routine thing I did every time I woke up or went to sleep. But there was no ¡®bandage¡¯. I couldn¡¯t feel the bandage that always covered my eyes. I wondered why. I had a lot of questions. At that moment, I was thinking about what the afterlife was like. -KEYING!!! A beam of light shone out of the endless darkness toward me. The pure white light was so blinding that I had to put my hands up to shield my eyes. At the same time, as the light emanated, I began to see things that had been obscured by the darkness. Countless, unidentifiable hands protruding from the ck floor were hovering around me. Not just the floor, but the walls, the ceiling, and everywhere else seemed to be reaching out to grab me. ¡®This energy¡­¡¯ I didn¡¯t run away from it, though, because it was familiar. [¡­My child,e here.] A voice echoed in his head. The sweet voice belonged to a woman, but it was not a familiar voice. And even with the voice echoing in my head, I naturally knew which way to go. It was where the light was emanating from because the owner of the voice was there. It was a simple intuition. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± There was one bizarre phenomenon after another. I didn¡¯t see the point in questioning it further, so I cleared my head. I walked toward the light, dodging back and forth from the grasping hands that tried to grab my ankles. Perhaps I should talk to ¡°her¡± who was waiting for me on the other side. Chapter 184: Ludwig’s Fate Chapter 184: Ludwig¡¯s Fate This story takes ce before Zetto has yet to meet his end. Rei, the hero, and Hubert, the sage, have arrived at a ce where countless pasts and futures are connected by a single line. As they stepped into it, they could see a previously invisible ¡°vige¡± along with a forest that exuded a mysterious atmosphere. Thendscape of the vige, which blended so well with nature, gave off the impression that it belonged to elves, but the vige in front of them was none other than the vige of the Ludwig n. ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t look like anything has changed.¡± Rei, who had just entered the vige, clutched the back of her head and spat out a dull voice. ¡°As expected¡­ No massacre.¡± This is followed by the assessment of the sage Hubert, who looks around. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t seem to be any different, except that there are no survivors.¡± ¡°Still, it¡¯s not like there aren¡¯t any.¡± Rei nods faintly at Hubert¡¯s words. Aizel Ludwig, the supposedst survivor of the Ludwig n, then one Zetto is willing to die to protect. Though she was still too weak to help, the hero wondered the cause and effect of these mysterious events. They hade to the vige of the Ludwig n to find out the truth. The hero sensed that if they came here, they might find out something. Rei and Hubert had some connection to the Ludwig n and knew their secrets so without a word, Hubert agreed with Rei. The look in the hero¡¯s eyes now was the same as before. The hero he knew was a good-natured fool with a strong curiosity that led him to do innocent and sometimes foolish things, but a hero¡¯s intuition was something that even Hubert could never ignore. A Hero¡¯s instincts were far beyond theprehension of the Sage who had spent his life seeking knowledge of the world. Hubert reasoned that there must be some sort of fate at work here. After all, in his eyes, the maiden was a ¡°hero¡± with the power to save the world. What¡¯s more, in this case, her reasoning wasn¡¯t exactly flimsy. There was an empty vige with no sign of life but there was no battle. The Ludwig n, who were said to know the past and the future, seemed to have disappeared from the world. At the same time, a girl, believed to be thest survivor of the n, surfaced, and Zetto said she was being targeted by demons. As a bonus¡­ ¡°Thest time I was here, there was at least a little bit of life¡­¡± Rei peered through a window into a dusty house. ¡­The hero had memories of a previous life. It was a matter of spection that the visions of the Ludwig n they knew had been written. Rei continued to walk as they had a destination in mind. ¡°Do you remember, Hubert, the giant door we saw, the one I tried to open, but Grandfather, the head of the n, stopped me?¡± ¡°I did. Cerys gave you a p on the wrist for being such a nuisance.¡± ¡°Then, he whispered something to me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not time yet.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°So I thought that when I returned from killing the Demon King, it would open, even if I didn¡¯t know what was inside.¡± That was Rei¡¯s judgment, but s, the Hero never returned after defeating the Demon King. The Hero could not escape his bonds but he did return. Not as Leon, but as Rei. They passed the altar of the Ludwig n and came to a giant door in the cave. ¡°¡­I wonder if this is the time.¡± Rei¡¯s voice echoes through the cavern as she looks at the door. ¡°That seems usible, by the way¡­ Someone¡¯s been here before.¡± The crystal ball embedded in the door, acting as a lock, was smeared with red blood. ¡°Not that long ago.¡± Hubert said, looking at the bloodstains on the crystal. Then Rei asked. ¡°Who could it be?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious. If there¡¯s another human who could have gotten in here¡­¡± ¡°Aizel Ludwig¡­¡± At the sound of Rei¡¯s voice, Hubert, who has been examining the crystal ball, nods slightly. ¡°s, it seems she was unable to open this door.¡± ¡°Why is that, if she¡¯s truly a Ludwig, she should have been able to open it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an old structure, but there are signs of it being sealed rtively recently, so she wasn¡¯t allowed in.¡± ¡°Then¡­I suppose it¡¯s my turn.¡± With those words, Rei approached the door and reached for the crystal ball. ¡°¡­Well.¡± But the crystal ball was out of her reach. Try as she might, she could never reach it with her short stature. ¡°¡­I guess they weren¡¯t expecting you to be as tall as you are now?¡± Hubert stifled augh and lifted Rei up. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Being lifted by Hubert, Rei stopped looking at him and focused on the crystal ball once more. cing her hand on the crystal, Rei converted her mana, her strength as a hero, into the power of light and fed it into the crystal. -Keeeeeeeee!!! The crystal ball sucked in the pure white light. -Crackle! -Crunch, crunch, crunch¡­ The cave rumbles loudly, and the crystal ball embedded in the door spins and the door begins to open. ¡°Just in case¡­they¡­predicted my reincarnation?¡± Rei grumbles, dusting off her palms. ¡°I guess they did¡­¡± The massive doors opened and Hubert took in the sight inside. It was a dark hall, devoid of light that was filled with massive headstones but Rei rushed over. ¡°Words¡­?¡± The tombstones were inscribed with countless letters that glowed with light. ¡°Records. The beginning and end of the Ludwig n¡­¡± Hubert took a quick look at the tombstone and immediately recognized what it said. ¡°Interesting, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much point in looking into the past right now¡­¡± Soon, Hubert is in the air, reading the tombstones in order, until hees to thest one. ¡°Here, there¡¯s our story.¡± ¡°What, what is it?¡± Rei¡¯s eyes sparkle with curiosity. ¡°I finally seeded in guiding the group of Hero Leon to the vige where the n lives¡­ The seeds we nted this time will be deeply rooted¡­ All for the sake of the bridle¡­¡± ¡°¡­Ha, we didn¡¯t find them¡­They led you to it?¡± ¡°So it seems.¡± Rei sighs in despair while Hubert scrolls down quickly after reading the sentence that said that Leon, the hero, had died in battle against the demon king. It was too much to read through hundreds of years of records but as he descended, one sentence caught his eye. ¡°Is this the end¡­?¡± In front of him was thest record of the Ludwig n, as there would be no more records after that. It was a sentence he could see at Rei¡¯s eye level, so they read it together. ¡°¡­After a long time ofbor, the n¡¯s destiny hase.¡± This fate is inevitable and it had been foretold long ago. Death is at hand, and we are powerless against it. It has taken some sacrifice but we have found the only way to keep the n alive. We have decided to risk everything on the child of the task. The child with a fate so terrible and so unspeakably harsh that she will have to endure much pain in the future but at the end of it all, she will be reunited with the only one who can break the terrible ¡®yoke¡¯ that ails this world, and break the n¡¯s ¡®curse¡¯. It is a destiny and a task inscribed in the name of Ludwig. To aplish this, the lives of the entire n must be sacrificed, but we have epted. None of us objected. Why did Ludwig exist? ¡°Now that I know why¡­¡± Rei¡¯s voice trembled at thest sentence. ¡°He is the only one who can break the chains¡­¡± ¡°I think I know who they mean.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s inly written.¡± Bridles aside, the man was the only one who could break the n¡¯s curse. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Folding her arms and pondering, Rei remembered the blind man with the bandages over his eyes who had found her¡­who had rescued her. *** As I approached the light, I saw a pure white space. The word ¡°holy¡± came to mind, and in that white space was a table. The woman at the table spoke to me. ¡°Please have a seat.¡± It was the same sweet voice that had echoed in my head before and the woman¡¯s appearance was indescribably beautiful. I wondered if she was even human. It didn¡¯t seem like it was my eyes that were wrong since I thought I knew what this discrepancy was. I sat back in my chair and asked. ¡°Are you¡­ a ¡®god¡¯¡­?¡± The woman smiles faintly at my question. ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s what I¡¯m called.¡± She doesn¡¯t deny that she is a transcendent being called God. ¡°Does that tell you anything about who I am?¡± The woman asks, pouring tea into a mug. God is God, but what¡¯s her name? Well, piecing together the information so far, I can only think of one. ¡°Ms. Heneryes¡­is that you?¡± The woman smiles at my answer. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t remember much about you.¡± ¡°Memory¡­ I¡¯ve never seen you before¡­¡± She doesn¡¯t even look like a statue. ¡°¡­Well, I¡¯ll save the exnation forter.¡± The woman sets down her teapot and continues. ¡°Let me formally introduce myself. I am Heneryes, the goddess who presides over this world.¡± I had an encounter with Heneryes, one of the goddesses of this world so I had to assume she had prepared me for this but I wonder what she wants to tell me. I don¡¯t know what it is right now, but it¡¯s on my mind. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Heneryes turned to look at me and smiled a very bitter smile. Chapter 185: What You Must Shoulder Chapter 185: What You Must Shoulder Heneryes and Helgenas also known as the Lord God and the Demon God are sisters, goddesses who observe the world. Of the two, Heneryes is the goddess of men. These humans include dwarves, elves, and suins, but they are generally referred to as such because of their different beliefs. Helgenas, on the other hand, is a demonic deity worshiped by demons. To summarize, these are the kind of gods you¡¯d expect to see in other fantasy genres, with Heneryes being good and Helgenas being evil. In a mysterious room filled with pure white light I had a tea party with a being I¡¯ve never met before. I sipped my tea nonchntly, feeling like this wasn¡¯t exactly the first time I¡¯d done this. I don¡¯t know what kind of tea it was, but the warmth of it was enough to calm my nerves. After a few sips, Heneryes set her teacup down and spoke. ¡°You have a lot of questions in your head, and for good reason, I suppose, but¡­¡± She¡¯s right, I have a lot of questions. ¡°¡­I know the time is passing quickly, but we have enough time for a quick question and answer session.¡± Before I could ask the question I wanted, Heneryes read my thoughts and struck out. ¡°¡­You¡¯re dead. It¡¯s not normally possible for a human to meet and talk to a god unless that¡¯s what happened, is it?¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± I wondered if I shouldn¡¯t have asked that question. She was a goddess, so she should be able to read thoughts, but it was a slightly unpleasant sensation, so she answered with a shaky voice. ¡°In that case, I will restrain myself a bit.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Heneryes smiled bitterly as she said it, as if she¡¯d read that thought. ¡®That bothers me.¡¯ Her smile was false. ¡°¡­Why did you seek me out, Ms. Heneryes? Even if I were dead¡­I wonder why you sought me out, out of all the many, many humans who die every day.¡± I blurted out a question with many implications. ¡°Many, many humans¡­¡± Heneryes trails off at that question then her lips part once more. ¡°¡­Do you really think so?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°One of many, many humans, is that how you define yourself?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you realize that you¡¯re far from normal?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t deny that, of course, but don¡¯t you realize, Lord Heneryes? That I am not of this world.¡± ¡°s, was that what you meant to ask, why I, a god of this world and not of Earth, appeared when an Earthling died¡­¡­¡± ¡°I suppose there¡¯s nothing wrong with that, but¡­ When you called me earlier, didn¡¯t you call me my child, because that seemed a little odd to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A shadow fell over Heneryes¡¯ face as I continued. There¡¯s something there, too. She knew a secret I didn¡¯t. Heneryes fiddled with her teacup and then spoke. ¡°¡­Because you were once my child.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I shook my head, unable to make sense of Heneryes¡¯ words. That means¡­ ¡°The body is certainly of Earth, but the soul within it is not.¡± ¡°¡­So you¡¯re saying that I was originally a human of this world?¡± ¡°Yes, you were, in a previous life¡­ as you call it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I had a past life? It didn¡¯t make any more sense now, but it still didn¡¯t sink in, perhaps because I had no memory of my previous life. ¡°The first was my apostle, a saint.¡± ¡°A saint¡­¡± ¡°You were apanion of a hero in a time far, far away from now. Grieving for hispanion, who had been in by a demon, the saint begged me to help him break these miserable shackles, and since I also wanted to break the shackles, I granted your request¡­and that was the beginning of your journey¡­¡± Heneryes¡¯ voice trails off, her eyes wistful and her voice weak. ¡°You¡¯ve been a saint, you¡¯ve been a king of a ruined world, you¡¯ve been a demon who tried to burn everything to the ground, you¡¯ve been a demon who tried to rece the demon king, but despite all your efforts, you couldn¡¯t break the shackle. The shackle is, after all, the disease this world is suffering from.¡± ¡°Wait. I was also a demon¡­Demons are¡­¡± ¡°¡­Demons, those under the control of Helgenas. It was a mistake, but you didn¡¯t reject it; in fact, you said you might be able to find a way to break the chains.¡± ¡°I never thought of that¡­¡± Was I so desperate that I would give up being human? ¡°¡­In the process, you be exhausted and as a result you¡¯ve experienced more deaths, more grief, than you ever have before. Maybe it was a limit¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°At some point, you wanted to rest, and I had to listen, because it was also my desire.¡± ¡°And that rest was¡­¡± ¡°It was life on Earth. But then you came to me with some unexpected news, it turned out to be far from the rest you wanted. I suppose that¡¯s what life is all about, but I couldn¡¯t bear to leave the child I loved behind, and in the process¡­¡± ¡°¡­The game. That¡¯s how you made contact with me.¡± ¡°Yes. Though it may not be obvious since you have no memory of it.¡± ¡°What did you do to me?¡± ¡°I gave you the memories of your previous life.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°This is what you wanted. You said you didn¡¯t think you could do any good by carrying the memories of your past life, that you couldn¡¯t move forward, so¡­¡± That was a pretty bad judgment call but I would have done the same thing. ¡°In truth, I was given two choices: to remain at peace, erase your memories, and live on Earth, or to step into the path to break the shackles once more.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite cruel, Ms. Heneryes, setting me up for that¡­ There is no way I would choose the former.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Heneryes mouth tightens. For me, games are a way to create an intimacy with the characters, the people I¡¯ll meet, beforehand. They make it impossible to give them up. ¡°In my defense, I didn¡¯t make the game. He was the one who pitched the n to me, and, well, as it turned out¡­ I fell for his trick to make it look good.¡± ¡°Who was he?¡± ¡°The God of Earth.¡± ¡°Earth had a god too?¡± ¡°Not just on Earth, but on every world with intelligent beings, there is a god, sort of like a ¡®manager¡¯.¡± ¡°But I thought I heard that Earth was destroyed.¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no more humanity left, if you can call it that, and the God of Earth took advantage of that. He made a deal with me that if there were no more worlds for him to stay in, he could take up residence in this one for a while¡­¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s not fair, the Earth God¡­¡± Heneryes chuckles softly at my grumbling. She doesn¡¯t seem too offended by my criticism of the gods. In fact, she seems pleased that I cursed at him instead. ¡°For your information, you¡¯ve already met him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met the God of Earth?¡± I had never met such a being. ¡°He¡¯s lost his godhood and is now a mere mortal, but if you look hard enough, you¡¯ll recognize him.¡± Heneryes clears her throat and continues in a calm voice. ¡°In any case, I have sinned against you. I promised to give you rest, and I failed to keep my word. You are a being I love and cherish, and yet I could not be more pleased to see you back in this world. All I have left is a deep sense of guilt¡­ I suppose this meeting is an act of confession. I wanted to know if you could still be truly happy with your choices after hearing the whole story¡­ I wanted to know.¡± ¡°I am¡­ I am, and I think I understand why I made the choices I did.¡± Heneryes¡¯ eyes widened at my answer. ¡°If anything, I should be grateful. I was so happy to be able to save Aizel¡­.¡± Heneryes gives a small, sheepishugh. ¡°¡­You are still the same, you know.¡± ¡°Was I like this in my previous life?¡± ¡°Well, it varied from time to time, but for the most part¡­ the kindness with which you cared for yourrades, the bold determination to see things through, even if it meant sacrificing yourself for the sake of the oue¡­¡± ¡°Well, when you were a demon, you were a bit more cocky than you are now,¡± Heneryes muttered softly. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t have any memories, it¡¯s all there in your soul, and just because I¡¯m a god doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m omniscient; I can¡¯t erase what¡¯s written on your soul.¡± I nodded faintly at her story, then I blurted out my next question. ¡°By the way, why aren¡¯t I wearing the blindfold¡­?¡± My clothes were still on but I wasn¡¯t wearing it. ¡°Oh, it doesn¡¯t really mean anything, it¡¯s just that it¡¯s not really necessary for the conversation we¡¯re having, and you wouldn¡¯t want to talk to me naked, so¡­I left your clothes on.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± Talking to God naked¡­ I¡¯m not sure I want to do that. ¡°Who made this? The blindfold¡­¡± ¡°It was a coboration between me, the God of Earth and you. Even though your soul is of this world, your body is of Earth, and I thought you might need to adjust, so I put a little of my power into it¡­ just a little. Were you satisfied?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± I said in a shaky voice and gave her a thumbs up, and Heneryes smiles broadly at my gesture. ¡°Come to think of it, we¡¯re carrying on a fairly civilized conversation for a transcendent being. I wonder if she and I were that close. Or was she just looking out for me? ¡°Hmm¡­a little of both, if I had to guess.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I nced over at Heneryes, who had read my thoughts. I took another sip of my tea and thought hard since too much information wasing into my head at once, and I needed to organize my thoughts. The original me, the first me, was a saint of the world¡­ the beloved child of Heneryes. And in that previous life, I sought to break the shackle that bound this world. How the hell am I supposed to break it? I feel like I have a new goal. I used to think about what to do after the end of the game. Even though it¡¯s not my goal, it was my goal in a previous life, so I can¡¯t let it go. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t, I have something to tell you about that. It¡¯s something you told me to tell you someday, when I was looking through your memories, and you said you¡¯d found a hint of how to break the shackle.¡± ¡°¡­A way to break the shackle?¡± My ears perked up at the mention of hints, and I asked myself. What hints had my past self left for me? ¡°Be a king, and see the simrities between the habits of demons and the ¡®game¡¯¡­You left those words behind.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Be a king. There was nothing about this that touched me yet. ¡®That¡¯s something I¡¯ve heard before¡­¡¯ It must have been the Earth God who dropped that hint to Geppeti. Then there¡¯s themonality between the game and the demons in the real world. ¡­I vaguely recognize the meaning of this one. Or, more urately, what yers and demons have inmon. Demons grow stronger by killing living things while yers get stronger by killing monsters and gaining experience to level up. In other words, the yers and the demons were quite simr. ¡°Lord Heneryes, may I ask you a question?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°¡­Have demons been killing humans since the beginning of time?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking the same question as before.¡± I¡¯ve asked her this before but it¡¯s only when the thought hit me that I wonder about it. ¡°But as before¡­ that¡¯s a question I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t answer right now, as that information is beyond my purview.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°But it doesn¡¯t hurt to dig into the past and find the answer yourself. There might be information about this somewhere in the world.¡± ¡°I see what you mean.¡± I needed information about the demons of the beginning. If my hypothesis holds true, I might be able to find a way to break the shackle. Why do I need to break the shackle? Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s what I wanted in my previous life. Still, when I thought of Rei, the current hero, it seemed right to cut it off. The rebirth of the Demon King, the reincarnation of the Hero and the unbroken conflict between demons and humans. Heneryes¡¯ description of the world¡¯s ills was not an exaggeration. ¡°There will be unpredictable things in the future, Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°Helgenas is on the move, and she must have noticed my intervention but even if she did, she won¡¯t be able to hasten the Demon King resurrection¡­ ¡± ¡°You mean his minions, not the Demon King, might be resurrected sooner.¡± Heneryes nodded at my answer. ¡°But I don¡¯t know exactly when.¡± The Demon King minions resurrected with the Demon King are his alter egos. There are four of them in total and although I never meet them in the game, I know their names. ¡°¡­So that¡¯s how it is, but with the death of the Legion Leader¡¯s right-hand man, it¡¯s not as if the demons are doing nothing.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s going to change a lot of things.¡± Heneryes sounded concerned. ¡°Haha, I guess so.¡± Iughed. So much would change that I can¡¯t even begin to imagine the aftermath of this but Aizel didn¡¯t die. Defying that fate was enough to satisfy me. ¡°¡­I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t have much time left.¡± At the sound of Heneryes¡¯ voice, I turned my head to follow her gaze. ¡°They¡­¡± The dark hands I¡¯d seen earlier were filling the white space. ¡°They are the power you imprinted on your body, the tears of the dead.¡± ¡°¡­They look tormented.¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have wanted to be there either.¡± ¡°If I¡¯m resurrected, will they disappear?¡± ¡°The souls themselves will wear out, and they will return to nothingness.¡± There was a reason for their anguish. It¡¯s sad to be forgotten without leaving anything behind. ¡°¡­Then why not just use a minimal amount of power, enough to allow for a resurrection?¡± ¡°But then you won¡¯t be able to fully regenerate, are you sure you¡¯re okay with that?¡± Heneryes, whose gaze was on my left arm, tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. One arm¡­¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± I stopped Heneryes as she tried to use her hand. There was a hint of panic in her eyes as her arm was grabbed. As if reading my mind, she lowered her arm. ¡°I just thought it was something I should carry¡­¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be back.¡± With those words I take a step towards the hands that stretch out towards me. *** I just thought it was something I should carry¡­¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Heneryes understood his thoughts and she loved that about him. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be back.¡± Her child walked away in silence as the dead closed in on him slowly. Zetto was swallowed up by the darkness and his voice was muffled. ¡°¡­It must have been terribly painful, and I can¡¯t begin to imagine how much it must have hurt.¡± Zetto¡¯s voice was hollow as the pain of the dead was reaching him. ¡°But I want to build a world where what you went through will never happen again, a world where this can never happen, so¡­ I need you to help me.¡± Zetto was trying to convince the dead. ¡°It¡¯s very painful to be forgotten. It¡¯s empty and lonely, so¡­ I¡¯ll remember, I¡¯ll remember your names, I¡¯ll remember them over and over again, I¡¯ll carry them on my shoulders and move forward.¡± His clear, straight voice was filled with gentleness and kindness. The warmth was enough to ease the anger of the dead. Suddenly, the hands that held him were illuminated as the darkness that enveloped him was transforming into a pure white light. ¡°¡­It¡¯s all right. The others can rest easy now. Thank you so much for indulging my greed.¡± Heneryes couldn¡¯t hear what was being said between the dead man and Zetto, nor did she care to listen. She didn¡¯t want to interrupt his atonement. Zetto continued to recite the names as many, many names echoed in the white space. The meeting with Zetto wasing to an end and as she watched, Heneryes whispered a silent goodbye. ¡®My child¡­¡¯ The words she could never get out, weighed down by guilt. ¡®I no longer desire your love. And yet I still love you¡­¡¯ *** A vast, blue sky. A breath of fresh air. At the end of it, the man¡¯s lips part as he ruffles his jet-ck hair. ¡®Nice view.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­puhhhh.¡¯ I heard a chuckle at my joke. It was definitely his voice, but it didn¡¯t sound like him. Zetto wasughing so happily over there, why couldn¡¯t I? ¡°¡­.¡± At that moment, I heard a foreign sound in my ears. ¡°¡­Yuri.¡± The sound became even more distinct, and the memories before my eyes shattered. In front of me was a mirrorrge enough to hold my entire body. ck stood out beneath her tightly braided red hair and her jet-ck dress was drab and formal. I stared down at the ice crystal in my hand, the one that held the memory of Zetto. ¡°Yuri, are you ready¡­?¡± I turned my head at the sound of another voice. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was my father calling me. Dressed in a ck suit simr to mine, he walked over to me with a sad face and took me in his arms. ¡°¡­¡± I wondered why he was stroking me. I wondered why he was at the academy. I wonder what kind of day it is. I absentmindedly touch the thought. It was Zetto¡¯s funeral. Zetto, smiling on the deck of the airship, was already dead. Just a moment ago, it was a sweet fantasy, and now it was reality. ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± Tears filled my eyes with pain. As usual, illusions make reality even more painful. Still, I couldn¡¯t stop. I wanted to see Zetto. Chapter 186: Miracles That Shouldn’t Happen (1) Chapter 186: Miracles That Shouldn¡¯t Happen (1) Eventually, the rain stopped. The bells that had been ringing in the city pierced through the rain, announcing the death of a young star. I stomped forward, not even bothering to avoid the puddles on the ground. Soon I was inside the small church where the bells hade from. The air was even more somber and there was no light in the ce, only a few candles burning here and there. At the end of the hall was Zetto. He was lyingfortably in a wooden coffin, redder than blood. After today, the coffin containing the dead will be closed tightly. So this was thest time I would be able to see him. I looked at Geppeti and Rei, who stood beside the coffin, dressed in all ck. ¡°Aizel¡­¡± I wondered if they had epted this terrible reality but Geppeti was no longer crying and Rei avoided my gaze. It was too much for her at such a young age. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I bowed weakly to them, offering my condolences, and then turned to face Zetto. He was lying on a cool, jet-ck coat, wearing the Academy¡¯s uniform. The pure white bandages that had always apanied him were clutched in his right hand, resting alongside his sword at his side. To the naked eye, Zetto appeared unharmed, except for the absence of his left arm. At any moment, I felt like he would pull himself up and speak to me. But¡­I knew better than anyone that such a miracle would not happen. My hands tightened around the coffin. This was the second time I¡¯d seen it. I searched and searched. I wandered the world with the sole intention of saving Zetto but I couldn¡¯t find it and no miracle happened. There was no way to revive the dead so at that point, I gave up and I took the easier way out. It was the first time I had ever chosen to regress when I wasn¡¯t even facing death. I turned back time for the sake of one insignificant person and destroyed everything people had built. Selfishly, I deceived myself into thinking it was for Zetto¡¯s sake. That if I didn¡¯t, I couldn¡¯t move forward. I didn¡¯t think I could save him. This is the result. Zetto died again. I made him suffer again. How painful it must have been for him. How tormented he must have been that I had saved his life and he had chosen to die. I stroked his hair gently and I could feel the coldness of his forehead behind his hair through my ck gloves. It was cold and I could feel his pain. I¡¯m sorry, Zetto, I couldn¡¯t have saved you. I¡¯m an ipetent regressor for making you go through this twice. I¡¯m so sorry. There are no miracles. Not for him, not for me. Regression was never a miracle. The happiness I had regained was reced by more misery, the joy by more sorrow. This is a curse on my soul. Regression has always been a curse for me. I thought of all the ways I could have saved Zetto, but they no longer made sense. From the moment my worthless life was saved by Zetto¡­ ¡­it was sealed. My fate was sealed. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I chose to ept that fate. His sacrifice would not be meaningless. I will survive to the end, to the bitter end, no matter how desperate and miserable it may be. So¡­ ¡°¡­Rest in peace, Zetto.¡± I bent down and kissed Zetto¡¯s forehead. Then I turned away. ¡°¡­You¡¯re early.¡± I saw Kaen, who had alsoe to mourn Zetto¡¯s death. He had made so many connections in his short life so many woulde to see him. Before, I had stormed out of the cathedral, unable to wait for his end. I¡¯d run, thinking there must be a way to save him. This time was different. There was no reason to, no point. ¡°Zetto is waiting.¡± With those words, I bowed weakly to Kaen and turned on my heel. I sat down in a waiting pew in the center of the church, then I stared at Zetto in disbelief while waiting for everything to finish. After a while a heartfelt song in his honor echoed in my ears. It was a wistful tune but the melody was filled with despair. *** I looked down at Zetto. His serene face was the same as it had been in the morgue, except now he was lying in a coffin, as well dressed as when he was still breathing and alive. At first, I was simply angry. I was angry that I¡¯d missed him when I thought I¡¯d finally be able to reach him. I was frustrated. I knew everyone had to die someday, but I didn¡¯t understand why it had to be Zetto. I was about to vent my frustration into anger but as I listened to Kaliman¡¯s story, I changed my mind. I almost did something foolish. I wanted to cry, but no tears came to my eyes. My eyes had long since gone dry. I pulled the ring off my ring finger. Immediately, the ring went to the ring finger of Zetto¡¯s right hand, which was clutching a white bandage. ¡°If only it were my left hand¡­ It would have been better¡­¡± Apparently it wasn¡¯t allowed to me even after his death. ¡°I¡¯ll remember that, Zetto.¡± I grinned like a fool and for once it wasn¡¯t an act. *** The bell chimed, announcing the passing of a young star. Zetto¡¯s funeral was held in a small church near the Academy. The funeral was followed by quite a procession. There were quite a few people who had been close to Zetto. ¡°The blind saint¡­¡± ¡°At such a young age¡­¡± ¡°What a nightmare¡­¡± The mournful voices of the residents of the Innocence Academy are heard in the procession. One of the men listening asks the woman in the ck dress. ¡°What does the blind saint mean¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the guy who died this time was called. He must have been traveling around the city doing good deeds.¡± The woman who answered was nc, the head of the southern branch of the ck Hand, the continent¡¯s top intelligence guild. She hade simply to be by Aizel¡¯s side, but the guild leader¡¯s order to gather information had forced her to bring a guild member with her. The guildmate nc brought was a man named Hakam, who was known as the Morning Bird. Hakam the Morning Bird had a bitter rivalry with one of his fellow guild members, the Night Rat. As he watched Zetto¡¯s funeral, Hakam was deeply troubled. It was the funeral of an academy cadet, amoner with no connections and no family name. He could understand why so many people have gathered here, but he doubted the quality of information they would be able to gather. It was the superior¡¯s order, so he obeyed, but Hakam, who had recently been outperformed by the Night Rat, was feeling a little dissatisfied. ¡®Let¡¯s just do a little mourning.¡¯ Despite his unusual nickname, the Blind Saint, there was no information to be gleaned, and he trudged on, scattering mealworms to the birds flying low in the flowing rain. As they entered the church, nc spoke up. ¡°I have some business to attend to¡­¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°¡­I need to keep my wits about me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hakam nced at nc while thinking that and once they were fully inside the church, he realized why. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ The first thing that caught Hakam¡¯s eye was the red-haired man. He could tell by the back of his head that he was the one who was responsible for the bird mail system that only the ck-handed dignitaries could use. ¡®Jeras Clementine¡­?¡¯ The man¡¯s identity was Jeras Clementine, patriarch of House Clementine of the Continental Four Elemental Houses. ¡®Why would Lord Clementine attend a cadet¡¯s funeral?¡¯ Hakam looked around, intending to ask nc, but nc had long since disappeared into the crowd. ¡®It¡¯s always like this with the leader¡­¡¯ Deciding he had no choice, Hakam slipped into a corner of the funeral home, hid himself properly, and went about his business. ¡®Is that his daughter next to him?¡¯ Jeras¡¯ daughter, Yuri Clementine, that was her for sure. Hakam looked between Jeras and Yuri, who was standing in front of Zetto¡¯s coffin and listened, trying to gather information. His tinnitus, called Morning Bird, is partly due to his work with birds, but it¡¯s also due to his unusually bright ears. The bird hears the end of the day, the mouse the end of the night. Hakam channeled mana into his ears, amplifying his vital sense of hearing. Soon he heard Yuri¡¯s voice. ¡°You said you¡¯d be back¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Come back¡­ Please¡­¡± ¡°Yuri¡­¡± It was a intive cry that even Hakam¡¯s mouth tinged with bitterness. ¡®This is inappropriate¡­But work is work¡­¡¯ Hakam thought to himself as he organized the information. The cadet, who had died, Zetto, had a close rtionship with Yuri Clementine. It could be argued that Jeras visit was simply tofort his daughter, but that would be inurate. The presence of the family¡¯s patriarch carries great significance. ¡®But that doesn¡¯t mean Cadet Zetto has a direct connection to Jeras, and even if he is a skilled swordsman, there¡¯s no reason for a swordsman to have a connection to House Clementine¡­¡¯ Hakam had a question. Yuri ced an ice cube on the coffin and turned away, leaving only Jeras standing in front of Zetto, staring down at him. He whispers softly and only Hakam hears him. ¡°¡­I thought I was going to have a son-inw.¡± ¡®A son-inw¡­?¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re the worst son-inw ever. How dare you make my daughter cry¡­¡± There was no anger in his voice as he continued, but rather a hint of despondency. ¡°Next time, don¡¯t be so fleeting¡­Make your woman happier.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°May the Phoenix bless you¡­¡± With those words, Jeras turned away. Hakam¡¯s mouth dropped open as he realized he¡¯d just gotten a huge piece of information. ¡®If it¡¯s Yuri Clementine, she must be connected to the First Prince of the Kingdom of Terracia¡­?¡¯ Of course, he¡¯d known that it was more of a pressure from power, but this was the first time he¡¯d heard that Jeras had tried to make Zetto his son-inw. The next person to appear after Yuri and Jeras was a nameless old man. His face was not particrly informative, but Hakam¡¯s ears were open enough to hear his voice. ¡°¡­What is it, are you sad too?¡± The old man did not look at Zetto¡¯s face in the coffin, but at his feet. ¡°Strange, you don¡¯t even hate him¡­? Huh¡­ I wonder what kind of trick he yed on you¡­ Now that there¡¯s no life force left to eat, you¡¯ll be free in a few days.¡± Hearing this, Hakam couldn¡¯t understand the old man¡¯s words, so he shrugged it off, thinking, ¡®He¡¯s just a madman.¡¯ After the madman, another shabbily dressed old man approached. This time, however, the face was familiar. Beneath the tattered robes, the old man¡¯s face was one Hakam knew well. No, he was a man he¡¯d rather forget. Hakam remembered his previous encounters with him. The old man had approached the tower, holding onto a bird that was desperately trying to fly away, and asked innocently, ¡°I¡¯d like to write a letter to Julius us.¡± Hakam, who couldn¡¯t even speak, felt his life was threatened at the time. The old man suddenly sits down in front of Zetto¡¯s coffin and speaks. ¡°¡­I told you toe to me until I was old and dead, but what if you died first¡­¡± Hakam overheard the small talk between the dead and the old man and was horrified. The old man¡¯s identity was none other than Chris, the greatest swordsman on the continent. ¡®He had a rtionship with the Sword Saint¡­?¡¯ Chris took a long swig from the bottle in his hand and said, ¡°That¡¯s too bad¡­it¡¯s a shame¡­¡± and left. Hakam thought that perhaps the cadet named Zetto who had died this time could not be categorized as a mere academy cadet. Maybe he was a major yer who wasn¡¯t even on the ck Hand¡¯s radar. Next up was a man named Anthony. A man who had been a fairly prominent merchant in the Holy Land, but who had been falsely used and exiled, only to rise again and be a legend among merchants. He came with his daughter and confronted Zetto. ¡°¡­Dad, why isn¡¯t brother Zetto waking up?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Zetto¡­ Wake up¡­¡± ¡°Emilia¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s just like mom¡­he¡¯s asleep¡­People are crying¡­ I hate this¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The innocence of a child can sometimes be brutal for adults. Hakam overheard and cut off the flow of mana to his ears. ¡®Shit.¡¯ It was amon sentiment among informants. Hakam scratched his head. He had a job to do, but this was not a good ce to continue gathering information. No blood, no tears, no nothing. They should always strive to be thorough and urate, and to keep their opinions to themselves but at the same time, you can¡¯t give up being human, Hakam thought. People¡¯s negative emotions were filling the cathedral where the heartfelt song had been yed. ¡®Let¡¯s call it a day.¡¯ nc was here on personal business anyway, and with this much information, it would be assumed that he wasn¡¯t working. Besides, Zetto, the main source of this information, was already dead, so it might be worthless. Hakam was about to turn away when the thought urred to him. Knock. He bumped into someone. It was a fairlyrge crowd for a small church, so it could have happened. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hakam quickly bowed his head and apologized but no one responded, so he raised his head. ¡°¡­¡± Hakam¡¯s eyes caught sight of the woman who had bumped into him. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± After recognizing the woman¡¯s face, Hakam had to stifle a gasp of surprise. He tried not to let on that he¡¯d figured out her identity. The silver-haired woman wasn¡¯t looking at him. Her body was shaking, and she seemed to be lost in thought, but her eyes were fixed on the direction of the coffin. The woman in front of him, d in ck robes, wasparable in reputation to the former Sword Saint. ¡®The Saint¡­why¡­¡¯ Bernice, the Saint of Innocence. ¡®Here¡­?¡¯ She walked into Zetto¡¯s funeral in disguise. Chapter 187: Miracles That Shouldn’t Happen (2) Chapter 187: Miracles That Shouldn¡¯t Happen (2) s, there it is. Nothing else was visible and all I could see was ¡®it¡¯. A red coffin etched into my focus along with frustration and wailing in my ears. The instruments were sobbing in low voices. I had experienced this before countless times. Highly respected priests in the Holy Land, a young child in the slums whose treatment was dyed or a Temr in by a demon and left to bleed out in an alley. All of their deaths were painful since such is the nature of loss. Until now, I had thought that all men were equal under heaven, under God so I could grieve equally, no matter what their status, no matter what their rtionship to me. But now¡­ ¡­it was different now. It hurt, and it hurt more than ever. I didn¡¯t understand it. I know he was very close to me, but death is priceless and I wanted to howl in pain. What¡¯s even more painful is that I couldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t honor him with normal pain and tears. ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± Ecline whispered as she approached. I must have worried her again. This was not the way a saint, a member of the Knights, a master of their sword, should look. It was a shame. Zetto was such a good man, and I think he deserved to go back to the arms of his Maker as soon as he did. It¡¯s sad, but it¡¯s okay. That¡¯s what I wanted to say. If I could fool myself into believing that, it would hurt a little less. ¡°¡­¡­¡± But no voice came out. Say it. I moved my lips and let it out. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hot drops of water run down my cheeks. These are not tears. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s okay¡­ I¡¯m not¡­¡± My mouth finally opens and I spill the truth. Ecline wraps her arms around me, her soothing voice whispers in my ear. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t have to be okay.¡± I don¡¯t have to be okay. With that one word, the truth leaks out of my mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m not okay¡­I¡¯m in so much pain¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, for now.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­Hmph¡­¡± I sobbed softly in Ecline¡¯s arms since I couldn¡¯t approach the coffin to say goodbye. The only way I could honor him was to sob quietly at his feet, as I did now. I reached out my hand but his hand was not there. I couldn¡¯t grasp it. I couldn¡¯t reach. There were so many secrets between him and me that I couldn¡¯t reveal. It might have brought me closer to him, but now that he was dead and everything was meaningless¡­ ¡­there was this much distance. This was the distance between him and me. ¡°s¡­¡± My fingertips trembled as I stretched out toward him. I was seeing nothing in front of me. The woman who had suddenly appeared and stood between Zetto and me was staring at me. Long silver hair, pink eyes and wearing a pure white dress, she looked like me. She was a hallucination of me and her lips, which had a nonchnt expression, opened. My weaknesses, my fears, were trying to use me. ¡®You knew it woulde to this, didn¡¯t you? You tried to walk with him even though you knew how he would end up?¡¯ ¡®¡­I didn¡¯t realize it would be like this.¡¯ ¡®You knew what he was going through, what he was carrying, didn¡¯t you?¡¯ I thought we could carry it together. ¡®After all, wasn¡¯t it your choice not to go against the Lord¡¯smand? You could have simply erased his curse.¡¯ ¡®He¡­ he didn¡¯t die of a curse.¡¯ ¡®You really think so?¡¯ The vision tilted its head. ¡®¡­Enough.¡¯ ¡®You think that because he didn¡¯t die of the curse, you¡¯re not to me, do you really think that? ¡®¡­Stop.¡¯ ¡®Do you really think he would have died even if he had gone into battle intact, without the curse?¡¯ ¡®¡­Please.¡¯ The vision stepped closer to me. It leaned in close and whispered to me. It whispered the truth I wanted to deny, the truth I had been denying. ¡®It wasn¡¯t a demon that killed him¡­¡¯ The vision red at me. ¡®¡­It was you, Bernice, Saint of Innocence.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t deny it since it just spoke the truth, the truth I¡¯d been hiding. ¡®What kind of a saint are you, when you couldn¡¯t even take care of the one person you loved¡­ Bring him back¡­ Bring back my Zetto¡­¡¯ Suddenly, the vision tightened around my throat. ¡°¡­Is¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t breathe anymore. Suddenly, I was on the ground, and Ecline rushed to me. Her touch lifted my throat, but I still couldn¡¯t pull myself up since I didn¡¯t have the strength. I knew that when I reached the end, the negative emotions I would feel would be directed at me. I couldn¡¯t me anyone since I was a sinner. My eyes rested on the painting of the Lord Heneryes that hung in the center of the cathedral. s, Lord God. Where is this ce for me now? Was this what you wanted for me? This is so painful. I me Heneryes but I know it is so ugly of me to me you because it was all my choice. Was the Lord trying to reveal my ugliness? What¡­ What did He have to gain? Wasn¡¯t it enough that He took away the light of the world from me? I can¡¯t for the life of me understand what Heneryes meant. Of course, that¡¯s to be expected. How can I, a mere mortal, understand the will of the Lord? That¡¯s why it¡¯s even more painful to be put in this position. It¡¯s so painful to have lost him so I asked God. Couldn¡¯t I have been happy with him? Couldn¡¯t I have had small conversations with him and felt simple happiness? The Lord was silent and no answer came back. After the silence, the intive tune of the heartbreak song in his honor began to echo in my ears once more. I stared nkly at the red coffin where Zettoy. me myself. me the gods. Nothing would change. He was gone, and he would never return. It was that moment. ¡°Oh¡­?¡± I questioned my eyes. Somehow, I could feel a faint spark of life in the coffin that had been so unresponsive just moments before. It was bizarre since it was impossible for the dead toe back to life. Yet here it was, visible. It was so faint that no one in the funeral home noticed it. I jumped out of my seat. ¡°¡­Saint?!¡± Ecline shouted in disbelief, but it didn¡¯t stop me. I pushed through the crowd and raced toward Zetto. I paid no attention to the tearing of my robes. Zetto¡¯s embers were still burning. *** ¡°I think it¡¯s almost time.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­ I mean, I knew what the powers I was going to use were anyway, and¡­¡± One arm, well, I¡¯d talk to Geppeti and we¡¯d figure something out. ¡°That¡¯s the problem with you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That you never think about what other people might think.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine, really.¡± I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea to get a cool mechanical arm, especially since my arm is missing. Maybe I could shootser beams or something. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Heneryes, who was sitting at the next table, nced at me silently. Ah, she read my thoughts. ¡°Just when I thought it was getting better¡­¡± I muttered, and then sighed. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind that, because it¡¯s your strength that keeps you going forward, no matter what trialse your way.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± I smirked at Heneryes¡¯pliment and scratched my head. ¡°Oh, by the way. I suppose it¡¯s better not to take the memories of my previous life with me?¡± ¡°Probably not.¡± I was also afraid. I don¡¯t know what I might have been carrying, or how many lives I might have been carrying. ¡°Well, even if you don¡¯t have the memories, the ¡®experience¡¯ is still in your soul, and it¡¯s sure toe in handy someday.¡± ¡°I see.¡± It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to make some inferences about which characters from the past might have been me in a previous life. ¡°¡­If you reach too deeply, it will bring back memories.¡± Once again, Heneryes reads my thoughts and blurts out answers to questions I didn¡¯t ask. ¡°¡­¡± I¡¯ll put it off for now. Just as I reach that thought, a pure white light begins to envelope my body. My body was turning to dust and disappearing. I wonder if my resurrection is beginning. As I watch, Heneryes speaks up. ¡°I suppose this is the end of it, then. Would you say hello to my child for me? I haven¡¯t heard from her in a few days.¡± ¡°¡­You mean the saint.¡± ¡°Yes, and she¡¯s not the only one waiting for you.¡± ¡°¡­I suppose so.¡± ¡°I wish you well in your endeavors.¡± Heneryes waves her hand. I wanted to ask one more question, but my vision went ck. ***. Bernice pushes through the crowd, her wless silver hair flying as she rushes to the coffin. ¡°Saint¡­¡± ¡°The Saint¡­?¡± ¡°The Saint is here¡­¡± At the same time, the people who had heard Ecline¡¯s cries were shouting. The situation was so urgent that Bernice didn¡¯t care about the reactions around her. Bernice checked on Zetto. He was lying there, sword and bandages in hand however, there was no sign of the Sierra that was supposed to be in his sword. ¡°s¡­¡± Sadly, Zetto¡¯s me was already extinguished under Bernice¡¯s gaze. She could have thought she was mistaken, or that it was toote, but Bernice was desperate. Everyone had epted Zetto¡¯s death except her. -Keying! Bernice¡¯s slender fingers slipped into the coffin, and a pure white light radiated from them. Bernice poured the healing light into Zetto¡¯s body, which was cold and devoid of warmth. ¡°You made a promise¡­ a promise¡­ You said you¡¯d keep it¡­¡± Her wistful voice echoed, followed by a stunned silence. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± The orchestra had stopped ying at the sudden appearance of the Saint. Nevertheless, no one at the funeral stopped her. Even if Bernice was somehow rted to Zetto¡­ ¡°Pleasee back¡­ Pleasee back¡­¡± ¡­because their hearts were the same. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Aizel bowed her head. She didn¡¯t look at Bernice, knowing that the Saint¡¯s words wouldn¡¯t change anything. ¡°¡­Well.¡± Yuri sobbed. She wanted so badly what Bernice wanted, and her heart understood so much. ¡°Please¡­¡± Kaen hoped for a miracle. She hoped that the already dead man would pick himself up and show her his kind smile once more. ¡°¡­Hmph¡­ Hmph¡­¡± Meanwhile, Bernice¡¯s vision slowly blurred as she held back her tears. At the same time, she realized. She realized that this wasn¡¯t going to make a difference, that the healing light she was about to cast wasn¡¯t going to bring the dead back to life. Miracles were not going to happen. Bernice had to admit it. The spark of life she¡¯d felt in Zetto for a moment had been a mistake, the result of her madness. She had seen nothing. She had already seen an illusion. Still, she didn¡¯t stop. She wanted to deny the truth. She wanted to defy fate. A resurrection at a funeral sounded too good to be true. Still, some of the people hoped for a miracle, a fantasy, and some of them had to swallow their bitterness at the brutal reality. A single tear rolled down the back of Zetto¡¯s hand. -Tsk. At the same time, Zetto¡¯s hand twitched. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Bernice¡¯s mouth fell open. The dead couldn¡¯t move their hands, it was ridiculous. She could have chalked it up to her mood, but Bernice didn¡¯t let that stop her and she immediately summoned her divine power and unleashed it all. Keeling!!!! In an instant, there was a light so intense that it dazzled everyone who came to honor Zetto. It was a sight that screamed divine. The light took the shape of wings and seemed to envelop them. People couldn¡¯t see what was happening inside. Within those white wings, a miracle was taking ce. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Bernice couldn¡¯t understand what was happening; her mind couldn¡¯t keep up. Zetto¡¯s hand was fully animated. He grabbed her healing wrist. ¡°Aah¡­¡± Slowly, very slowly, Zetto¡¯s hand warmed up from Bernice¡¯s wrist. Panicking, Bernice stopped pouring out her healing light. Tsk, tsk¡­ The wings that naturally emitted the light dropped, and the light entered Bernice¡¯s body. Suddenly, the eyes of everyone in the funeral home opened wide as a hand emerged from the coffin and grasped the Saint¡¯s wrist. Zetto¡¯s grip became powerful and Bernice¡¯s pupils dted as she felt the power. She couldn¡¯t believe it. Zetto grabbed her wrist and pulled himself up. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± There was silence. Everyone¡¯s eyes were questioning and they were inplete shock at the transcendent sight, far beyondprehension. Someone cried out in a low voice. ¡°¡­A miracle¡­?¡± With that small exmation, the others began toe to terms with what was happening. ¡°¡­A miracle!¡± ¡°Yes, a miracle!!¡± ¡°The saint worked a miracle¡­!¡± Yes, it is. A resurrection,pletely out of ce in a funeral home¡­ A miracle that shouldn¡¯t have happened had happened. The people cheered. They rejoiced that they hadn¡¯t lost him, and they wept in ecstasy that they had witnessed a miracle. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I did that¡­¡± The sudden cheering made Bernice look around, dumbfounded. Bernice knew that it wasn¡¯t her power since she didn¡¯t have some absurd power like resurrection. Yet Zetto was sitting upright in his coffin. She couldn¡¯t ept this since the cause and effect could not be understood. In the end, Bernice gave up trying to understand. After all, Zetto was important. ¡°¡­¡­¡± She stared nkly at Zetto, who sat in the coffin with a stunned look in his eyes. Suddenly, Zetto¡¯s tightly closed eyelids opened. ¡°Zetto¡­?¡± His blue eyes opened. Zetto stared at Bernice but there was no movement in his pupils and his head turned away, as it always did. Then his lips, which seemed like they would never open, did. ¡°Saint¡­?¡± Zetto revived. Chapter 188: Miracles That Shouldn’t Happen (3) Chapter 188: Miracles That Shouldn¡¯t Happen (3) There was a mixture of cheering and crying. It¡¯s no wonder there¡¯s so much excitement now, after such an outrageous miracle as the resurrection of a man from the dead at a funeral. My gaze was fixed on Zetto and I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off him. I couldn¡¯t believe that he was back and he was breathing. Zetto fiddled with the bandages in his hands and was about to wrap them around. ¡°¡­¡± He was struggling with the fact that he only had one arm left. The reanimated Zetto was not fully recovered. As if to prove it, his missing left arm was still missing, and he was trying to bandage his eyes. I couldn¡¯t figure out what had happened. Did I really have the power to raise the dead? For a moment, I wondered as I helped Zetto, who was struggling to keep his head above water, put the bandage over his eyes. I wondered what else was left. Had he lost his memory? Everything was confusing. The moment I walked up to him and tied a knot in the pure white bandage his hand was on my cheek and his lips parted. ¡°You really are the Saint.¡± His sweet voice, his gentle smile, his warmth I thought I¡¯d never hear again. ¡°¡­Mmm.¡± A tear rolled down my cheek and touched Zetto¡¯s finger. I was so happy to see him again, happy to hear him, happy to feel him. ¡°The promise¡­kept¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I nodded my head repeatedly at his echoing question. He wasn¡¯t dead. No, he died, but he came back to keep his promise. ¡°Well, it¡¯s going to be hard to be a porter after this, haha¡­¡± He joked nonchntly. I should beughing. I should be smiling. Instead, my eyes filled with tears. His missing left arm became a nail to my chest. It was a mark, a mark my sins had left on him and a mark I can¡¯t erase. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± It pained me so much that I couldn¡¯t smile. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry¡­for making you go through this¡­¡± I was supposed to beforting him, but instead he wasforting me. Poof. I hugged Zetto as tightly as I could because I didn¡¯t want to let go of him again. Zetto stroked my back as his voice drifted into my ear. ¡°Oh, by the way¡­I¡¯m here after seeing Ms. Heneryes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°She asked me to give you her regards.¡± It¡¯s only then that I¡¯m able to fully embrace this moment, this miracle. There was no falsehood in Zetto¡¯s voice that I had just heard. *** ¡°It¡¯s a miracle¡­!¡± ¡°The Saint has performed a miracle¡­!¡± ¡°To see this with my own eyes¡­¡± The small church where Zetto¡¯s funeral was being held was filled with admiration and excitement. The Saint was hugging Zetto as he rose from the coffin. The dead had indeed risen and Aizel¡¯s eyes were wide, holding Zetto in her gaze. ¡®Zetto¡­He¡¯s alive¡­?¡¯ Emptying herself of everything to let him go, to make it less painful, Aizel couldn¡¯t quite wrap her head around the fact that Zetto had been resurrected. What she had lost, what she had given up, was now back in her hands, and she was confused. The same was true for Yuri and Kaen. They had missed Zetto, but while they had hoped for a ¡°miracle,¡± they hadn¡¯t really expected him to return. Suddenly, a tearful Lucia runs toward Zetto, shouting with joy. ¡°Zetto is alive¡­!¡± Amon, Crank, and the others did the same, but they kept their feet on the ground. There was no need to rush since they could reach him once again. They couldn¡¯t be as purely happy as Lucia, who was running over there. They didn¡¯t yet understand why they couldn¡¯t be happy but soon they would know what it was. It was anxiety and fear. It was something they didn¡¯t want to lose again. Having lost once, having experienced despair, it would only be a matter of time before those feelings were amplified. Meanwhile, the same panic was emanating from the instructors. ¡°Edward, you¡¯re not showing us an illusion, are you¡­?¡± Reina asked, unable to believe her eyes. Edward rubbed his chin then looked to his father, the Academy¡¯s headmaster, Julius. ¡°¡­Was it the headmaster, by any chance?¡± Julius, who hadn¡¯t taken his eyes off Zetto, spoke up. ¡°Cut the crap¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t an illusion. ¡°¡­Stop the funeral right now.¡± It was a miracle, even more than an illusion. *** The funeral was hastily canceled due to Zetto¡¯s sudden resurrection, which can only be described as a miracle. This was only natural, since the one who was to be buried hade back to life. It was a cause for celebration and rejoicing, but as with all things in this world, things don¡¯t work that way. An emergency meeting was called at the Academy in response to the unprecedented resurrection. There was an eerie silence in the room as the officials gathered and they were waiting for someone to exin the situation. Hmm. Soon enough, the door to the conference room opens and the sound of her shoes followed by a slight bow as she enters the room. ¡°I¡¯m Bernice, Saint of Innocence, and this is Ecline, the deputy leader of the Knights of the Silver Wings.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ecline, who had followed Bernice in, bowed quietly. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re here, Saint. I was expecting you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a littlete, as I¡¯ve been in separate contact with the Holy Bureau.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Please take a seat first.¡± With that, St. Bernice took the empty seat and the meeting began. The first thing that came up was the cause of the resurrection and it was up to Bernice to answer. Everyone at the funeral had witnessed as Bernice poured divine power into Zetto¡¯s body and he rose to his feet. Headmaster Julius asked her about it, and after a long pause, Bernice finally spoke. ¡°¡­As far as I know, I don¡¯t have the ability to raise the dead, and we¡¯re still trying to figure out the reason.¡± Bernice looked down at her hands. ¡°Then how on earth did Cadet Zetto¡­¡± ¡°Are you saying it was a miracle¡­?¡± Bernice¡¯s answer sent a chill down the room. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Then, Bernice spoke again and the room fell silent once more. ¡°¡­Cadet Zetto said¡­that he saw the Lord¡­ the Lord.¡± ¡°Lord Heneryes¡­?¡± ¡°In case you are unaware of my powers, I have been granted by the Lord the ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and I have verified Cadet Zetto¡¯s words with my powers¡­ to be true.¡± A dead man came back to life after meeting with God was a pretty big deal. ¡°Hmmm¡­ The Lord is involved¡­ I guess that exins why you contacted the Holy Land and came here.¡± ¡°Yes, since this isn¡¯t just a matter for the Innocence Academy, the Holy Land will also be investigating this phenomenon.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s put the matter of the resurrection to rest for now¡­My next question is, what kind of rtionship did you have with Cadet Zetto?¡± ¡°I know you asked Cadet Zetto to guide you during the open ss, but¡­I wonder if there was something more after that.¡± In any case, with Bernice¡¯s identity out in the open, she had to prove the rtionship between her and Zetto, who were officially supposed to have no connection. Bernice¡¯s demeanor at the funeral made it clear that she had a close rtionship with Zetto. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll tell you the truth.¡± Even Bernice couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t hide it now. That Zetto had been ying demons outside of the academy, and that she was intrigued to learn about it. How she¡¯d wanted to recruit him to be her guardian after the open ss, and so on, and so forth. Of course, she had to hide the existence of Rei, the ¡°Hero¡± sheter discovered. ¡°An honorary knight¡­ Even if he wasn¡¯t officially a recruit¡­¡± As a cadet, he was not supposed to be affiliated with any other faction. Innocence Academy was supposed to remain neutral at all times. ¡°But I can understand your intentions. After all, he was ying demons even before he met the Saint.¡± ¡°In fact, it could be said that this is a fundamental problem with our academy. Isn¡¯t it the cadet¡¯s unauthorized outing that led to this situation?¡± As the room exchanged opinions, Edward, who had been quietly listening, raised his hand and spoke up. ¡°Even if they didn¡¯t have permission, I doubt it would have stopped them, and we weren¡¯t tacitly discouraging cadets from going out anyway. It would be impossible to keep all the young, eager cadets at bay, and¡­¡± Edward trailed off, looking off to one side of the room. ¡°To present a neutral position when something like this happens¡­ We all realize that these are just rules on paper, right? Don¡¯t you, Mr. Chairman?¡± His gaze fell on Hubert Graham, the Academy¡¯s Chairman. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hubert cleared his throat at the sudden mention. Hubert Graham was the patriarch of the Graham family, ostensibly the heir of the Sage who founded the Academy, but in reality, he held the position of Chairman of the Board, the highest position of power within the Academy. Hubert the Sage, a former member of the Hero Party, had taken Hubert¡¯s form. His mouth opened. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think it¡¯s about permission to go out as Instructor Edward said. After all, the true culprit in this situation is a demon who dared to touch an academy cadet on human soil, right?¡± To be fair, there were issues with the Ludwig n, but Hubert didn¡¯t want to bring that up. Still, he wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. After all, it was ostensibly a case of cadets being attacked by demons on human soil. ¡°It¡¯s true that the Academy is not as safe as it used to be due to recent incidents with the Knights of the Golden Lion in the neighboring kingdom of Terracia. Our allies are filling in the holes, but¡­¡± Bernice added to Hubert¡¯sment. ¡°Besides, the day of reckoning is not far off, and the Demon King will be resurrected within the next few decades. That¡¯s why the demons have be so much more active¡­ We must be prepared.¡± ¡°Speaking of preparation, I need to tell you something.¡± Then Edward raised his hand again. ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve all seen the bodies of the demons that fought Cadet Zetto this time.¡± ¡°They were both ck horned but one had¡­¡± ¡°¡­Wings.¡± That¡¯s right, one of the demons sprouted wings. They must have undergone some sort of ¡®evolution¡¯, and they possessed a power far beyond that of normal ck-horned demons. Zetto had defeated one such demon. It was a tiny demon, but considering his age, it was a remarkable achievement. ¡°Cadet Zetto is already out of the norm, and speaking as an instructor in ss A¡­ that¡¯s not the only thing that¡¯s out of the ordinary for a first-year cadet.¡± ¡°Go ahead Instructor Edward.¡± ¡°¡­The Academy is an institution for the growth of cadets, and the current state of the Academy is not conducive to their growth at all¡­they¡¯re stuck in the ¡®A¡¯ ss mold, and it¡¯s not catering to them. If we¡¯re going to make a change, we might as well make a solid one.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± I agreed. ss A was barely big enough to contain the nonconformists but they would need special training like never before. However it would be too long a discussion to have right now, so they decided to focus on organizing the current situation. ¡°As for that long overdue trip to the East¡­What is Cadet Zetto¡¯s status, Medical Officer Prisci?¡± At the mention of Zetto¡¯s condition, Bernice perked up. ¡°¡­He is currently resting in sickbay. We¡¯re expecting quite a bit of chaos, so we¡¯ve closed off ess to all but his sisters. It could be sudden, and we thought everyone needed time toe to terms with it.¡± ¡°So, when can we expect to see him?¡± Bernice couldn¡¯t help but blurt out the question but they didn¡¯t tackle her on and Prisci replied with a bitter smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to meet him as soon as things settle down. Apparently, there are quite a few people who want to meet him, so I¡¯m just keeping them at bay for now.¡± *** ¡°Everything was okay¡­?¡± I questioned, lying in the hospital bed, listening to Geppeti¡¯s exnation of what had happened. Geppeti¡¯s eyes narrowed in response. ¡°Nothing happened, at least not what you expected, Lord Zetto. It was calm like the eye of the storm.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Maybe they¡¯re better at epting death than I thought. ¡®Aizel didn¡¯t really deal with it until the end, but¡­¡¯ Yuri and Kaen were surprising. Soon, Rei slides off the bed. ¡°¡­Is it something you can handle, by the way? I mean, even a cursory inspection wasn¡¯t good, it wasn¡¯t a normal feeling, it was something much different than a friend dying¡­¡± Rei, who was hugging Sheddie in her arms, trailed off. ¡°It¡¯s okay, isn¡¯t it? I feel guilty for not telling them, but¡­I¡¯m alive and well, after all, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll just be a matter of time.¡± ¡°Not exactly unharmed¡­¡± Rei frowns and nces away from my left arm. I¡¯ve discussed the prosthetic with Geppeti and she asked if I needed a weapon or an arm. My answer was obviously a weapon, because bringing back my left arm was something that I thought it was not toote to do after everything was done. Fortunately, she said, he could deal with the pain. ¡®Pain¡­¡¯ Earth¡¯s highly developed medical technology was difficult to understand. Therefore, the prosthetic hand will be prepared as soon as the design is decided. As for the design, I asked for something that could exist in this world, at least outwardly. It should be small enough to cross the ¡®gap¡¯ without too much trouble, so it could be prepared quickly. For me, it was good news. ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡± Turning away, Rei grumbled softly. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to agree with you for once. That¡¯s the problem with Lord Zetto.¡± Geppeti, who had been walking toward the door, added. So did Heneryes, and for some reason I seemed to be hearing a lot of thattely. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll leave you to rest.¡± Geppeti, who had been opening the door, bowed as she said so. ¡°You muste back quickly. I have to hold him to sleep.¡± Rei set Sheddie at my feet and followed Geppeti out the door. The door closed behind them, and the infirmary fell silent. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± It felt like a storm had swept through. Still, it was unavoidable, as death was a far different matter than a brief absence. I¡¯m sure everyone was confused and they must be suffering a lot. I put my thoughts aside and tried to prepare for the ¡®reunion¡¯. I immediately grabbed the sword that was lying next to the bed. The Spectral Sword, my teacher. ¡°¡­Master.¡± I called out to her. ¡°¡­¡± There was no response so I nced at the de. I could feel her, and she didn¡¯t suffer any damage. Nothing else was wrong and in the status window, the word ¡°attributed¡± was still there. In other words, we were still connected. ¡°¡­Sierra¡­?¡± I finally said her name out loud. Mmmm¡­ As if answering my call, she slipped out of my sword in a purple mist. [ ¡­¡­ ] Her violet eyes turn to me on the hospital bed. ¡°Am I a littlete¡­?¡± I shrugged and scratched my head. To me, it was a split second, but in reality, days had passed. Even if she had known of my death, she would have been lonely for days, unable tomunicate with anyone. [ ¡­ ] ¡°¡­¡± After a moment of silence her moist lips, glistening in the moonlight, open. [¡­I don¡¯t mind not being able to talk to you for a while, but¡­] She trailed off and judging by her trembling eyes, she had a lot to say. [¡­I never want to see you fight so desperately again, and to have to stand by and watch you get hurt¡­It hurt. It hurt so much.] Sierra¡¯s voice echoed in my head, and I could hear the sadness in it. I could understand her feelings since I must have been a pretty devastating sight back then. I would have felt helpless to do anything about it but I couldn¡¯t take down Murka without risking death and I thought it was the best oue so I had no regrets about my choice. ¡°I¡¯ll be stronger, so I won¡¯t get hurt.¡± I smiled and replied. [ ¡­¡­ ] Sierra squeezes her eyes shut. [Why is it that people don¡¯t seem to change after dying anding back to life once, my apprentice¡­?] Her eyelids lift, and she smiles faintly, then slowly walks towards me with her arms wide open. -Po-ok. She hugged me tightly and I could feel warmth radiating from her. [It must have hurt you even more than it hurt me.] Sierra¡¯s soothing voice stroked my hair. ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay.¡± I blurted out reflexively. [It must have been harder for you than it was for me.] ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay¡­¡± [¡­If it hurts, say it hurts, if it¡¯s hard, say it¡¯s hard. I am your teacher, and I can tolerate a certain amount of foolishness from my students¡­] Sierra¡¯s reverberating voice cut off my reply. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It hurt. It was painful but I couldn¡¯t give up. [The world may not understand your pain, but I will, and I will remember¡­so don¡¯t worry about it.] I couldn¡¯t show it since I didn¡¯t want to upset her. [Thank you for holding it together.] For some reason, tears came to my eyes. They must havee from the pain of Sierra¡¯s palm on my back. Chapter 189: Incompetent Regressor Chapter 189: Ipetent Regressor My eyes fluttered open and I still couldn¡¯t fall asleep. By now, sunlight was peeking through the cracks in the window, and the rain that seemed to never end had finally stopped. I closed my eyes again but even now, when I close my eyes, I can still see Zetto¡¯s blue eyes. This was the second time I had seen his eyes. The difference was that the first time was when he was dying in my arms, and this time was when he was starting to breathe again in someone else¡¯s arms. It was a huge difference. I steadied my breathing and pushed myself upright then gulped down water so cold it burned my throat. It wasn¡¯t a dream, nor was it an illusion. Zetto was alive. What had been lost had returned. I can¡¯t clearly see why but the only thing that matters is that it wasn¡¯t my doing. Maybe that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t be happy. Because I wasn¡¯t the one who brought him back? Because I was the one who should have brought him back, the one who should have protected him, and I didn¡¯t? That¡¯s not it. There¡¯s no reason to feel bad for someone who¡¯s dead, someone you love, when theye back to life for all the same reasons. So what is this feeling I¡¯m feeling in the back of my mind? Just as I started to think about it, the mirror on the other side caught my eye. ¡°Ah¡­¡± I saw a familiar face in the mirror. It¡¯s the same as it was then. It was the look of someone who didn¡¯t want to lose. It was a memory that only I had and a connection that only I remembered so I had to endure it. Any more than that, and I¡¯d get him in trouble. It certainly was at the time but then I lost him again, even though I got him back. Then a miraculous stroke of good fortune came my way and I was given another chance. It was different than before. Now Zetto had memories, the memories of our time together so there was no fear of revealing it. I just wondered. Did I deserve to be with him? I failed twice and my ipetence, and guilt were weighing me down. They were all ugly thoughts. Throwing myself heavily onto my bed, I turned my head and stared out the window, not at the nk ceiling. The sunshine that followed, the peaceful mornings that followed, the fresh air afterward. Zetto gave me hope, the hope of tomorrow. But what was I thinking, sitting there? I was such a pathetic regressor. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± I¡¯m not really a regressor anymore. I don¡¯t know what the future holds anymore, but the important thing is that I can walk through that uncertain future with him. The future with him that I had hoped and prayed for would unfold. It was like a miracle. I jumped out of bed at the thought and I couldn¡¯t wait any longer. I wanted to meet Zetto. I wanted to see him. *** ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Prisci, the Academy¡¯s medic, who had been checking my condition, cleared her throat. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°¡­Many things.¡± Turning her attention to the report in her hand, Prisci scratched her head and continued. ¡°The trauma to your abdomen has disappeared without a trace, and your left arm doesn¡¯t feel like a repairable wound at all¡­ It¡¯s literally gone. The same goes for your eyes¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You were brought back to life, but it felt like they just let you breathe again.¡± I regenerated enough to live again so Prisci¡¯s reasoning was correct. ¡°¡­I¡¯m happy, because where else can I breathe and have a voice like this?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re right, I suppose I should call it a miracle, but¡­¡± Prisci trailed off as she looked at me with a smirk. ¡°¡­There¡¯s no guarantee that a miracle will happen twice, that¡¯s why I call it a miracle, and anyway, you died once, and you know what that means, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have any intention of doing that. Ha¡­ You insisted¡­¡± Prisci stole a nce at my smile, then sighed heavily. ¡°All well and good, but I¡¯m having a hard enough time with no one else in the club.¡± For some reason, Prisci¡¯s intive tone was endearing. On the one hand, I realized that maybe this distance was a good thing. It was a little scary to think that if I¡¯d had a deeper connection with Prisci than I did now, I might not be in the infirmary, but in a small room with no light. ¡°Anyway, you should probably stay put and not try to move around for the time being¡­ I heard that this incident has caused a stir in the Holy Land, right?¡± ¡°Haha¡­No wonder.¡± Miraculously, a dead man hade back to life. What¡¯s more, the Saint was present, and the revived man imed to have seen the Lord, so there was bound to be an uproar. ¡°You¡­ Do you know what they¡¯re calling you now?¡± ¡°What are they calling me? Hmm¡­ Ghoul¡­¡± ¡°¡­Ha.¡± Prisci stood up from her seat and looked down at me with wide eyes. ¡°¡­Just kidding.¡± It was a self-deprecating joke I threw out to lighten the mood, but the reaction was quite cold. She turns her head and spits out thest word. ¡°The one who returned from paradise.¡± ¡°Paradise¡­¡± I wonder if she means heaven. ¡°So, out of curiosity, what was paradise like?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if it was paradise.¡± It certainly wasn¡¯t paradise. It was more like a spiritual world. But there was no reason to deny people¡¯s beliefs. After all, my resurrection was supposed to be a ¡°miracle¡± involving a saint and a god. After such a meaningful conversation, Prisci left the infirmary but I hurriedly called her back. ¡°Ah, Doctor Prisci.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°When can I expect to see the others?¡± ¡°Well¡­ there¡¯s no major physical problems, no memory problems¡­your mental state is good¡­ I suppose you could start today, if that¡¯s what you want, since I¡¯m sure there are plenty of people waiting for you.¡± Smacking her lips, Prisci nced at the report she was holding. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t I call your friends instead?¡± Prisci said, opening the door. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary.¡± They were already here. A tinum-haired girl stood in the open doorway. Prisci¡¯s eyes caught her reflection. ¡°Aizel¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Without saying a word, Aizel stood in the doorway, staring at me. ¡°Come on in. We have a lot to talk about, don¡¯t we?¡± Prisci slipped through Aizel¡¯s side and patted her on the back. ¡°I¡¯ll keep the others updated.¡± The sound of Prisci¡¯s voice followed Aizel back into the infirmary and the door closed behind her. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was silence after that as Aizel was still on her feet. *** Jet-ck hair, pure white bandages and he smiles at me. There was no change in that smile. It was the same gentle smile I had seen all along. It was Zetto. He came to life before my eyes. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say. I was going to ask him a question. There must have been so much to talk about, but my mouth was mped shut and wouldn¡¯t open. As soon as my eyes caught sight of him, my head instantly went white. ¡°¡­Ms. Aizel?¡± Zetto tilted his head at the silence. Up close, I could feel that he was alive again and I was happy. Nothing else entered my mind. I just tried to remember this moment, this smile of Zetto¡¯s that was right in front of me. A little closer. Just one more step. I want to feel his breath. Before I knew it, I was right in front of his nose. I clutched his hand tightly and I didn¡¯t want to let go again. ¡°You know what? You know, you don¡¯t have to be scared¡­ you don¡¯t have to struggle¡­ you don¡¯t have to¡­ I¡¯m so d¡­¡± ¡°¡­I was.¡± ¡°But the truth is¡­¡± I spoke with a sincerity I hadn¡¯t realized I had. I had a lot of questions to ask, but this was the first. ¡°Losing Zetto was¡­ was my biggest fear¡­¡± The world without Zetto was pitch ck. It scared me so much that I couldn¡¯t walk forward. I was afraid and it was hard to take a step. ¡°The hardest part was letting you go¡­¡± Having to let go of his hand and never seeing his smile again was bitterer than any pain and more agonizing than any torture. My vision blurred as a tear rolled down the back of his hand. ¡°¡­Miss Aizel, are you crying¡­?¡± I look up at his question. It¡¯s the same as before. Zetto¡¯s voice, which I thought was just a delusion. I wonder if it was my delusion that I heard then, and not an illusion. I wiped the tears from my eyes and opened my mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Zetto¡­ I said I wouldn¡¯t cry¡­¡± I told him I won¡¯t cry but I couldn¡¯t stop the tears from falling. The words he spoke were the same as when I had watched the ocean with him before but the words that followed were different. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll just have to smile a lot more in the future¡­so¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­I think it¡¯s okay to cry right now.¡± I suddenly understood. When he told me not to cry, I thought he was going to leave me forever. I had to give up on him so I shouldn¡¯t cry, I thought. I wanted tough and send him away, just as he had done with me but Zetto came back to my side once again. He had miraculouslye back to life and was smiling at me. Now there was nothing to be afraid of, nothing to be scared of. There would be nothing butughter. There will only be happy moments. So now I can cry my heart out. I can let it out. Suddenly¡­I understood. ¡°¡­Because, after all, Ms. Aizel is beautiful when she cries.¡± ¡°Pfft, that¡¯s not¡­Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± ¡°Uh, you¡¯re even prettier when youugh after crying.¡± Zetto¡¯s cheeky voice. ¡°Really¡­?¡± I managed to smile widely but I couldn¡¯t have asked for a happier smile. It was just a joke, a silly joke from a blind man¡­Maybe it was my mood, but it didn¡¯t sound like a joke. Gone is the ipetent regressor stuck in the past and in her ce was Aizel Ludwig, someone who could look forward to tomorrow with a smile on her face. Chapter 190: I don’t want to lose Chapter 190: I don¡¯t want to lose Aizel¡¯s one-sided questioning continued after she regained herposure. How did I manage to slip through the Demonic Rift so quickly, how and when did I realize she was a regressor, and so on, all of which were difficult questions to answer. Most of all, the question of what happened to the curse was one that I was deeply troubled by and eventually she came to the conclusion that it was the tears of the dead. Of course, I couldn¡¯t just say, ¡°You must be mistaken.¡± I struggled to exin myself, but my vague answer didn¡¯t stop her from pursuing me. She just wrapped her arms around my waist and conveyed that she didn¡¯t want to let go anymore. For the moment, it felt good and so Aizel continued to talk in my arms. ¡°¡­I asked him if it was the first time we met, and do you know what he said?¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He said, ¡®It¡¯s an entrance ceremony, it¡¯s natural for everyone to be new¡­ Hmph¡­ Well, Iughed because he wasn¡¯t wrong¡­ Zetto came to me like that, like a meteor that suddenly fell from the sky¡­ This is where we saw the fireworksst time, remember?¡± ¡°I remember. You said it was your favorite ce.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been there, because it¡¯s kind of lonely to go alone.¡± ¡°Well, maybe we should go together next time. It¡¯s quieter there, which is nice for me.¡± ¡°Together¡­ Just the two of us, likest time?¡± I nodded at her question. ¡°¡­Yeah, okay.¡± Aizel was telling me a story. As if I should remember. As if she wanted me to remember. ¡°Again¡­ again¡­ again¡­¡± Memories from the previous installment that I don¡¯t remember. ¡°¡­Zetto said he liked the scent of the Orbison back then, too, and I thought that was really interesting¡­It made me realize that you hadn¡¯t changed, that you were still Zetto.¡± I listened quietly and filed away the memories as she recounted them. It seems like a lot has happened. Maybe I was a little closer to Aizel than I was in this episode and her behavior was different this time, probably because she didn¡¯t feel the same wayst time. When she stopped crying, her voice conveyed a sense of loneliness. It¡¯s no wonder she walked a lonely path, not understood by anyone in the world. I could only hope that by sharing her memories with me, her loneliness and emptiness would be alleviated. ¡°¡­It happened.¡± Aizel¡¯s lips close. ¡°You won¡¯t tell me more?¡± Aizel shook her head, as if there was still much left to tell. ¡°Well, there¡¯s a lot I¡¯d like to tell you, but it¡¯s too much, and today¡¯s not enough, and there¡¯s plenty of time toe¡­I¡¯ll make better memories with Zetto¡­ It¡¯s enough for now.¡± ¡°Good enough¡­ I see.¡± I responded with a smile. No longer a regressor, Aizel had time to make memories, and there was tomorrow. ¡°Are you still going to attend the Academy?¡± ¡°Yes. I have work to do.¡± ¡°And what is it that Zetto needs to do¡­?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± Happy ending. I vaguely hoped for that. But as I listened to Heneryes talk about this and that, I thought more about it. After all, just like in the game, graduating from the Academy isn¡¯t the end of the story. I wondered if I could reach a happy ending if I broke the ¡®chains¡¯. I¡¯m not sure yet. After a brief silence, the door to the infirmary opens. Squeak. I see familiar faces. Amon, Lucia, Crank, and even Orphele, who was quiet and didn¡¯t talk much. ¡°¡­I guess I¡¯m done here.¡± Aizel made a point of leaving since she didn¡¯t want to interrupt the others¡¯ reunion. Aizel didn¡¯t seem impatient, that was a nice change. Part of me wanted to make her smile more, as sad as she was, as lonely as she was. I was chatting with Amon and the others, who had been looking at me wistfully ever since. ¡°¡­How is it that you canugh as usual?¡± ¡°Haha, didn¡¯t a miracle happen, I have to smile because it¡¯s a good thing.¡± ¡°Mr. Zetto¡­! You¡¯re still going to attend the academy, right? Without Mr. Zetto, our A ss would be¡­ ss A is¡­.¡± Lucia¡¯s sobbing voice drew everyone¡¯s attention to my left arm. Even though I was miraculously resurrected, I couldn¡¯t shout that everything was fine and they were worried in their own way. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll still be attending the academy.¡± ¡°Are you going to get a prosthetic hand?¡± ¡°¡­Well, I¡¯ll have to.¡± ¡°If you run out of money, let me know. House Caligus will assist you. The Lord of the House has a favorable impression of you, so it shouldn¡¯t be too much trouble.¡± ¡°I, my Windless¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Orphele quietly ced a hand on my shoulder. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ yeah, do you have any bread you¡¯d like to eat?¡± Crank, who was looking around and scanning the atmosphere, spat out those words. ¡°Haha¡­ Thank you all, but I¡¯ll take that as a gesture. Ah, I¡¯d like some bread, I¡¯ll be sure to share it with you next time, Crank.¡± ¡°Uh, uh¡­! I¡¯ll make sure to have only your favorite breads¡­¡± ¡°Phew.¡± Lucia burst outughing at Crank¡¯s shaky response. The sudden mention of bread broke the frozen atmosphere. I realized that it was better tough than to be serious. We continued to make small talk. ¡°So, what about the others¡­¡± I trailed off. ¡°Maybe soon¡­¡± Just as Amon was about to say that I heard urgent running down the hallway, she reaches the door, which is now wide open, and shouts. ¡°Zetto¡­!¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re just in time.¡± Amon shrugged. His eyes caught sight of her finely braided red hair and the red flower in her eyes was about to burst into me once more. *** It had been a long time since I had slept so deeply. I had met Zetto in my dreams. He hade back to life like a lie, breathing calmly, and was hugging the Saint. Well, after opening my eyes and seeing my father¡¯s worried face, I quickly realized it wasn¡¯t a dream. I had fallen unconscious after the funeral due to the shock That¡¯s what my father said. Fortunately, not much time passed. ¡°Ha¡­ Ha¡­¡± I was running down the hall and I didn¡¯t look back when I heard that I was going to meet Zetto. Now I was at the end of it. ¡°Zetto¡­!¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re just in time.¡± There was already a guest and her gaze was fixed on him. ¡®Zetto¡¯s alive.¡¯ She let out a ragged breath and looked at him. It was an outrageous miracle, the stuff of storybooks. Soon, those who hade to him first left the infirmary. As the door ms shut behind them, I suddenly remember my father¡¯s words to me before I came here. ¡®This time, don¡¯t miss it.¡¯ It was a miraculous second chance. A chance to keep him. A chance not to lose him. A chance to undo a wrong. A chance I thought would never be given to me again. I dove straight for Zetto. I hugged him tightly, not wanting to lose him, not wanting to miss my chance. ¡°¡­Zetto¡­¡± His warmth was warmer than the morning sun and hotter than any me enveloped me.. ¡°I said I¡¯d be back.¡± Zetto¡¯s voice whispers in my ear, the voice I¡¯ve wanted to hear for so long and tears threatened to burst from my eyes. At the same time, I felt a sense of emptiness. I groped for Zetto¡¯s body. There was nothing there. Suddenly, I lifted my head. ¡°Zetto¡­your arm¡­¡± In my frenzy, I didn¡¯t realize it. Zetto had kept his promise, but he hadn¡¯te back whole. As if to prove it, there were still bandages around his eyes, and the sleeve of his left arm was empty. ¡°Haha¡­I guess I couldn¡¯te back all the way.¡± Zetto shed me a nonchnt smile. He¡¯s trying to look like he¡¯s fine since he didn¡¯t want to worry me. ¡°¡­Well.¡± Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized that I knew a little bit about him now. ¡°¡­Hmph¡­¡± But I couldn¡¯tprehend the pain he must have endured, the anguish, and so the tears fell. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I scared you, Ms. Yuri.¡± ¡°¡­Not at all. You didn¡¯t have to. Zetto shouldn¡¯t be sorry. Just the fact that he survived¡­¡± Just that I was given a second chance. Just that I can hold your hand right now. ¡°That alone should be enough¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve been so hard on you¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± It pained me to think that I would never be able to take back myst words to him. He had always meant the world to me, and I couldn¡¯t ept that I had ended it on the worst possible note. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to be cold¡­¡± Zetto grabs my hand and brings it to his cheek. ¡°¡­You¡¯re so warm.¡± Everything melts away at the sound of his sweet voice. My blurred vision, my frozen mind, everything¡­ melted away. ¡°I know where you¡¯reing from.¡± ¡°I¡­I got angry at Aizel.. She didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I med her¡­¡± I cried like a child who had done something wrong. In his arms, I felt like a fool and told him everything. ¡°It must have been hard for you.¡± Zetto stroked my hair and continued. ¡°But it wouldn¡¯t have been any different if it had been Ms. Yuri instead of Ms. Aizel.¡± Even through my sobs, Zetto¡¯s voice was so clear that I could hear his sincerity. ¡°I would have saved Yuri, no questions asked, no hesitation.¡± I wondered if Zetto would have made that choice if I had been in Aizel¡¯s ce. I wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°It¡¯s just that this time it was Ms. Aizel.¡± Zetto consoled me, as if he could see right through me. ¡°That¡¯s what Ms. Yuri is to me.¡± The tears that rolled down my cheeks were either tears of sadness or tears of joy, I couldn¡¯t tell. The tears flowed like rain through her memories, never stopping. Zetto was still gentle and kind. His embrace was cozy andforting, and I didn¡¯t want to escape. ¡°That¡¯s what Zetto is to me, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ Strong enough to protect you, strong enough that you don¡¯t have toe to my rescue¡­ Strong enough¡­¡± She wanted to be strong enough to protect this moment, this future with him. ¡°I won¡¯t let Zetto put me through this again¡­¡± The momentary loss was so painful but her determination burned stronger. Zetto, who had been stroking my hair, replied. ¡°¡­Then I guess I¡¯ll just have to wait patiently.¡± ¡°Yes, Zetto, wait patiently.¡± ¡°Do you have toe to my rescue?¡± The corner of Zetto¡¯s mouth twitched upward. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Even with that answer¡­ I was well aware that Zetto was far from the word ¡®docile¡¯. So it was only a matter of being strong enough to catch him at any moment, even if he had to leave my arms. I never wanted to lose that innocent smile etched into my focus again. Chapter 191: This is Not Enough Chapter 191: This is Not Enough What you¡¯ve gained after a loss. How people feel. I regret that I didn¡¯t tell them, so I want to tell them now, and I strengthen my resolve because I don¡¯t want to lose them again. They realize how precious it is again and repeat it. However, there are some people who look at other people¡¯s reactions,pare themselves, and lose their center. Which one am I? It¡¯ste, and the bluish moonlight illuminates a corner of the infirmary. ¡°How long will you stay there?¡± Zetto asked. ¡°Miss Kaen.¡± I peeked out of the window, unable to enter the room. There was no escaping Zetto¡¯s senses. I hadn¡¯t made a single breath, but he¡¯d been aware of my presence long before. ¡°How long have you known?¡± ¡°Well, Ms. Kaen¡¯s bodynguage can mean a lot of things, so it¡¯s easy to recognize.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going toe in?¡± ¡°I¡¯mfortable here.¡± This is my ce, I thought. A lot of thoughts went through my head as I processed my feelings and the reactions of others. No tears came to my eyes. It wasn¡¯t anything to be sad about because he was alive again, breathing again, even if for the most ridiculous of miraculous reasons. I was satisfied that he was alive. I couldn¡¯t help but cry in his arms as I thanked him for bringing me back to normal and told me he was sorry. But it also felt foreign. It was strange that I couldn¡¯t cry normally. I wondered if I was emotionless. Was I too calcting? Maybe the bond I¡¯d built with him was shallow. Whatever the reason, I knew one thing for sure: I had been left behind. So I figured my ce was here. Not next to him. Not by his side. Just enough to spy on him from a distance. That was good enough for me. I hadn¡¯t even tried to approach him but now I realize that I should have known better. I would never be able to rece the people who had bonded with him before me, the people who had created stories. It was a conclusion I reached after cold, hard calctions. This was not a defeat, it was my victory. In any case, he¡¯s back, and I can stand here again so I have noints. ¡°¡­By the way, wasn¡¯t the infirmary on the second floor?¡± ¡°I can stand if I step on a gap in the wall.¡± Then I hear the rustling of the nkets on Zetto¡¯s bed. His feet touched the ground and he wasing toward me. Soon, Zetto is standing with his hands on the window sill, and he opens his mouth. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re going to be ufortable.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s not ufortable.¡± Zetto, who had been scratching his head at my answer, suddenly stood on the window sill. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous¡­!¡± Undeterred by my shouts, Zetto ended up sitting on the window sill with his legs dangling out the window and pushed the less open window aside. Then he made a spot next to himself and patted it. As if to say sit down. As if that was my ce. As he tapped on the window sill, Zetto was clearly saying. ¡°I should be resting¡­¡± I sat down next to him without thinking as his unspoken pressure was irresistible. ¡°What do you think? This is much morefortable, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Much more like a colleague.¡± ¡°Colleagues¡­¡± I hadn¡¯t really felt like a Colleaguetely, since nothing had happened. The window sill was a little cramped and I was pressed up against him. I wondered if it was because of the distance that had narrowed in an instant. Without realizing it, things that I hadn¡¯t been able to talk about wereing out of my mouth. ¡°¡­I thought I knew Cadet Zetto well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I knew secrets that others didn¡¯t, and I knew how much stronger Cadet Zetto was than he appeared to be, but¡­¡± I was shocked. The news of his death had stunned me. ¡°¡­I really didn¡¯t expect this news. This was only the second time since I took up the sword that I lost myposure. The first time I lost myposure¡­¡± ¡°When was the first time?¡± ¡°When I lost to Cadet Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­Ah.¡± ¡°And then to be miraculously revived¡­I guess that¡¯s the third time, if you want to count it. Cadet Zetto really is incalcble.¡± ¡°Do you need to calcte?¡± ¡°¡­Because that¡¯s how I¡¯ve always lived my life. I know it sounds arrogant, but I¡¯ve always thought I could make the world go my way.¡± Driven by desire, I sought stimtion, I wanted it, and I created it. I calcted, judged, bent people to my will, and elicited the responses I wanted. But Zetto was different. He was unexpected and unpredictable. I was not in control and that made me even more interested in him. I wanted to understand him. I wanted to know him. I wanted to take him. I wanted to covet him. In this harsh world where force is all that matters, I had met the absolute strongest man in the world, a man named Sword Saint, and had grown up with an absurd amount of force from a young age. ¡°Unlike Cadet Zetto.¡± I grew up with no shortage, nock. Aside from my grandfather¡¯s grueling training, I never experienced adversity or hardship. And so life became simple and monotonous. ¡°I heard that you¡¯re not leaving the academy. You¡¯ve already died and been brought back to life once, and you¡¯ve lost an arm. A normal person would have retired sooner rather thanter.¡± I didn¡¯t have the same goal of continuing my cause so I had no reason to step forward. It wasn¡¯t so much that it was wrong as it was that it was different. I could clearly see the difference between right and wrong, but it was still very different. Zetto raised his head, as if to gaze into the night sky, and his mouth opened. ¡°Is it bad to live simply?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Is it bad to be driven by desire?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m any different than Ms. Kaen, I¡¯m just moving forward for my own desires.¡± ¡°¡­What is Cadet Zetto¡¯s desire?¡± What is his desire that allows him to move forward despite being so worn and tattered? ¡°To make everyone around me happy. That¡¯s my desire, that¡¯s my need¡­That¡¯s what drives me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zetto turns to me and smiles. ¡°And Ms. Kaen, of course, is included in that ¡®everyone¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­To?¡± I blurt out, a strange outburst from the suddenness of it all. It sounded like something I¡¯d heard before, and yet it tickled my fancy. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad to live simply, to follow your desires, as long as you¡¯re happy.¡± Zetto holds up his hand to me. ¡°And this¡­you left it behind. I recognized it because it was a touch I remembered. This ring belongs to Ms. Kaen, right?¡± On the ring finger of Zetto¡¯s right hand is the ring I had given him in his honor. It was also the ring he had given me before. Well, it was a ring that didn¡¯t mean much, just a reward for killing a blood mage. ¡°Uhm¡­Can you help me with this?¡± He didn¡¯t need it now that he was back so he was struggling to pull the ring off, now that he only had one hand left. I swallowed my bitterness at the sight and helped him remove the ring. ¡°Haha, I¡¯m not used to it yet¡­Thanks.¡± With that, the ring was out of Zetto¡¯s hand, and his hand that was holding it went to my left hand. ¡°I¡¯ll give it back to you, it¡¯s Miss Kaen¡¯s ring.¡± ¡°So, I think you¡¯ve got the wrong finger¡­¡± But the ring was on the ring finger of my left hand. Rings have different meanings depending on the finger they are worn on. Among them, the ring on the ring finger of the left hand¡­ This was significant, to say the least. Zetto tilted his head at my bewildered words. ¡°Is something wrong? I can¡¯t see anything, so I don¡¯t know.¡± Zetto smiled, a wry, knowing smile. There was no way he didn¡¯t know. There was no mistaking it. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I looked down at the ring. It wasn¡¯t encrusted with expensive gems, but I couldn¡¯t think of anything more valuable, anything more precious to me. Then Zetto¡¯s voice rang in my ears. ¡°Is Miss Kaen happy now?¡± ¡°¡­I think so.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure either.¡± ¡°Then how do you think Ms. Kaen, who has lived a simple life, can be happy? What desires make you happy?¡± In the middle of this conversation, I suddenly remembered what I had heard from Kaliman. ¡®Have you told him how you feel¡­?¡¯ I did but it wasn¡¯t the same. The Zetto in front of me now was breathing, the sign of a living, breathing person. ¡°¡­¡± He waited for my answer. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Desire¡­¡± I wondered what my desire was. What is my true desire, outside of reality, outside the realm of calction? What could I do to be happier? At that moment, I see Zetto¡¯s moist lips on mine. Even in moments like this, my desires are so simple and honest. The corners of my mouth twitched upward as I realized how trivial and funny it was. I told him my true feelings. I told him what I hadn¡¯t been able to tell him. ¡°To kiss Cadet Zetto¡­ that¡¯s a desire.¡± I was greedy. Of course, it¡¯s just a very personal desire, so even if it¡¯s not epted, just by telling him my heart¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Without another word, Zetto leaned in and kissed me. ¡°Are you¡­ happy?¡± Zetto asked. ¡°No¡­¡± I was so happy, I felt like I could hardly breathe. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not enough.¡± I kissed him again. The kiss was long and deep as if the world had stopped. Chapter 192: A True Confession Chapter 192: A True Confession Quite a few people came to see how Zetto was doing. From the instructors at the academy, to the headmaster, Juliut, to the board of trustees, Hubert, and the city¡¯s residents, such as the Herald, Rombo and Ram. Even Magredo the elementalist, whom he hadn¡¯t seen in a very long time. Chris, the Sword Saint, whoughed at Zetto¡¯s refusal to let go of his sword and pped him on the back. Anthony and his daughter, Emilia, who was thankful for the miracle. And even Deidros, who hadn¡¯te to the funeral because he couldn¡¯t contain hisughter. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve done some pretty reckless things, mortal. No¡­should I call you immortal now?¡± Deidros joked as he crossed his arms and looked at Zetto. ¡°Haha, whatever I was, I¡¯m not anymore.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use all of its power? You could have gotten your arm back, your lost sight, everything¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­ I guess I had no choice, but I have no regrets.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Deidros cleared his throat and turned away. ¡°By the way, is it true that you¡¯ve met the Lord? From what I hear, you¡¯re being hailed as ¡®The One who Returned from Paradise¡¯¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. I didn¡¯t expect that either.¡± Zetto nodded in affirmation. ¡°¡­I wonder how you, who doesn¡¯t have an ounce of divine power, managed to meet Heneryes¡­it¡¯s a strange thing.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she told me to break the ¡®shackles.''¡± Zetto shrugged, letting the words slip out without much thought. ¡°Shackles¡­?¡± But Deidros couldn¡¯t let that one slide so easily. He had another point to make. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Deidros¡¯ eyes narrowed as he stared at Zetto. Thest guest arrives in the infirmary. ¡°¡­You must be the Saint.¡± Recognizing her face at the door, Deidros rose from his seat and bowed respectfully. It was Bernice, the Saint of Innocence, who hade to visit Zetto. Unlike the funeral, this was an official visit, and Bernice wore her trademark snow-white dress. Surrounding her were several knights in silver armor. ¡°You have a visitor, was it¡­Thomas?¡± Bernice said, remembering Deidros¡¯ face. ¡°Yes, I am honored that you remember.¡± ¡°You must have been in the middle of a conversation.¡± ¡°No, we¡¯ve just finished our conversation and I was about to head outside, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, then.¡± Deidros brushes past the saint and excuses himself. For the time being, his question was interrupted, but it was not a matter of great urgency. ¡°The blessings of Heneryes upon your future.¡± Bernice blessed Deidros lightly, who willingly gave way, before turning her attention to Zetto. ¡°I¡¯d like to speak with him in private, if that¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll stay outside for a while.¡± Temr Ines replied. A momentter, Bernice entered the infirmary, shutting the door quietly behind her, and slowly approached Zetto. ¡°Saint¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve missed you, Zetto.¡± *** ¡°Are you feeling well¡­?¡± ¡°The medic says there¡¯s nothing wrong.¡± Zetto, lying in the hospital bed, was smiling. s, I missed that smile. I was happy. It was like I had regained the happiness that had been stolen from me. Nevertheless, I couldn¡¯t help the bad taste in my mouth. ¡°It would have been better if you¡¯de back to me with your body intact¡­¡± His arm did not return. Neither did his distant eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± There was no falsehood in his voice as he tried to smile. He had noints and was speaking the truth. ¡°¡­I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± Just as he had lost the light of the world before, once again, he simply epted it in silence. He should have been grateful to be revived, but the human heart is so deceitful and ugly that it wants more. ¡°I am grateful. Thanks to the saint¡­¡± Zetto smiled and thanked me. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have the power to bring people back to life, it¡¯s all a miracle from the Lord.¡± I told him the truth since I thought he should know. Still, Zetto shook his head. ¡°No. If the Saint hadn¡¯t been there, there wouldn¡¯t have been a ¡®miracle,¡¯ I¡¯m sure¡­.¡± The corners of my mouth twitched at the warm truth he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m so¡­ I¡¯m d.¡± As I watched his gentle smile, I finally understood what the Lord meant. Lord Heneryes had prepared this path for me. Now that I had lost him I could see how much he meant to me. The world was dark without him. I wanted to be a beacon of light in his world, but I wasn¡¯t. Instead he was the light of my world. ¡°¡­Zetto.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening, Saint.¡± ¡°There is something I must tell you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­You mean about peopleing to visit from the Holy Land? I¡¯ve already heard about that.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not here for business. Today¡¯s visit is strictly personal.¡± ¡°Personal¡­?¡± ¡°No, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not speaking to my knight as a saint.¡± I wanted to tell him before it was toote. ¡°For now, will you call me by¡­name¡­?¡± I had to tell him my ¡®real¡¯ name, the ¡®truth¡¯ I had been hiding. ¡°¡­Bernice.¡± His voice was a little shaky from the unfamiliarity but it was enough for now. ¡°Zetto, you¡­¡­ you¡­¡± My lips didn¡¯t quite form the words I was about to spit out, even though they weren¡¯t false. My face burned but it was a natural reaction as a woman not as the Saint. It took courage but I finally said it. ¡°¡­I like you.¡± I managed to get it out. ¡°I am very¡­ I like you very much¡­¡± With those words, I hung my head low since I couldn¡¯t bring myself to face him. ¡­I had confessed. My heart was racing and the heat in my face showed no sign of abating. Any moment now, I would hear an answer. I hesitated, wondering if I should cover my ears. Even though I had already checked his mind before, I was afraid of hearing an unwanted answer. The wait was short, no more than a few seconds but it felt like an eternity, so I finally gave in and spoke again. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sure you¡¯re surprised, all of a sudden¡­¡± ¡°Surprised¡­ I mean, it was kind of surprising, but¡­¡± I narrowed my eyes. I wondered if I should have waited a little longer to tell him. Maybe it was too one-sided. All sorts of regrets shed through my mind. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t hate it.¡± I opened my eyes at the sound of his voice and Zetto was smiling broadly. ¡°I like Bernice very much, too.¡± ¡°¡­Really, is that true?¡± I asked impatiently and Zetto smiled back. ¡°You can confirm it with your powers, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I like you, Bernice.¡± And then his confession rang in my ears once more. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I mped my mouth shut. I already knew it was true. I just couldn¡¯t believe it, and I was unbelievably happy¡­ I just wanted to hear it one more time. *** ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s going pretty well.¡± ¡°¡­Do you really think so?¡± ¡°Just trust me.¡± Zetto took another bite of fruit and muttered something. Rei and Geppeti visited Zetto at the hospital. Rei had been asleep for some time now, lying on the bed cuddling Sheddie, while Geppeti and Zetto had climbed to the roof of the building to discuss the current situation in detail. ¡°¡­What was Lady Sierra¡¯s reaction?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t say much, although the atmosphere was a bit scary¡­¡± ¡°¡­I guess you could say she¡¯s fine.¡± Geppeti let out a long sigh as she said that. The only reason Sierra was able to stay still right now was because she had a tolerance I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine. It had to be partly because she could see firsthand how much the others cared for me in this situation. Sierra can¡¯t do much about it, but even so, I wonder if she¡¯s gone too far off the rails with the others. I had expected some of this, but even so, I wondered if I had gotten ahead of myself. Geppeti was worried about that. ¡°You couldn¡¯t help it, they were all so upset so you had to make them happy¡­¡± Zetto sighs, and Geppeti tries to tell him that, but that only makes it worse. Eventually, Geppeti opened his mouth to exin. ¡°Lord Zetto¡­it¡¯s good to pursue your happiness, but do you have any idea of the emotions that will follow your happiness?¡± ¡°Well¡­Isn¡¯t it good to be happy?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Geppeti shook her head. She did know. Perhaps even more so because it was the first emotion she felt. ¡°¡­The happier they are, the more ¡®uneasy¡¯ they¡¯ll feel, because they¡¯ve already lost¡­ They¡¯ve already lost once¡­ The reason they¡¯re happy, the thing that made them happy, is you, Zetto¡­ You¡¯ve already died once¡­¡± Zetto lets out an ¡°Ah¡­¡± as if he understands Geppeti¡¯s exnation. ¡°It¡¯s just that they¡¯re happy, that¡¯s the problem¡­ right now, they look peaceful, like nothing¡¯s going to happen¡­ but¡­But sooner orter, they¡¯ll realize.¡± The current calm foreshadowed the storm that was toe and soon their love would turn sour. Soon, their love would be transformed into an emotion called ¡°obsession,¡± a mixture of anxiety and jealousy. ~End of Part 1~ TLN: Thank you everyone for your support. Chapter 193: Part 2 – Prologue Chapter 193: Part 2 ¨C Prologue As I passed through the dark passageway, I hummed a tune. For my happiness, my joy, was behind these iron gates. -Squeak. A shiver ran down my spine as I pushed the door open. Then I saw a head in the snow, dark hair hanging down, a white bandage like a symbol. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Ecstasy envelops me. No more annoying ¡®distractions¡¯. It¡¯s just him and me, in our own paradise. Even those who return from paradise will not be able to escape it. ¡°¡­Miss Aizel¡­¡± His voice is weak. ¡°Zetto, are you awake?¡± I bow my head and smile in response. I hear the nking of chains and the crunching of limbs. Zetto is sitting in a chair, his arms tied behind him. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯d better stay put. If you try to force it, it¡¯ll just tighten up even more and break your arm.¡± It was obvious that his prosthesis was no ordinary prosthesis, and it took something a little special to keep him tied up properly. ¡°So it was Miss Aizel who stole the ¡®Conqueror¡¯s Knot¡¯ from the East.¡± Zetto immediately recognized the object. The Conqueror¡¯s Knot is a legendary chain that, if unlocked, could make one the King of the East. The chain was said to contain mystical powers and could never be untied unless the wearer was worthy of the title. The funny thing is that there have been many kings in the East, but none of them have been able to untie the knot. I, too, was able to break it, though not in the normal way. But what good is knowing about the knot? It¡¯s toote. There was no way Zetto could break these chains. There was no way he could escape my arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­? But if I don¡¯t do this, you¡¯ll leave my arms again.¡± I cupped his cheek. ¡°You can¡¯t get away.¡± His breath on my face. ¡°ept it.¡± The corner of Zetto¡¯s mouth twitches upward. ¡°You were meant to be with me.¡± For a moment, the faces of the interlopers sh through his mind. Just thinking about it makes my anger boil over. ¡°And what happened to Zetto¡­It¡¯s all their fault. They don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing, and they want my Zetto¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zetto shakes his head, pulling away from my touch. ¡°Hah¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Zetto. I was being a bitch for a second.¡± Sadly, Zetto hasn¡¯t recovered yet. He reacts like that, as if he¡¯s repulsed by my cursing at them. He hasn¡¯t escaped the brainwashing of the abominable saboteurs but it doesn¡¯t matter. If he stays here with me long enough, he¡¯ll figure it out. Zetto is mine and I belong to Zetto. We were inextricably linked. ¡°¡­Zetto, are you hungry?¡± I held the bowl in one hand in front of his nose. ¡°It¡¯s fried rice today. I¡¯m getting better at cooking, because everything that goes into your mouth from now on has to go through my hands.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zetto didn¡¯t answer. Maybe he was tired but it didn¡¯t matter. The only way to make him lose his mind was to use a blitzkrieg. The old trick of sneaking him alcohol didn¡¯t work anymore. I¡¯d tried many times, but this was the closest I¡¯d evere to aplete sess. There was no looking back now and I¡¯m not giving up. With a secret hiding ce not easily found and a knot that will never be untied, the fruits of mybor were in front of me. I was so ecstatic that I was ovee with joy. Suddenly, I heard the nking of metal against metal from the prosthetic arm on his left side. ¡°¡­Zetto?¡± A questioning voice echoes through the room as arge amount of white smoke billows from his prosthetic hand. What are you trying to do again? Are you trying to escape my arms again? The unrecognizable smoke made me drop the bowl to the floor and put some distance between me and him. I was holding my breath. Even so, my vision continues to blur. Thud. The next thing I know, all my strength is gone. Even as I copsed to the floor and my eyes closed, I could still make out Zetto¡¯s form. I reached out to him with all my strength but I couldn¡¯t reach him. *** ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± I barely regained my senses. On the other side, I could see Aizel lying on the ground, unable to wake up. My head felt dizzy as I was still feeling the effects of the sleeping gas. I naturally tried to push myself up. ng! The sound of chains rang in my ears. ¡®I was tied up¡­¡¯ The Conqueror¡¯s Knot. In any case, Aizel seemed to have gone to great lengths to keep me in this ¡®cage¡¯. ¡°The kingmands you, knot, to withdraw your power.¡± My voice echoes through the room and the chains around my wrists slip off and fall to the floor. Finally free of my bonds, I pushed myself up from the chair and twirled my throbbing wrists. The Conqueror¡¯s Knot, a chain that could only be unlocked by the true King of the East. The chains are said to be unbreakable by superhuman strength, to withstand any impact, and to be a knot that every schr on the continent can¡¯t untie, even if they wrap their heads around it and roll it together. Even Aizel, who knows me best, could not have predicted that the Conqueror¡¯s Knot was an object that was connected to my ¡®past life¡¯. ¡®How did Aizel steal it, anyway?¡¯ I almost asked. ¡°Dangerous items are confiscated.¡± I picked up the Conqueror¡¯s Knot from the floor and put it straight into my subspace pocket. As I reached into my subspace pouch, I pulled out amunicator and stuck it in my ear. I tapped the tinymunicator, and with a crackling noise, it connected. ¡°Geppeti, do you copy?¡± A momentter, Geppeti¡¯s voice came through them. [Zetto, you must be awake.] ¡°I¡¯m awake, but¡­What if the sleeping gas got to me too?¡± [You were able to wake up thanks to the inhibitor, so that¡¯s okay, the headache will pass in a bit.] ¡°Inhibitors? I don¡¯t remember being given anything like that¡­¡± [I gave you one while you were sleeping.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± At the very least, if you did something like that in my sleep, you should have let me know. Maybe it¡¯s Geppeti who¡¯s the most dangerous. ¡°Oh, and this time it worked even though I held my breath. What happened to that?¡± [Apparently, it was simr to thest time, so I changed it up so that it would prate the body through the skin.] ¡°¡­I see.¡± I gingerly picked up Aizel from the cold floor. I pushed open the iron gate and walked down a long hallway into a living room. The whole ce was shabby and dpidated. It didn¡¯t look like a love nest. However, there wasn¡¯t a speck of dust, and it was well organized. I could see that Aizel had worked hard to create a cozy atmosphere. Iid her down on a nearby couch and searched around for a nket to drape over her. ¡°¡­Zetto¡­¡± Aizel mumbled as she tossed and turned. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, Miss Aizel.¡± I whispered, kissing her forehead. I wonder if this is what they mean when they say you look your best when you¡¯re sleeping. As I walked out of the house, I remembered what I¡¯d forgotten, so I grabbed it, opened the door, and stepped outside. I saw a dense forest and I wondered where I was. I stood there, looking at the forest, and took a bite of fried rice with the spoon in my hand. ¡°Mmm¡­It¡¯s good even when it¡¯s cold.¡± She said her cooking has improved and it must have. ¡°Geppeti, what¡¯s the situation?¡± [I sent Keraf ahead, but he hasn¡¯t moved since earlier. Can¡¯t you feel his aura nearby?] At Geppeti¡¯s next words, I immediately scattered my energy. The waves spread out, swallowing up the entire forest. ¡°Ah, I can feel it. There it is. But¡­¡± [What¡¯s going on?] ¡°¡­a bunch of uninvited guests.¡± [Hah¡­ you¡¯ve been caught.] Geppeti sighed deeply. ¡°Well, Keraf is¡­¡± [¡­weak, to the point of absurdity.] I smiled slightly at Geppeti¡¯s next words. I couldn¡¯t agree with her more so I immediately set out to find where I could sense Keraf stirrings. After a short walk, I saw him on his knees,pletely surrounded. ¡°Lord Zetto¡­!!!¡± Keraf, who had his head down, spotted me and called out. ¡°Keraf.¡± In response, I smiled and waved. ¡°Lord Zetto¡­! I, Keraf¡­I¡¯ve been captured¡­¡± ¡°Well, it looks like it happened.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lord Zetto¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t been caught once or twice¡­ It¡¯s just a routine now, right?¡± I said as if it was no big deal and took a bite of fried rice. At this, Keraf looks at me curiously and asks. ¡°But¡­What are you eating¡­?¡± ¡°Fried rice with the love of Ms. Aizel.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but were you kidnapped¡­?¡± ¡°Kidnapped¡­ such a murderous word¡­ It¡¯s just an ordinary act of love. Would you like a bite, Keraf, it¡¯s quite delicious¡­¡± ¡°¡­I must respectfully decline.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame, then¡­¡± I turned the bowl around and asked them, who were still hiding in the forest. Soon, they decided there was no point in hiding any longer and emerged. They were the familiar faces of the Moonlight Society. ¡°¡­The Lord is looking for you.¡± One of the members of the Moonlight Society who had appeared behind my back said. ¡°Is she here?¡± I asked since ¡°she¡± was no longer on my radar. ¡°Our Lord¡­¡± He trailed off. ¡°¡­Did you look for me?¡± She appeared from behind me, no footsteps, no movement, and hugged me. I didn¡¯t sense her, it was a rather annoying ability to have. Her pink hair ruffles in my vision, and she kisses my cheek. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± She whispers to me. ¡°You know there¡¯s no ce safer than in my arms, right?¡± I smile back at her sweet whisper. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it Ms. Kaen who was supposed toe back?¡± ¡°¡­¡± For a moment, Kaen was silent and Geppeti¡¯s voice rang in her ears. [¡­Mr. Zetto¡­ this is getting bad. An unidentified entity with a massive energy reaction is heading towards you. By my calctions, its speed is¡­] A ferocious howl echoes through the forest in time with Geppeti¡¯s voice. KEEEEEE!!! [¡­a dragon.] Kaen heard the cry and clicked her tongue. ¡°It¡¯s a dragon!!!¡± ¡°That redhead is¡­!¡± ¡°Hurry up and protect the master and Lord Zetto!¡± The forest is suddenly in chaos due to the sudden appearance of a dragon. Kugung¡­ The dragon that had been flying overhead with a gust of wind turned sharply and stepped on the ground. ¡°Zetto!!!¡± The woman standing over the head of the red dragon, whose red scales stood out, shouted. ¡°What, you were there too! You sullen stalker!¡± Her wings pped, her red hair flying, and she vented her irritation at Kaen. ¡°How dare you¡­!¡± ¡°¡­Everyone back off. I¡¯ll go first.¡± Suddenly, Kaen, who had been hugging me, let go and stepped forward. ¡°Master¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s only a dragon¡­ It wouldn¡¯t hurt to take this opportunity to slit its throat.¡± Kaen drew her sword and let out a burst of killing intent, and the Red Dragon flinched in response. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to be decapitated¡­¡± She looks up, clearly frightened, and says the words in a whimpering voice to the woman on top of her. ¡°What are you talking about, Draco, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to get my throat slit by a sullen bitch like that.¡± She replied in disbelief. ¡°Give me Zetto, Kaen.¡± ¡°Zetto wants toe to me¡­! Right, Zetto?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Feeling dizzy from the conversation, I decided to remain silent. ¡°¡­Look, Zetto wants toe back to the nest with me!¡± She eximed undeterred. ¡°Lady Yuri¡­I didn¡¯t hear anything¡­¡± ¡°Draco, shut up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At the sound of Yuri¡¯s stern voice, the Red Dragon Draco¡¯s mouth clenched shut. Geppeti was right, things were not looking good. Kaen leads the entire Moonlighting Society and Yuri rides the Red Dragon but that¡¯s not all. Though she hadn¡¯t arrived yet, Bernice¡¯s presence could be clearly felt on the other side of the forest. The Saint wasing here with her knights. It wouldn¡¯t be long before a chaotic three-way battle would unfold. Finishing my fried rice in time, I set the bowl on the ground and stepped away from the two arguing women. The men following me were giving off an air of intent to take me away, even if it meant using physical force. One way or another, I needed ¡®her¡¯ to break the current situation. ¡°When will she arrive?¡± [She is on her way to Lord Zetto with Lord Deidros now ]. ¡°She should be here in time.¡± I pictured her face on her way here. ¡®¡­She must be angry.¡¯ Aizel¡¯s slight, perhaps overzealous, ¡®affectionate behavior¡¯ had caused me to fall away from her. I couldn¡¯t carry her around my waist anymore. As my eyes took in the gory scene of Yuri and Kaen¡¯s confrontation, I finally spoke up. ¡°You know what, Geppeti?¡± [Yes, Lord Zetto.] ¡°Just in case¡­¡± I trailed off as the situation came to a head. ¡°¡­maybe I shouldn¡¯t have said something?¡± [I don¡¯t know, but one thing¡¯s for sure, the current situation was way outside of my calctions.] ¡°¡­¡­¡± I scratched my head. I knew it wasn¡¯t Geppeti¡¯s fault. It was my own karma, my own sin to bear. Chapter 194: Return Chapter 194: Return A deste and witherednd, mangled corpses strewn about. Amidst the stench of blood and the lingering scent of mana, the Saint stood. The Saint looked around with despair in his eyes. They were all hisrades. He was the only one left alive after a desperate battle. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± The saint muttered a curse word he had never uttered before. He must have felt miserable, for he realized that he had no one left to lean on. ¡°Fucking shackles¡­¡± Tears started to fall as beneath himy a body, mangled beyond recognition, it was his dearest ally, the hero. The saint held the hero in his arms and cried out. Break it. I will break it. For your sake. I will break it. He begged. He begged the heavens. The gods, taking pity on him, listened. And so a symbol was carved and the rest is history. ¡°I never thought that the Sword Demon, who is said to have no blood or tears, would be a beautiful woman with crimson hair¡­¡± The saint became the conquering king of the East. It was called reincarnation, or rebirth. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t nned on continuing my lineage, but perhaps I should reconsider.¡± ¡°¡­I will honor the price of my defeat, and this sword is now yours. However, being thedy of a mad king who wants to go on an expedition to destroy all the demons doesn¡¯t sound too appealing.¡± ¡°Haha, that remains to be seen.¡± I met a new star, but it ended badly. I couldn¡¯t break the chains. I didn¡¯t aplish what I wanted. I couldn¡¯t protect anything this time. And so another mark was made. If there was one thing that had changed, it was that he had given up being human. As a demon, he dreamed of a forbidden love with a human woman. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t forbidden love, since his roots were human. ¡°You¡¯re trembling, Red me.¡± ¡°¡­Because I don¡¯t think I can protect you.¡± ¡°Not for long, for a hero will soon be born¡­¡± ¡°¡­ The shackle¡­ I hear it every time we meet. Do you realize how strange it seems that you, a demon, are doing that?¡± ¡°How can I give up just because I¡¯ve grown horns on my head?¡± ¡°¡­What the hell are you talking about?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t smile. That smile¡­ I don¡¯t want to see it.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t like it, because you¡¯ll leave me again.¡± ¡°When Ie back, you¡¯ll be the first person I look for.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re lying.¡± ¡°Do you have any intention of staying here?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The silence spoke volumes. He had tried to protect her at all costs, and he had left her arms. He had failed to protect her again and so the three dots were carved. He had lost so much that he finally wanted to rest. After that, he thought he would never see another mark again. But time passed and time passed, and between the three marks, another mark emerged. The seemingly separate marks were joined together around that mark, creating a line. Where that line goes is unknown. This is as far as I¡¯m allowed to go. ¡°Boss, what are you doing when you¡¯re not frying chickens?¡± That¡¯s all I could think of. I turned my head away from the four chicken legsid out side by side. ¡°When did you get here?¡± There stood my loyal subordinate, a ¡°part-timer,¡± to borrow a phrase from Earth. An ordinary Academy cadet by the name of Madler, he has a considerable talent for cooking and is usually in charge of the kitchen on my behalf. ¡°Excuse me, but why are you frying chicken when there are no customers?¡± Madler, in his fluffy coat, walks into the kitchen and gives me a pathetic nce. Come to think of it, why was I making chicken? I shifted my gaze to the hall, which was empty, with flies buzzing around as usual. ¡°They must have gotten out of the habit¡­¡± I had practiced frying a chicken once before, but I must have gotten used to it. The body is indeed troublesome. ¡°Well, there are no customers in the yard¡­¡± Madler, with his back to me, starts to frown at my fried chicken. Here we go again. I flick my ears and scowl. ¡°I guess you don¡¯t care about sales anymore?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the way I like it, no hassles.¡± ¡°Then why did you open the store?¡± ¡°Because I need to exist.¡± It¡¯s an instinct I have because I have a body, unlike before. I couldn¡¯t resist the urge to leave my mark somehow, even if I didn¡¯t want to. ¡°You know, Mr. Madler, you tend to look down on me quite a bit, but the truth is, if I had my way, I could turn this little shop into a super-giant in a matter of months with this wonderful food called chicken.¡± ¡°A super giant¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about making a ton of money.¡± ¡°Oh, really, then why don¡¯t you do it, and I¡¯lle work for you and make some big money.¡± ¡°¡­But s, I can¡¯t do that.¡± I smirked and shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s a bluff, after all.¡± I thought I¡¯d drop a little hint to Madler, who wouldn¡¯t understand no matter how I exined it. I held up a finger and opened my mouth. ¡°If I told you that the heavens were holding me back¡­ would you believe me?¡± ¡°Ha, the heavens¡­? You can¡¯t be referring to Heneryes!¡± A wide-eyed Madler eximed, spittle flying. ¡°Yes, that Heneryes.¡± I closed my eyes and nodded, then I heard Madler sigh. ¡°Ha¡­boss. I take offense to you referring to Lord Heneryes like that, even in jest.¡± Well, it was funny but Madler¡¯s reaction was normal. No one would believe me if I told them that I was once the sole god of a world, and that I had lost much of my godhood and was now living in this one. In a building in a remote location, that was not easily essible. We don¡¯t even advertise it because as I mentioned, I preferred the shop to be as quiet as it is now. My existence in this world is an impurity. I shouldn¡¯t have made too much of an impact. More than that¡­ ¡°¡­Were you a believer in Heneryes?¡± ¡°Where are the unbelievers these days?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I see.¡± It wasn¡¯t really an act of God like they thought, but it was a miraculous disy in its own way. ¡°Oh, speaking of which¡­ He said he just got back from the Holy Land today.¡± Said Madler, naturally picking up one of my fried chicken bites. ¡°If it¡¯s him¡­¡± ¡°The one who was resurrected this time, the Returned from Paradise, whose name is¡­ I mean¡­¡± ¡°¡­Zetto.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Zetto. I heard that Cadet Zetto was back, but he must have been in a bit of a hurry to get to the Holy Land as soon as he realized how long it had been since he¡¯d been revived.¡± ¡°It¡¯s understandable. It was a pilgrimage after all.¡± ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s a lot ofmotion outside right now. It seems like everyone is going to see him. Aren¡¯t you going to watch? You don¡¯t have any customers.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, I don¡¯t really care about him.¡± In fact, I¡¯m more interested in him than anyone else but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to go to him first. Apparently he¡¯s been talking to Heneryes, or he would have asked about me. I wonder if he can reach me. Whether he likes it or not, he will need to find me in order to move forward. This wait might be quite pleasant. *** ¡°Finally¡­¡± I¡¯m finally home. Thefort I felt as soon as I walked in the door. Not to mention the familiar air. I feel like I¡¯m finally in my own space. It¡¯s afort I hadn¡¯t felt even when I was being treated like a royalty in the Holy Land. Under the circumstances, being escorted by Bernice to meet the Pope of the Holy Land should have been an ufortable experience. ¡°Hello.¡± Geppeti greeted me immediately. Rei¡­There she was. ¡°Uh, brother. You¡¯rete.¡± Rei, still in bed, didn¡¯t even get up, just turned her head to greet me. Her demeanor gave away the fact that she had gotten used to her current life. ¡°Haha, I thought you¡¯d be back soon too.¡± Somehow, a week had flown by. ¡°So¡­ Are you ready?¡± I asked Geppeti, not even bothering to unpack. ¡°The stuff arrived a few days ago.¡± Geppeti nodded. I was talking about the prosthetic arm. I hadn¡¯t had time to get them fitted before leaving for the Holy Land, and now I had to take care of them. ¡°How long have you been here and you¡¯re just going out¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t just walk into the dormitory and then go out with a prosthetic arm. I couldn¡¯t put it off any longer, even though it was inconvenient for me to have a missing left arm. With my left arm in this shape, Bernice, who was traveling with me to the Holy Land, had a hard time. She fed me, helped me get dressed and held my hand so I wouldn¡¯t lose my center while walking. Oh, and I had to stop her from offering to follow me to the restroom. ¡®I didn¡¯t mean it at all¡­¡¯ I could only admire her dedication for being able to say such a thing from the heart. A saint is a saint after all. ¡®By the way, what did she mean when she said we¡¯ll see each other more often?¡¯ She had said that before we parted ways but it did sound strange. After all, I would be staying at the Academy, and Saint Bernice would be an outsider, so we wouldn¡¯t have much contact. Unbeknownst to me, there¡¯s been some intimate talk between her and the Academy, but I still don¡¯t know exactly what it is. ¡®Now I really need to get an informant.¡¯ For now, I have to assume that the timeline for going East is muchter than I knew, and that the lives and deaths of the characters have changed. In the future, things will change even more than before. Even if I¡¯m okay with immutable things like past events and objects, I still need an informant to figure out how things are going to y out in real time. A verypetent one, too. I have a few faces in my head, but what I really want are trends in demons and viins. After all, now that Murka is dead, there should be a change in the demons¡¯ behavior. ¡®Helgenas is on the move.¡¯ Above all, I could not ignore Heneryes warning. No matter howpetent they were, they were only human. Even if they could get past the famous viins, it would be difficult for them to grasp the movements of the demons. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± A problem that suddenly became serious. As I stare at Sierra¡¯s face in silence, another question arises. I was missing something important. With that realization, I turned to Geppeti and asked a question. ¡°¡­Has everything been okay?¡± Geppeti tilts her head at my question. I was asking, has anything happened to the Academy, to ¡®them¡¯? ¡°Not much¡­I mean, nothing really¡­¡± Geppeti¡¯s voice trailed off toward the end and this was not a good sign. Soon, Rei, who was lying on her back hugging her doll, joined the conversation. ¡°Oh, I met Yuri once¡­She was carrying a doll that looked like brother.¡± I realize that it¡¯s a doll I¡¯ve never seen before, and that it was bought while I was away. ¡°A doll that looks like me?¡± ¡°Yes. I tried to ask her a question, but she just ran away. Also, do you find that things sometimes go missing in your house?¡± ¡°Things disappear?¡± ¡°Geppeti said your clothes seem to be missing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Geppeti scratches his head at Rei¡¯s answer. ¡°You said, ¡®Uh, Zetto¡¯s shirt number five is missing, intruder¡­?¡¯ What do you think?¡± Rei suddenly jumps out of bed and turns her head this way, imitating Geppeti. What¡¯s with the shirt number five, anyway? [¡­as if nothing really happened.] Sierra narrowed her eyes as she listened to the conversation andmented in azy voice. I agree with her, there¡¯s definitely something going on so I nce over at Geppeti. ¡°¡­¡± She was pursing her lips, and it looked like she had quite a bit to say. What the hell had been going on while I was gone? Chapter 195: Isn’t that a crime? Chapter 195: Isn¡¯t that a crime? It was shortly after Zetto¡¯s hasty departure for the Holy Land. The first-year cadets of Innocence Academy were in the midst of a normal school day due to a dyed trip to the East. They were getting back to their lives, each in their own way, when they had the bizarre experience of seeing a dead friende back to life. There was a strong feeling that even though they had experienced two traumatic events back to back, they should be happy with the oue. It seemed like everything was going to be okay. Until, that is, Lucia opened her mouth. ¡°¡­What do you think Mr. Zetto is doing right now?¡± The ssroom of ss A was filled with a strange air and Lucia, who felt a little ufortable with the pensive air, asked. She wanted to lighten the mood and wondered if the cadets were depressed because their trip to the East had been postponed. She wanted to emphasize, ¡°At least Mr. Zetto is alive and well.¡± But it backfired. The heavy stagnation of air in the ssroom wasn¡¯t just a result of being behind schedule. It was caused by the silence of Aizel, Yuri, and Kaen, all three of whom were currently questioning their feelings. They had been so happy when Zetto hade back to life and they had seen him again. But why couldn¡¯t they be happy now? Why were they feeling uneasy? The question was about to be answered when Lucia threw a stone. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be in the Holy Land by now? I heard he went with the saint.¡± Crank takes a bite of bread and nonchntly answers Lucia¡¯s question. Their instructor, Edward, was not present, as this was a simple self-study ss. ¡°With the saint¡­Ah, well, I guess we don¡¯t have to worry about that!¡± ¡°Hmm, what?¡± ¡°Because the saint will be there to take care of him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I don¡¯t know why, but they seem to have a special rtionship.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because she¡¯s a saint.¡± ¡°Because she¡¯s a saint.¡± Lucia and Crank look at each other and nod. It was a casual conversation, one that didn¡¯t require much thought. ¡°She takes care of¡­?¡± One of the words struck a nerve, and Yuri muttered softly, her red eyes shing like embers. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± It wasn¡¯t just Yuri who was bothered, Aizel and Kaen were the same way. It wasn¡¯t a question, but Lucia overheard Yuri¡¯s mutterings and responded with a bright smile. ¡°Yes! Zetto¡¯s arm is ufortable right now, and even though he said it was fine, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s struggling with various things¡­ eating might be ufortable for him¡­ but don¡¯t you think the saint will take good care of him?¡± At that moment, a scene shed through their minds, and they couldn¡¯t help but be jealous. ¡®Zetto will be ufortable with his arm, soe on, ah- try it.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s embarrassing¡­ Ah¡­¡¯ ¡®Hmph, did you eat well?¡¯ ¡®Haha, it tastes more delicious.¡¯ They inadvertently imagined Bernice feeding Zetto. The thought crossed their minds that they must be having a good time, giggling andughing. Well, the reality was simr but it wasn¡¯t quite as fluffy as they¡¯d imagined. Suddenly, they realized why they couldn¡¯t be purely happy because of Zetto¡¯s absence. They had been anxious about not seeing him, even if only for a short time. Even though he had miraculously returned, they were once again physically separated. Zetto¡¯s departure was also a departure because there was another woman beside him. He knew that Bernice hadn¡¯t taken him because she wanted to take him personally. Zetto¡¯s trip to the Holy Land was a ¡°pilgrimage¡± of sorts, an invitation to the miracle of Heneryes in another country and the result of that miracle. In other words, it was a national and religious affair. Nevertheless, what was this dark emotion that was disturbing them, this nagging feeling? They were agitated. Their eyes fluttered slightly. Their mouths were dry as if they were thirsty. They were nervous and anxious. ¡°It would be nice, Mr. Zetto. I want to hold hands with the saint¡­ I want to hold the saint¡¯s hand too¡­!¡± Lucia kept talking in her usual way but for a moment, Aizel¡¯s teeth grind together with a snap. I wonder if she grabbed his hand. There¡¯s no reason to hold hands, is there? ¡®She didn¡¯t hold his hand as an excuse to guide him, did she?¡¯ At that thought, the three women gritted their teeth without realizing it. The air became murderous in an instant and in response, Lucia¡¯s rather cute sneeze rang out. ¡°Ugh¡­ I feel a chill.¡± Lucia, who hadn¡¯t realized that the chill on her body was anything other than life-threatening, casually wiped her nose. ¡°¡­¡± Amon watched and thought. ¡®Maybe I should stop her now.¡¯ Should he stop Lucia, telling her that it would be best not to bring up Zetto right now? Even without knowing the details of the situation, it felt like Lucia had touched a Pandora¡¯s box she shouldn¡¯t have. Even though he was thinking about it, his foot didn¡¯t actually fall. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the Academy is thinking, by the way.¡± Crank spontaneously changed the subject. ¡°Why? Mr. Crank.¡± ¡°Well, after what happened this time, I thought he¡¯d be grounded or something, but they say that cadets are free to go out whenever they want, though they have a demerit system for when you miss ss¡­¡± ¡°Oh, right. I never went out, so I don¡¯t know, but I think everyone liked it.¡± ¡°I wonder if they realized there might be a bacsh when the ban was imposed.¡± ¡°Because being banned makes you want to do it more?!¡± ¡°Yeah. It makes you want to go out more. Honestly, it makes me want to go out less. You never know when you¡¯re going to run into a demon, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be a miracle that someone dies andes back to life twice.¡± With that, the conversation changed and seemed to quiet down. Amon was about to breathe a sigh of relief but Lucia spoke up. ¡°But¡­ That means¡­¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that Zetto can leave the academy at any time¡­?¡± She threw a huge chunk of stone into theke that was just beginning to calm down. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that Zetto could get hurt again¡­?¡± ¡°That¡­It¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°I heard that rumor¡­A terrifying rumor that Zetto has been going outside the academy at night to hunt demons¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good rumor, to say the least¡­¡± Crank trailed off, tilting his head as he ate his bread. ¡°If those rumors are true, you mean that Mr. Zetto might be in danger again¡­?¡± The conversation came to a head. Listening to their conversation in silence, Aizel thought. They¡¯re right. Sooner orter, this will reach the ears of the demons. The outrageous news that a human had killed the Legionnaire¡¯s right-hand man, and that the human had been brought back to life by the miracle of Heneryes. The demons could not have asked for a more desirable target. Zetto¡¯s miraculous resurrection inadvertently drew the attention of many. For better or worse, he¡¯s attracted a lot of attention. And it¡¯s not just demons. Humans are no different. The world is full of foolish wicked people who would love to proim their power by killing the returnee from Paradise. So¡­ ¡®¡­It¡¯s too dangerous for Zetto now.¡¯ Aizel thought while Yuri and Kaen had simr thoughts. ¡°Uh, what can we do? At this rate, Mr. Zetto might get hurt again¡­! Shouldn¡¯t we at least try to stop it¡­?¡± Lucia¡¯s voice rose as she realized that she had gotten a good idea. She quickly grabbed Crank by the shoulders while he was eating his bread and shook him. With the shaking, the bread crumbs that Crank was holding fell to the floor in a heap. ¡°¡­¡± Hearing Lucia¡¯s voice, Kaen, who had been quietly concentrating on her training, stopped her sword and listened. ¡°Hmm¡­ How do we stop it¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Shouldn¡¯t we first try to keep Zetto in the academy? It¡¯s rtively safe inside the Academy, right?¡± At Crank¡¯s question, Lucia let go of him and rubbed her chin, contemting with a serious expression. ¡°Don¡¯t let him leave¡­¡± Crank muttered, echoing Lucia¡¯s response, and it was clear he was listening. ¡°Once we¡¯ve taken Zetto somewhere¡­¡± ¡°Kidnap¡­¡± ¡°¡­Lock him up so he can¡¯t go anywhere?¡± ¡°Confinement¡­¡± ¡°And you¡¯ll make Zetto happy¡­! Give him good food¡­ And read him books¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a crime?¡± Crank, who was listening to Lucia¡¯s n, said. ¡°Oh, yes, it is a crime!¡± Lucia smiled as she realized it. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should cross the line, and even if you did? Lucia, do you think you can make Zetto happy?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ Happiness¡­ That¡¯s hard.¡± Crank and Lucia¡¯s concerns were music to the ears of the girls, who cared about Zetto more than anyone else. ¡®If only I could make him happy.¡¯ Because he has a crush on me. He likes me. He¡¯d be happy with me. They secretly harbored these thoughts. Because they were so happy, they were so anxious. Zetto¡¯s absence amplified their anxiety, and Lucia and Crank¡¯s silly conversation was the hint they needed to ease it. ¡°And to kidnap Zetto in the first ce, you¡¯d have to be a lot stronger than him, at least¡­¡± Crank looked at Lucia and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m weaker than Mr. Zetto.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Amon, who had been watching the two hang their heads in disbelief at the poor ending, suddenly muttered a question. ¡°Still, with one arm missing¡­ wouldn¡¯t Zetto be weaker than before?¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Lucia and Crank, stunned by the mumbling, open their mouths and stare at Amon. ¡°¡­That¡¯s a bit harsh.¡± Lucia quickly interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m just saying. I¡¯ve heard that even with a prosthetic arm, it¡¯s hard to adjust if the weight of the arm isn¡¯t the same as before¡­Zetto is a swordsman, isn¡¯t he¡­?¡± Surprised by their response, Amon rattled off a long list of excuses but he felt a little resentful. Whenever they talked about kidnapping or imprisonment, they always gave him strange looks when he interrupted them. Their conversation seemed to end with Amon¡¯s harsh words while the three women listened in silence, deep in thought. Their hopes were slightly different, but they all came to the same conclusion. ¡®I¡¯m the only one he loves. Why am I feeling insecure, simply because he¡¯s in danger?¡¯ ¡®Because I want him to be all mine.¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t want to lose him again. I need to be stronger than him somehow¡­¡¯ To protect him. ¡®I want him to look at me and only me¡­¡¯ To monopolize his attention. That¡¯s when it started. That¡¯s when their love began to twist and turn into an emotion called obsession, a mixture of jealousy, insecurity, and excessive possessiveness. The trigger was Zetto¡¯s death, not Lucia. She was merely breathing life into the soon-to-be embers, making them burn faster. ¡°Anyway, I hope nothing happened to Mr. Zetto!¡± Of course, Lucia knew nothing. Chapter 196: Bright and Sunny Chapter 196: Bright and Sunny ¡°In other words, it¡¯s elerating.¡± Geppeti¡¯s voice echoes through the room, as does the nking of iron. ¡°elerating?¡± ¡°For there to be a change in my emotions, there has to be a cause, and that change in just a week is beyond my calctions. I¡¯m not sure what it is, but I can¡¯t get rid of that ominous feeling¡­ like someone has intentionally elerated.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s not a good thing?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s a process we were bound to go through at some point, but I wouldn¡¯t characterize it as good.¡± Geppeti lifts her head to nce at my face, then returns her attention to her work. ¡°Now this is going to hurt a little bit.¡± I step out of the academy with Geppeti for a moment to fit the prosthetic hand, which is being operated on in a ramshackle lung house nearby. I hadn¡¯t brought Sierra with me because I needed to talk to Geppeti in private, and since we weren¡¯t traveling far, she agreed. ¨C Crack! I felt a sharp pain along with the friction and frowned. ¡°¡­¡± It was an unfamiliar pain that I had never experienced before. My left arm, which should have been empty, was now a lump of metal. It was apparently designed based on prosthetics that belonged to the normal axis of this world. At least it didn¡¯t feel like a mechanical skeleton. ¡®It looks like a hand, too¡­¡¯ Except the skin is metal. ¡°I¡¯m almost done, do you want to try moving your fingers?¡± At Geppeti¡¯s question, I try to move my fingers, which have be scrap metal. Then my fingertips twitch slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll have to look a little further.¡± Geppeti nods, and once again opens the prosthetic¡¯s ps to look inside. ¡°This prosthetic is a test run for the features that will be operational for my children, so I guess you could say it¡¯s a prototype.¡± ¡°When you say children¡­ you mean the robots?¡± ¡°I¡¯m their ¡®mother¡¯, so I guess you could say this prosthetic is my child, too.¡± Geppeti chuckled softly. I wonder if she feels like the mother of the machines. The idea of having her child on my arm sounded quite odd, but it didn¡¯t seem to be out of ce, so she didn¡¯t argue. ¡°So what does it do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the result of my research on demons while traveling with Lord Zetto, and while we don¡¯t have enough data yet, by my calctions, it shouldn¡¯t have any problems with performance.¡± Geppeti, who had been fiddling with the wires inside the prosthetic, continued. ¡°Apparently, since we¡¯re preparing for a war with the demons, I¡¯ve been considering what their strengths might be in a war, and it turns out it¡¯s their traits.¡± ¡°You mean their horns.¡± ¡°Yes. They store human life force in their horns and generate an energy called ¡®magick¡¯ from it, which makes them stronger. This gives them a tremendous advantage, assuming the warsts. In war¡­¡± ¡°¡­you¡¯re either an ally or an enemy, and you¡¯re dying for nothing.¡± ¡°Yes, and I can only wonder how the humans have managed to hold out against the demons so far.¡± ¡°Through the sacrifices of many heroes, I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about how to neutralize the demons¡¯ strengths. The mystical energy called magick has a wonderful counterpart called Divine Power, but I¡¯m afraid my children will have trouble handling it.¡± I nodded in agreement with Geppeti. After all, divine power can only be borrowed from Heneryes, not possessed. It must be something that machines from other worlds, beyond the reach of Heneryes¡¯ power, cannot handle. ¡°So I focused on the demons¡¯ ¡®predation,¡¯ which Zetto once told me is much more efficient when it¡¯s their own kind.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± I blurted out as I listened to Geppeti¡¯s exnation, having read her thoughts vaguely. ¡°Yes, the anti-demonic weapons that will be developed in the future will deal with magick. Of course, they will be supplemented with horns from demons, not humans, so the weakness of the human side will be somewhat eliminated.¡± This would turn the tide of the battlefield. In previous wars, we know that the demons were tricky, getting stronger as the war went on, so there was a lot of short-term and guerri warfare. But now, the demons may have to fear an all-out war. The more demons that die, the stronger Geppeti machines will be. ¡°But they can¡¯t do anything asplicated as what demons can do with magick¡­ If a machine fought a demon with the same amount of magick, the demon would win, although it could use magick as a power source to move and do simple attacks and enhancements.¡± Well, there¡¯s a penalty. ¡°Wait¡­does that mean my prosthesis is like a demon¡¯s horn?¡± I nodded, listening to Geppeti¡¯s exnation, then turned to her with a sudden question. ¡°That¡¯s right. Like the Demon Horn, it can absorb both human life force and demonic magick.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean to tell me that I might get mistaken for a demon because people can sense its magick, or that they can sense an ominous aura from my prosthetic hand?¡± The tears of the dead had fooled Aizel and Bernice before. ¡°It¡¯s simr to how demons hide their magick. The reservoir that holds the magick is specially coated¡­ and even if the prosthesis were to crack, there¡¯s no way for the magick to leak out of the reservoir unless it¡¯spletely shattered. So to others, it will look and feel like a ¡®normal¡¯ prosthesis¡­ except, of course, if you release the magick outside, they¡¯ll notice.¡± With that, the crackling in my ears stopped. Geppeti checked the inside of the prosthetic to make sure everything was in order, then closed the lid and tightened the screws. ¡°Now¡­ you should be able to move your arm freely.¡± I tried to wiggle my fingers and swing my arm around. ¡°Oh¡­¡± The prosthetic arm moved freely, as if I had grown a new limb. However, it was disconcerting because I understood that I was touching something in my head, but I didn¡¯t feel much of a tactile sensation. Other than that, it seemed like it was just a matter of getting used to it, even if it was still a little ufortable with the crunching sound and weight when moving my left arm. ¡°By the way, if it¡¯s an emission¡­¡± ¡°You wanted a weapon anyway, didn¡¯t you Lord Zetto-? I haven¡¯t researched it yet, so it simply shoots out umted magick.¡± ¡°¡­How does it do that?¡± My ears perked up at the exnation. ¡°Why don¡¯t you hold your arm out in front of you?¡± ¡°Like this?¡± I held the prosthetic out in front of me. ¡°If it¡¯s connected properly, you should be able to feel the magick. Draw it into your palm,press it, and shoot it out¡­¡± It was simr to the sensation of manipting mana. -Clink. The prosthetic responded with the sound of metal shing. -Keying¡­ Soon there was the sound of an engine revving up, and magick was gathering into my palm. ¡°You can¡¯t shoot now¡­! You don¡¯t have enough magick yet¡­¡± Geppeti quickly stops me. ¡°Uh, uh¡­ How do I stop¡­?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s¡­¡± Before Geppeti could exin how to do it, I jerked my prosthetic upward, feeling like something was about to explode. -Boom! With a loud bang, a ck beam of light shoots through the hole in the roof. The beam of light seemed to pierce the sky, but quickly faded away as unidentifiable smoke leaks from the prosthetic hand. ¡°¡­¡­¡± A single-shotser, no, I¡¯d call it a beam. ¡®Power is good¡­¡¯ I turn to Geppeti to ask how I can stop it, since I¡¯m in the middle of marveling at the technology of the future. ¡°¡­¡± Geppeti¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at me. ¡°Did my child feel that good¡­?!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± A stammered outburst of embarrassment escaped my lips as I realized how odd her words sounded. ¡°No, it was¡­ I just thought you were feeling pleased, and I was satisfied that I had pleased you, Lord Zetto.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Geppeti could read the emotion. ¡°Well¡­.it was not bad¡­¡± I replied, because I was definitely feeling the pleasure and Geppeti smirked. ¡°I¡¯m d you liked it, Lord Zetto. Is that a way of saying you¡¯re proud?¡± ¡°I suppose so¡­¡± I wondered if Geppeti waspletely oblivious to the weirdness of that expression or if she just said it. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Judging by her inability to hold back herughter at my shaky response, I¡¯m guessing it was thetter. *** Luckily, I hadn¡¯t used all of my remaining magick to fire the beam, and I was able to move the prosthetic normally. If I ran out of magick, Geppeti told me, I could use mana like other prosthetics in this world in a pinch, but it wouldn¡¯t be as efficient as magick. For now, I fitted the prosthetic and headed back to the academy. It was mid-afternoon, but judging by the moon in the sky, it was alreadyte at night. As we walked through the remote forest, Geppeti and I finished talking. ¡°Anyway, since it¡¯s gettingte, you¡¯ll have to be careful with your behavior from now on, Lord Zetto.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± What was the state of the girls that Geppeti had observed that caused such a fuss? Even though I had returned today, I hadn¡¯t met them yet, so it was impossible to tell. ¡®What could have happened to them to make things so bad?¡¯ I was only gone for a week or so. No matter how unstable things were, it was too short a time for drastic changes to ur. I walked down the street with that thought in mind and as I was doing so I felt a stranger¡¯s presence. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ What could be the identity of someone wandering alone in such a remote forest at thiste hour? It wasn¡¯t a demon. Wondering if he had lost his way, I approached the source with Geppeti. ¡°Hmm?¡± A rustling in the bushes made him turn his head, and he spotted me and Geppeti. On the side of the road stood a strange man with a rather fearsome face. He looked nothing like a resident of the Academy, not with the greatsword slung across his back and he certainly didn¡¯t look like a cadet. He didn¡¯t seem to be lost, so he was about to turn back. ¡°Ho¡­Blind¡­?¡± He pointed a finger at me. Then he slipped his hand into his bosom and unfolded a crumpled piece of paper. ¡°ck hair¡­ white bandages over your eyes¡­ You are the one who returned from Paradise!¡± He eximed, his eyes alternating between the paper and me. Whoever this man was, he seemed to know me. I wondered if the paper had information about me or a picture of me. ¡°Who¡¯s the kid next to you? I don¡¯t see her in the information¡­¡± He scratches his head and then throws the paper away. ¡°Well, that¡¯s it. I¡¯ll just kill you both.¡± Immediately, he grabs the greatsword on his back and raises it toward me. ¡®What a turn of events.¡¯ I was expecting a lot of people toe after me after I¡¯d been so aggro in more ways than one during my respawn, but I guess I got my ass handed to me pretty quickly. It¡¯s not surprising, since my name was known within the confines of the Academy, but now I¡¯m known throughout the continent as the One who Returned from Paradise. Not to mention the demons, and from what Bernice had told me, the Dark Order was also targeting me. Other major viins must have known of my existence. There is a mysterious fellow who was brought back from the dead by the miracle of Heneryes. Even so, I didn¡¯t expect to find someone who wanted my head. ¡®I can¡¯t imagine he¡¯d have a grudge against me, since we¡¯ve never met¡­¡¯ Is he on the payroll of the Dark Order? The good news is that I don¡¯t recognize the face of that guy over there, slowly approaching with his greatsword swinging. That means he¡¯s not one of the main viins. There could be a hidden powerhouse that I don¡¯t recognize, but I have a strong suspicion that it won¡¯t be him. I smiled faintly and casually put my hands on my hips. ¡°¡­¡± I realized that I had left Sierra behind. I thought I wouldn¡¯t have to face any battles since I wasn¡¯t going far but apparently that was not the case. It doesn¡¯t really matter though, I¡¯ve got plenty of ways to deal with him even without a sword. ¡°Hahahaha, I didn¡¯t expect to run into you as soon as I got to the neighborhood. It¡¯s my lucky day.¡± ¡°Do you want me to take care of him, Lord Zetto?¡± Geppeti asked, stepping forward. ¡°Um¡­¡± I stroked my chin, then backed away from her. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think that will be necessary.¡± ¡°¡­¡± At this, Geppeti looks up and stares at me questioningly. Apparently, it wasn¡¯t our turn to step forward, because I felt her presence. It wasn¡¯t long before I heard a loud thud on the other side of the forest but it was so far away that he didn¡¯t hear it. ¡°Kahaha!!!¡± The giggling man began to run, dragging his greatsword across the ground. Unfortunately, his sword never reached me because in that split second a sword light shed. -Thud! The sound of a thick neck being severed followed and red blood sshed across her face as she charged at me at breakneck speed. Her sword was neat and clean, and her speed was such that the eye could barely keep up. ¡°¡­¡­¡± After slitting the nameless man¡¯s throat, her eyes locked onto me, not paying a single nce to the falling corpse and immediately her lips parted. ¡°Cadet Zetto, you shouldn¡¯t be wandering the streets at night without a sword.¡± She smiles nonchntly, not bothering to wipe the blood from her face. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, isn¡¯t it?¡± I vaguely understood Geppeti¡¯s concern. ¡°I missed you, Cadet Zetto.¡± I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was twisting in my gut at the sound of her cheerfulughter following the tang of blood in my nose. Chapter 197: Bounty Chapter 197: Bounty I hear the sound of something rustling and falling, but my gaze remains fixed on him. ¡°Cadet Zetto, you shouldn¡¯t be wandering the streets at night without a sword.¡± Ever since I locked eyes with him, I¡¯ve felt slightly dizzy. For a moment, my body nearly swayed, but I managed to keep myself centered. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, isn¡¯t it?¡± It wasn¡¯t a bad headache. The corner of my mouth had been hanging over my ear for a while. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you, Cadet Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s been a long time, Ms. Kaen.¡± It had been a long, long wait and I wondered if he was as tired as I was. If he was, why hadn¡¯t hee to see me sooner, I wondered, but I quickly realized why. ¡°The prosthetic, it looks good on you.¡± A piece of ashen metal shaped like an arm rested on his left arm, which should have been empty. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear it.¡± Beside the faintly smiling Zetto was his sister, Geppeti, who was to be his guide to the craftsman. ¡®You could have asked me¡­¡¯ I pushed aside my regret at missing the opportunity to be alone with him as it wasn¡¯t important right now. As I approached him, I stopped in my tracks with a question. ¡°¡­¡± I turned my head and nced behind me. There was a disgusting lump of flesh on the ground, drawing a red puddle. Zetto was shielding Geppeti¡¯s eyes, but not well enough, and I could feel her gaze through the gaps in his fingers. It was not a pretty sight for a young girl. ¡°Geppeti, it¡¯s okay now, your sister¡¯s here.¡± Stepping in front of them, I bent down and locked eyes with Geppeti. ¡°¡­Thank you, big sister Kaen.¡± Geppeti, who was shivering slightly, finished. I thought about stroking her hair, but the blood on my hands stopped me. ¡°Thank you, Miss Kaen. That could have been dangerous.¡± ¡°What do you mean? I thought Cadet Zetto could handle a guy like that with his bare fists?¡± I said, pushing myself to my feet and taking a step in Zetto¡¯s direction. At the same time, my body tingles and I can feel it better now that he¡¯s in front of me. This is it. This is what I wanted. Zetto¡¯s gaze. I wanted to feel his gaze, even though he was blind¡­ It was a funny thought. But I could feel it. His gaze and his feelings were coursing through my body. He was looking at me over and a shiver ran through my body. ¡°Haha, well, at least with my bare fists¡­ I figured ¡®this¡¯ would take some getting used to.¡± A nking metal sound as Zetto held up his prosthetic hand andughed nonchntly. ¡°Heh¡­ Adjustment¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s eyes narrowed at the smirk. I quickly roll my eyes and assess his condition. He¡¯s unarmed. He¡¯s just been fitted with a prosthetic hand and is still getting used to it. I¡¯d never seen him use magic before, and he¡¯d often said himself that he was no good at it. ¡®Maybe this is when he¡¯s at his weakest?¡¯ The hand that gripped his sword, dripping with blood, tightened. I tried not to let him see my trembling and rapid breathing. If I could just subdue him with force now, I could reach across that line and touch him. s, how sweet the fruit would be. After rolling my eyes some more, I came to a ¡®conclusion¡¯ and opened my mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sure Cadet Zetto would fit right in.¡± As I said this, my gaze fell on Geppeti, who was holding me back. It was as if her presence had erected a solid wall between us, a line that I didn¡¯t want to cross. ¡®A line¡­¡¯ Was I about to do something absurd? Ever since I¡¯d heard Lucia¡¯s bullshit, my head had been spinning. But it was also true that it sounded mesmerizing. It was irresistible. My desire for him had grown to an undeniable size. ¡®Will I settle for this for now?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t exactly nothing. The tiniest tremor, just the slightest stirring of the fuzz. Again, his eyes swept over me. No, he was looking around. Intervals between three and five seconds and very slight vibrations. It was Zetto¡¯s intangible gaze, his psychic sense. Somehow, I could sense his aura. In response, I leaned in and whispered in his ear. ¡°It¡¯s safe around here, I¡¯ve cleared it.¡± Heughed a little. I¡¯d already taken care of the mysterious scum that hade after Zetto without fear. He didn¡¯t need my help, but there was no reason for him to get his hands dirty. ¡°¡­¡­¡± At my whisper, Zetto cocked his head and gave a somewhat shaky response. His embarrassment is cute. He¡¯s so cute, I want to hug him. Of course, the blood on my clothes kept me from hugging him. ¡°You¡¯d better be careful in the future, because for some reason, there seems to be a lot of people out there looking for Cadet Zetto.¡± With that, I took a step back. ¡°¡­I think I know what you mean.¡± I smiled bitterly at his next response. ¡®No, Zetto doesn¡¯t.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t know what I meant. It meant many things. Whether he liked it or not, there were those who wanted him for other reasons, apart from the annoyances that came with his name being known on the continent. And right now, I was one of them. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, I have something I need to take care of¡­¡± ¡°¡­Can I help you?¡± ¡°No, Cadet Zetto¡­! I¡¯ll take care of this, then I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± At my crisp greeting, Zetto nodded faintly and smiled. I returned his smile with a chuckle, and then turned my back to the task at hand. Even with my back turned, I can still feel his gaze, his presence. My legs shook from the nonstop rush of pleasure I¡¯d been holding in for a week. As I walked away from Zetto and Geppeti, I nced down at my left hand and on my ring finger, I could see the ring he¡¯d put on it. Zetto had done that. It¡¯s not so bad if I can be happy by simply following my desires. Zetto wanted me to be happy. Or, more urately, he wanted everyone around him to be happy. As I dragged myself out of the room, still clutching the reeking flesh, I turned my head in the direction of Zetto¡¯s disappearance. I wanted to ask him. Am I really allowed to be happy? Am I allowed to chase my desires? ¡°Is it okay, Zetto?¡± I mumbled something that wouldn¡¯t reach him, just in case he didn¡¯t approve. ¡°Um¡­?¡± A shred of paper on the floor caught my eye. Without question, I dropped the chunk of flesh and picked up the paper, unfolding it. ¡°This is¡­¡± The form was a typical assassination order from the underworld, listing the target and the bounty. But it had a picture of Zetto on it. The drawing was unmistakably Zetto. ¡°Pretty good¡­?¡± I don¡¯t know who drew it, but it was pretty good. Underneath the picture, the words ¡°Life and Death¡± were written, along with Zetto¡¯s tinnitus, ¡°The One Who Returned from Paradise.¡± Next to it was a list of his information. Blind swordsman. Cadet of the Innocence Academy. Suspected to be from the East. Moderately long ck hair and a pure white blindfold covering his eyes. The problem was the bounty. ¡°Fifty thousand gold¡­¡± Someone was ying a nasty trick. What kind of madman would put such arge sum of money on the head of an academy cadet? ¡®He¡¯s not an ordinary cadet¡­¡¯ Still, it was an outrageous amount of money and a sum like this would make many want to target him. Suddenly, the number of people who came today made sense. The academy couldn¡¯t be that badly guarded when it was so close by. ¡®You mean he didn¡¯t even burn it?¡¯ I looked down at the fleshy mass that had remained silent with a questioning gaze. I thought assassination orders were supposed to be burned as soon as they were read but I didn¡¯t find any on the others. I remembered hearing my grandfather say once that in the underworld, people who made a career out of killing weremon, and that there were many people who didn¡¯t even have the basics. In other words, those people who didn¡¯t even have the basics were rushing toward Zetto like moths. ¡®Cause¡­Theck of information about Zetto.¡¯ If it was a well-known and enormous tycoon, they would have felt that it was impossible but for an unfamiliar academy cadet, and even a blind man, they felt like they could do it. But Zetto is not as easy to defeat as they think, and they can¡¯t hurt him. It¡¯s just that with this amount of money, even lesser assassins can be tangled up. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I quickly rolled my eyes. What can I do with thismission, what do I want to do with it? I could add it to my ¡°collection¡± since it was missing a good drawing but it wasn¡¯t long before I had an idea. ¡°¡­That might work.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but hum. It seemed like the best way to keep Zetto from getting hurt, and most importantly, it would make it easier to monopolize his attention. *** Zetto and Geppeti were walking toward the Academy¡¯s dormitory when Kaen, with a wry smile and a promise to take care of the corpse, left them behind. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Zetto muttered to himself, suspicious of Kaen¡¯s drastic change in just a week. ¡°¡­Did you notice it too, Lord Zetto?¡± ¡°Uh, Kaen¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­seemed to have sensed it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Geppeti frowned at the unexpected answer. ¡°Frightening growth. How did she sense it, and can you sense it, Geppeti?¡± ¡°¡­If you mean the fine waves that were spreading around Lord Zetto every time¡­ Yes, if I put my full attention on it¡­ well, most humans wouldn¡¯t be able to detect it¡­but that¡¯s not the point right now, is it?¡± Geppeti was trying to get back on track. ¡°Oh, right. I can see why Geppeti said that, but that Kaen just now¡­she was creepy.¡± ¡°Yes, she was giving off emotions that even I couldn¡¯t read easily. It was very dark and slimy¡­¡± ¡°¡­Geppeti, that emotion.¡± Zetto interrupted Geppeti, who had a serious look on her face. ¡°Isn¡¯t it love?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s different from love, isn¡¯t it?¡± Geppeti frowned and replied in a firm voice. ¡°Geppeti, do you know love?¡± ¡°So, suddenly¡­?¡± Zetto¡¯s question caught her off guard, and she blushed. The emotion of love was still difficult for her; she understood it as knowledge, but she didn¡¯t think it was enough to say that she knew it. After scratching his cheek, Zetto spoke up cautiously. ¡°That Kaen was a little scary, but¡­at the same time, she was so adorable¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Geppeti¡¯s mouth dropped open, and he looked at Zetto in awe. ¡°No, really. I think she¡¯s in love with me.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ I already know enough about that.¡± Geppeti sighed at Zetto¡¯s continued bullshit. She nced up to see Zetto talking about Kaen with an air of amusement. There was something off about him, too much to dismiss as a matter of taste. Geppeti thought that maybe they¡¯re not the only ones who are twisted. *** That same day, sometimeter, at dawn in the hallways of the girls¡¯ dormitory at Innocence Academy, a redheaded woman knocked on the door of a room. The door opened with a soft thud behind it. ¡°You¡¯re here¡­Cadet Yuri.¡± The door opened and Yuri Clementine was greeted by Kaen, who had a serious look on her face. ¡°So what¡¯s going on, and what do you want to talk to me about Zetto?¡± Yuri asked, walking straight into the room. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Kaen trailed off, fidgeting, and as Yuri entered the room, she spotted the tinum-haired girl. ¡°Oh, Aizel is here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sitting at the table, studying a piece of paper, Aizel briefly made eye contact with Yuri before returning her attention to the paper. ¡°What is it?¡± Sensing something was amiss with Aizel¡¯s expression and Kaen¡¯s demeanor, Yuri walked up behind her. On the paper was a drawing of a ck-haired man whose eyes were covered with bandages. The character of the drawing was obviously Zetto. ¡°For hire¡­ Life or death¡­ Wait, what¡¯s all this?¡± ¡°I picked it up on a walk outside the academy¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s an assassination order. Someone put 50,000 gold on Zetto¡¯s head.¡± Kaen scratched her head, her voice shaky, and Aizel summarized the situation. ¡°An assassination order¡­? Isn¡¯t this some kind of prank by one of the cadets?¡± Yuri grimaced, as if offended. ¡°Technically, the only thing that looks like a prank is this bounty. We¡¯ll have to look into it further to determine its authenticity, but¡­¡± ¡°But if this is real¡­¡± Kaen, whose head had been bowed, spoke cautiously, watching Yuri and Aizel¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­You mean Cadet Zetto is in danger¡­?¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Those words sent a chill through the room. Chapter 198: Confrontation Chapter 198: Confrontation Zetto being in danger was thest thing they wanted. But it happened, and the three of them had different ideas. One was trying to make the situation work in her favor. One was feeling annoyed. And thest one was feeling a sense of liberation that wasn¡¯t quite clear. It was Yuri who broke the silence in the room. ¡°I¡¯ll protect Zetto. Is that clear?¡± ¡°Protect him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple, I¡¯ll kill every assassin thates after him, right?¡± ¡°How can you?¡± ¡°¡­Why are you arguing all of a sudden?¡± Yuri red at Aizel, who was talking in a sarcastic voice. ¡°Cadet Yuri¡­ Could it be that Cadet Aizel is trying to say that it¡¯s too much for cadet Yuri to stop by herself¡­?¡± Kaen said, holding out her palm in a gesture to calm down. ¡°No, I¡¯m just saying that I¡¯m more than enough on my own.¡± Aizel quickly corrects Kaen. ¡°Why are you saying I can¡¯t?¡± ¡°How many assassins are out to get Zetto¡¯s head, and how many do you think you can take out even if you stop them? Four? Five? Numbers don¡¯t matter unless you remove the underlying ¡¯cause,¡¯ and the problem is that Zetto¡¯s life is in constant danger.¡± ¡°The underlying cause¡­? The client?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°But it doesn¡¯t say anything about the client¡­?¡± ¡°Of course it doesn¡¯t, but there¡¯s always a ¡®bank¡¯ between the client and the assassination guild.¡± ¡°Banks¡± is a ng term for the giant intermediary organizations of the underworld. When a bank receives a job, it connects it to a specific person or guild. In many ways, the bank is an organized system, with three organizations working together in a bnced way. In the underworld, it wasmon to use a bank because it was easier and more convenient to do business with them, as it was risky to take on dirty jobs directly. Of course, in a case like Zetto¡¯s, it¡¯s important to note that the requesting party didn¡¯t entrust the job to a specific guild or person, but rather a ¡°white letter of request¡± that anyone could ess the information. Aizel was quite familiar with the inner workings of the information guild, ck Hand, as she had been hanging out with them often. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m the only one who can protect Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­Ha.¡± Aizel¡¯s voice was firm but Yuriughed in disbelief. ¡°Isn¡¯t this too dangerous for you to do in the first ce, and is there any reason why you, the precious youngdy of a famous family, should do it?¡± ¡°Because I said I would protect Zetto.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Zetto has me.¡± Aizel, who didn¡¯t like the fact that they were having this conversation in the first ce, snapped. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why Zetto went looking for you¡­¡± Yuri trailed off and at the same time, the sound of teeth grinding could be heard. ¡°¡­Keep talking.¡± Aizel¡¯s eyes had lost their light as she spat in a high-pitched voice. ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t it true? You already failed to protect Zetto once¡­Now you¡¯re too insecure, so you have a problem with me protecting Zetto myself?¡± Yuri eventually touched the bomb and the war of words became more intense. ¡°Zetto and I¡­!¡± We love each other, so don¡¯t talk to me like I¡¯m nothing to Zetto. Aizel¡¯s words are interrupted by Kaen¡¯s soothing voice. ¡°Now, now¡­ We don¡¯t need to get into a shouting match, do we¡­?¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± ¡°Anyway¡­ You guys aren¡¯t nning on telling Cadet Zetto about this, are you?¡± Kaen continued to y dumb, recapping the situation step by step. It looked like she was just recapping, but she was conveying the message that Zetto shouldn¡¯t know about this. Because that¡¯s what she wanted. ¡°You know Zetto¡¯s personality. He¡¯ll probably try to handle it himself. That would put him in more danger.¡± At Yuri¡¯s reply, Aizel thought to herself. ¡®As if she knows anything about Zetto¡­¡¯ Kaen continues to calmly guide the conversation since cooperation didn¡¯t seem like the right word to use in this situation. ¡°I agree with you that it would be dangerous for Cadet Zetto to be out and about as usual.¡± I wouldn¡¯t mind if they didn¡¯t cooperate, but I needed to get things in order. ¡°But we¡¯re going to the East soon, and we¡¯re going to be out and about¡­ inevitably. Even if they don¡¯t know the academy¡¯s schedule, if we run into assassins¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to kill assassins in front of Zetto.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Should we inform the instructors of this as well¡­?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s best to let them know, just in case. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be willing to tell Zetto, who¡¯s the real culprit.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s that big of a deal¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Kaen. I¡¯ll keep an eye on him somehow. All you have to do is hold on to him.¡± ¡°¡­Then I¡¯ll make sure to hold on to him.¡± Kaen smiled faintly because things were going as she had hoped. At that moment, Aizel, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between Kaen and Yuri, stood up. ¡°I have no intention of working with you.¡± ¡°So be it.¡± ¡°Ah, Cadet Aizel¡­!¡± Kaen chased after Aizel, who quickly opened the door and left the room. ¡°Cadet Aizel¡­¡± After following her down the hallway, Aizel stopped in her tracks. ¡°¡­¡± Aizel¡¯s golden eyes glowed in the dark hallway as she looked at Kaen. ¡°Kaen.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Why are you acting like such a fool?¡± ¡°What, acting¡­?¡± ¡°Ordinary support for a friend in danger. Did you want to act like that?¡± ¡°¡­What are you talking about, Cadet Aizel.¡± Kaen made a dumbfounded face as if he didn¡¯t understand Aizel¡¯s words, which made Aizel grin wryly. ¡°Funny. On the subject of wearing Zetto¡¯s clothes.¡± ¡°Cadet Zetto¡¯s clothes¡­? This is just a regr shirt.¡± Kaen said, holding up her own shirt, which was indeed an unremarkable shirt. Aizel nuzzled her face into Kaen¡¯s chest and sniffed. ¡°That¡¯s his scent. Zetto¡¯s scent.¡± There was no way Aizel would forget it. In Kaen¡¯s room, she¡¯d been unsure, but now she was certain. It was Zetto¡¯s scent. Zetto¡¯s body odor. Zetto¡¯s clothes. Zetto. It was all hers. And to think that another woman, someone other than herself, was taking it, coveting it, made Aizel feel so ufortable. ¡°If you¡¯re going to act, do it right. Wearing Zetto¡¯s clothes and saying such things gives away your intentions, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Puhhh¡­¡± Suddenly, Kaen let out a sinisterugh. ¡°¡­I guess I can¡¯t fool Cadet Aizel after all.¡± She stopped pretending and Aizel grinned wickedly as Kaen revealed her true colors. ¡°It¡¯s too bad you picked up an assassination order on a walk in the first ce. You met the assassin who came for Zetto today, did you kill him?¡± ¡°Yes, I killed him, not Cadet Aizel.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯ve been busy, too. Granted, I wasn¡¯t dealing with some lowlife with an assassination order in his pocket, but¡­ ¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Kaen replied in a nonchnt voice. Eisel decided to cut to the chase and went straight to the chase. ¡°¡­Get your dirty hands off Zeto.¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± ¡°Because he doesn¡¯t love you anyway, and it¡¯s me he loves, not you.¡± ¡°You sound so sure of yourself.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve already confirmed it.¡± Aizel had seen with her own eyes that his curse had disappeared since Zetto had kissed her. Of course, there was no way to prove it now that the curse was gone, but it was clear in her memory. Aizel¡¯s confidence is shattered, however, by Kaen¡¯s next words. ¡°¡­Then Cadet Zetto must have been the kind of man who could lock lips with someone he didn¡¯t love.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aizel¡¯s eyebrows twitched slightly. At the sound of kissing, Aizel¡¯s golden eyes shed and he growled. ¡°Cadet Zeto and I have kissed before, once, he first. Another time, I did.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying¡­¡± ¡°¡­Though it¡¯s easier on me if you believe that.¡± Kaen smirked. Soon, a horrible aura leaked out of Aizel, who repeatedly muttered something along the lines of ¡°Zetto wouldn¡¯t do that.: ¡°¡­¡± Kaen didn¡¯t give in to this, either. In fact, all her ns had long since been thrown out the window. Yuri had also been listening to their conversation. ¡°I¡¯m the only one who can protect him.¡± With that, Yuri, her eyes nk, left them alone and disappeared into the darkness at the end of the corridor. Kaen clicked her tongue at the sound of Yuri¡¯s footsteps behind her. Since the three women¡¯s goals had been the same from the beginning, there was no picture of Kaen having Zetto all to herself. It was chaos and not even they knew where it would end. However Kaen hoped that at the end she would end up by Zetto¡¯s side. Chapter 199: Zetto is bad (1) Chapter 199: Zetto is bad (1) After a series of twists and turns, I was able to get my life back. A first-year cadet in ss A at Innocence Academy, this was my normal life. Contrary to Geppeti¡¯s fears, Aizel, Yuri, and Kaen¡¯s reactions were normal. Aizel with a sullen face. Yuri beamed at me. Kaen acting like an idiot. Nothing had changed much from before. ¡®Either that, or they¡¯re all wearing masks.¡¯ But I didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to them since my return had caused quite a stir in the ssroom. How was the Holy Land, did you really meet Ms. Heneryes, which craftsman made your prosthetic hand? I was stumped by the barrage of questions directed at me, but Edward, who had just entered the ssroom, pped his hands to distract the students. I hadn¡¯t seen him in a long time, and he was still wearing a sly grin that made me wonder what he was thinking. He then proceeded to exin the East, where we would be going soon. The cadets¡¯ anticipation was heightened by the fact that the trip had been long overdue. He also exined that the trip was part vacation and part exchange trip to broaden their horizons. ¡°Exchange? Is that different from the regr exchange?¡± Crank asked the cadets as he turned around to listen to Edward¡¯s exnation. At his question, the cadets¡¯ eyes focused on me. I was the only one with dark hair that looked like it could havee from the East, at least in ss A. ¡°Does Zetto know what kind of exchange they¡¯re talking about?¡± Aizel tilted her head to look at me but the look in her round eyes told me she was genuinely curious. I didn¡¯t know what would happen to Aizel after she was no longer a regressor. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, there¡¯s an academy or something like that in the East as well, called the Celestial Academy, and I wonder if we¡¯ll be able to interact and socialize with them¡­? I¡¯ve never actually been there, so I don¡¯t know.¡± [It¡¯s called the Celestial Academy. If they interact with the Innocence Academy, it must be there.] Sierra, who, unlike me, was actually from the East, exined. ¡°It¡¯s called the Celestial Academy.¡± ¡°The Celestial Academy¡­ So this is a chance to meet with the cadets of the Eastern Academy?¡± Amon nodded faintly. ¡®The Celestial Academy.¡¯ An academy said to have been founded by a divine being called the Heavenly Sun in the past. Most of those who have made a name for themselves in the East havee from this academy, though Sierra doesn¡¯t seem to have attended. She seems to have sought out and dueled with the greatest swordsmen in the wider world, making her an outlier. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s plenty of food in the East that¡¯s not readily avable here. Zetto, would you like toe with me to get some food?¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡± I was about to answer Yuri¡¯s question. ¡°Why don¡¯t you eat alone?¡± Aizel, who was on the other side of Yuri, interrupted. ¡°Because Zetto¡¯s going to be busy running around with me, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Aizel and Yuri¡¯s gazes shot out at the same time, but I smiled and remained silent. I felt like I shouldn¡¯t answer either of them. When faced with a thick wall in front of you, it¡¯s one thing to jump over it or break it down, but not when it¡¯s covered in countless thorns. After a moment of silence, Edward¡¯s exnation fortunately changed the subject. ¡°¡­Oh, and they say there¡¯s going to be a festival in the middle of our stay in the East. It¡¯s a huge festival of Eastern tradition that happens every sixty years or so, so we can¡¯t miss it, and we¡¯re going to take part in it.¡± ¡°A festival?¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s a real vacation, huh?¡± ¡°At least it¡¯s better than the north or the desert, and the weather is supposed to be normal.¡± The cadets cheered at the mention of a festival, but I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the news. ¡®So there was a festival.¡¯ The future had changed. The dy in the schedule alone had changed a lot. If we had stayed on schedule, the cadets wouldn¡¯t have been able to experience that festival. The cadets were the ones who got to enjoy the festival, so I could say something like, ¡°Isn¡¯t it because of the dyed schedule?¡± But as the one who caused the dy, I was stabbed in the heart. It¡¯s because the festival is going to be terrorized by the ¡®Blood Brotherhood¡¯. In a nutshell, this evil force is a criminal organizationposed entirely of blood mages. Normally, I¡¯d only hear about them on my way back from the East, but with the dy, I¡¯ll be able to take part in the festivities myself. ¡®It¡¯s a bit of a challenge.¡¯ I didn¡¯t want anyone to get hurt. The dy was purely due to me, so even if I couldn¡¯t protect everyone at the festival, I had to at least protect the Academy¡¯s cadets from harm. I could have harbored negative thoughts at the thought of being an unintentional nuisance, but on the flip side, now that I was able to intervene, I had a chance to make things better. ¡®The terror of the festival is a trick anyway.¡¯ What the Blood Brotherhood is really aiming for is to use their rampage to scare away key troops from the gathering of the kings of the East to the festival grounds. The festival is important enough to the East that they want to draw as much attention as possible to ensure the smooth running of the festival. Those who terrorize the festival are outcasts. ¡®The goal is to keep the cadets safe and keep reinforcements away.¡¯ Still, I know what will happen there, and I think I can do enough to stop it. The future had already changed but I wasn¡¯t going toment it, I could only move forward. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I had a lot of work to do after my break. I spontaneously shook my head and nced at Yuri, who was ring at Aizel with an ufortable re. ¡®If this is the case, then the affairs of the Kingdom of Terracia have changed since she could go to the East¡­¡¯ But Yuri didn¡¯t say anything else about it. I remembered that when I was making preparations for the aftermath, Rei had said that she would take care of the Kingdom of Terracia affairs. I don¡¯t know what she did, but the First Prince is quieter than I expected. Or it was possible that Yuri was in trouble and hiding it from me. ¡®I don¡¯t have enough information¡­¡¯ I can¡¯t help but feel frustrated by the pile of work I have to do and theck of information I have. If nothing else, I needed to get an informant to work for me before I leave for the East. ¡°Well, then, I¡¯ll leave you to prepare for the next three days to travel to the East. It¡¯s going to be a long journey, so you¡¯d better be ready.¡± With those words, Edward concluded his exnation of the schedule. We have three days to prepare. ¡®I¡¯ll have to be on the move nonstop.¡¯ *** And so, while Zetto was making preparations for his departure to the East, Aizel had her own business to attend to, and she sought out nc, the head of the ck Hand¡¯s southern branch. ¡°You need information on Zetto, don¡¯t you?¡± nc hadn¡¯t even asked her why she was here. For nc, an unexpected visit from Aizel was not something she¡¯d experienced many times, so as she went through her papers, she asked nonchntly. ¡°Yes, I thought there was something annoying attached.¡± ¡°I think I can get the answers you want from Hakam.¡± ¡°Hakam?¡± Aizel repeats, and nc puts down her papers for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve been noticing the figure called Zetto in the ck Hand as well. Hakam has been assigned to gather information on him.¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°¡­He¡¯s just passing by. Hakam,e in for a minute.¡± A momentter, nc calls out to a man passing in the hallway by the branch manager¡¯s office. At her call, the man turns and enters the room with a smile on his face. ¡°You called for me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, but would you mind reciting the information she wants?¡± nc jerks his chin toward Aizel. ¡°If it¡¯s your order, of course.¡± Hakam nodded in agreement. Now that he was in charge of Zetto, he had made quite a name for himself, and he felt good about whatever she asked him to do. ¡°¡­Then you will follow me.¡± Hakam, who already knew Aizel¡¯s face, immediately led her to his room. Hakam¡¯s room was in the corner of the guild building. Aizel wondered if she could trust a man in such a remote corner, but as soon as she entered his room, she realized why it was in the corner. -Boom! He opened the door and a bird flew across the room, sending feathers flying. His room was filled with colorful birds of all kinds. ¡°Uh-huh¡­!¡± Waving away the birds that tried to cling to him, Hakam walked into the room, brushed off the feathers on his desk, and sat down. ¡°¡­Have a seat there.¡± Aizel, who seemed to have a vague idea of what the informant was like, took his lead and sat down. ¡°Allow me to formally introduce myself, I am Hakam, the new bird of the morning.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aizel nodded curtly, not having heard the name before. Hakam coughed in response. ¡°Hmph, by the way¡­ You must be Aizel Ludwig, I hear you have a connection to our branch manager.¡± ¡°It sounds like you¡¯ve done your homework on me.¡± ¡°Well, Aizel, you¡¯re one of her people, but if there¡¯s any information you need to hear from me, it¡¯s probably about Zetto, so what do you want to know?¡± Hakam, who was feeding the birds, cut to the chase, and Aizel spoke up. ¡°I¡¯d like to know the identity of those pesky leeches on him.¡± ¡°Pesky leeches¡­¡± Hakam interrupted, scattering the birdseed in his hand roughly across the floor. ¡°¡­Fortunately, that¡¯s something I¡¯m aware of; he¡¯s got a pretty big price on his head.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t give them his information, did you?¡± ¡°Of course not, you know we¡¯re not the same, and if I had given them his information, it would have been much more detailed than that, and from what I¡¯ve seen its stuff that anyone would know, and Mr. Zetto has be famous in more ways than one.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, the identity of the leech is the Dark Order.¡± ¡°The Dark Order¡­? There¡¯s no way they have such arge sum of money¡­¡± ¡°It strikes me as odd, too, and we¡¯re currently investigating, but we¡¯re not sure where the money came from, but the important thing is that it was definitely paid into a bank.¡± The Dark Order had the backbone to pay such arge sum but Helgenas demon worshippers weren¡¯t exactlyrge organizations. ¡°I don¡¯t have any more information than that, other than that, the other leech attached to him is¡­ the leader of ¡®Syncretism¡¯.¡± ¡°Syncretism¡­?¡± Syncretism was the continent¡¯s leading criminal organization. True to their name, they were a bunch of maniacs who liked to cause social chaos and disruption in various ways. The leader of such a group is, of course, the ultimate ¡®lunatic¡¯. ¡°Yeah, unlike the Dark Order, he didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of killing him, but maybe it was Zetto¡¯s dramatic story that caught his attention¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s far more annoying, if I do say so myself.¡± ¡°¡­True, but arge bounty can never be ignored, and if you¡¯ll excuse me, is Miss Aizel trying to prevent that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Aizel thought about Syncretism and the Dark Order. There are many others who want Zetto and there will be many more. Aizel¡¯s desire to protect him had not changed. It was just a matter of how. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy, but¡­ Thest thing I want is for Zetto to be in danger, so I, Hakam, will help you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of information that will be useless if Zetto dies.¡± Aizel red at Hakam and muttered. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Hakam smirked at her sharp point and scratched his head. Knowing full well that it wouldn¡¯t change the situation, Aizel decided to try and get Hakam to cooperate. ¡°I¡¯d like to know how much you know about Zetto.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a pretty good idea of his rtionships with the people around him, this and that, and¡­¡± Hakam trailed off, hastily changing the words he was about to spit out at Aizel¡¯s fierce re. ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Rtionships with the people around him¡­?¡± ¡°Do you want me to recite the information I¡¯ve gathered? It¡¯s the most valuable information, but¡­ Well, since it¡¯s all thanks to you, I¡¯m sure I can tell Aizel.¡± ¡°Please?¡± Aizel wondered. ¡®So Cadet Zetto must have been the kind of guy who could lock lips with someone he didn¡¯t love.¡¯ Precisely what Kaen had said this time bothered her. Perhaps it was time for an objective eye. Judging by Hakam¡¯s words, Aizel thought that he had some idea of the rtionship between her and Zetto. ¡°What do you want me to start with? His background or his family?¡± Hakam tilted his head as he pulled a small notebook out of his pocket. ¡°¡­Rtionships with women.¡± Aizel¡¯s voice was firm. ¡°Ah¡­ I see, that¡¯s what you might be wondering.¡± Hakam sighs in response. After flipping through his notebook a few times, Hakam begins to speak. But his first words are out of character. ¡°Mr. Zetto must be a very attractive man.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­ording to my research.¡± ¡°Please continue.¡± ¡°First, Ms. Aizel Ludwig is the alleged lover of Mr. Zetto.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done your research.¡± At the mention of the word lover, Aizel¡¯s face lit up for the first time since entering the room. ¡°¡­And then there is Miss Yuri Clementine, youngdy of the Clementine family. Her rtionship with Zetto is¡­¡± An ordinary friend. Aizel had expected that kind of answer. ¡°¡­A supposed lover.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Next is Ms. Kaen, a brilliant cadet with the unusual distinction of having entered ss A before the exam. Zetto¡­presumed lover¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The corner of Aizel¡¯s mouth that had risen with Hakam¡¯s words dropped in real time. ¡°And then there is Bernice, the Saint of Innocence, who is likewise¡­¡± Aizel said nothing since she knew what wasing next. ¡°¡­We believe her to be Mr. Zetto¡¯s lover. Well¡­ It¡¯s not definitive, it¡¯s just my personal guess, but it¡¯s one that has its own validity¡­¡± Mr. Hakam swallowed hard and met Aizel¡¯s gaze. ¡°¡­Mr. Hakam?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°How did it¡­happen?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I don¡¯t know about that. What I do know is that Zetto is a sinful man. Hakam, who smiled bitterly with his mouth closed, thought so. ¡°¡­¡± Aizel, who had been quietly examining the cage in Hakam¡¯s room, finally spoke up. ¡°¡­Do you happen to know where Zetto is now? I don¡¯t think he¡¯s in the Academy.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Hakam had a general idea of Zetto¡¯s location, but Aizel¡¯s smile in front of him was somewhat broken, and the question of whether or not he should tell her kept crossing his mind. ¡°¡­Do you know?¡± Aizel shed another smile and tilted her head. The pressure was too much for Hakam to bear. Chapter 200: Zetto is bad (2) Chapter 200: Zetto is bad (2) On the night that Aizel, whose lifeless eyes gave off an eerie vibe, set out to find Zetto, who was wandering the streets of the academy looking for an informant when he came face to face with a nameless demon. He hadn¡¯t been in a hurry, so he had nned to ignore the demon as if he hadn¡¯t seen it, but the demon had been chasing him relentlessly, and Zetto had finally decided to deal with it. ¡°¡­¡± In the dead silence of the alley, the demon was unable to do more than swallow his saliva. There was an iron cor around his neck. The red de of the sword, beautiful to gaze upon and more dangerous than the thorns of any flower, was soaked with a single drop of ck blood from the demon¡¯s throat. It was Sierra, the Spectral Sword of Zetto. Meanwhile, from the shadows of the wall where the demon stood with its back to him, Zetto stretched out his arm and held the de to the creature¡¯s throat. ¡®This guy¡­Is it even a demon?¡¯ He had hoped that the demon would be able to fill up the magick to power the prosthetic, but the magick it possessed was terrible. However, the energy he could sense from its body was unmistakably that of a demon. At that thought, Zetto moved his arm to slit the demon¡¯s throat. ¡°¡­Lord Zetto¡­?¡± His body froze at the name the demon called out of nowhere. ¡°You¡¯re Lord Zetto¡­?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s right.¡± The demon had already gotten the information. It was strange that he didn¡¯t know about Zetto¡¯s existence since he was the one who had been secretly chasing after him in the first ce. ¡°Could you please spare me¡­?¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± ¡°Well, if you listen to my story first¡­¡± ¡°There are no viins without stories, but there are two kinds of viins in this world: those who at least tell their stories and die, and those who die without telling their stories.¡± ¡°I, I¡¯ve been looking for Lord Zetto all along¡­!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that true of the other demons as well?¡± Since he had killed the Legion Leader¡¯s right-hand man and had even been revived by Heneryes¡¯ miracle, the demons must be looking for him with a light in their eyes. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that¡­ At this rate, Lord Zetto is in danger¡­!¡± ¡°¡­Danger?¡± Zetto repeated. Then he stepped out of the shadowspletely, revealing himself while keeping his de straight as he held it to the demon¡¯s throat. ¡°Tell me more.¡± In response, the demon steadied its trembling voice and slowly began to exin. The demon¡¯s exnation went like this. There was a price on Zetto¡¯s head, 50,000 gold, and all sorts of assassins and shady mercenaries were out to get him. ¡°Ho¡­ Fifty thousand gold, that¡¯s a lot of money, no wonder there¡¯s so many people running after me.¡± ¡°Have you already met¡­the assassins?¡± ¡°I have, though I didn¡¯t realize they were trying to scratch a 50,000 gold lottery ticket.¡± ¡°Then¡­ is that why you were wearing that ridiculous helmet?¡± The demon pointed to his face. His fingertips were pressed together in a grotesque design that could hardly be called a helmet. It was a doll¡¯s head. ¡°I thought if I wore this, people wouldn¡¯t recognize me.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I think you stand out in a different way.¡± ¡°Is it very strange, master?¡± Zetto asked Sierra, taking a break from talking to the demon. [Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not strange at all in my eyes, how can a demon understand human standards.] Sierra, the one who had chosen the doll, frowned. She liked the way Zetto, who could be described as anything but cute, was tilting his head with the face of a cuddly teddy bear. ¡°¡­Master?¡± The demon muttered as he watched Zetto ask the question into thin air. ¡®He doesn¡¯t know about Sierra¡¯s existence.¡¯ Zetto removed the puppet mask covering his face as he considered the demon¡¯s response. ¡°What I do know is¡­¡± He then reveals his signature snow-white bandages. It¡¯s slightly hot inside, and his jet-ck hair is slightly damp from the bluish moonlight. ¡°That my disguise didn¡¯t fool you, that you recognized my identity at a nce. What is your identity, and who did you receive your instructions from, the Legionnaire or the Chief of Staff?¡± Zetto pressed down hard on the hand that held his sword and the demon narrowed his eyes. ¡°If I had to guess¡­I report directly to the General Staff.¡± ¡°Under the Chief of Staff¡­That¡¯s quite a high position considering your insignificant magick. Did the Chief of Staff order you to find out information about me?¡± ¡°¡­Well, there was such an order, but I wasn¡¯t looking for Lord Zetto at the behest of the Chief of Staff, believe it or not¡­ I¡¯m here because I¡¯m impressed with you, Lord Zetto, and I want to serve you as my lord.¡± ¡°That does sound very unbelievable.¡± Zetto shook his head at the absurdity of a demon offering to serve a human. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to spare your life for spouting such words¡­ Regardless of its authenticity, what made you say that?¡± ¡°Because you, Lord Zetto, are the Second Coming of the Nameless One.¡± ¡°The Nameless One¡­?¡± Zetto, who knew a little about him, muttered. The Nameless One, was a demon who was said to have challenged for the position of demon king in the past by eating his own kind and was exterminated. Aside from that tinnitus, he knew nothing else. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to remember him after all.¡± ¡°You¡­ What do you know?¡± Zetto asked, his voice turning serious. ¡°There was a time when I was gathering information on the followers of the Nameless One on the orders of the Chief of Staff¡­¡± The demon began to exin what had happened to him. The information he¡¯d learned about the Nameless One while trying to locate his followers. The world he sought and the goals he sought to achieve. What kind of demon the Nameless One was, what kind of man he was. The demon was slowly warming to the ideas of the Nameless One, which contrasted with the cruelty and selfishness of the demons he¡¯d experienced while traveling with Murka, who had been ordered by the Legionnaire to eliminate his followers. Not that he could do anything about it. He could do little more than slip the locations of his followers, which he had already mapped out, out of Murka¡¯s sight, so that one more life might be spared. In the eyes of the demons, helping the Nameless One followers was a crime worthy of death. Nervous that he might be found out, he was next ordered to spy on Murka, who had crawled into human territory. Eventually, Murka came face to face with Zetto, and that¡¯s how he met him. Zetto¡¯s abilities were simr to those of the Nameless One he knew. As he watched the battle and silently cheered Zetto on, but it was Zetto¡¯s resurrection that prompted him to take action. Heneryes¡¯ miracle had felt like a revtion. ¡°So you think I must be the seconding of the Nameless One¡­and that¡¯s why you want to serve me?¡± Zetto, who had been listening to the exnation and was wiping his brow at the unexined dizziness that had suddenly urred, asked. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly it!¡± The demon, whose face brightened, nodded. ¡°What exactly are the simrities?¡± Speaking of the Second Coming, Zetto had some clues since he heard Heneryes mention his previous lives and that in some of them he was a demon. ¡°The fact that you held your sword in a reverse grip¡­The spirits you¡¯re working with must be the same, because the descriptions in the records I¡¯ve read are quite simr to the spirits I¡¯ve seen in Lord Zetto battles, though I didn¡¯t realize that the Shade of Shadows, the dark spirit that the Nameless One was working with¡­was such a cute little thing.¡± ¡°Do you see Sheddie?¡± At Zetto¡¯s call, Sheddie, who had been nonchntly scratching his ears with his paws at his feet, let out a low, wailing whine. ¡°Sheddie¡­? Ah, you¡¯ve given it a name, yes, I can see it, I¡¯ve been dealing with spirits for a while now¡­I have a lowly dark elemental, but he¡¯s my eyes and ears.¡± The demon smiled brightly at the mention of his elemental. ¡°Aside from that, you seem to be quite simr in that you value yourrades, for the Nameless One is said to have cared deeply for his people.¡± ¡°Companions¡­¡± Zetto then slowly recounted his exnation. From what the demon said, he was an informant directly under the Chief of Staff. That means he¡¯s quitepetent as an informant. ¡®It¡¯s like he¡¯s borrowing the spirit¡¯s vision to get information.¡¯ It was said that those who could control spirits were rare among demons, and there were many people in this world that could not even sense their aura at all, so he waspetent in that way alone, but the information he was currently gathering was enough to show hispetence. ¡®The battle with the Murka, the presence of Sheddie¡­¡¯ He was already dipping his toe into information that would never be easy to find out. And now Zetto was trying to find an informant, someone who could keep tabs on the demons but he didn¡¯t think it was possible to work with a demon ¡°So that¡¯s the end of the viin¡¯s story, right?¡± Suddenly, Zetto tilted the sword he was holding to the demon¡¯s throat. He was sincerely trying to decapitate him. [Disciple, that guy¡­ even though he¡¯s a demon, he seems to be quite capable¡­] Then Sierra blurted out in a flustered tone. ¡®That¡¯s the problem, Master.¡¯ It¡¯s too good to be true. Chapter 201: Zetto is bad (3) Chapter 201: Zetto is bad (3) The demon showed up at the perfect time, as if it had been waiting for Zetto to find an informant. Zetto also liked howpetent it was and he had to give him high marks for already making the connection to his past life that he didn¡¯t know about. But there was too little information about this demon and Zetto, unlike Bernice, could not verify the truth of his words. There wasn¡¯t much that felt false, but that¡¯s what bothered him. The more insidious the lie, the harder it is to spot, especially with his background as a subordinate of the Chief of Staff. If he had all the information on the demon, he could afford to send a double agent. It wasn¡¯t clear why he would do such a thing, but it couldn¡¯t be ruled out. ¡°¡­¡± With the slightest movement of his arm, the weak demon¡¯s throat would be shed deeply, and ck blood would soon be sttered. Now that the future had changed so much, Zetto had to be careful with his choices but the demon didn¡¯t look as frightened as before. ¡°Well, I was prepared for all of this. If you¡¯re the Lord Zetto I know, it¡¯s not strange for you to make this choice. After all, I¡¯m a demon with horns on my head¡­ Demons are not your allies, Lord Zetto, they are your enemies.¡± Every time he opened his mouth to spit out the words, blood flowed from the cut on his neck from the de of the sword that had been thrust into his throat, but the demon was undeterred and replied in a straight voice. He had a deathly look on his face. Even though he was about to lose his life, he hadn¡¯t blinked an eye and was steadfast in his resolve. At least it felt like he wasn¡¯t just bluffing his way out of a crisis. With that, Zetto asked him thest of his lingering questions. ¡°¡­Earlier, you said that you had learned of the world the Nameless One sought. What kind of world was it that he wanted?¡± What kind of world was it that his followers, whose records should have been lost in the past, still exist, and why is the foolish demon in front of him doing this? The demon¡¯s lips part to answer. ¡°¡­A world where demons and humans coexist. The Nameless One wanted such a world¡­.¡± Demons and humans coexisting, the sheer absurdity of it all made Zetto chuckle and he immediately withdrew the sword he was holding to his throat. ¡°Lord Zetto¡­?¡± ¡°Not that I believe you.¡± Zetto merely wanted to understand the wishes of his supposed past life. ¡°¡­You said you wanted to serve me as your lord, so you¡¯ll have to prove yourself worthy, and trust is a bonus.¡± ¡°You have a point.¡± At Zetto¡¯s next words, the demon wiped the blood from his neck and bowed his head. ¡°I¡¯ll reconsider your offer after we¡¯ve established sufficient trust. Of course, the rtionship between lord and vassal is still awkward, so¡­I suppose it would be better to call you a colleague.¡± Zetto smiled weakly. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust the demon. If he was a double agent, he could also use him, and if he wasn¡¯t, he should be purely happy to have a good source of information. ¡°Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t catch your name.¡± ¡°My name is Keraph.¡± ¡°Keraph¡­¡± Zetto repeated his name as if he would not forget it. ¡°There¡¯s something else I was wondering about¡­¡± ¡°You can ask me anything.¡± ¡°¡­I was wondering why you¡¯re so weak.¡± Keraph magic was so weak that it was hard to recognize that he was a demon. It wasn¡¯t even because of his magick that Zetto could tell he was a demon, but his dark elemental aura. To Zetto¡¯s eyes, the skinny Keraph looked incredibly weak. He couldn¡¯t probably even win a fistfight with a normal adult male. In fact, he looked like he wouldn¡¯t even be able to win against a normal adult woman. ¡°Hahaha, I see that bothered you.¡± Keraph chuckles at Zetto¡¯s question, scratching his cheek. ¡°Truth be told, I¡¯ve never drained a human¡¯s life force before, let alone a beast¡¯s¡­or I should say, I can¡¯t.¡± Keraph shook his head. ¡°¡­What do you mean you can¡¯t?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been like this ever since I was a child. I suppose it¡¯s congenital but my horns don¡¯t absorb life force.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s voice trailed off, as it had to be considered quite unfortunate from a demon¡¯s point of view. ¡°As a demon, my abilities were limited to dealing with lesser spirits. I used to resent the world, but now I¡¯m grateful for it. I was able to keep the rules that the Nameless One had set.¡± ¡°What are those rules?¡± Zetto tilted his head at Keraph¡¯s exnation. ¡°Do not harm humans. As far as we know, the Nameless One often socialized with humans.¡± Indeed, Keraph had never harmed a human, for he had neither the ability nor the reason to do so. Only then did Zetto understand, however shallowly, why Keraph could be so susceptible to the ideas of the Nameless One. ¡°That¡¯s enough of my introduction¡­ is there anything you need me to do right now? Whatever it is, I, Keraph, will do my best to fulfill it.¡± Keraph balled his fists with enthusiasm. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Zetto was about to ask him a question when he realized that he needed to get a handle on the demons first. ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡­Looks like there¡¯s something you need to do right away.¡± Zetto hesitated for a moment before answering. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Hide. Right now.¡± ¡°Hide¡­? What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden¡­?¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡­she¡¯sing.¡± Keraph frowned at the dazed tone of Zetto¡¯s voice that followed. ¡°She¡­? Who the hell is she that Lord Zetto is reacting like that? *** Keraph finally ducked into a ramshackle dumpster in the alley. The unbearable odor stung his nostrils, but it was the only ce he could find to hide in a hurry. Luckily, the dumpster was big enough to hide his skinny body. ¡®I¡¯ve had enough of this.¡¯ Keraph was ready to give his life to serve Zetto as his lord, so he could easily put up with any foul odors or unpleasantness. And so Keraph was dutifully performing the first task Zetto had given him. He raised his head and gently lifted the lid of the trash can, his eyes locked on Zetto, who was leaning against the wall of the alleyway, waiting for ¡®her¡¯. ¡°Zetto¡­?¡± It wasn¡¯t long before a woman¡¯s voice echoed through the alley, and Zetto unclenched his arms and opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Ms. Aizel, what a coincidence to see you outside the Academy.¡± The tinum-haired girl who tilted her head as she cautiously approached Zetto was someone Keraph knew. She was Aizel Ludwig, the girl Zetto had defended against Murka before. ¡°¡­I see. What a coincidence. What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I was doing some preparations I needed to make before I left for the East.¡± ¡°Preparations at thiste hour, in this dreary alley?¡± Aizel¡¯s gaze shifted toward the end of the alley, and Keraph lowered his head, holding his breath in case he was spotted. Then he heard Zetto¡¯sughter. ¡°Haha, I had a lot of things to buy, so I was just taking a break, and I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s already sote.¡± ¡°It is gettingte.¡± ¡°¡­So what were you doing up to this hour, Ms. Aizel?¡± ¡°I was¡­ I had to get something ready¡­¡± Slowly lifting the lid, Keraph¡¯s eyes caught the sight of Aizel, her head turned away, unable to look at Zetto. Her eyes were suspicious, as if she was hiding something. ¡®Didn¡¯t they get along?¡¯ Keraph asked, but their conversation sounded to his ears as if they were prying into each other¡¯s minds under the guise of casual conversation. ¡°More than that, I had something to say to Zetto¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°¡­I wanted to ask you something.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You know¡­? Does Zetto¡­love me¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You love me, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­I do love you, Miss Aizel.¡± They looked like lovers who had been in a rtionship for quite some time. ¡®No, maybe they really are lovers.¡¯ Keraph had done some research on Zetto and his circle of friends, so he had a general idea of the nature of their rtionship. In any case, he was wondering if it was okay to be a sneaky observer of their suddenly sweet love story. ¡°¡­Good.¡± Until Aizel suddenly sprayed Zetto¡¯s face with the unidentifiable perfume she¡¯d been hiding behind her back. ¡°Ai¡­ Ms. Aizel¡­?¡± Zetto, who inhaled the perfume without much resistance, shook his head, and then his body tilted as if he had lost strength. Rrrr¡­ Eventually, Zetto¡¯s legs gave out and he slowly copses against the wall,pletely unconscious. ¡®¡­What was that?¡¯ Keraph¡¯s eyes widen in disbelief as he watches the scene. ¡°Zetto¡¯s bad¡­ Zetto is too nice¡­that¡¯s why he¡¯s nice to those bitches¡­¡± Aizel, gasping for breath and staring at Zetto, muttered in a dismal voice, as if possessed by a ghost. Aizel then picked up the fallen Zetto on her back and disappeared down the alley. ¡®What just happened right before my eyes?¡¯ Keraph asked in disbelief, his head still dizzy from the massive ident that had urred so suddenly. In the foul-smelling,pletely enclosed space, his head spun. What can I do about this? I don¡¯t know why, but it seems that Mr. Zetto has been ¡®kidnapped¡¯. Chapter 202: Zetto is bad (4) Chapter 202: Zetto is bad (4) I cuddle up to him as he lies on the bed. I straightened my fingers and ran them slowly over him. His flesh was hard and warm and alive. I continued to move my fingers gently. He had quite a few scars. Each time I traced a faded scar, my body throbbed with the pain he must have felt. -Ting. I patted the hunk of metal on his left side. ¡®I should have done this from the beginning.¡¯ Then he wouldn¡¯t have been in such pain. ¡°Ha¡­¡± The thought touched her and she sighed. She climbed on top of him and draped herself over his body. ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± His sweet scent. His warmth. It was all mine. I immediately gave in to the extreme euphoria that washed over me, but a lingering anxiety nagged at the back of my mind. It¡¯s okay now. There will be no more scars on his body. At least he won¡¯t be sick. Because he¡¯s mine. He was mine to begin with. It was meant to be. My mind tricked me, trying to erase the anxiety. ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± That¡¯s when I heard his sober voice. Zetto groaned, his voice muffled by the dizziness in his head. The effects of nc¡¯s special perfume had worn off. nc was the head of the Intelligence Guild¡¯s branch, and as such, she had all the tools of the trade. One of them was a perfume that could put a person to sleep in seconds. It couldn¡¯t be used multiple times on the same person because they would build up a tolerance, but one chance was enough. ¡°Are you awake?¡± I whispered straight into his ear but I raised my voice so he wouldn¡¯t be surprised. ¡°¡­Miss Aizel?¡± Zetto called my name, then the shackles that bound him nked. He tried to move his arms, but the restraints that held his limbs down made it impossible. ¡°This is¡­¡± Zetto stammered, still not quite grasping the situation. ¡°Stay still, Zetto.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s mouth drops open at my firm response. ¡°I tied you up, Zetto, because if I didn¡¯t, you¡¯d leave my side again and run off somewhere, and I¡¯m afraid¡­ I can¡¯t stand that¡­¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°Zetto, you understand, right? You said you love me, you said you only love me, so you won¡¯t hate me¡­?¡± Things had long since gotten out of hand, but I knew in my head that this was the wrong thing to do. I begged him not to hate me over and over again, not even taking a breath as my anxiety rose. I¡¯d thought about it once when I¡¯d pushed him through a gap in the Demon Rift, what if this action made him hate me? It was the same now. Would he hate me? Would he be disappointed in me? What if he didn¡¯t love me anymore? That¡¯s how anxious I was but I had a bigger fear than that, so I had no choice. Soon, his lips opened and suddenly I buried my face in his chest. I was terrified because I didn¡¯t know what his answer would be but eventually, I heard his voice in my ear. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t hate you.¡± With that one word, the guilt that washed over me like a tidal wave dissipates against the calm resonance of his voice. ¡°You didn¡¯t bother to tie me up properly anyway, did you? An ordinary piece of iron like this would shatter under the slightest pressure.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I don¡¯t have time to defend myself because true to his word, it was a flimsy restraint that would shatter at any moment if he exerted himself. ¡°¡­Break it?¡± I red down at him and grumbled. Zetto seemed to ept anything, so standing in front of him made me feel foolish. ¡°Haha¡­Well, if we stay like this, we won¡¯t be able to go to the East, will we?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to go, do we?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zetto didn¡¯t answer and that was a strange thing. ¡°Is it because you¡¯re worried about your sisters?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be fine without me.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you¡¯re happy to be with me?¡± I asked, tilting my head to look at Zetto. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡± ¡°Good. Cause I¡¯ve been hearing some weird stufftely. Like, Zetto likes another girl, or he¡¯s been kissing her¡­Isn¡¯t that ridiculous?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s Zetto¡¯s fault, because he¡¯s nice to everyone, and the other bitches crawl all over you, that¡¯s why there are rumors like that.¡± It¡¯s all Zetto¡¯s fault. He shes his friendly smile here and there, and the beasts are drawn to him by the scent of his blood. ¡°Still, now that we¡¯vee this far, there will be no more distractions. All I want is for Zetto and me to be happy.¡± I stroked his head gently. ¡°¡­Where are we?¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± At his question, I turned my head to look around. The ramshackle house, with its dpidated walls and crumbling ceiling, was an abandoned house in the woods a short distance from the Academy. ¡°¡­A temporary home.¡± I remembered seeing it on my way around, so I came here in a hurry. I couldn¡¯t carry an unconscious Zetto back to the dormitory. It had been an impromptu n, and I hadn¡¯t been prepared in many ways. ¡°Well, at least I made the bed clean¡­! Zetto can stay in his bed.¡± ¡°What about Miss Aizel?¡± ¡°My ce is here.¡± ¡°Ah, my body.¡± ¡°Am I heavy¡­?¡± I asked cautiously, blushing at the thought of being on top of him. ¡°Not heavy at all. It¡¯s just how light Miss Aizel is, and my top¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­I did¡­¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re bold, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that¡­ The wound¡­! I was trying to check the wound.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zetto shrugs quietly and smiles, as if he doesn¡¯t believe me. We were chatting nonchntly like normal lovers in the midst of a situation that was anything but normal but it didn¡¯t feel so bad. Zetto¡¯s smile, the one that told me I could get away with anything, was too mesmerizing to resist any longer. ¡°Zetto¡­¡± Suddenly, I pulled him into a tight hug and kissed him. *** ¡°What am I supposed to do about that¡­?¡± Keraph pondered. Zetto, the man he hoped to make his lord, had been kidnapped before his eyes. ¡°Weren¡¯t they lovers¡­? Was there some kind of grudge match between them that I don¡¯t know about?¡± He muttered to himself as he clutched his head. There are many differences between demons and humans, but when ites to the emotion of love, there is not much difference. Demons love just as much as humans do, that was why Keraph couldn¡¯t understand Aizel¡¯s behavior. A hundred concessions, even if they were love, could never be considered normal behavior. Still, he had to save Zetto. ¡°But who¡­?¡± For one thing, Keraph himself was not up to the task. In the first ce, Aizel Ludwig was a match for almost any demon¡¯s strength, and Keraph was the weakest of them all. He needed someone to take his ce and save Zetto, someone in Zetto¡¯s circle who had the power to stop Aizel and the reason to do so. He excluded people like the instructors, whose involvement could make things worse. Above all, he needed someone who could act on a letter from an unknown source without raising any suspicions. Soon, several faces shed through Keraph¡¯s mind. Even as a low-level elementalist, Keraph was able to control a fairly significant number of spirits simultaneously, allowing him to investigate many people at once. That was Keraph¡¯s strength as an informant, an ability to gather information that could match any intelligence guild. And since the spirits had, until recently, all been centered on Zetto and those around him, he had a pretty good idea of their rtionships. The person who fit the bill the best was none other than Yuri Clementine, the princess and sole heir of House Clementine, one of the continent¡¯s four elemental families. She would be able to stop Aizel Ludwig with nothing more than the words ¡®Zetto¡¯s in danger¡¯ and his current location. ¡°But¡­ she¡¯s¡­¡± She has a crush on Zetto. She¡¯s even one of those people who, like Aizel Ludwig, is suspected of being romantically involved with Zetto. If she were to show up at the scene of Aizel¡¯s kidnapping of Zetto, Keraph felt that something terribly bloody would happen. It would be a bloody fight to the death but with the clock ticking, Keraph quickly racked his brain and an idea shed through his mind. ¡°So¡­ even if she¡¯s not strong enough to stop Aizel Ludwig, she could¡­¡± With that realization, Keraph scribbled on the letter in his hand. ¡°Alright¡­Lord Zetto, please wait a little longer. I, Keraph, will surely prove to you that I am useful.¡± Now all he had to do was sneak the letter away. *** Keraph did exactly what he was supposed to do. The letter said that Zetto was in danger and that she shoulde alone, and it described the location of the hideout he had discovered by following Aizel with his spirit. Even to him, the letter sounded suspicious. ¡®Normally, she¡¯d be suspicious.¡¯ Unless she¡¯s Yuri, who Keraph had seen before in a darkened room, clutching a doll in Zetto¡¯s likeness and muttering something along the lines of ¡°I¡¯ll protect him.¡± But if you¡¯re simple enough to believe a letter like this, it¡¯s a different story. Keraph was currently manifesting a spirit and using it to sneak the letter into her room, which happened to be empty, and then hiding his spirit form once more to see how things were going. His affinity with spirits was so good that he could do it all without entering the academy. Hmph. Soon, the door to the room Keraph had been observing through his spirit vision opened. ¡°See youter, then!¡± It was Lucia Windless, a bluish-haired girl who closed the door with a cheerful greeting. Keraph realized that Lucia would be able to stop Aizel simply by showing up. Then Aizel, who was holding Zetto, would have no choice but to let him go before things got out of hand. There would be no fight. Zetto would be very disappointed in her if she attacked Lucia, the symbol of innocence. In the unlikely event that the blinded Aizel attacks Lucia, there¡¯s nothing he can do about it. Keraf knew that Zetto didn¡¯t want things to escte, but he also knew that he was extremely reluctant to see anyone else harmed. ¡°Um¡­? What is this, a letter?¡± Lucia spotted the letter on the table. Her eyes filled with curiosity, she broke the seal and read the letter. ¡°Mr. Zetto¡­In danger¡­? Alone¡­?! That should have been her reaction. But when Lucia finished reading the letter, she turned her head without saying a word. ¡°¡­¡± Lucia had a faint smile on her face, but something was different. It was a strange sensation that was hard to exin. Lucia shook her head once and put the letter back into the envelope. Uh-uh-uh¡­ She then organized the disheveled shape of the seal with a very detailed wind spell. As Keraph watches, a question arises in his mind. Why would she put the letter back in? Could it be that she wasn¡¯t so close to Zetto that she didn¡¯t really care if he was in danger or not? No. This was strange. When her ssmate Zetto had died the eldest daughter of the Windless family, pure of heart, bright and cheerful, but not very good with wind magic, had cried herself to sleep. But now, Lucia¡¯s behavior waspletely inconsistent with what he had learned about her. Lucia finished sealing the letter and looked it over. She picks up a fountain pen from the table and writes something on the letter. ¡®¡­Yuri Clementine?¡¯ Lucia scribbled Yuri¡¯s name on the letter, which had no recipient. Even creepier, Lucia¡¯s handwriting was exactly the same as Keraph¡¯s on the letter. In that short amount of time, she had managed to copy the handwriting from a cursory nce. Lucia leaves the room again, this time with the letter bearing Yuri¡¯s name. Lucia spotted Yuri in the hallway, smiled, and waved. ¡°Yuri¡­!¡± ¡°Huh? Lucia.¡± ¡°This¡­ I think I got the wrong letter¡­!¡± Lucia cautiously held Keraph¡¯s letter out to Yuri. ¡®This is¡­This is ridiculous¡­¡¯ Keraf was stunned. It was bad enough that he had misidentified Lucia Windless, but Lucia¡¯s next move was out of character. She was stirring up ¡®chaos¡¯. Chapter 203: Zetto is bad (5) Chapter 203: Zetto is bad (5) Immediately after receiving the letter from Lucia and reading its contents, Yuri set out for the location it indicated. She almost got lost, but thanks to Benno¡¯s instructions from the orb, she wasn¡¯t toote. Yuri didn¡¯t knock on the door as usual. Her arrival was announced by an explosion that ripped through the walls of the abandoned house. -Aaahhh!!!!! Yuri walked in, her eyes zed over with smoke and mes. Her eyes then focused on a bound and gagged Zetto lying on a bed, and Aizel unbuckling his belt. Three seconds was all it took to realize that it didn¡¯t make sense and her head was spinning. ¡°Aizel, you crazy bitch¡­!¡± ¡°How¡­?¡± Aizel asked in confusion. She was annoyed that her alone time with Zetto had been interrupted, but more importantly, how on earth had she gotten here, however the answer seemed elusive. Aizel was immediately struck by a ball of me from Yuri. She deployed a shield in time, but the impact is so great that she is sent flying into the distance, shattering walls with each impact. ¡°Hah¡­ Ha¡­¡± Yuri breathes harshly, having driven Aizel away for a moment. She turned her head to look at Zetto. The sight of him shirtless and tied to the bed was indescribably horrifying, at least in her eyes. ¡°Zetto¡­ Are you okay¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Ms. Yuri.¡± Yuri¡¯s unexpected appearance was as disconcerting to Zetto as it was to Aizel. Ever since he and Aizel had locked lips, she had been so excited that she had lost her mind, and it was still good news for him, who had been wondering when and how he could get out of this situation naturally, given Sierra¡¯s presence on the other side. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll be right back after I take care of that crazy bitch.¡± But even as Yuri said it with a smile on her face, it didn¡¯t feelpletely normal. Their rtionship had already taken a turn for the worse. ¡°I¡¯m going to burn her¡­¡± she said, and walked off in the direction Aizel had flown. It wasn¡¯t long before she was face-to-face with Aizel, and a booming sound rang in Zetto¡¯s ears. Zetto scattered his ki to make sure they were far enough away, then channeled mana into his arms to break the chains binding him. Thud! Zetto sat dazedly on the bed, the thick iron cuffs around his wrists and anklespletely gone. Sierra approached him, crossed her arms, and red at him. [¡­Disciple, I just want an exnation for why you were so still.] Sierra¡¯s eyebrows wiggled together, and she looked quite ufortable. ¡°¡­She¡¯s cute.¡± Scratching her cheek, Sierra stared at Zetto¡¯s nonchnt reply, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. ¡°Eh¡­¡± He slid off the bed and stepped onto the floor, immediately reaching for his luggage. With a flick of his hand, he cleared away the smoke from Yuri¡¯s fire magic and fixed his clothes. Slinging Sierra around his waist, he picked up his shirt and coat that Aizel had so casually stripped from him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Finding the subspace pocket in his coat, he immediately stuck his hand into it and rummaged around for something. What he had in his hand was a dried up piece of jerky. [I guess that¡¯s the kind of thing you can get away with in this crazy situation.] ¡°I have to eat.¡± Sierra looked at Zetto, who was still chewing on the jerky, and shook her head. ¡°At least I kept my virginity.¡± Turning to Sierra, Zetto smirked. [¡­Was it more her virginity than yours?] ¡°At least for this life¡­ I guess, is that such a shock?¡± [No, not really, but¡­] Sierra hadn¡¯t thought he would be a virgin at all, as Zetto had shown so much skill with women. ¡°And weren¡¯t you a virgin yourself, Master?¡± [A virgin¡­? I¡¯m¡­experienced¡­!] Sierra, taken aback by the word virgin, said. [Did you really think that I would have died a miserable death without being able to remove a single virgin scab? Hmph¡­] It was Sierra who realized in hindsight that her inexperience would have hurt her more if she had said such a thing. ¡°¡­I see.¡± Her tant lie was so obvious that Zetto decided to let it fool him for a moment. Boom!!! At that moment, another booming sound came from the other side. [I wonder how this happened¡­?] Sierra, who could clearly see what was going on outside, clicked her tongue. Deciding that it was urgent to deal with the situation, Zetto stepped outside, barely dressed. Cautiously opening the rickety old door, he stepped outside and was greeted by a pir of me that erupted out of nowhere. [¡­What a mess.] Hot mes engulfed the forest and lightning crackled everywhere. Aizel and Yuri, whose clothes had burned off in the fight, were only in their underwear. ¡°Don¡¯t disturb me and Zetto.¡± Aizel was wearing white underwear that was radiating life. ¡°Interfere? You¡¯re definitely crazy¡­¡± Undeterred, Yuri, who was wearing ck underwear, shouted in a murderous voice. [ I know I shouldn¡¯t be saying this, but I can¡¯t help but think how lucky I am that they can¡¯t see me.] Sierra said at the ridiculous sight that made her sigh. Zetto could only wonder, ¡°How did they manage to keep their underwear from burning?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to stop them first.¡± [Yeah, unless we want people to find out that the cause of the forest fire was two cadets fighting over you¡­we¡¯ll have to stop them.] Zetto, who had just finished swallowing the jerky in his mouth and unsheathed his sword, stepped in front of them. *** Huddled around a crackling campfire, Yuri, Aizel, and I breathed in the cold dawn air and watched the sunrise over the ruined forest. ¡°¡­Etch!¡± Yuri, who was bundled up in a fur coat, coughed and rubbed her nose. She¡¯d been out in her underwear since the crack of dawn, so it was no wonder she¡¯d caught a cold. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Then there was silence again. After much effort and time, I managed to hold them at bay but it felt more like I had worn them down and made them give up. I can¡¯t even remember how many spells I saw. After trading attacks nonstop, they eventually ran out of mana, and this was after I had put out a fire that had threatened to spread across the forest. It was a good thing I had a nket in my subspace pocket. Otherwise, they would have been walking back to the academy in their underwear. As they sat there, staring at the campfire, Yuri spoke first. ¡°Zetto¡¯s not hurt¡­?¡± ¡°Ha, why is someone who didn¡¯t care about Zetto and was throwing magic at him asking that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same with you?¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s not fight, I¡¯m tired of it too.¡± Sparks were about to fly between them again, but my voice instantly extinguished them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Zetto. I just¡­I guess I got carried away with the idea of protecting you¡­¡± ¡°I guess I crossed the line this time too¡­¡± The two women¡¯s voices dropped rapidly, as if they were finally feeling guilty. I, who was sitting between them, smiled and opened my mouth. ¡°I¡¯m fine, so why don¡¯t you two make up¡­¡± Their eyes meet across the campfire at my suggestion. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Aizel, if I were stronger, I would have burned your bones, not your clothes.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sorrier because if I¡¯d gotten rid of you beforehand, you wouldn¡¯t have had toe all the way here.¡± Harsh words are exchanged with smiles on their faces. ¡®I don¡¯t think they can reconcile¡­¡¯ Considering my goals, I can¡¯t say that the current situation is good by any means. ¡®By the way, I didn¡¯t take Aizel¡¯s kidnapping lightly¡­¡¯ I actually found her endearing. The way she asked me if I wanted to break the handcuffs was quite cute but in the grand scheme of things, it was quite bizarre. ¡®I¡¯ve had simr feelings for Kaen in the recent past¡­I wonder if it¡¯s because my feelings for her have faded, and I don¡¯t feel them unless I¡¯m in a stimting situation.¡¯ At this point, I wonder if it might be the effect of the crown (blindfold). Fixing the blindfold around my eyes, I rolled my pupils and looked at the fur-covered Yuri and Aizel, then turned my head to take in the burnt forest. Well, on the one hand, kidnapping and imprisonment were all well and good, but I wished they¡¯d at least put up with the fighting. ¡°But you, how did you get here?¡± Aizel asked Yuri, still with unanswered questions. ¡°Huh? Well¡­ I got a letter saying that Zetto was in danger, but he was in more danger than I thought! You tied him up and¡­what¡­What were you going to do¡­?!¡± ¡°Zetto couldn¡¯t have written the letter¡­ then who¡­?¡± Aizel, who had lightly ignored Yuri¡¯s blushing outcry, frowned in annoyance. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± I said, and my eyes settled on a pair ofrge eyes on the other side of the forest. The eyes that pped their wings against their smooth ck skin seemed to be invisible to the others. ¡®It was probably Keraph who wrote the letter.¡¯ It could only be Keraph, who would have happened to be watching my kidnapping. Those strange eyes must be his dark spirits. Keraph waspetent. It would have been better to call Lucia instead of Yuri, but I suppose it wasn¡¯t a bad call to call Yuri. I wonder what he¡¯s thinking, though, as he watches this spectacle of a topless man and two women in their underwear sitting around a campfire having a nervous breakdown. [Ha¡­] I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s something along the lines of Sierra, who¡¯s sighing. ¡°¡­Shall we head back now?¡± ¡°Sure. What¡¯s Zetto doing today anyway?¡± ¡°I have a meeting with someone.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t answer Yuri¡¯s question since it would sound strange to say that I was going to meet a god. I couldn¡¯t help but feel that I had be strange as a result of this, so I decided to meet the man who made the crown, the Earth God. Heneryes said I had met him before so it seemed like a good idea to meet him before I go to the East. I didn¡¯t know exactly who he was, but it wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t know anyone. This wasn¡¯t a game, after all, and with that premise, there was only one thing that shouldn¡¯t be in this world. *** Aaaah¡­ ¡°Hmmmmmm~ hmmmmmmmm~¡± A bluish-haired girl was humming in the shower. ¡°s, something funny should be happening by now¡­¡± She stopped humming and looked wistfully at the tiny tattoo on her body. It was inked in a ce where you wouldn¡¯t expect to see it. ¡°It¡¯s a shame I didn¡¯t get to see it¡­! It must have been beautiful¡­¡± The flower that grew on her back was a flower that bloomed in chaos, a symbol of Syncretism. Chapter 204: Syncretism Chapter 204: Syncretism A piano ys in a theater as a girl takes a step with each movement of the keys. She dances, not paying attention to the audience, approaching the piano in the center of the stage. The tempo slows dramatically, and near the end of the piece, the man at the piano notices her. ¡°There you are, Lucia.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still good at the piano, sir. That was beautiful.¡± ¡°Not good enough. I owe the audience a more beautiful performance.¡± ¡°What about the others?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all busy with their own business. I don¡¯t know when we would all be here together.¡± The man tilted his head as he carefully closed the lid of his keyboard. They belonged to an organization called Syncretism. A hybrid, a flower that blooms in chaos. It was an organization, but most of its members were too individualistic to work well together, but when they did, they were one of the worst criminal groups on the continent, sowing chaos on a continental scale. The building, tucked away underground, was his personal theater, a hideout of sorts. ¡°I¡¯ve heard weirder rumors than that.¡± ¡°What rumors?¡± ¡°The strange rumor that the head of Syncretism is coveting my flowers.¡± ¡°s, that one.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no head of Syncretism, is there? Or at least not one who looks like one¡­¡± Lucia whirled around in a dance, tilting her head to look at him at the piano. ¡°¡­It¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Haha, Lucia wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it.¡± ¡°Pooh, are you trying to invade my territory?¡± Lucia, who puffed out her cheeks as if she was impatient, narrowed her eyes. The man who had been the recipient of her cute questioning stood up with a grin on his face. ¡°So, Lucia, did you like him?¡± ¡°I thought he was just a nice guy at first, but he had something more interesting up his sleeve.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve grown to like him?¡± ¡°Phew, love is such a hard thing for me to talk about, I just like flowers¡­that¡¯s not my role, and you haven¡¯t answered my question yet¡­¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have any ns right now, but he piqued my interest. I¡¯m just waiting for it to blossom.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I think the flower has already bloomed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be a bigger flower than that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s beautiful enough as it is.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯m sure Lucia will be happy when it does.¡± ¡°What did you see?¡± Lucia asks, and the man stroking the piano reminisces. ¡°¡­Chunks of scrap metal, demons with crimson horns sprouting from their heads¡­and I saw him among them. Distrust, despair¡­and reunion. Soon there will be war, Lucia.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s understandable, but what matters now is that he will be at the center of that war.¡± ¡°War¡­Is my sister safe?¡± Lucia¡¯s eyes widened at the word war, and her voice turned serious. The most important thing to her was the safety of her sister, Rikua. ¡°Perhaps¡­?¡± The man shrugged, feeling like he¡¯d been caught in the wrong. ¡°I don¡¯t want to entrust my sister¡¯s life to such a vague answer, so if he dies, maybe there won¡¯t be a war?¡± ¡°¡­Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think so. His presence will only lead the war into chaos. It¡¯s toote to stop the war itself, and if you intend to harm him above all else¡­¡± He snaps his fingers, and everyone in the theater turns to stare at her. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think you can get away with it, can you?¡± They were not living human beings. They were all his puppets, the audience for his show. The world called him a marite in a massacre, a cursed puppeteer. Lucia¡¯s head snapped around at the dense feeling all around her, and she raised her hands in surrender. ¡°Well, if my sister isn¡¯t in danger¡­ I¡¯m fine, and I¡¯m having enough fun as it is.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The man snapped his fingers again at Lucia¡¯s reply, and the crowd that had been ring at her spontaneously erupted into conversation about the performance. ¡°But if you¡¯re so worried about him, why don¡¯t you just stop the assassins yourself?¡± ¡°Ah, that fifty thousand gold¡­¡± Lucia nodded at the man¡¯s muttering. ¡°He won¡¯t be killed by ordinary assassins, but still, wouldn¡¯t it be dangerous if the ¡®Ghost of the Holy Land¡¯ or the ¡®Wild Dogs¡¯ were to get involved in this¡­¡± ¡°Well, the Wild Dogs are stupid and greedy for money, so even if they did, I don¡¯t think the Ghost of the Holy Land would get involved.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I met her once. She doesn¡¯t kill people for money.¡± ¡°So the Ghost of the Holy Land was a woman?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s all I know.¡± The man stroked his own neck and smiled sinisterly. There was one deep scar on his neck. It was a scar from his past encounter with the Ghost of the Holy Land. ¡°A piece of scrap metal and demons¡­Do you think Mr. Zetto is betraying the humans?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The man spat out another vague answer, and revealed in the reverberations of the chaos that would ensue. His role in the puppet show was to incite public opinion to allow the chaos to grow out of control. The flower he was about to bloom was already so beautiful that it was enough to set the scene. ¡°I¡¯m going to go now, there are no people¡­ You don¡¯t really work, so you don¡¯t have anything interesting to say, do you?¡± ¡°When you put it like that, you make it sound like I¡¯m an idiot, but here I am, working diligently for the best newspaper in the continent.¡± Lucia, who was making a ¡°fufu¡± sound with her mouth, turned away. ¡°Oh, by the way, did you mention that you¡¯re going to the East this time? Lafert is in the East right now, so if you¡¯re lucky, you might be able to meet him.¡± ¡°Lafert¡­? What does he do there?¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, he¡¯s hanging out with a group of blood mages in the East called the Blood Brotherhood, and they¡¯re preparing for a grand event called the Blood Festival.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­A festival, that sounds interesting.¡± Without even turning her head, Lucia says that with a faint smile and leaves the venue. The man who watched her leave the theater chuckled softly. He was reminiscing about the first time he met her. She was pure chaos, unable to fit into the world since she was a child. What he did was simple. He¡¯d told her that she wasn¡¯t wrong and that there was beauty in chaos. Reading people¡¯s minds and using them to one¡¯s advantage was a talent that humans of the Syncretism had, but her method was quite unique among the members of the Syncretism. Innocence was her weapon and the flowers she blooms are primal and arousing, scented with the essence of humanity. ¡°She seems to be enjoying herself quite a bit.¡± He had never seen Lucia so excited before. ¡°The Academy is her stage, after all¡­ I¡¯ll mind the outside world.¡± His attention was drawn to a piece of paper on the piano that contained information about St. Bernice, the Saint of Innocence. ¡°The power to separate truth from falsehood¡­A beautiful tunees to mind. Was there a warlock among the puppets?¡± *** I had been telling Geppeti my reasoning about the Earth God since early morning. ¡°Chicken and cider¡­? Why did you wait until now to share such important information¡­!¡± ¡°I thought it was an Easter egg or something¡­¡± After listening to my reasoning, Geppeti gave me a p on the wrist, and I went with her to the store I had visited with Aizel earlier. That¡¯s how we met the owner. ¡°No, the boss is the one lying over there, Mr. Boss, the customer is looking for you!¡± Oh no, he wasn¡¯t the owner. He was in the kitchen cooking, of course, and I thought he was the owner, but apparently he was just an employee. The employee calls for the boss, and the man lying on the couch with a magazine on his head jumps up. ¡°What, we have a visitor¡­?!¡± Is he really the boss? No, I wonder if he¡¯s the God of the Earth. He was an unremarkable-looking man with an extremely ordinary aura that didn¡¯t feel like a god at all. ¡°Ho¡­?¡± He spots me and Geppeti, and his eyebrows rise. ¡°Madler, I think you can call it a day.¡± ¡°Yes, sir, but we have customers, and I don¡¯t want to disappoint them by serving them your food.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, they¡¯re not here for regr food.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Oh, really¡­ I¡¯ll make sure you get paid, so listen to me¡­! My authority as boss is diminishing in real time.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have any authority to drop¡­¡± Eventually, the employee named Madler leaves the store. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± As he hurries away, he dusts off his palm. He sticks out his palm and immediately sets the tone. ¡°You¡¯vee to the right ce. I¡¯m the one¡­¡± Boom! He is interrupted by the door opening and Madler entering the shop again. ¡°¡­¡± He nces at Madler ufortably. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because I forgot my stuff¡­¡± Madler ducked into the kitchen, grabbed his stuff, and headed back out the door. ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯m the one who¡­¡± He coughed and tried to regain hisposure. ¡°¡­Never mind. I think you know who I am.¡± He didn¡¯t seem to be in the mood, so I decided to let it go. ¡°Have a seat. You didn¡¯t bring her, by the way, did you?¡± ¡°¡­You mean Sierra?¡± I had left Sierra behind. I¡¯d told her I¡¯d be back in a few minutes with Geppeti and the groceries. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not something she¡¯ll want to hear. She wouldn¡¯t even know what you were talking about.¡± I was thinking the same thing. As Geppeti and I took our seats, he tapped the table and spoke again. ¡°Let me formally introduce you to the ¡®Earth God¡¯ you¡¯ve been looking for. Well, not really a god or anything anymore.¡± ¡°Then what should we call you? There have been many gods on Earth, haven¡¯t there?¡± ¡°Call me whatever you want, because all those gods were me.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The gods of various religions came to mind, but I didn¡¯t want to call them anything. ¡°Loki¡­ What about Loki?¡± Geppeti had the same idea, and she suggested it to me. ¡°Why Loki?¡± ¡°It just popped into my head, and I think it¡¯s a simr image¡­¡± ¡°Well, if it¡¯s Loki, is that the guy from Norse mythology? He¡¯s a personal favorite.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s call you Loki.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± That was my first encounter with Loki. Well, maybe not the first meeting, since I had seen him before. ¡°Well, I like the name, so let¡¯s get straight to the point. The fact that you came to me means that Heneryes told you about me¡­ You¡¯ve noticed that you¡¯re having problems with your awakening, right?¡± ¡°Problems?¡± Loki tilted his head at the mention of a problem with awakening. ¡°¡­If not that, then what?¡± ¡°I just came to see you because I think my head has gotten weird.¡± ¡°Your head got weird because¡­?¡± ¡°Well, a lot has happened in thest little while, and I was wondering if you could fix it¡­¡± ¡°What happened?¡± I exined to Loki what had happened with the girls. The strangeness of their obsession and my feelings for them. ¡°It has something to do with the crown¡­¡± Loki scratched his head as he listened to my exnation but his next words caught me off guard. ¡°¡­That has nothing to do with the crown.¡± Loki, who had been casually scratching his ears, said in a firm voice. ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just your taste, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­My taste?¡± ¡°In the first ce, I looked at your past life, and your taste is the same as it has always been. The bottom line is, you¡¯ve been a weirdo from the beginning.¡± I get a clear answer, and Geppeti, sitting next to me, looks at me quizzically. ¡°So, Lord Zetto, you were like that in your previous life as well¡­¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡­Was I? Now I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s what. ¡°It¡¯s just an illusion caused by your emotions. Of course, it¡¯s undeniably stimting, so it might help you regain your emotions¡­ but don¡¯t me the crown I made for you. It had nothing to do with your ¡®strange tastes¡¯.¡± I knew my reaction was out of the ordinary, but to say that I only had unusual tastes¡­? I was at a loss for words. ¡°¡­So, you¡¯re saying you have a problem with awakening?¡± At times like this, it¡¯s better to change the subject. Chapter 205: Loki’s Gift Chapter 205: Loki¡¯s Gift ¡°Right now, your body is on a limit, to put it mildly.¡± Loki takes a bite out of the apple, then proceeds to exin the problems I¡¯m having with my awakening. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s told you all sorts of nonsense about how your emotions will fade and you¡¯ll never be king, and it¡¯s all true. The crown is designed to make you less emotional as you level up, and I had to put a limit on it because¡­ well, you know, you could just level up like crazy.¡± It was easy to level up. ¡°¡­So you¡¯re saying you put a limit on it on purpose?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s more like I¡¯m forcing you toe to me in the middle¡­ There are no levels or awakenings for the humans in this world. It¡¯s just a staircase that I deliberately built.¡± Loki made the game, so he could have designed something like that. ¡°So how do I get past that limit?¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re just going to solve it without even thinking about it.¡± ¡°Do I have to think about it?¡± ¡°You mean¡­ Don¡¯t you want to know what the crown and the king mean?¡± Loki spat out in a shaky voice, scratching his head but I already knew the answer. ¡°You mean the Demon King, right?¡± ¡°¡­What, did you know?¡± ¡°Lord Zetto is supposed to be a Demon King?¡± Loki and Geppeti look puzzled by my answer. ¡°After talking to Heneryes, I kind of figured it out.¡± The king and the crown, a past life goal of breaking the chains and the simrities between yers and demons were hints. In other words, if I became the Demon King, I could break the shackles. ¡°Well, I¡¯m still not sure how I, a human, can be the Demon King.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll figure that out in time. There¡¯s no need to rush it. More than that, don¡¯t you find it disturbing that you don¡¯t mind being a demon king?¡± ¡°Not really¡­ Isn¡¯t that what you were trying to get me to do in the first ce?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t really say.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve been yed, which is probably what I wanted, so why don¡¯t you just let me off the hook, I¡¯ve got a lot of work to do.¡± At my urging, Loki clicks his tongue once and says something along the lines of, ¡°Come closer,¡± and as I approach him, he ces his hand over my eyes. Then his hand glowed. ¡°I thought I¡¯d get a funnier reaction¡­¡± he said. Okay, that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I didn¡¯t really feel anything but I¡¯d have to checkter to see if the experience points would work. ¡°I left you a gift as a bonus¡­Can you take a look at your status?¡± Loki replied, and I opened the status window to check it out. There were no changes to the skills or items that were already disyed. ¡°Progress¡­?¡± A new window appeared underneath. Progress: -Saint: 7%. -King: 2%. -Demon: 9%. The words Saint, King, and Demon, along with their unidentified percentages. ¡°Does this have something to do with my past life?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an upgrade of sorts. In the game, you get a Job after you awaken, so I thought it would be a shame if you didn¡¯t have one, so I put it in.¡± ¡°¡­How does it work?¡± ¡°The way it works is that as you learn about your past life or do things rted to your past life, you gain progress, and whenever you reach a certain line, you gain the power of your past life.¡± I wonder if this is what Heneryes was referring to when she said that my past life experiences would help me. ¡°It would be more fun for you to find out for yourself.¡± Loki tossed his finished apple roughly to the ground and smiled. So he wants me to figure out how to make progress myself. ¡®I guess nothinges easy.¡¯ I don¡¯t know what powers I had in my previous life, but I¡¯m sure there are many skills that can help me. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll get, but it won¡¯t be enough to rece the Awakening. ¡°But¡­ What¡¯s that underneath?¡± That wasn¡¯t the only new thing in the status bar. Rtionships: Aizel Ludwig ¨C irritable, annoyed Yuri Clementine ¨C nervousness Sierra ¨C doubt Kaen ¨C excitement Bernice ¨C worry It listed their emotions alongside the familiar names. ¡°Some sort of gift.¡± Loki shed a devious grin. ¡°A gift¡­¡± ¡°What did you get?¡± Geppeti asked, and I exined what I could see in the status bar. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I want you to be happy, why are you so clueless in so many ways. You¡¯re probably getting more so as you level up, if that helps.¡± ¡°Clueless¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pretty blunt way of putting it, but¡­ I¡¯m thinking along those lines.¡± Geppeti fired a confirming shot. ¡°Only those who have an affinity for each other appear on that side. Sometimes they disappear, sometimes they appear.¡± ¡°Do you have my name¡­?¡± Loki¡¯s exnation caused Geppeti to look at me, confused. ¡°Geppeti?¡± ¡°Oh, no¡­¡± ¡°¡­Tsk.¡± Loki, who was listening to our conversation, clicked his tongue and shook his head. ¡°Is this¡­ Is it even urate?¡± What a mess. Kaen was the only one showing any sort of positive emotion right now. ¡°What do you think a god is? It¡¯s a god¡¯s power, so it¡¯s urate. I just used up what little of my godhood I had to create it. With this, I am now a very ordinary human being.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Is it really okay to use the ¡®Godhood¡¯ for something like this? My mouth drops open, unable toprehend his behavior. ¡°Like I said¡­ I just want you to be happy, and I want you to live a little longer because watching you is the only thing I have left.¡± With that, Loki and I parted ways. My thoughts were unorganized due to all the changes, but I could see that I had gained a lot from meeting him. Progress and rtionships. For progress, I would have to figure out a mechanism to increase the number, and for rtionships, it would have an automatic rm when I was in danger without me having to pay attention to it every time. ¡®Dangerous¡­¡¯ I wondered if he was referring to the same kind of threat I had experienced with Aizel. Later, when I returned home with Geppeti after grocery shopping, I found Sierra with her eyes closed. [How could it be sote to get groceries, apprentice?] Sierra¡¯s chilling words helped me understand the meaning of the word ¡®doubt¡¯ next to her name. I¡¯ve since spoken to Bernice through the crystal ball, and she¡¯s realized that I¡¯m worried about leaving for the East. I also realized that the emotions on the rtionship map are reflected in real time. Right now, both Sierra and Bernice had the word ¡°Relieved¡± written next to them. In any case, I realized that it would be difficult and unnatural to check in with them every time and address their feelings. After all, the rtionship chart was meant to alert them to the threat of crossing a certain line, not to give meplete control over their emotions. It wasn¡¯t just Aizel who was in danger. ¡°Bernice and Sierra were one thing, but Yuri and Kaen, well, there were some questionable things about them¡­ It¡¯s a lot of twists and turns, and even if I understood it, if I¡¯m kidnapped or something, I would end up being stuck and unable to move forward. I needed to do something about that so I talked to Geppeti about it. Her technical skills could be very helpful in the future but for now, we¡¯re just trying to figure out how to make progress. [Demon: 9%] As it turns out, I¡¯ve made progress, albeit very little. It doesn¡¯t seem like much at all, but when I kill a demon, I get a message that says, ¡°Your progress will be credited,¡± so I¡¯m sure it¡¯s only a decimal point. It¡¯s stillbeled as [Demon], but from what I¡¯ve been told by Keraph, in my previous life I was believed to be the demon known as the Nameless One. And the Nameless One preyed on its own kind. ¡®Preyed on demons, to be exact.¡¯ I charged my prosthesis with energy, and as soon as I sensed any nearby demons, I began to search for their nests and destroy them. The unpleasant scent of demonic blood wafted through the room. -Boom! I swung my sword in one big swing, wiping the ck blood off the red de. Luckily, I seem to be getting the right amount of experience, and I¡¯ve figured out how to increase my progression. However, I still haven¡¯t figured out what I need to do to get experience for [King] and [Saint]. For example, I thought a ¡°good deed¡± would be associated with [Saint], so I went around town helping people, but I didn¡¯t get any credit for that. I don¡¯t have the holy power of a real saint, so I can¡¯t heal the sick¡­ Maybe acupuncture is the only thing left. I realized that I should join an exchange program sometime. If I do well, I¡¯ll have the opportunity to showcase acupuncture in the East. There are two ways to make progress. Finding out information about my supposed past lives and doing things rted to them. Given the small bump in my progress, I was expecting a much steeper climb for finding out information. ¡®So what does [King] mean?¡¯ I could get a hint from Keraph about the demons and Bernice about the [Saint], but the [King] was a mystery. I knew I¡¯d done something rted to him before because I¡¯d gotten progress, but the first thing that came to mind was leading ormanding. I had been in a leadership role in the middle of a ss at the academy once. While I was thinking about it, Sierra¡¯s voice suddenly rang in my head. [Looks like we have a visitor.] ¡°¡­¡± I follow her voice and see a man standing there, surveying the bodies of the fallen demons around him. ¡°¡­Keraph.¡± ¡°I came to visit you quietly, and you sensed me immediately.¡± ¡°Well, I have a sixth sense.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it was a very good one.¡± Keraph frowned slightly as he examined the corpse. As a demon, this was probably not a very pleasant sight for him anyway. ¡°Shall we go outside?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine, not all demons are the same anyway, isn¡¯t it the same with humans?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± I continued my conversation with him as I used Sheddie to clean up the bodies of the demons that had fallen around me. After dusting them off, he sat down and recited to me the information he¡¯d been gathering, mostly things that could pose a threat to my safety. ¡°I¡¯ve been told that a ¡®wild dog¡¯ has been sent to assassinate Mr. Zetto this time.¡± ¡°Wild dog¡­I don¡¯t think I need to worry about him.¡± ¡°Why, I don¡¯t know much about him, but I did a little research and he seems to be quite famous.¡± [I¡¯d never heard of him before.] ¡°Notorious for not letting go of his prey once he¡¯s in the door, and he likes money.¡± Lycanthropes don¡¯t die often, and they¡¯re good at tracking. This is not the Lycanthrope I met in the Labyrinth. This one is real and a pureblooded. No wonder Sierra didn¡¯t recognize him. It¡¯s been less than five years since he¡¯s made a name for himself. ¡°But he¡¯s stupid,¡± he says, ¡°He¡¯s still young, doesn¡¯t know the world, and gets taken advantage of all the time.¡± He¡¯s probably being taken advantage of right now. He has the nickname ¡°Wild Dog¡± because he doesn¡¯t wash well and wears rags because he has no money. He walks around like a wild dog but the fact that he¡¯s made a name for himself in the underworld in less than five years means he¡¯s good. ¡°If I y my cards right,¡± he says, ¡°he might be my caninepanion, so it¡¯s a good thing he¡¯sing to me.¡± I knew what he was going through and why he needed the money, so I figured I could make a good deal with him after a brief conversation. ¡°You have a n, don¡¯t you, Mr. Zetto? Hmmm, next up¡­ Rumor has it that the leader of Syncretism is interested in you.¡± ¡°The Head of Syncretism¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. From what I¡¯ve heard, they¡¯re a criminal organization that¡¯s making a name for themselves on the continent. If you don¡¯t know about them, do you want me to get some information beforehand?¡± ¡°No, I know about them, but did they have a leader?¡± ¡°ording to my information, yes, but¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s odd.¡± Syncretism, the flower that blooms in chaos, is a secretive criminal organization with an unclear purpose and members. I remember seeing some of them in the game, as there was a storyline involving them. From the rumors that circte around the continent, they seem to be vicious and ruthless, but the truth is a little different. They were often referred to as ¡°vicious bugbears¡± by themunity of users who realized their true identity. The stories surrounding them are often ridiculous, and in many ways, they¡¯re very rtable. By the way, I understand that the organization itself is so unusual that it doesn¡¯t have a leader¡­ [¡­I wonder if he means the puppeteer.] Sierra knew about Syncretism and mentioned him. If she was right, he was the only one who could be called a leader. ¡°Well, it could be.¡± I pulled a ridiculous aggro. ¡°It¡¯s not going to happen. They¡¯re not the kind of guys who like to make a scene. Besides, you did a good job this time Keraph.¡± I said, convinced that it was he who had summoned Yuri. ¡°Ahaha, I didn¡¯t do it for the praise, I just thought I should¡­¡± Keraph scratched his head in frustration. ¡°More than that, what the hell is the rtionship between them and Lord Zetto¡­?¡± ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± I hesitated to answer, then looked over at Sierra. [ ¡­¡­ ] She shook her head with a forlorn look in her eyes, as if she had given up on something. ¡°That¡¯s a little hard to exin right now.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°Is there anything else you need to tell me?¡± At my next question, Keraph thought for a moment before finally speaking. ¡°¡­Nothing else.¡± He was hiding something. I couldn¡¯t tell exactly what it was, but it was enough for me to get a sense of the demons¡¯ trends from him, so I didn¡¯t press further. Chapter 206: East, Ishay (1) Chapter 206: East, Ishay (1) The death of the Legionnaire¡¯s right-hand man, Murka, caused an uproar in the demonnds. The gist of it was that a man of Murka¡¯s stature had been killed by an unheard-of human, only for him to be resurrected a few dayster by a miracle of Heneryes. Naturally, Keraph could not help but recount the information about me, and now the Returned from Paradise is his top priority. However, given that I killed Murka, he believes I¡¯m not a normal person and is still gathering information. What¡¯s odd is that the Legionnaire hasn¡¯t made any moves despite the death of his prized recruit; he hasn¡¯t been seen in the Demon King¡¯s Castle much in recent days. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s locked himself in his room and weeping over the loss of Murka, so he must have something else up his sleeve. Heneryes¡¯ warning suggests that he is preparing for the resurrection of the Demon King¡¯s alter egos, the Archdemons. In any case, Keraph concluded that the blind man with a white bandage over his eyes was a dangerous figure to demons and assassins alike, so it was better to keep a low profile, or at least stand out enough to get protection. I told Keraph, who was now a double agent, to pay attention. Finally, he spat out the thought he had been swallowing. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking a lot about whether I should tell you or not¡­ I think it¡¯s better to tell you. Lord Zetto, you won¡¯t believe this, but¡­¡± Keraph informed me of Lucia¡¯s strange behavior. When Aizel kidnapped me earlier, it was Lucia that Keraph found. Apparently, he had given the letter to Lucia, and she had given it to Yuri. She repaired the letter¡¯s torn seal with wind magic and even mimicked his handwriting in an instant. Even I thought it would have been better to call Lucia, Keraph hade to a simr conclusion and he called her but Lucia¡¯s actions caused Yuri to appear in her ce. It was an unbelievable story and it sounded like Lucia had intentionally twisted the situation. Keraph was also hesitant because he knew how Lucia was perceived. I don¡¯t trust himpletely, so I think he was worried that he might say something and lose credibility. He wanted to wait to tell me until after he had personally investigated Lucia, but this also bothered him because he felt like he was hiding the truth from me. I told him I believed him. More precisely, I said I would believe Lucia¡¯s strange behavior. In retrospect, it makes sense to me that he would try to deliver the letter to Lucia, assuming that Keraph is quick on the uptake, and that he has nothing to gain by sowing discord between Lucia and me with a lie that would be hard to believe even if it were true. What matters now is why Lucia did what she did. ¡°Look, they must be from the East!¡± Lucia, never one to sit still, pointed out the window and eximed. Her voice was as cheerful as ever and her smile was innocent, with no hint of suspicion. In the game, Lucia graduated from the academy in the usual way, with either a happy ending or a bad ending. I still haven¡¯t figured out why she did what she did. She¡¯s always been weird enough without doing that in the first ce, so it doesn¡¯t make sense. Then, in response to Lucia¡¯s voice, Yuri, who was sitting across from me, stirred and looked out the window. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s real. We¡¯re finally in the East.¡± In the midst of the fast-paced scenery, a group ofrge men dressed in Eastern-style clothing stood facing a herd of bison on the side of the road. ¡°What are they shouting at the cattle? Are they herders? Zetto, can you hear what they¡¯re saying?¡± Curious, Yuri asked me, opening the crack in the window slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can hear them from a train moving at such a high speed, anyway, and I don¡¯t have all-round hearing¡­¡± Amon frowned, and I, who had been listening out the window, spoke up. ¡°¡­It does sound faintly familiar.¡± ¡°Maybe it was all-powerful?¡± Kaen tilted his head and nced at Amon suspiciously. ¡°So, what do they say?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Scattering the energy, arge man stood out from the group, his arms crossed, shouting something along the lines of, ¡°We are the Green Forest, stop the train and give us everything you have!¡± ¡°It looks like they¡¯re a group of Eastern bandits called the Green Forest, probably trying to loot the train.¡± ¡°¡­But they¡¯re looking at the cows?¡± ¡°They must have gotten caught by Edward.¡± In response to Yuri¡¯s question, Aizel answered for me with a sullen voice. [Phew, the greenery isn¡¯t what it used to be either, should I be impressed that it still exists after being so ravaged.] Sierra, who had been hugging me, snorted andughed. Then there¡¯s a panicked cry of ¡°Stop! Why won¡¯t the train stop!¡± and a bandit facing the bison is knocked off its feet by the bison¡¯s charge and rolls on the ground. ¡°At least they didn¡¯t tell us to deal with them this time?¡± Seeing this, Crank questioned. As he said, when we had encountered a group of bandits on our way to the desert before, they had purposely stopped the wagon and told us to subdue the bandits. ¡°This is a trip to expand our horizons, not a normal tour.¡± Orphele said, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. Orphele¡¯s reaction was understandable, as he had been the one to shatter the ice that sealed the Lich, a family achievement, in the north, and the one to be a ¡°human watering can¡± and ¡°human shower¡± in the desert. ¡°Anyway, I guess it¡¯s the East now!¡± After three days on a transcontinental train we finally arrived in the East. ¡°This is your first time in the East, isn¡¯t it?¡± I whispered to Aizel, who was staring nkly out the window. ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± ¡°I hope you have a good time.¡± ¡°Thanks, Zetto.¡± For Aizel, the East was a future she had never experienced before. She had died before traveling to the East unconditionally. When I had been ying the game, I had pictured her boarding the Eastbound train. This journey meant as much to me as it did to her. ¡°By the way, did you say where we¡¯re going is called Ishay?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s the country in the East that is closest to the West and the first to adopt Western culture.¡± ¡°Oooh, Ms. Yuri. You know quite a bit about it, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hm, this is basicmon knowledge.¡± ¡°Zetto said you¡¯ve been to Ishay, right?¡± Aizel asked, lightly ignoring Yuri¡¯s disy of knowledge. ¡°Yeah, I remember going there, though I was a kid.¡± Yuri¡¯s eyes widened at my answer, and then she muttered, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me that¡­¡± in a low voice. Aizel looked at her and smiled faintly. ¡®Happiness, joy¡­¡¯ Aizel¡¯s emotions were written on the rtionship chart she nced at. I wonder if that¡¯s all it takes to make such a difference, but I¡¯m used to it now, as their moods fluctuate from one day to the next. I wonder if it bothered Kaen that the word ¡®excited¡¯ was consistently written on it. ¡°Well, anyway, I heard that Ishay doesn¡¯t ostracize the West.¡± ¡°Are there countries that ostracize us¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s probably more urate to say that they¡¯re closed-minded than exclusionary, but there are some groups that abhor magic, so if you meet them, you¡¯d better be careful.¡± Edward, who happened to be passing through the hallway, answered Lucia¡¯s question. ¡°They abhor magic¡­?¡± ¡°The East is more ustomed to martial arts than magic. They deal with mana differently than we do, they hone it, they¡­¡± I trailed off, and Edward tapped me on the shoulder. ¡°¡­They call it inner energy.¡± ¡°Excellent. If there¡¯s anything else you guys don¡¯t know, feel free to ask Cadet Zetto, and I¡¯ll leave you to it, I don¡¯t want to be the bad instructor who interrupts the cadets¡¯ rest.¡± It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t be bothered to answer questions. With that, Edward shed me a wicked grin and waved, and I was soon bombarded with questions from the cadets, who had a lot of questions about the East. Fortunately, the questions were limited to what I knew, so I was able to answer them without any hindrance. ¡°So, where is Zetto¡¯s birthce? What country is it?¡± ¡°Umm¡­Hometown.¡± Lucia¡¯s question was difficult for me to answer since it was my first time in the East. ¡°It was so long ago that I was a child¡­ I don¡¯t really remember where.¡± I remembered answering Prisci¡¯s question earlier that I wasn¡¯t sure where I was from, so my answer was a bit vague. Soon, Aizel scribbled something in a small notebook. [When did she do her research on me¡­?] Sierra, who had tilted her head to look at the notebook curiously, muttered. ¡°A list¡­? It looked like a bucket list of sorts. It contained sentences that were supposedly things she wanted to do. It wasn¡¯t a good idea to sneak a peek at the notebook, but it couldn¡¯t hurt to memorize these things. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Zetto¡¯s hometown together. Below that sentence, she was scribbling. ¡®Zetto¡¯s master is Sierra of the Purple Moon, so the Moon Kingdom, which is said to be the home of the Sierra, must be his homnd¡­¡¯ It was good reasoning. If I had predicted Sierra as my teacher from the beginning, I would have answered that way. Moon Kingdom, the only nation that once united the East, though I don¡¯t know what happened to it afterward, and it¡¯s a much weakened nation now¡­Every once in a while, someone like Sierra shows up. I know we¡¯ll be stopping in the Moon Kingdom on this trip, and although it¡¯s not my hometown, it¡¯s a good idea to visit Sierra¡¯s hometown, and maybe meet some of her friends and family. [Hmph¡­Moon Kingdom¡­] Well, Sierra didn¡¯t seem too keen on the idea, but I guess we¡¯ll have to wait and see what the story is. Just when I thought the baptism of questions had subsided, an announcement came over the train. [In a few moments, the transcontinental train will arrive in Ishay. To ensure the safety of our passengers before the stop¡­] Following the announcement, the cadets on the train began to cheer. ¡°Finally¡­!¡± ¡°The train is ufortable. It¡¯s cramped.¡± ¡°What are we going to do when we get to Ishay?¡± And so the first-year cadets of Innocence Academy arrived in Ishay. *** After arriving in Ishay, we headed to our pre-arranged amodation, and then had some free time. The instructors decided that since it was the capital of Ishay, and it was safe in many ways, there was no need for group behavior. ¡°Me, mixed gender?¡± ¡°There¡¯s such an advanced culture in the East¡­?!¡± As Amon and Crank walked through the hallway after unpacking, they read a sign and looked at each other. The inn had a mixed-gender hot spring. ¡°¡­What are you guys thinking?¡± ¡°Zetto¡­ You don¡¯t understand¡­ the greatness of this Eastern culture¡­¡± ¡°I know. You don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°This is an opportunity!¡± ¡°Yes, it is an opportunity!¡± ¡°¡±The female cadets¡­¡±¡± Then Amon and Crank have a silly conversation where they say these things in unison, and their thoughts diverge at the end. ¡°You can see their bodies¡­¡± ¡°You can see the muscles¡­¡± ¡°¡­What are you talking about, Crank.¡± ¡°What does that mean, Amon¡­?¡± They look at each other as if they don¡¯t understand. ¡°Of course it¡¯s a chance for me to examine and point out the muscles of the cadets, because I can see them with my own two eyes and tell them where they¡¯recking!¡± ¡°No, of course it¡¯s a great opportunity to admire the female cadets¡¯ normally hidden bodies¡­!¡± The two who disagreed so they looked at me and Orphele. ¡°What do Zetto and Orphele think?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to hear their opinions.¡± ¡°Either way, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a conversation I¡¯m qualified to have.¡± ¡°¡±And Orphele?¡±¡± At their urging, Orphele¡¯s tightly closed mouth opens. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t really like hot water, and if I¡¯m going to wash, I can do it anywhere, anytime¡­¡± ¡°Hah, now that I think about it, Orphele, you had a drip¡­¡± ¡°A drip? What is that?¡± ¡°There is such a thing¡­.When you can¡¯t be bothered to walk to the bathroom, you summon a giant water droplet and wash yourself there.¡± ¡°Convenient, but¡­ It¡¯s not very romantic, and I¡¯m sure mixed bathing isn¡¯t something youe across very often¡­¡± ¡°s, I agree.¡± I decided to put the hot springs on hold for now, as I had work to do. So I left Amon and Crank to their heated discussion and started walking away. ¡°Uh, Zetto!¡± Lucia spotted me from across the hall and called out. Behind her, I could see Aizel, Yuri, and Kaen. ¡°What are you going to do now that you¡¯re free, Zetto? We¡¯re going to explore the city from now on¡­!¡± Lucia¡¯s next question drew the attention of the entire group around her. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have other things to do.¡± As much as I wanted to follow them and take a leisurely stroll around the city and go on an outing, I couldn¡¯t¡­ I had a job to do, a quest. The princess of Ishay is currently being eroded by a significant amount of magick. I wonder if the dy ining to the East hasn¡¯t worsened her condition. It¡¯s said that arge amount of divine power is required, but it can be solved by calling a saint, but the Holy Land and Ishay don¡¯t have a very good rtionship. Normally, this would be a fairly cumbersome andplicated quest requiring special medicines, but now that I have a bizarre prosthetic hand that can absorb magick, it seems much easier. Chapter 207: East, Ishay (2) Chapter 207: East, Ishay (2) Ishay, one of the five nations of the East, this nation is closest to the West, and therefore has the most contact with it. It is said that in the past, they were a tribal nation, a federation ofrge tribes that lived in harmony with nature, and as such, their capital city was designed to be as touched by nature as possible. Still, they¡¯re better than elves in the sense that they¡¯ve embraced technological advances. I noticed dark-haired people on the streets like never before but I didn¡¯t feel particrly familiar or like I was back home. The only good thing was that people didn¡¯t pay much attention to me. ¡°Is this¡­¡± ¡°The hills.¡± Sheddie, in my arms in the darkness of nothingness, answers my mutterings. What does he know? There¡¯s a stirring in the room. The aura itself is very faint, but I can tell from the thick magick that she is theatose Princess of Ishay and the two outside must be her bodyguards. After organizing the information I had gleaned from my intuition, I cautiously stuck my face into the room. It was a spacious and magnificent room, the kind of room you¡¯d expect the owner to be of great status. The next thing I know, my nose is filled with a sweet scent. Scented candles were burning as if to calm the mind and body. [Disciple, is this¡­?] Sierra, who had peeked out of the shadows with me, asked as we scanned the room. ¡°This is the Heavenly Sea Pce, the residence of the King of Ishay, or more urately, an outbuilding of the Heavenly Sea Pce. In the outbuilding is the current Princess of Ishay, Kimei.¡± [Princess¡­? You mean the girl lying on the bed over there is the Princess of Ishay? ] ¡°I suppose so.¡± [Why did you break into the pce without permission¡­?] Sierra gasped, as if she couldn¡¯t understand my nonchnt voice. ¡°Trespassing? I¡¯m only here to treat a girl who has been eroded by magick.¡± Her jet-ck hair fell across the red bed. Kimei hadn¡¯t reacted to my voice as I chatted with Sierra. [If we were to be found out¡­] Of course, it would be a great sin for an outsider to enter the pce. If I were to be found in Kimei¡¯s room, which is already in bad shape, I would probably be decapitated. Even so, this wasn¡¯t the normal way to solve the quest, so this was the only way to get past the hassle. Normally, you wouldn¡¯t even have to meet Kimei in person. You¡¯ll meet her bodyguard, Kamaru, outside the room and deliver the medicine that will cure her, and you¡¯ll be rewarded by a lucid Kimei. Of course, I didn¡¯t have to do that, I took the easier, more intuitive route. I wanted to take the time to enjoy my vacation. ¡°Hmm¡­Can¡¯t we just say we¡¯re lost and move on?¡± [Sounds ridiculous¡­] Somehow, I got lost and ended up at the outbuilding where theatose princess of Ishay resided. It seemed like a good excuse. Anyway, Kimei was the only one in the room. It would be better to take care of this quickly and leave before anyone came to check on her. Grrrr¡­ I stepped out of the shadowspletely and cautiously approached Kimei. Faint breathing, an unsteady pulse and ck veins dotted across her pure white skin. She could hardly be calledfortably asleep. As expected, the erosion caused by magick was quite advanced. If left unchecked, she would soon be transformed into something terrible, neither human nor demon. Something akin to a ¡®youkai¡¯ that has beenpletely consumed by yogi. [This dark magick¡­what the hell has happened to her, she¡¯s a princess of a country after all, she shouldn¡¯t be exposed to magick so easily.] ¡°Actually, that¡¯s the problem.¡± I replied, my finger on Kimei¡¯s pulse. ¡°Chop-chop¡­¡± Sheddie had jumped on the bed and was licking Kimei¡¯s face. [Sheddie, the princess is not meant to be eaten¡­ ] Seeing this, Sierra immediately picked Sheddie up, but his licking made Kimei, who hadn¡¯t gotten up in a while, let out an ufortable moan. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Sheddie was a spirit and she shouldn¡¯t have sensed any energy from his touch, but maybe Kimei had a spirit affinity. ¡°Kamaru¡­ Is that you¡­?¡± Kimei¡¯s eyelids lifted haphazardly as she searched for her escort but her pupils dted as she sees me. ¡°¡­Who are you¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not Kamaru, for starters, Princess Kimei.¡± ¡°Blind¡­ and now youe to me¡­ My life¡­ Oh¡­ Are you here to take it¡­?¡± Kimei¡¯s gaze naturallynded on the ¡®Sierra¡¯ at my waist, and her eyes immediately widened, reflecting her hostile attitude towards me. It should be normal for a princess to be unustomed to encountering assassins, but unfortunately for her, she had been subjected to various assassination attempts since she was a child, so she seemed to be more ustomed to assuming that someone she didn¡¯t recognize was an assassin. Perhaps her current magick erosion could be considered an assassination attempt. ¡°The fact that my head hasn¡¯t fallen off yet means you have something you want from me¡­ I have no answer for you and nothing to give.¡± Kimei, who had managed to pull herself to her feet, made no attempt to move away from me, nor did she call for her escorts outside; she simply stroked her own neck and observed me. If I wanted to kill her, as she thought, I was close enough to do it. ¡°What an unfortunate thing to say¡­you are a princess¡­¡± I whispered in a low voice and rummaged through the subspace pouch in my hand as her eyes turned murderous, hardly believable for someone who had been breathing so rapidly as if she were about to die. ¡°¡­I¡¯m here to heal you.¡± Kimei, who hadn¡¯t let her guard down, now questions what I¡¯ve pulled out. ¡°A needle¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to assure you up front that I¡¯m not a homicidal maniac with a strange taste for killing people with a well-sharpened sword.¡± I said, and smiled weakly. At this, Kimei¡¯s guard, which had been furrowed, loosened, albeit slightly. ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯m a bit of a saint.¡± I let the needle I pulled out rest for a moment, then moved carefully toy Kimei back down on the bed. ¡°A saint¡­ By saint, I assume you mean the one in the Holy Land, but¡­¡± Kimei¡¯s words trailed off as shey back down on the bed with me in her arms. ¡°Well, as you know, Princess, Ishay and the Holy Land aren¡¯t exactly on good terms right now, which is why I had toe to you so quietly.¡± My presence was known on the continent through the resurrection known as the ¡®Miracle of Heneryes¡¯ or ¡®Miracle of the Saint¡¯, but she was bedridden and probably didn¡¯t even hear about it. So I had to show her my Temr badge, even if it was a bit of a hassle. ¡°¡­You must be a saint.¡± Kimei was fortunate enough to know that the Silver Winged Knights were the Knights of the Saint. However, she didn¡¯t seem to know that the Knights of the Saint were an all-female order, but that was fine by her. ¡°More than that, how did you get here¡­ did you see my warriors¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re doing a good job guarding the princess outside the gates, but don¡¯t me them, it¡¯s not that they¡¯re ipetent, it¡¯s that I¡¯m toopetent.¡± [I can¡¯t believe how self-aggrandizing this situation is¡­] ¡°¡­So can we start the treatment?¡± I asked Kimei, brushing aside Sierra¡¯s tackle in the middle. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kimei narrowed her eyes at my question as I picked up the needle. She seems to be trying to make sense of this sudden turn of events. Her dry, bloodless lips open up. ¡°¡­I understand what you mean, but it won¡¯t work.¡± As the princess of a country, she must have met many famous acupuncturists and medical practitioners. She¡¯s probably even managed to get a priest, if not the saint, toe to her somehow. But all of them would have looked at the magick that was so deeply ingrained in her body and decided it could not be cured. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying, but you¡¯ll have to leave it to me. We don¡¯t have much time, so I¡¯ll exin as I heal.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kimei silently turns away from me and stares at the ceiling. It seemed like she had long since given up on her formerly normal life. ¡°Excuse me, but I need to remove some clothes for treatment¡­¡± I immediately helped Kimei, who had no strength in her body, undress. Her red robe, with its oriental design and gilding, simr to Sierra¡¯s, was removed in one fell swoop, revealing her pure white skin. ¡°You¡¯re quite skilled.¡± ¡°Healing people is not something I¡¯ve done once or twice.¡± ¡°Not that, but the dexterity of undressing a woman.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s part of the cure, too.¡± [Hmph¡­skillful¡­] Sierra red at me at Kimei¡¯s answer, and I replied in a nervous voice. Luckily, I didn¡¯t have to strip her down to her underwear. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Kimei moaned under my touch. Visually, I could see that her stomach was where the magick was thickest, so I ran my fingers slowly down her body, stopping at her abdomen. I slowly ced my needle in the center of the dark spot that spread across her abdomen. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt, does it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite skilled.¡± It had been a while since I¡¯d practiced acupuncture, so I was worried that my skills might be rusty, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. ¡°Does Princess Kimei know what ails her?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten a clear answer, but I do know that it¡¯s not something that would be good for people to know about, judging by the way Kamaru shrugs it off.¡± ¡°As for the princess, you¡¯ve been eroded by magick.¡± ¡°Magick¡­?¡± ¡°Demons¡­that sinister force that the ¡®goblins¡¯ deal with.¡± Although it is said to be far from thend of demons, demons are of course active in the East, and in the East they are called goblins. ¡°But I¡¯ve never met a goblin in my life.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you think so. Anyway, from now on, I¡¯m going to transfer all the magick in the princess¡¯s body into mine.¡± ¡°¡­That, if you do that, your body will be¡­¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m fine, I have special powers even like this¡­¡± I took off the glove I was wearing on my left hand. ¡°A prosthetic hand¡­?¡± I then revealed not a normal human hand, but a prosthetic hand, made of cold metal and Kimei¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. The prosthetic hand immediately picked up the needles on her abdomen. I wasn¡¯t targeting specific acupuncture points, the needles were simply a conduit to gently receive magick. ¡°¡­¡± I shut my mouth and focused on the magick inside her. It was a considerable amount. The absorption itself shouldn¡¯t be a problem, but I had to concentrate to make sure that my mana didn¡¯te out with it. ¡®I feel like I¡¯m slowly building up my magick¡­¡¯ I heard the faint sound of an engine turning in my prosthetic hand. -KEEEEEE¡­ The ck spot on her abdomen gradually shrank in size to match the sound. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I tried to be as gentle as possible so as not to strain Kimei¡¯s body, but I had to get this done quickly anyway, so she couldn¡¯t help but feel the pain, and groan. ¡°Let me know if it hurts too much.¡± ¡°¡­It hurts.¡± ¡°Just a little bit. Not much longer.¡± Actually, it was halfway now. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Writhing in pain, Kimei lowered her head at a strange sensation, and when she saw the changes in her body, she fell silent. She had decided to trust mepletely. A little more time passed, and after a series of twists and turns, Kimei¡¯s treatment came to an end. The end of the treatment was signaled by a notification in the status window. [Progress is being made] [Progress is greatly enhanced by being associated with a major character!] [Saint ¨C 9%] Saint¡¯s progress increased from 2 percent to a whopping 9 percent. As expected, the way to increase a saint¡¯s progress is through medical work. From the descriptions, it seems that the greater the increase, the more likely it is to be associated with someone who is somewhat known¡­ i.e., ¡°Named,¡± rather than amoner or nameless character. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s all over, it was simpler than I thought, wasn¡¯t it?¡± The amount of magick in her body was iparablyrge. It was a wonder how she hadsted this long. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As the magick that had been consuming her disappeared, Kimei, who had regained her senses, stood up and examined her body with wide eyes in amazement. Just because the treatment was over didn¡¯t mean she was revitalized; for now, she would have to go through a recovery period as all the magick inside her body had been removed. ¡°¡­¡± Kimei¡¯s gaze shifts, and she stops looking at me, who is smiling, and puts on her robe. ¡°I apologize for doubting you. I really didn¡¯t think it would be possible for me to get cured¡­¡± Her voice trailed off as she bowed her head to me, apologizing sincerely. ¡®You don¡¯t really need to apologize.¡¯ Isn¡¯t it normal to be in disbelief? I was the one who hadn¡¯t taken the normal route, and I felt an unnecessary pang in my chest. ¡°You¡¯re not a criminal, but a lifesaver, thank you, benefactor. This grace will not be forgotten by me, Kimei, the princess of Ishay, and I will tell my father about it right now¡­¡± ¡°Ah, you can hold off on that, not everything is settled yet.¡± I grabbed Kimei¡¯s shoulder as she started to leave the bed in a huff. ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°You said earlier that you hadn¡¯t encountered any demons before, but you were eroded by magick, which means that there was a demon in your vicinity, a demon that intentionally spilled magick into your body¡­¡± Kimei¡¯s face darkens sharply at my meaningful words. ¡°He must have done it very slowly, and for a long time, so that no one around her would notice.¡± ¡°How could there be a demon by my side¡­?¡± ¡°The truth is, the magick erosion you were suffering from could have been solved quite simply if the Saint hade to you, but it just so happened that Ishay and Holy Land rtionship had turned sour.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± ¡°You must know someone who had a lot to do with it. He must have been the demon who spilled the magick into the princess¡¯s body.¡± ¡°But my uncle¡­ He can¡¯t be a demon¡­¡± ¡°One of two things: either he¡¯s not human anymore, or a goblin tricked him into taking over his body.¡± ¡°¡­The man who was so kind to me¡­¡± Kimei couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. ¡°Did you notice anything suspicious?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Sometimes he doesn¡¯t remember promises he made before, or¡­ There were times when I¡¯d get this weird feeling that I didn¡¯t recognize, like¡­ Like he became a different person¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably thetter, then.¡± The sweet uncle she knew was no more, it was a goblin in the shape of her uncle. ¡°¡­¡± Kimei hung her head, not sure if the shocking truth was sinking in. But the answer had been given, and as Kimei slowly worked her way back through her memories, she felt that her questions were answered and that my argument had some merit. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s good¡­? Even if ¡®it¡¯ is a ghost¡­. It has the appearance of my uncle, doesn¡¯t it¡­?¡± ¡°I can ¡®cure¡¯ that, too, if Princess Kimei gives me permission.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t use acupuncture like I do now¡­¡± I replied, clutching the ¡®Sierra¡¯ at my waist. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll have to use this.¡± The princess¡¯s uncle, on the surface, he¡¯s the king¡¯s younger brother, so he¡¯s a tough nut to crack. However, the process is actually quite simple. This was a tie-in quest of sorts, and I know the full story of what¡¯s happening to Ishay. There¡¯s only one reason this is so simple, the real Emperor is still alive. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t break the news to Kimei right away, as she¡¯s too upset to rejoice, but he¡¯s alive nheless. The quest concludes with dealing with the demon pretending to be the king and rescuing the real king, who is imprisoned in the dungeons of hisir. It was nice to be able to do this in peace and quiet, as it wasn¡¯t something that was going to be overtly obvious. Chapter 208: East, Ishay (3) Chapter 208: East, Ishay (3) ¡°What, suddenly the princess¡¯s poison is cured? That¡¯s no ordinary poison!¡± ¡®It¡¯, in the guise of King Shui, the brother of King Kchandar of the Ishay Kingdom, stomped nervously on the floor as he entered the king¡¯s study. -Boom!!! ¡°Aaaahhhh!!!¡± mming the desk and letting out a roar, he was showing the exact opposite personality of Shui, who was known for his original gentleness. His true identity was a demon named Shakal. ¡°Hah¡­ Hah¡­¡± After clutching his head, Shakal calmed his breathing and calmly organized the current situation. The ¡®sacrifice¡¯ that had been slowly eroded by magick hade to her senses, so the magick that should have been inside her body must be gone. ¡°It would have been impossible to cure her without the arrival of a saint, but how¡­? There¡¯s something going on. Someone has sabotaged our ns¡­¡± Shakal came to the conclusion that someone unknown had cured Kimei. It makes perfect sense, since there¡¯s no way she could have gotten the magick out on her own. Oddly enough, ording to the guards who guarded the outbuilding where Kimei resided, no one had been in her room except during the usual morning rounds. Judging by the bewildered looks on the faces of thewmakers who were also examining her, they assumed that someone had managed to sneak in unnoticed. There were more than a dozen guards stationed near the small outbuilding, all were handpicked from the Celestial Academy, and all of them were martial arts experts. ¡°Who the hell has no fear¡­?¡± Shakal had just finished muttering to himself when he heard a voice from the other side of the study. ¡°¡­Someone cured Kimei?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Shakal nodded in agreement, but there was a nagging doubt in his mind. The study was an intensely private ce, off-limits to servants due to Shui penchant for not wanting to be disturbed when reading. Moreover, Shakal had been warned againsting near it ever since he took on Shui form so it was no surprise to hear a strange man¡¯s voice. ¡°¡­Who are you!¡± Shakal shouted at the unrecognizable voice. Shakal picked up thentern on his desk and shone it into the area where the voice hade from. There stood a man with ck hair as calm as night, skin as white as the moon and a white bandage covering his eyes, as he was leaning against a bookcase, holding a book open. ¡°¡­A book?¡± Shakal let out a questioning exmation. Why would a blind man be reading a book? After that question, Shakal¡¯s mind raced with questions. How did he get in here? Did he hear everything he said to himself? What purpose did the blind man have in seeking him out? Before Shakal can answer any of these questions, he hears the blind man¡¯s voice again. ¡°Is it so strange to find me in your study, reading a book? Well, not exactly reading.¡± The blind man closes the book he¡¯s holding with a nonchnt voice. ¡°Anyway, when will Braille be invented?¡± ¡°Braille¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m talking to myself, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± ¡°¡­More than that, did you even know where you were when you walked in here?!¡± ¡°Call it a side effect, but¡­your memory is really¡­You¡¯ve already forgotten the order given by the Emperor himself¡­no bodyguards or servants are to approach this area.¡± ¡°They were¡­¡± ¡°And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve read the information about me, too. I can¡¯t believe you don¡¯t even recognize your enemy in front of you¡­¡± ¡°The enemy¡­? Information¡­?¡± The blind man shook his head pathetically, and Shakal frowned, remembering. ¡°Paradise¡­yes, the one who returned from Paradise!¡± Shakal slowly studied the blind man¡¯s appearance and realized who he was. ¡°You¡¯re not veryte.¡± The blind man pped his hands in delight at his correct answer. The blind man¡¯s identity was the number one target of the current demons known as the Returned from Paradise. The Returned from Paradise, the one who killed the Legionnaire¡¯s right-hand man, Murka, and was brought back to life by the miracle of Heneryes. His importance to the demons was indescribable, both in the sense that he killed Murka and in the sense that Heneryes brought him back to life. ¡°It was said that you were a cadet of the Innocence Academy. I heard there were cadets from the academy, but I never thought I¡¯d meet you like this¡­¡± ¡°Technically, I came to see you.¡± ¡°I see. You¡¯re not wrong. The fact that you came looking for me means you knew who I was. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been up to, but if you¡¯ve gotten this close¡­ You must be the one who cured Kimei.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m d to see you¡¯ve retained some of your memory, but not your brain.¡± ¡°From the way you mentioned the side effects, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re aware of the existence of the ¡®multiple body syndrome¡¯¡­ You¡¯ve done quite a bit of research on me.¡± ¡°To what extent?¡± Shakal¡¯s ability to take on the form of a king was all thanks to the so-called ¡°Law Book¡±. In the East, the term is used to describe objects imbued with mystical power, or magic. Shape-shifting polymorph magic was no easy feat. Not everyone has the powerful mana circuitry of a dragon. Shakal borrowed the power of a special enchanted mirror, called the Bokshin Longing, to copy the monarch¡¯s appearance. However, the mirror¡¯s power is not perfect, and it can only copy the appearance of a living person. So if Shakal is taking on the form of Shui, it means that the real Shui is still alive somewhere. As a side effect, his memory was slightly impaired when he was using his power. ¡°Fuhahaha¡­!¡± By the time the blind man, or Zetto, reached that thought, Shakal had stopped looking at him and suddenly burst intoughter. ¡°Fuhhh¡­ Puhhhhh¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zetto shook his head at that, and after a long moment of stifling hisughter, he spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Funny¡­ I wonder how you managed to kill that Murka¡­ Was Murka that bad?¡± ¡°He was strong.¡± ¡°You said earlier that you had done some research on me.¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to start over. If you have the chance.¡± As he spoke, Shakal slipped his hand into his hilt, and Zetto followed suit. -Aaah! But at that moment, a giant centipede sprang out of Shakal¡¯s arms and quickly wrapped itself around Zetto¡¯s body. Zetto¡¯s arm, which was trying to pull out his sword, could no longer move due to the centipede¡¯s strong pressure. ¡°I see the Emperor has been paying a lot of attention to thews and regtions. Sadly, now that I¡¯ve taken his body, all of hisw books are mine, and this is one of them.¡± Shakal opened his arms in a gesture of reassurance, then spoke to the captive Zetto, who had been pinned down. ¡°Oh, you¡¯d better not move any further than that, it¡¯s called gonggu, and it¡¯s a terrifying thing that will bite your neck off if you try to force yourself free. It¡¯s not exactly a living centipede, but it¡¯s probably a lot bigger than a living centipede.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Shakal chuckled, and Zetto gave up trying to break free of his restraints. ¡°That¡¯s quite a speed, by the way. I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re going to be able to capture the guy who killed Murka so easily¡­¡± ¡°Do you need to capture me?¡± ¡°Not really, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯d enjoy it. I¡¯ll get to witness his torture firsthand, and that should be enough to make up for the loss of the¡­¡¯offering¡¯.¡± Shakal said as he stepped in front of Zetto, who was still bound to the centipede and unable to make any movements. The smile in his eyes, however, gave no indication that his life was in danger. ¡°¡­Why are you able to smile?¡± The power of the gonggu could not be ignored and Zetto was struggling to hold on to the pressure that threatened to crush his entire body. Still, he was able tough. ¡°A blind swordsman¡­ There¡¯s no information that you can use magic, and this swordsman can¡¯t even draw his sword, so you don¡¯t have any chance¡­¡± Wondering what the reason for this was, Shakal kept Zetto in front of him and slowly recounted the information he knew about the Returned from Paradise. ¡®¡­It should have been.¡¯ Shakal¡¯s eyes narrowed at the odd sensation of Zetto¡¯s smile bing increasingly ominous. Then his gaze fell on Zetto¡¯s right hand, which was gripping his sword. As Shakal drew his scepter from his hip, Zetto grabbed his sword at the same time. It was strange that such a man had killed Murka. ¡®It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t react, it was that he didn¡¯t react¡­?¡¯ Shakal¡¯s conclusion came out of his mouth. ¡°¡­Because you didn¡¯t have to?¡± Shakal frowned at the odd conclusion he¡¯de up with, one that didn¡¯t make sense. Zetto¡¯s silence is broken by a faint smile. ¡°That¡¯s the right answer. I wish I could apud you, but I can¡¯t afford to¡­ That¡¯s too bad.¡± ¡°¡­What are you talking about?¡± ¡°The correct answer was, ¡®The one who has returned from paradise can wield a sword without drawing it.''¡± ¡°Ha, such a bluff.¡± ¡°Bluff¡­Tsk, you¡¯ll have to do your research all over again.¡± Zetto¡¯s voice echoed in the darkened study, lit only by a singlentern. ¨C Boom! A single red sword light shed. ¡°If given the chance, of course.¡± A disembodied neck sprang up from the spot where the beam had sliced through. By the time it hit the ground, it had reverted to the face of a Shakal, with a ck horn sprouting from its forehead. Meanwhile, still chained to the coffin, Zetto listened to the thunder that followed and thought to himself. ¡®What kind of reward will Shui give me?¡¯ *** ¡®They¡¯reing.¡¯ Imprisoned in a dungeon hidden within the pce, Shui listened to the sound of someone descending the stairs from the other side. ¡®They¡¯reing.¡¯ He was starving, and he looked forward to the meal that the mysterious goblin who had taken his body provided. It was tasteless, but he had to eat to live. His months of imprisonment had left him in a state of dishevelment that would have been unbing of a king. His clothes had long since been taken from him, and his beard and hair were unkempt and unwashed, which was to be expected. As he scratched at his unkempt beard, he looked toward the stairs. Out of the corner of his eye, a man entered the room. He was expecting the same goblin, but it wasn¡¯t him. The blind man, with ck hair and an unusual bandage over his eyes, was holding a familiar object. ¡°Gonggu¡­? Hah¡­¡± Suddenly, Shui, who was holding onto the grate, lowered his head and sighed heavily. The giant centipede that was weaving its way through the blind man¡¯s body, or Gonggu, was one of thew books that Shui had once possessed. However, all of them had fallen into the hands of the goblin who had stolen his body, meaning that the man who hade down the stairs now was in a simr situation. ¡°Are you also captured, and where is the goblin?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t captured.¡± ¡°¡­Well, I understand your need to stroke your ego a hundred times over, but you¡¯ll quickly realize that¡¯s not going to do you any good when you¡¯re stuck here.¡± Looking at the blind man, who hadn¡¯t even been able to unlock the Gonggu, Shui shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not really captured.¡± Stepping down to the bars, the blind man insisted. ¡°Then why are you chained by Gonggu?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Emperor¡¯s favorite scroll, and considering its value, I thought it would be a waste to destroy it.¡± ¡°¡­Do you recognize me?¡± ¡°Your voice is the same as that goblin¡¯s, aren¡¯t you the Emperor? I¡¯ve been sent by Princess Kimei to help you.¡± ¡°Kimei¡­ You¡¯ve met Kimei?! We have to save her, that crazy goblin wants to sacrifice her!¡± At the blind man¡¯s mention of Kimei, Shui quickly ryed the information he had overheard while talking to the goblin. ¡°Princess Kimei¡¯s treatment has indeed beenpleted, now we only need to finish the treatment of the Emperor, could you please step back for a moment?¡± ¡°Ah, ah¡­ I see¡­¡± For some reason, Shui couldn¡¯t understand what was going on, but he followed his words and stepped back from the cage. -Quadrup!!! An unidentifiable red sword light suddenly shed, and the thick bars that were holding Shui gently cracked open. ¡°How¡­? You didn¡¯t even swing your sword¡­¡± Shui muttered as his eyes widened at the strange sight. The blind man, who had just casually stepped inside the prison, approached Shui and shrugged. ¡°Could you please untie this for now, I don¡¯t know how.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± Frustrated by the blind man¡¯s unyielding progress, Shui touches the Gonggu long antennae a couple of times, and the Gonggu, which had been squeezing the blind man¡¯s body, releases itself and shrinks in size. Shui then picks up the smaller one on the floor and examines it. ¡®This is mine.¡¯ He turns his head to look at the blind man, who stretches his stiff body. He used a strange sword technique that he can¡¯t understand how it works. His atmosphere was also unusual, it was the ease of the strong and despite being blind, he didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by anything. The blind man who had solved his troubles, which had taken months to resolve, seemed like a god to Shui. ¡°May I ask your name¡­?¡± Shui asked, trying to be polite. ¡°I apologize for the dy in introducing myself. I¡¯m Zetto.¡± ¡°Zetto¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not very well read, so this is the first time I¡¯ve heard your name.¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s because I don¡¯t operate in the East, and you don¡¯t have to respect me, I¡¯m just an ordinary cadet from the Innocence Academy.¡± ¡°The Innocence Academy¡­ Of the West¡­¡± Shui nodded. No matter how he looked at it, he was definitely not an ordinary cadet. ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to repay this favor¡­ Did you really cure Kimei?¡± ¡°The magick in Princess Kimei¡¯s body was all absorbed by me. She regained her strength earlier, so she must be recovering now.¡± ¡°Absorbing the magick¡­ What about you¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°¡­So many unbelievable things are happening at once, my head can¡¯t keep up.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve taken care of the goblin, so you can return as quietly as if nothing had happened, but before that¡­¡± Zetto trailed off, flicking his nose in the air, which caused Shui to sniff his shoulder and snort. ¡°¡­You¡¯d better get yourself groomed.¡± *** With my help, Shui was safely returned to his seat as the real emperor returned. I doubt anyone will notice, but it¡¯s not something that should be publicized, so it will remain a secret between the two parties involved, Kimei and Shui. When I told Shui that the study might be a little messy, he said he didn¡¯t mind the mess at all, and after thanking me profusely, he asked if he could invite me to a banquetter. I told him that I didn¡¯t want this to be publicized, but he said he could invite all the cadets, and I couldn¡¯t argue with that. The banquet would be a good break for the cadets and a nice field trip. Finally, I told him to remember to exin to Kimei that he is a real Shui. We agreed to discuss the reward at the banquet, and I didn¡¯t return to my quarters untilte at night. Now I was rxing in the hot spring at the inn. ¡°Wow¡­¡± I felt all my fatigue melt away. I noticed something strange: Sheddie didn¡¯t float in the water. It was like he was unaffected. He jumped into the hot springs and fell right out, crawling along the bottom. Unfortunately, Sierra couldn¡¯t follow me to the hot springs since I wasn¡¯t allowed to enter the hot springs with a weapon. It was quitete, so there was no one else in the hot springs. I was d to have some time to myself for the first time in a long time. ¡®My prosthetic hand won¡¯t rust, will it?¡¯ I was staring at my prosthetic hand and thinking that it must be waterproof. ¡°There are no men at this hour.¡± ¡°But where¡¯s Cadet Lucia?¡± ¡°She¡¯s already asleep.¡± I heard some women¡¯s voices from the other side of the entrance. That¡¯s right. This hot spring was coed. There was no wall separating the men¡¯s and women¡¯s baths. I hadn¡¯t even bothered to use my ki sense as I was rxing, but from the sound of the conversation and the voices, I didn¡¯t think I needed to. ¡®Should I go out or stay put?¡¯ These questions were running through my head. The first person to enter the hot spring is a tinum-haired girl who spots me. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Aizel looked at me as I soaked in the watery hot spring. I should probably get out. That¡¯s¡­That¡¯s dangerous. Chapter 209: East, Ishay (4) Chapter 209: East, Ishay (4) This was my cardinal sin. Inted like a balloon that could burst at any moment, if I let go of it even once, it would go straight up in the air and disappear into the distance. Maybe one day it will burst but it wasn¡¯t supposed to be now. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s Zetto, right?¡± ¡°Yes, Cadet Zetto.¡± Aizel was followed by Yuri and Kaen. It wasn¡¯t a good sign that I ran into them while enjoying the hot springs alone. ¡°Haha¡­ So this is how we meet.¡± I tried to sound as nonchnt as possible, but I couldn¡¯t help but let my voice tremble slightly. Their current state was dangerous in more ways than one. I¡¯d seen Aizel and Yuri in their underwear recently, but I hadn¡¯t thought much of it then. They¡¯d been ring murderously and exchanging spells of ridiculous power and I was too busy trying to stop them. However it¡¯s different now. I knew that ¡®that thing¡¯ ¨C the towel or cloth that I¡¯d seen in the airship¡¯s sauna before, barely covering vital areas ¨C was dangerous. It looked like it could be used for anything, and it left me with a terrible imagination. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t interrupt thedies¡¯ time, and my presence would be ufortable, so please make yourself at home¡­¡± I pulled myself up before it was toote. ¡°No, I¡¯m not ufortable at all.¡± Aizel, who had already reached the ce next to me, grabbed my shoulder and pulled me down. As if to say, cut the crap and sit down. ¡°What¡¯s ufortable?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Yuri, who had taken the seat next to me, shook her head as if she couldn¡¯t understand, and Kaen, who was sitting across from me, added. ¡°¡­If you are.¡± It dawned on me that I had stepped into a trap. My ankles were bound and I couldn¡¯t get out. The best thing I could do now was to dive into the hot spring and cover my lower half as best I could. The dense fog created by the steam in the hot spring helped me. ¡°Is Zetto ufortable, is he embarrassed to be seen¡­?¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be, I don¡¯t know about Aizel, but Cadet Yuri and I have already seen that side of Zetto on the airship.¡± Kaen answered for me, and her voice was followed by Aizel muttering something along the lines of, ¡°He went with mest time.¡± It was more of a whisper. Apparently, I had gone to the sauna with her the previous time. ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡± There was a moment of silence between the man and the three women. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± The first to speak up is. ¡°What did everyone do today?¡± It was me. Just in case a little conversation would take my mind off things. ¡°Nothing much, we all went to see Ishay.¡± Yuri replied in a dull voice. This was good news. Aside from Yuri¡¯s curiosity, Aizel thought she and Yuri had fallen out, but the fact that they¡¯d been walking around together suggested that wasn¡¯t necessarily the case. ¡°What did Zetto do?¡± Aizel¡¯s question immediately followed. She turned her body slightly toward me and gave me a catlike look. ¡°I¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t honestly say, ¡°I¡¯ve been dealing with the problems the Princess and King of Ishay have been having.¡± Geppeti said that their behavior was likely a form of overprotection born of obsession. In that situation, it seemed like something bad was going to happen if she said, ¡°I¡¯ve captured a demon that¡¯s been running the country.¡± It was something that could be handled quietly, and it was something that could be hidden because it was done quietly, as nned. ¡°¡­I revisited the ces I¡¯ve been with my Master before, though it wasn¡¯t easy since my memory is fuzzy.¡± ¡°Master¡­ I see.¡± ¡°I thought you might need some time alone.¡± ¡°Haha, let¡¯s go together tomorrow.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± The mood was pretty good. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Kaen, who was sitting across from them, slowly lowered the cloth covering her body. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Kaen grinned sheepishly. ¡°Kaen, my eyes are starting to get ufortable, why don¡¯t you pull that up?¡± Aizel scolds her unnecessarily. ¡°Oh, sure, but I was just wondering about something.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Like, how detailed Cadet Zetto¡¯s senses can pick up shapes¡­? I¡¯d imagine he¡¯d be able to pick out armor or clothing, and Cadet Zetto is pretty good at exploiting his opponents¡¯ weaknesses.¡± ¡°Shapes¡­¡± Yuri looks down at her chest at Kaen¡¯s exnation. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how our current form would feel to Cadet Zetto.¡± Kaen suddenly lifts her arms and stretches, entuating her breasts that I can¡¯t help but stare at. She was clearly provoking me. She¡¯s making sensual gestures, trying to gauge my mood, which she hasn¡¯t been doingtely. ¡°It¡¯s a little embarrassing to think that¡­¡± ¡°Are you idiots? Zetto hasn¡¯t changed his expression.¡± Yuri blushed and Aizel shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really see any facial expressions in the first ce.¡± Kaen dabbed at the corners of her eyes as if to remind me of my bandages. ¡°I can tell, Zetto¡¯s not feeling well right now.¡± Aizel nodded in agreement. The only thing that kept me from feeling uneasy was Sheddie¡¯s faint presence at the bottom of the hot spring. I was now desperately focusing on its fluffy fur as much as possible since it was the only thing that distracted me from my thoughts but Aizel¡¯s next words shattered my efforts. ¡°Touch is the only thing that can arouse Zetto.¡± Then she whispers to me. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Zetto?¡± Her hot breath was in my ear as she leaned in, her heaving breasts brushing against my bare skin. ¡°I¡­ touch¡­? Come to think of it, I heard from Crank that it¡¯s a man¡¯s fantasy to bathe with a woman¡­¡± Yuri¡¯s words were interrupted by Aizel¡¯s attack. Damn. How did Crank end up saying that? ¡°Cadet Crank and Cadet Amon were having a strange discussion.¡± Apparently, a group of women had witnessed Crank¡¯s discussion with Amon, and Crank was making excuses for it. I wonder if the women were conscious of Crank and Amon and came to the hot springs at such an ungodly hour, when no men woulde. ¡°¡­Are you going to do that to me, to Zetto¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand, but¡­¡± ¡°Well, then¡­ The only way to make Zetto understand is to touch him¡­?¡± The way Yuri had been stuttering and rolling her eyeballs this way and that from earlier was not normal, even for her. It was more irritating than anything because her intentions were in to see. ¡°That¡­ For Zetto¡¯s sake¡­¡± She finished by muttering something that made Yuri think she was going to lose her mind. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Why are you closing your eyes? My head didn¡¯t move toward her as I couldn¡¯t make sense of what was happening. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Soon, Yuri¡¯s closed eyes groaned. ¡°Zetto¡­ It¡¯s a little¡­ rough¡­¡± Unfortunately for her, it wasn¡¯t me who was touching her breasts. Aizel, who was on the other side of her, had reached out and was cupping Yuri¡¯s breasts while her eyes were closed. ¡°I¡­ Miss Aizel¡­?¡± At the sound of my question mark in her voice, Yuri slowly opened her eyes, and her questioning exmation was echoed by Aizel. ¡°Ah¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no different than my breasts, no? If anything, mine are better, so you might as well touch me.¡± ¡°Cadet Zetto, if you¡¯re going to fulfill your romance, wouldn¡¯t it be better if they were bigger? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware of who has the bigger titties.¡± Kaen¡¯s rant was calm yet frantic as she approached me from the other side. Reaching the end of my patience, I pressed my brow and ran a hand through my hair. ¡°Please, can we¡­Can we talk about something else¡­?¡± I couldn¡¯t touch anyone¡¯s chest or stand up and run out of the hot spring. Sheddie, where is Sheddie? I searched frantically for him, and then I saw him on the other side of the hot spring floor. He was staring at me, then it craned its short neck and shook its head. ¡°Why¡­? *** It¡¯s very pleasant to follow my master around. It¡¯s the same as before. Adventures and interesting things happen. Even though Master¡¯s bizarre spirit sealing technique has reduced me to a lowly beast, a shadow of my former majestic self, I now think that I was guilty of not recognizing him. At the time, I felt a little unjust and unhappy about it, but I¡¯m satisfied that my master found me again. Did you know that the master you see there, surrounded by women, was once a great demon who struck fear into the hearts of all the demons of the world? He was much sterner than he is now, and he didn¡¯t smile as much. I like him much better now. For whatever reason, he seems much happier than before. As a spirit, it¡¯s only natural that I want my master to be happy. What bothers me is that the red-haired woman smells familiar. One of the benefits of taking on the body of a beast like this is the ability to smell special odors. She smells like the scent of my master¡¯s former lover, Red me. She looks the same too, perhaps she too has been reincarnated. A reunion at the end of reincarnation, but it¡¯s too bad neither of them recognize it. Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter because it looks like they¡¯re going to be lovers again. It¡¯s just a matter of how. She¡¯s not the only one who might have been his lover in a previous life. When he was a demon, he would asionally tell me stories of his past life. Among them was that of his wife. He didn¡¯t talk about her very often, but she was a beautiful woman with hair like a peach blossom. I know that the hair color is not rare, but it is also notmon. I wonder if it was just a coincidence that the only woman in the academy with crimson hair took an interest in the master. Whatever it was, I had a feeling that interesting things were about to happen. To embrace them all, that was the ambition of a would-be demon king. After all, it¡¯s fun to be with him. It¡¯s a little overwhelming to have to eat demons until I¡¯m sick of it, but my master¡¯s blood tastes good, so that¡¯s all that matters. For now, I¡¯m just enjoying the view of my master¡¯s troubles from thefort of my vantage point. It¡¯s none of my business. Human love is beyond my understanding as a spirit. Surrounded by the three women, master looks at me in confusion. What? Don¡¯t look at me. It¡¯s all your fault. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s always been attracted to women, so you have to ept it. That¡¯s what it means to embrace everyone. Chapter 210: East, Ishay (5) Chapter 210: East, Ishay (5) I don¡¯t know if it was the heat of the hot springs or the atmosphere, but I almost lost my nerve at their sudden boldness, though I managed to get out of there with my sanity intact. It was dangerous in more ways than one. ¡°Amon, rumor has it that women¡¯s moans emanated from the hot springs during the night. Did you hear that?¡± ¡°I heard.¡± ¡°Yes, it seems that the code has been broken, and there¡¯s even talk of a mass orgy in the hot springs.¡± ¡°An orgy¡­? Some creep¡­¡± Amon and Crank, both with serious faces, chimed in. The morning passed quickly, and by the afternoon, as the sun was setting, the cadets were on their way to the Pce Banquet, an event that had been scheduled at short notice. ¡°Orphele, Zetto¡­ Do you guys know anything?¡± Crank asks, unnecessarily questioning me and Orphele. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Orphele nced at Crank with a look that had nothing to do with him. ¡°Well, maybe a group orgy has gone too far¡­¡± I pointed out the rumor, which had been grossly exaggerated. There had only been one moan in the first ce, what orgy could there be. This is why rumors are so scary. Suddenly, a cheerful voice came from the group of women walking beside me. ¡°A group orgy¡­? What is it¡­?¡± It was Lucia. She smiled at me with her usual innocent smile, devoid of any malice. The rumor must have carried all the way to the other side because she raised her voice in response. It was a difficult question to answer but if it¡¯s not directed at me, I don¡¯t necessarily have to answer it. ¡°¡­Mr. Zetto?¡± As soon as I thought that, Lucia pointed at me. ¡°Uhm¡­that¡¯s¡­¡± I was stumped. How do I exin the mass orgy to this seemingly innocent girl? ¡®I heard from Keraph that Lucia was acting suspiciously.¡¯ But right now, it didn¡¯t matter if she was innocent or not, if she was asking because she knew or if she truly didn¡¯t know. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± The silence that followed was immediate, and I could feel all eyes on me. Everyone was watching to see how I would exin Lucia¡¯s question. ¡°Gu, since it¡¯s a pce banquet, will there be bread?¡± ¡°Hmmm, I think there will be more rice than bread, but since they¡¯ve invited the cadets, there might be some.¡± Amon and Crank were already clueless. It seemed unlikely that they would be able to help. Neither Yuri, Aizel, nor Kaen would offer me a saving hand at this point but they were watching closely to see how I would exin it. ¡°A group orgy is¡­¡± I began, as everyone held their breath in anticipation. ¡°It¡¯s something you onlye to understand when you¡¯re truly grown up. Perhaps it¡¯s still too early for Miss Lucia.¡± The words themselves were so far from innocent that I couldn¡¯t help but stumble over them. ¡°Ji, a real adult¡­!¡± Lucia¡¯s eyes narrowed as she digested my exnation. Just then, a man who seemed to be a real adult to Lucia stepped in her path. He might have seemed like a real adult to Lucia because he¡¯d been doing all the harmful things that adults do: drinking and smoking. Or, if that was intentional, it could just be that Lucia likes to get people in trouble. ¡°I, uh, Instructor Kaliman¡­ I wanted to ask you something.¡± The man scratching at his coarse beard tilted his head at her question. ¡°Cadet Lucia, what is your question?¡± ¡°Instructor Kaliman, have you ever had a group orgy¡­?!¡± ¡°¡­Never.¡± ¡°Then do you know what it is, and are you a real adult, Instructor?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The baton was eventually handed over to Kaliman, who was innocent of any wrongdoing. For me, it was a good thing, but as I watched his face grow serious as he alternated between Lucia¡¯s smile and scanning his surroundings, I felt sorry for him. Kaliman¡¯s choice was¡­ ¡°Hey, Edward, your cadet has a question.¡± He used Edward, who was leading the cadets, as a shield. After all, Lucia was in ss A, and Kaliman was in charge of ss C. As a result of Kaliman¡¯s clever offloading, Edward approached us. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be answering Cadet Lucia¡¯s questions. I¡¯m overwhelmed with questions from our own ss C cadets.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Edward nodded, and Kaliman patted him on the shoulder and quickly moved away. Edward, whose eyes were barely visible, nodded as he listened to Lucia¡¯s question. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s what you were wondering, Miss Lucia?¡± Everyone who had remained silent swallowed hard as Edward smiled his usual devious grin. He had to answer well. He had to remember that even though she was Lucia, she had the letters Windless after her name. Get it wrong, and you might get a im from the Windless family, one of the continent¡¯s four elemental families, saying something like, ¡°My child has been learning something strange at the Academy.¡± ¡°A group orgy, by the way, is when a group of men and women get together and have sexual intercourse.¡± Edward gave her the exact definition of the word, without any purification. ¡°Intercourse¡­?¡± I stammered and Lucia shook her head. ¡°To make a child.¡± ¡°You mean, they get together and make a child?!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Then¡­ We¡¯re going to need a really big bed, because it¡¯s going to be cramped if we all have to hold hands and lie down.¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Lucia¡¯s next answer puts a question mark on everyone¡¯s face. Even Edward stood with his mouth open and his jaw clenched as he tried to make sense of her answer. After a few moments, her words make sense. Perhaps Lucia¡¯s mother, Cecily Windless, had told her that if she slept while holding a man¡¯s hand, she would have a child. ¡®And that if several men and women gathered together to lie down holding hands, they would form a round circle, and that¡¯s why they needed a big bed.¡¯ Thanks to Lucia¡¯s vivid imagination, she didn¡¯t have to lie. ¡°It would be nice to have a big bed, wouldn¡¯t it¡­?¡± ¡°Instructor Edward, you are a true adult!¡± ¡°A true adult¡­¡± Edward pauses for a moment, wondering what that meant. Then he shrugs his shoulders and shes that wicked grin again. ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong,¡± he says, ¡°I¡¯m going to have a little one of my own soon.¡± ¡°¡±A child¡­?¡± The cadets in ss A blurted out in unison, stunned by the sudden news that Edwards dropped so casually. ¡°Instructor Edward, is your wife pregnant?¡± Aizel asked cautiously. She had met Edward¡¯s wife, Vanessa, at the bar before. ¡°A little bit.¡± Everyone shuddered. If you¡¯d never seen Edward with Vanessa, you wouldn¡¯t know he was a doting husband. Looking back at his smile now, I realize that it wasn¡¯t so much a sinister or suspicious smile as it was a warm smile at the thought of his child. ¡°Congrattions again.¡± I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. ¡°Thank you, Cadet Zetto. Oh, by the way. Cadet Zetto, would you minding over here, I need to talk to you for a moment.¡± I pushed my way through the crowd of cadets who had been discussing Edward¡¯s marriage. Once we¡¯re a few feet away from the cadets, he whispers to me. ¡°The invitation to the banquet¡­ could it have something to do with Cadet Zetto?¡± ¡°¡­Why me?¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, this banquet is to celebrate the princess¡¯s return to health, and the city seems to be in a festive mood because of the good news.¡± I follow Edward¡¯s gaze and see the city¡¯s residents chattering andughing. It looks like the royal family has been handing out wine and meat to the residents as part of a banquet. ¡°But what bothers me personally is that, quite coincidentally, the princess¡¯s condition improved only a day after we arrived in Ishay. I¡¯ve been giving the cadets free time, but the instructors can¡¯t get the same break ¨C we had a cadet die outside the academy not too long ago, and I¡¯m aware of every cadet¡¯s general movements.¡± ¡°And¡­I must have been the only one who missed it.¡± ¡°Yeah, you just disappeared, like the ground was going out from under you.¡± Edward looks at me, the corners of his mouth turning up. ¡°Not that I¡¯m trying to stop Cadet Zetto, on the contrary, it¡¯s because of you that the cadets were invited to the pce and got to attend the banquet, so that¡¯s a good thing, right?¡± Edward seemed to know more about me than I realized. ¡°But Cadet Zetto needs to be careful, and I don¡¯t want you to push yourself too hard, at least not to the point of getting hurt.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± If a cadet were to get hurt, the instructor couldn¡¯t escape the responsibility. In any case, it was unavoidable now that I was in the academy. ¡°Well, no matter what, we¡¯re rooting for Cadet Zetto, and you can expect the Academy¡¯s ¡®gift¡¯ for you to be ready as soon as the Journey to the East is over.¡± Finally, Edward patted my left shoulder, where the prosthetic was, and smiled. ¡®A gift.¡¯ I hadn¡¯t done anything to deserve a reward right now, so I guess it wasn¡¯t just any gift. A gift that required preparation. Perhaps it had something to do with Bernice but there was no information, so I couldn¡¯t guess. For now, I had to think about the ¡®reward¡¯ in front of me. ¡®What kind of reward would make Shui give me?¡¯ *** People wereughing and talking and raising their drinks to the sound of lively wind chimes. ¡°So this is what a banquet in the East feels like.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little more lively.¡± ¡°Still, banquets are not for me.¡± Taking a mouthful of sake, Yuri stuck out her tongue and yelped. ¡°More than that, where¡¯s Zetto?¡± ¡°Over there, next to the princess.¡± Crank pointed off in the distance. Yuri followed his finger and turned her head, where a dark-haired woman in a fine oriental dress who appeared to be a princess was chatting with Zetto,ughing merrily. ¡°How did you¡­?¡± ¡°From what I heard earlier, it sounded like she wanted to meet the Returned from Paradise.¡± ¡°Zetto has be quite famous after what happenedst time¡­ it¡¯s not so strange that someone from high ces would want to see him.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I wonder what they¡¯re talking about.¡± Yuri, who was looking at Zetto and Princess Kimei, said bluntly. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t talking to Zetto make any girlugh normally?¡± Crank gestured emphatically with his face. ¡°¡­¡± At that moment, Aizel set down her drink with a tter. It was her tenth ss. ¡°Aizel, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re drinking too much?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Amon asked, but Aizel didn¡¯t reply, just red at Zetto. It wasn¡¯t much different from Yuri or Kaen but it was so unnerving to watch that scene that she felt like she had to have another drink. *** ¡°I heard about it from my uncle. Thank you again.¡± Kimei bowed her head in gratitude, somewhat sheepishly. ¡°No, thanks to you, I got to eat some delicious food.¡± ¡°Would you like me to help you with your food if you are ufortable?¡± Kimei asked, tilting her head, she tended to blush when she drank. ¡°How could I ask a princess to do such a thing, I¡¯m fine.¡± I realized that if I did something like that, it would make the women over there ring at me look very bad, while Sierra, who was right next to me, was stunned. Next, Kimei¡¯s uncle, King Shui, who was next to me, spoke up. ¡°By the way, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve heard from you. You¡¯re quite a famous person, an immortal man who experienced a miracle from the gods. I was impressed with the information. ¡± ¡°Haha, you¡¯re being ttering. I¡¯m not exactly immortal.¡± I think they figured out my alias of ¡®Returned from Paradise¡¯. Well, neither of them had ess to any information about me. That was a good thing for me, as it lent credibility to my ¡®series of journeys¡¯. ¡°If only I had carried that scroll with me, I wouldn¡¯t have been imprisoned for several months. I broke out in a cold sweat trying to exin myself to my brother in the middle of the night.¡± Shui clicked his tongue wistfully as he recalled his time in confinement. He did not wonder what he had to say to his brother, Kchandar, King of Ishay. ¡°What about thatw book¡­?¡± My ears perked up at the mention of the scroll. ¡°It¡¯s the one I used to keep with me when Kimei was under threat, in case she was kidnapped.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean ¡®that¡¯.¡± Kimei pped her hands as if she knew what it was. ¡°Well, he¡¯s not much use inbat, and there are plenty ofw books with more power than him, but are you still interested?¡± ¡°A little.¡± No, I¡¯m very, very interested. ¡®I won¡¯t be surprised if I get kidnapped again someday.¡¯ I don¡¯t know what it is, but I think it might be something I need right now. Chapter 211: East, Ishay (6) Chapter 211: East, Ishay (6) As the banquet drew to a close, I followed King Shui to the storeroom where he kept his collection ofw books. ¡°It¡¯s a shame you don¡¯t drink.¡± Shui was staggering along, hobbling against the wall. It had been a long time since he¡¯d had a drink, and he looked like that. ¡°Haha, alcohol doesn¡¯t go well with me, I ck out pretty quickly.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better then? The whole point of drinking is to pass out.¡± ¡°I have a lot of work to do so I can¡¯t lose my mind.¡± ¡°In your case, perhaps.¡± I remember thest time I passed out after drinking. Coincidentally or not, Aizel was there both times, and having experienced it on previous asions, she knew I had a weakness for alcohol. What did she think she was going to do with a drunk me then? I can¡¯t imagine anything good. ¡°This is the royal library. It¡¯s mostly for my use, but there are some for you, too¡­¡± There were dozens of warriors stationed around the library to prevent anyone from entering or leaving. The two samurai standing in front of the door bowed when they saw Shui, and then opened the door. Once the door was open, the warehouse in front of them was filled with all sorts of unusual items. Among them were all sorts of katana, from armor to ordinary-looking tools. ¡°You¡¯re strong enough to not need them, but I¡¯m not. I¡¯ve been hindered by my small stature and weak muscles since I was a child, so I never set foot in the Celestial Academy. Instead, I became interested in¡­¡± ¡°Thew.¡± ¡°Aside from that, I was more interested in learning and knowledge. As the king¡¯s brother, I should be able to do more than support my brother.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t particrly interested in power?¡± ¡°Power? You don¡¯t know how the Ishay royal family came to be.¡± At my question, Shui smirks and shakes his head. ¡°On the surface, it¡¯s a kingdom of many tribes, but in reality, they don¡¯t get along very well. Blood was said to have stained thend when the kingdom was founded.¡± ¡°You mean there are still factions at odds with the royal family?¡± ¡°Yes. My brother and I were threatened in our youth, and it was only through his strength and my cunning that we survived until now. The same goes for Kimei.¡± ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is that Princess Kimei¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she the heir?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with thews of Ishay.¡± ¡°The Royal Family was formerly the Deer God Tribe, and the Deer God Tribe has long been a matriarchal tribe. It came to this when my mother, the first queen, gave birth to nothing but sons. It¡¯s one of the downsides of a matriarchal society that requires an heir. A queen can¡¯t sow seeds like a king.¡± Chuckling at the mention of his mother, Shui continued. ¡°Ever since my brother ascended the throne, there has been a growing bacsh from those who disliked the royal family, and as the second son, I was less threatened than he was, so I didn¡¯t have time to care about power. Rather, I was relieved that my brother was able to have Kimei¡­ a daughter¡­¡± ¡°It must have lit a fire in their eyes to assassinate Princess Kimei.¡± ¡°It did, but now he¡¯s wiped them all out and there¡¯s only a small remnant.¡± So this is the story of the Ishay royal family. I hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to hear these details in the game, so now I understood Kimei¡¯s reaction to meeting me for the first time. In other words, I hadn¡¯t just saved the princess of a kingdom, but the woman who wouldter be queen. ¡®I¡¯m making progress.¡¯ Only one question remained unanswered¡­ ¡°What the hell is a ¡®sacrifice¡¯ anyway?¡± ¡­that was it. At this point, Shui mentions it and asks me. ¡°Did the goblin say that?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t help it, I¡¯ve been talking to him quite a bit, and while he used to just mumble about when she¡¯s going to die, a few days ago he started jumping up and down with glee about being able to sacrifice Kimei.¡± That¡¯s what the demon that I caught off guard and slit his throat had said. It was the first I¡¯d heard of the sacrifice, the n, the whole thing. I didn¡¯t remember any of it, so it must have been the aftermath of the future being altered. ¡°I¡¯m still investigating.¡± I might have to ask Keraph about thister. ¡°Investigating¡­ Are you working with something simr to the dark ghosts?¡± ¡°Demons¡­¡± A group that specialized in dealing with demons and youkai in the East. Countries in the West have created specific knightly organizations to deal with demons hiding in humannds, but unlike the West, the East is so far away from demonds that there are no state-run organizations dealing with demons. However, the East is not devoid of demons, hence the existence of the dark ghosts. I don¡¯t know much about them since they don¡¯t appear in the game, but maybe I¡¯ll run into them on this trip. ¡°It¡¯s simr, since I¡¯m a member of the Knights of the Holy Lady.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Nodding, Shui finally picks up where he left off, ncing around the warehouse at thew books. ¡°There you are,¡± he says, ¡°I guess I stuck it in the corner because I had no use for it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Shui picked up a log that doesn¡¯t look like much from the outside. ¡°Ah, well¡­ I¡¯ll have to exin to you. This is a scroll I bought when I was in the Fire Nation. Hwagoku is famous for its ninja, who specialize in an unusual martial art called ninjutsu, and this is one of their scrolls, which can serve a simr function to ninjutsu.¡± Shui carries the log in a heap and ces it in my arms. ¡°Is this¡­ wood?¡± It¡¯s aw treasure called reversal orb. It¡¯s not the log that¡¯s the important, but the beads inside. From what I¡¯ve heard, it¡¯s a training tool used by young ninjas to learn a form of jutsu called bunshin jutsu.¡± ¡°Does it¡­ allow you to switch ces between your body and the log?¡± I was familiar with ninjas swapping bodies with logs. ¡°Exactly. Actually, if it contained marbles, I thought it could be something other than a log, but the ninja who handed it to me insisted it had to be a log¡­¡± I wondered if they even cared about antiquity. They were thorough ninjas in a strange way. ¡°Other than that, what else can you do to change your body?¡± ¡°The reversal orb is actually a bodhisattva made up of two beads. One is in a log, and the other is¡­ well, it¡¯s¡­¡­¡± Shui looked around the log for the other orb, but couldn¡¯t find it. ¡°Oh no¡­ I must have given them to Kimei and never got them back.¡± ¡°Then this scroll belongs to Princess Kimei¡­¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. Kimei won¡¯t need it anymore.¡± Shui denied, shaking his head at my trembling reaction. ¡°More than that, do you really need to look at thew? Are you facing any threats to your life? Even if you are, it¡¯s still better to take the weapon¡­¡± ¡®Threats.¡¯ I don¡¯t know if I should say I am threatened or not. ¡°Haha, this is enough for me. I don¡¯t need any armor, I¡¯ve fallen in love with this sword.¡± I reached out and patted the Sierra on my waist, followed by Shui¡¯s ¡°Hoh¡­ while admiring Sierra¡¯s form. [I¡¯m a little embarrassed to hear that out of the blue, disciple¡­] Sierra blushes at my sudden confession of love. ¡°I don¡¯t need to see the de to know it¡¯s a great sword.¡± Those who don¡¯t know that Sierra is a Spectral Sword might think she¡¯s a prized sword, just like Shui¡¯s reaction now. In reality, I didn¡¯t really need it. After all, the sword I had was a sword that couldn¡¯t be bought with money, and I didn¡¯t feel like I wascking in power right now. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. Go get the rest of the orbs and talk to Kimei, and maybe she can teach you how to use the reverse orb.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°The log¡­¡± Shui trailed off as he looked at me holding the log. ¡°I¡¯ll pick it up right now.¡± I took out the subspace pouch in my hand and put the log in it, and Shui¡¯s eyes widened. Subspace pockets must be rare everywhere. Soon, after examining my subspace pouch, Shui summoned a samurai from outside and ordered him to escort me to the outbuilding where Princess Kimei resides. I already knew the location of her outbuilding, but I didn¡¯t think it was necessary to use Sheddie power to show up unannounced. Later, I would meet up with Kimei to retrieve the other orb. ¡°¡­Here¡¯s the reversal orb.¡± The small bead Kimei ced in my hand was engraved with Eastern characters. The way it contained mana and the feeling of mana was different from the eastern scripts. ¡°My, what if you smell it¡­!¡± Kimei interrupted me as I was observing the reversal orb. ¡°It smells like Princess Kimei.¡± ¡°No, that can¡¯t be¡­¡± ¡°How do you use it?¡± ¡°I understand that when you want to change your position, you can chew on the beads¡­¡± ¡°That means¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At the sound of my voice, Kimei¡¯s face flushes as she exins to me, and she ducks her head. I realize that this bead has been in her mouth before. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I wiped it with a clean cloth¡­There shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­¡± ¡°If you didn¡¯t clean it, it would be more valuable.¡± ¡°Ugh, benefactor¡­! That¡¯s awful¡­!¡± Kimei shouted at the top of her lungs, and then Sierra¡¯s honey balm struck me squarely in the back of the head. Iughed as I stroked my aching scalp. ¡°Ahaha¡­Do you think it¡¯ll break or anything?¡± ¡°No, they¡¯re not that hard, just a little bite and they¡¯ll reposition themselves.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a one-time thing, but it might be an issue if you want to use it again.¡± ¡°But I know the beads have a tendency to stick together, so I can track their location, but right now¡­ I guess it¡¯s not really responding, huh?¡± Kimei looks at the bead in my palm and shakes her head. I¡¯ll have to test it to be sure, but it doesn¡¯t seem to have any effect when it¡¯s in a subspace pocket. ¡®I¡¯d better put it somewhere safe.¡¯ I don¡¯t think having the bead in my mouth beforehand is a one-size-fits-all solution, so it might be worthwhile to include a feature in the prosthesis that allows me to keep the bead in your mouth and activate it at any time. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s possible, but I¡¯m sure Geppeti will figure it out. For now, I think it¡¯s better to have it in my mouth when I think it might be dangerous. ¡®Well, it¡¯s best if I never have to use it, but¡­¡¯ Judging from the state of the rtionship chart in the status window, it was hard not to see that happening. Chapter 212: East, Ishay (7) Chapter 212: East, Ishay (7) Whenever someone drinks alcohol, they tend to lose control of their emotions and be irritable, especially if they drink too much. Aside from that, their usual reactions are over the top. To be more precise, I think my death traumatized them, causing them to overreact to the smallest things. Of course, I can ept all their excessive disys of affection, but I don¡¯t want them to live with negative emotions. ¡°Princess Kimei, I wonder if there¡¯s a florist nearby.¡± I asked while looking at the rtionship map in the status window. ¡°¡­There is a flower shop, but it wouldn¡¯t be open at this time of day. There is a royal garden that is maintained by the royal family, and if you need flowers, that would be quicker.¡± ¡°May I ask a favor?¡± ¡°Would you like to bring a gift for thedy?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yes.¡± ¡°I think I know which ones you¡¯re talking about, there were somedies in the banquet hall earlier who couldn¡¯t take their eyes off you.¡± Kimei covers her mouth with her sleeve andughs softly. ¡°I could see how much they cared about you, so maybe that¡¯s why they were being a little mean to me.¡± ¡°Did they do something to you?¡± ¡°Hmph, you don¡¯t need to know.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t be too hard on them. They¡¯re very important to me.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s why I was so excited.¡± At my next words, Kimei looked away and muttered something small. I don¡¯t think it was meant to be heard, so I didn¡¯t reply. As I followed her to the flower garden, the nighttime streets of the pce were quiet and deserted, so I brought up the subject of my conversation with Shui. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, Princess Kimei, you¡¯ve been in a lot of danger since you were a child.¡± ¡°Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped, did my uncle tell you that?¡± ¡°He told me some of Ishay history.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all in the past now.¡± ¡°Was it hard for you?¡± ¡°It was kind of fun, but I got tired of it, besides¡­Kamaru protected me a lot.¡± Kimei turns her head back as she walks down the street, and her escort, samurai Kamaru, who has been following her, bows his head in silence. ¡°I only apologize for not protecting you morepletely.¡± ¡°Has your escort ever been breached?¡± I ask, intrigued by what Kamaru has said. ¡°Not often, but a few times. Poison was especially tricky to stop. There was a time when I was a child and I really wanted to eat something called Cake of the West, but it happened to be poisoned.¡± ¡°That must have been upsetting.¡± ¡°I cried a lot. Other than that, there was the time I met ¡®Inrang¡¯¡­¡± ¡°Inrang?¡± ¡°It was years ago, when a little boy with long, silver hair broke through my escort and came to me.¡± ¡°Princess, I¡¯ve never heard of this before, but¡­¡± At this, Kamaru¡¯s eyes widened in embarrassment. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it wasn¡¯t dangerous.¡± I think I know who she¡¯s talking about, Inrang, the lycanthrope. Kimei was once targeted by a ¡°wild dog¡± but a wild dog would have been no match for the man behind her. ¡°I still remember it clearly,¡± she says, ¡°a boy much shorter than me, and he just walked away, like, ¡®I can¡¯t kill a child after all.''¡± Kimei said that, then leaned in close to my ear and whispered something along the lines of, ¡°Of course, you were the most stealthy.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± As I listened, I remembered one thing I needed to do, so I asked Kimei. ¡°¡­Write me a note.¡± Kimei tilted her head questioningly at my request. ¡°Just a simple sentence.¡± The ¡®wild dog¡¯ wille to me unconditionally but he might be a step behind, because I might¡¯ve left Ishay so if I didn¡¯t do something, he¡¯d be wasting his time in the wrong ce. Dogs are that stupid so this would be a good idea. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not a note between lovers¡­ I can write it for you.¡± Not between lovers. More like a master-servant rtionship in the not-too-distant future. By the way, given that he has a good nose, he must have something that contains my ¡°body odor,¡± but what kind of something? *** Afterward, I went to the flower garden and gathered some flowers, and then I went looking for them with a handwritten note from Kimei in my arms. ¡®I don¡¯t think they¡¯re still in their quarters¡­¡¯ The first person I found was Kaen. As soon as I stepped out of the pce, her scent reached my senses so I headed straight to where I sensed her, and there was a pink-haired girl squatting with her knees bent. ¡°¡­Kaen?¡± ¡°Uh, it¡¯s Cadet Zetto. Heehee¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing in a ce like this?¡± ¡°I was¡­ looking for Cadet Zetto.¡± She hups as she speaks, then stands up and grins broadly as she grabs my sleeve. ¡°Gotcha¡­¡± Her face is flushed, and her breath smells strongly of alcohol. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to your quarters.¡± ¡°Cadet Zetto¡­ You¡¯re back from meeting the princess, right?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m amoner, not a princess, not a noble, so¡­ Are you saying that you won¡¯t even look at me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything like that.¡± ¡°Cadet Zetto is looking for a chance to rise in status¡­?!¡± Kaen asked, her eyes narrowing. She didn¡¯t look like she was seriously asking that, and it felt like she was whimpering under the influence of alcohol. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ Cadet Zetto, don¡¯t be rmed. My grandfather was¡­ Ugh. Ugh¡­¡± I quickly mped a hand over her mouth. [Grandfather?] Sierra, who was listening at the same time, questioned. I hadn¡¯t yet told Sierra that she was a disciple of Sword Saint. It was bad enough that they weren¡¯t getting alongtely, but I didn¡¯t want Sierra to be set on fire. ¡°Fuha¡­ I can¡¯t breathe¡­ Cadet Zetto¡­ But this y isn¡¯t so bad¡­¡± Kaen, who had finally gotten free, smiled weakly. What kind of y is that? I don¡¯t know such a thing. I¡¯m scared. Kaen squirms, then wraps her arms around me. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Kaen promptly falls asleep so naturally it was up to me to pick her up. Scooping her up, I set out to find the rest of the women. My next stop was Yuri and she was found in a tavern in the city. Her long red hair was slightly disheveled, and she was shouting at the top of her lungs as she stumbled through the bar. ¡°¡­And he¡¯s still flirting with the princess¡­!¡± Yuri eximed in exasperation. ¡°Leaving such a beautiful woman behind¡­ What a wretch¡­¡± A middle-aged man drinking around her sympathized with her but as soon as she heard him, Yuri stood up and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. ¡°Don¡¯t call him a terrible person¡­!¡± ¡°Why are you suddenly¡­?¡± ¡°Something¡­ It must be because something happened¡­ Zetto is not such a terrible bastard¡­¡± ¡°Until just now, I thought you were¡­¡­I see. I get it, you¡¯re one tough girl.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± It seems she¡¯s made a lot of new drinking buddies in the short time I¡¯ve been gone. Even after the banquet was over, Yuri still wanted to drink more. ¡°So what does he look like¡­?¡± Another man asks curiously, and Yuri, who has just taken a big gulp of alcohol, puts his ss down and opens his mouth. ¡°ck hair, same as yours.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Is he from the East?¡± I wondered if the male virgins in the neighborhood were taking advantage of Yuri¡¯s drunkenness, but it turns out they just wanted to hear a funny story. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He doesn¡¯t tell me much, and he always has a white bandage over his eyes¡­¡± ¡°A white bandage?¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s blind¡­¡± ¡°And¡­ and¡­ and¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­dirty handsome.¡± ¡°Well, for a woman of your stature to be mesmerized by, of course.¡± The man who just said that turns to me and makes eye contact. ¡°Ugh.¡± I put a finger to my lips and hissed at him since I wanted to hear more of what she was saying and Yuri, who still hadn¡¯t spotted me, continued to talk. ¡°What¡¯s the point of being handsome if you can¡¯t get the bug to bite? Zetto doesn¡¯t care about me. I took care of him so much¡­¡± Yuri did take care of me a lot and I¡¯ll always be grateful to her. ¡°But you said you are best friends, so he must have thought of you¡­¡± The men, noticing my presence, tiled the ss to keep things from escting. ¡°If he does¡­? Then he should get engaged to me¡­!¡± Yuri blurted out as if he couldn¡¯t hear me. ¡°Engaged¡­? Do you want to¡­?¡± I asked, gently grabbing her shoulders. ¡°Zetto¡­?¡± Yuri slowly turned her head, her face turning terrified as if she had seen a ghost. ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡± Yuri then copses as if fainting. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the surprise. Whatever happens, she¡¯ll have to deal with the aftermath on her own. I wonder if they¡¯ll say it¡¯s the alcohol that¡¯s the problem. ¡°¡­Miss, we¡¯ll pay for your drink.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t mind, if it¡¯s money¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. She didn¡¯t drink that much, and the conversation was interesting¡­¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± I dipped my head to thank Yuri¡¯s overnight drinking buddies, then picked her up. ¡°It might be a bit much to carry two people at once, though¡­ I thought about carrying her on my shoulder, but I didn¡¯t want to be covered in any vomit. After safely retrieving Yuri, I decided to make a quick stop at the hostel before heading out to find Aizel. The good news was that I could feel Aizel¡¯s vibration inside the hostel. The bad news is that it was my room where I could sense her. I opened the door to find Aizel in the room with her arms wrapped around her knees. ¡°Ms. Aizel¡­ Isn¡¯t this my room?¡± She didn¡¯t have a key, so how did she get in? ¡°Do you want me to leave if you¡¯re ufortable¡­?¡± ¡°No, no. I think I¡¯m going to have to put thesedies to bed here anyway, so¡­¡± I said, carefullyying Kaen and Yuri down on the bed. Aizel was quiet and gentle. She wasn¡¯t rowdy or foolish or anything because her emotion on the rtionship chart was ¡®depressed¡¯. I didn¡¯t know how she became depressed but I knew how to fix it. I took the flower from my bosom and held it out to her. ¡°This is¡­ What is it¡­?¡± ¡°A gift. I thought of you, Miss Aizel.¡± ¡°A gift¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a flower called moonflower. It¡¯s called that because you can smell its scent from a thousand miles away, just as you can see the moon from anywhere if you look at the night sky.¡± Aizel takes the moonflower and stares at it for a moment, then pulls out her notebook as if suddenly remembering something. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± After scribbling something in her notebook, Aizel turns away from me and smiles faintly. Receiving flowers from Zetto. She checks off the sentence on her list. *** ¡°Ugh¡­ My head¡­¡± ¡°You look like you¡¯ve been drinking too much¡­¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Zetto again, anyway?¡± Yuri, who was holding the ice from Orphele to her forehead, looked around for Zetto. ¡°¡­He hasn¡¯t left yet, has he?¡± Zetto, who has arrived just in time, breathes heavily and wipes away the sweat. Ishay¡¯s short but long trip is over, and I¡¯m about to leave for my next destination, Hwaseong. The station was packed with cadets who were once again traveling by train. ¡°We haven¡¯t left yet¡­ Cadet Zetto, where¡¯s your coat?¡± Zetto¡¯s jet-ck coat was nowhere to be seen. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I think I lost it.¡± Zetto scratched his head as if he had lost something. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it an expensive coat? Should I tell the instructor?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay, I can¡¯t let one thing hold up the cadets¡¯ schedule, it¡¯s a coat¡­I¡¯ll find it again.¡± ¡°What do you mean you¡¯ll find it when you don¡¯t even know when you¡¯ll be back in Ishay¡­?¡± Yuri scratched her head in confusion, but Zetto merely smiled as if he didn¡¯t care. ¡°Well, when we get back¡­ I¡¯ll give you a coat that you can wear.¡± ¡°Oh, so the coat is a gift?¡± Zetto whispered to Yuri with a mischievous grin. ¡°Pretend I didn¡¯t hear that¡­¡± *** Later, as the cadets of the Innocence Academy were leaving on the train bound for Hwaseong, a silver-haired boy arrives in Ishay just in time. Behind the silver-haired boy¡¯s back is a red coffin that doesn¡¯t match his size. The boy, carrying the coffin without a trace of effort, sniffs the air. He drops the coffin to the ground, opens the empty coffin, and sniffs the inside. ¡°¡­I smell him.¡± The boy shes a sinister grin. ¡°Hmph¡­ I see 50,000 gold in front of me.¡± The boy was delighted until he followed the target¡¯s scent and found a coat and a note inside. ¡°¡­Come to Hwaseong¡­?¡± The boy reads the note and sniffs the coat in his hand once more. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s his¡­¡± The scent of the target¡¯s body wafting from the coffin and the scent lingering on the coat were identical. A normal human wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell the difference, but the boy was different. ¡°Did I miss him?¡± The boy scratched his head in annoyance as he tossed his coat roughly inside the coffin. ¡°¡­So where¡¯s Hwaseong?¡± Chapter 213: East, Hwaseong (1) Chapter 213: East, Hwaseong (1) Do you know why Hwaseong is called Hwaseong? Hwaseong, the country on the far western edge of the elusive border of the East, you¡¯ll find it if you head straight south from Ishay. It ismonly referred to as the Land of Fire, not because of their indigenous belief in a God of Fire, nor because they are skilled in the magical and arcane arts of fire, nor because they are known for their forges. It¡¯s because the heat of the sun is burning. In other words, hot. It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t experienced weather like this before, but it¡¯s worse in Hwaseong. Oh, and hot in another way. When you¡¯ve got a bunch of houses zing away in front of you, you¡¯re bound to feel the heat on your skin. ¡°Help¡­ Give me¡­¡± ¡°Help is on the way! Hang in there!¡± ¡°Cadets, start evacuating the residents!¡± As soon as I set foot in Hwaseong, the town I arrived in was burning like it was in the middle of a war. This is why it should be called Hwaguk, not a country of fire, but a country on fire. From children sobbing for their lost parents in the chaos, to an old man on the ground, to a nameless ninja slumped against a broken wall in a pool of blood. Yes, that was a ninja. He may not have worn a mask to hide his face or a headband with the symbol of his country of origin on his forehead, but he was a ninja. Although Hwaseong is considered to be the origin of ninja and the country with thergest number of ninja, it is not the only country that trains ninjas. Information about ninja training and thews they follow are strictly ssified as state secrets. I¡¯m not sure if they should be proud of this, but ninjas are the identity of the country. What are these ninjas fighting against? Their enemy is that guy over there, whose whole body is covered in mes, burning tirelessly. It looks like a fiery fox. That¡¯s what they call a ¡®divine beast¡¯. It is said that they will not harm humans except under special circumstances, but the problem is that this is a special circumstance. For years, Hwaseong has been struggling with the indiscriminate aggression of the divine beasts in their care. One wonders how they were ever able to manage such sensitive beings in the first ce. ¡°Zetto, right!¡± I hear Aizel¡¯s urgent voice and at the same time, I see mes trying to engulf me from the right. ¨C Boom!!! I slice the mes vertically to disperse the force, but I can¡¯tpletely destroy it, so the heat that follows is borne by my left arm, which is now all metal. ¡®It¡¯s not exactly magic, so I can¡¯t see any weaknesses.¡¯ The me is her arm. The spewing ash is her legs. This was one of the poems written for the fiery fox, who should have been reduced to charcoal long ago. ¡®Annoying¡­¡¯ I smirked, inhaling the heat against my nose. Things were going so smoothly that I was actually getting aroused and stimted by the challenge. I sheath my sword, and at the same time, I shed out of thin air and blocked the divine beast with a single backward sh. -Shit!!! The creature must have sensed my sword strike, which should have beenpletely unreachable to the naked eye, and the fireballs hovering around him immediately formed a shield to protect her. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The fox, who had been running across the roofs of the vige, stopped and red at me. She¡¯s been rampaging, oblivious to her surroundings, and my earlier attack seems to have made her watch me closely. ¡°Orphele, are you ready yet?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I ask, but Orphele doesn¡¯t answer as he gathers mana from all over his body. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to buy some more time.¡± Yuri stepped forward, pulling a small sphere, an orb, from her arm. ¡°Her mes have a way of hitting even Miss Yuri, don¡¯t they?¡± Yuri¡¯s talent with fire magic was unrivaled, and she naturally had the fire resistance to match, but the blue mes that the divine beast was emitting were not the same as the mes she knew so well. One of the blue orbs of me that had been hovering by her side rose into the air and exploded, sending sparks falling from the sky in a rain of mes, the ss crackling and bouncing off her fingers. -Quack, quack, quack!!!! The rain of fire raining down on us explodes in the sky and disappears. ¡°I¡¯ve already adjusted, I don¡¯t know if my fire magic will be able to hit it, but I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Confidently stepping forward to block the creature¡¯s attack, Yuri takes the blow and feels a bit grassy, but quickly gets back to her feet. I wonder if she feels like she¡¯s fighting fire with fire. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the air to Yuri, then, while me, Kaen, and Aizel, who¡¯s fast on her feet, will rush him as hard as we can. Crank and Amon, stay here and protect Orphele.¡± ¡°¡­And the instructors, by the way?¡± Crank asked, raising his massive shield. He had only just awakened, and was a little slow to catch up. ¡°They¡¯re evacuating the residents. Instructor Edward told me that his illusion spell isn¡¯t working on the creature, so we¡¯re stalling for time.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re supposed to stop that monster on our own¡­?¡± ¡°Why not. You¡¯re a good shield, Crank, and so am I.¡± Amon chuckled and tied his hair back into a tight bun, then quickly built an earth wall around Orphele, who was preparing her magic. Edward was usually so suspicious and quick, but s, for once he seemed to have a point. Considering he was a divine beast, it wasn¡¯t surprising that his illusions didn¡¯t work. ¡®I¡¯m sure Lucia is helping the instructors transport the wounded¡­ The six of us are all that¡¯s left.¡¯ Maybe this is my chance to increase the progress of the ¡®King¡¯ in the status window. With one swipe of my sword, I took a step towards the fox, who red at me. My brow furrowed at the heat that grew stronger the closer I got to the creature, but I heard Kaen and Aizel¡¯s voices as they followed me. ¡°I¡¯ll match Cadet Zetto¡¯s movements.¡± With these women, what could I be more afraid of? ¡°Then let¡¯s see¡­ Let¡¯s make it rain in a dry sky.¡± I could make lightning in a dry sky on my own, but I needed Orphele help with the rain. *** ¡®What are they¡­?¡¯ Daijin, one of the ordinary low-level ninjas of the Hwaseong Kingdom, was speechless as he witnessed a rare sight. An extraordinary divine beast, Miho, had unexpectedly stormed into the vige where he lived, and while he had desperately tried to stop her, injuring his leg in the process, he had copsed on the spot and was unable to stand up, but now he was unable to stand up in a different sense. TLN: Miho= fox divine beast name ¡°Miss Aizel!¡± ¡°Leave it.¡± As the ck-haired blind man who had just dodged Miho¡¯s tail shouted that, the tinum-haired girl replied with a stern voice and swung her spear with a thunderbolt, striking Miho¡¯s tail. -Kiiii!!! A bolt of golden lightning surged through Miho¡¯s body, causing her to writhe in pain for a moment. An enraged Miho then bared her fangs at the ck-haired blind man. -Aaang!!!! Together, the blind man and the pink-haired girl beside him blocked Miho¡¯s fangs with their swords. ¡®They¡¯re withstanding Miho¡¯s power¡­?¡¯ The strangers who suddenly appeared were pushing Miho away. -Aaahhhh!!!!! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Daijin frowned at the roar that came from the air. ¡°You¡¯re persistent¡­ If you¡¯re a divine beast, this is a dragon¡­!¡± He followed the sound of the shout and caught sight of the captured girl with her palms facing upwards. ¡®Miho¡¯s mes are bursting in the air.¡¯ The indiscriminate bombardment of Miho¡¯s mes had stopped, and she was now single-handedly deflecting all the mes from Miho¡¯s fox orb. ¡®But what are they doing back there?¡¯ Behind her, she saw a wall of dirt and a man with a shield. As a lowly ninja, Daijin couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what they were doing. From the way they moved as one, it was clear that they had a n, a strategy, and Daijin was trying to figure out what it was. ¡°¡­Did you hurt your leg?!¡± A bluish-haired girl, who he didn¡¯t recognize, approached him. ¡°Oh, yes¡­ my left leg¡­¡± ¡°Do you think you can walk? If not, I can carry you.¡± The girl snapped her fingers, and Daijin¡¯s body floated in the air. ¡°Ohhh¡­¡± Daijin was awestruck, experiencing magic for the first time, but this was not the time for such an idle reaction. ¡°¡­But I think I can walk, I just need some support, so we can move the other residents¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re already being moved.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The wounded floated through the air, visible behind her sunny smile. ¡®Is she creating a wind¡­? Moving that many people at once¡­¡¯ Daijin stared at the girl in front of him, mesmerized, as she seemed to be enjoying herself despite the fact that it was a task that would seemingly take quite a bit of energy. ¡°By the way, it looks like they¡¯re busy over there too.¡± The girl turned her head and looked toward where Miho was. ¡°Are they your colleagues¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯re my friends!¡± ¡°In that case, please stop them.¡± ¡°Stop them?¡± The girl tilted her head as if she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°I know that their skills aren¡¯t extraordinary, but they¡¯re still in danger¡­ After all, Miho is an extraordinary divine beast.¡± ¡°An extraordinary divine beast¡­¡± ¡°Whatever they were nning¡­ Unless the shrine maiden ising, they won¡¯t be able to stop Miho.¡± The only way to capture Miho was for a ¡®shrine maiden¡¯ to arrive, who could manage all the divine beasts of the Hwaseong Kingdom and control their powers. ¡°Unless it suddenly rains from the sky¡­¡± The scorching sunlight of the Hwaseong country hit Daijin¡¯s face as he looked up. The sky was too clear to be cloudless. Daijin looked at it and shook his head. ¡°¡­But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to happen.¡± It was hard to hope for rain, which was Miho¡¯s only weakness but the girl who looked up at the sky with him said something else. ¡°It¡¯s going to rain.¡± ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to rain.¡± Daijin furrowed his brow in disbelief, but the girl smiled weakly. ¡°Just wait and see. Um¡­By now¡­¡± The girl¡¯s words trailed off as she clenched her jaw. -Thud! With a sshing sound that came from nowhere, a giant water drop appeared from the earth wall in the distance and shot into the air. ¡°Uh, now!¡± The girl pped her hands as she realized this, and a nameless man¡¯s shout could be heard from within the earth wall. ¡°Zetto!!! I¡¯ve got it!!!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡± The ck-haired blind man who had been confronting Miho on the other side of the earthen wall shouts back, and he rushes to the earthen wall. ¡°Amon!¡± ¡°Oooh!¡± In response to the blind man¡¯s call, arge man with a rock hanging from his arm emerges from the earth wall. The blind man jumps into his arms, and he throws the blind man straight up. In the same split second, the blind man¡¯s body disappeared from Daijin¡¯s sight. ¡°Oh¡­!¡± The girl eximed as she watched, her palm blocking out the sunlight as if she could see something unlike Daijin. ¡®What about Miho¡­?¡¯ Daijin, who had no idea what was going on, asked that question. -Aaahhhhh!!!!!! An earth-shattering roar rang out from the air above the giant water droplet. Then, countless splintered and cracked droplets fell from the sky. -Aaah¡­ The tiny droplets hit Daijin¡¯s clothes and skin with a thudding sound. ¡°What the¡­¡± Rain was indeed pouring down from the cloudless sky. Chapter 214: East, Hwaseong (2) Chapter 214: East, Hwaseong (2) I burst Orphele¡¯s bubble. Or, more precisely, I shattered it into many smaller ones and as a result, rain was falling from the sky. Each divine beast has its own weaknesses. The fiery fox¡¯s weakness, of course, is water, which is why she¡¯s so afraid of rain. A brief, artificial rain shower wouldn¡¯t douse her fire, but it could temporarily disorient her. As the rain falls from nowhere in the dry sky, the frightened creature gradually shrinks in size, until it¡¯s about the size of an average fox and runs away. ¡°It¡¯s raining! Catch Miho!¡± ¡°It¡¯s already run away¡­!¡± ¡°Damn it, when is the senior ninja going toe back?!¡± The ninjas who were still able to move their bodies shouted as they looked helplessly at the cute tail of the fleeing rookie in the distance. Her name must have been Miho. Her appearance and name reminded me of Gumiho, but s, she didn¡¯t have nine tails. I didn¡¯t really go after her. I might be able to kill it, but I couldn¡¯t catch it. -Roar! The sky rumbled again, and Aizel, who had been hugging me with a sullen expression on her face, lifted her magpie paws and reached over my head to catch the thunder that was falling toward me. ¡°This is the third time you¡¯ve done this¡­ Aren¡¯t you going to tell me what it is?¡± Aizel rubbed her hands together and tilted her head to look at me. Aizel was questioning the lightning bolt that had struck me after using the third chapter of the Reverse Heaven. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m being punished for being too good.¡± ¡°¡­Bad luck.¡± Aizel giggles at my sarcasm and hugs me tightly again. With her, I look around, soaking up the rain that will soon stop. All around us, people were shouting and running around, iming to have found wounded. The battle was effectively over. We had just made progress. [Progress: Saint ¨C 9% King ¨C 4% Demon ¨C 9%] As expected, the King¡¯s progression is boosted bymanding and leading in battle. What¡¯s unusual is that Aizel, Kaen, Yuri, and others were also judged to be major figures. I¡¯m not sure what that means right now, but it¡¯s a good thing. There will be plenty of opportunities to fight alongside them in the future. ¡°Good work.¡± From the other side, Edward approaches, pping his hands. ¡°I know it¡¯s a lot to take in, but for now, we need to help clean up this mess. And Cadet Zetto, Medical Officer Prisci wants to see you.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± I guess I¡¯m supposed to help treat the wounded. Even the rain in the dry skies doesn¡¯t give me a chance to rx but I didn¡¯t mind, as long as I can make good progress. *** ¡°It just so happens that the vige¡¯s senior ninja and the two elders have gone to a nearby vige to help.¡± ¡°They had to deal with a new divine beast?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s where things get tricky, because this one was a high-level divine beast.¡± As I helped Prisci check on the wounded, I listened to a bit of their story. Some of the information I already knew, some of it new. The problem that Hwaseong needed to solve was the divine beasts that were wreaking havoc in the country. However, I realized something in Ishay. I realized that the information and problems were the same ones I had known before, but in a slightly different form. Originally, my goal was to visit each country in the East and make connections with the so-called ¡°High Ones¡± by solving their problems and issues. I figured that these connections would help prevent terrorism during the festival. I also made the best possible impression on Princess Kimei, the future Queen of Ishay, and the King¡¯s brother, King Shui. Part of me thought that since I was already as famous as I was going to be, I would be safer if I became even more famous and increased the number of people who supported me. But the mention of a mysterious ¡°offering¡± that shouldn¡¯t have been there in the first ce bothered me. The future has changed, and Helgenas is on the move. That¡¯s how the changes came about, I assumed. So I contrasted what I knew with the current state of affairs in Hwaseong to see what might have changed. ¡°If the shrine maiden was here, this might have been her chance to catch Miho.¡± ¡°If the shrine maiden¡­?¡± ¡°¡­She is the only one who has the mysterious power to control the divine beasts. Right now, she¡¯s busy trying to recapture the runaway divine beasts.¡± ¡°I thought I heard that the divine beasts didn¡¯t harm people in the first ce.¡± ¡°They used to be, but a few years ago they lost control. Ha¡­ Little by little, we¡¯ve been reiming them, but there are still some big ones out there, and this Miho is one of them.¡± ¡°This must be a disaster for the people of the Hwaseong Kingdom.¡± ¡°I wonder how things came to this¡­¡± The wounded ninja bowed his head deeply. So far, I hadn¡¯t sensed much difference from what I knew. The rampage of divine beasts out of control and the shrine maidens and ninjas of Hwaseong trying to retrieve them was I remembered. The only difference was that my arrival in Hwaseong had been dyed, and I confronted a divine beast upon my arrival. If I had timed it right, I would have been able to calcte which ones were appearing and where, but that¡¯s no longer possible. They appear all over the country, wreak havoc, and then disappear. There is, however, an object that can tell you where they are, so I¡¯m going to have to approach the problem the old-fashioned way, which is to get it and solve it. That¡¯s not the only problem. There¡¯s a traitor in the ranks of the Ten Ninja of Hwaseong, and he¡¯s the cause of all this. To summarize, I don¡¯t have a lot of time to stay in Hwaseong, so I¡¯ll need to help the shrine maiden capture some of the strongest divine beasts and eliminate one of the top ninjas. All the while, I had to take into ount the changed circumstances of the future. ¡®I¡¯ll be short two bodies¡­¡¯ In fact, assuming my n doesn¡¯t go awry, I¡¯d like to leave the job to a fellow worthy of the title, but I¡¯m not sure he¡¯ll be able to find his way here. ¡®He doesn¡¯t even know how to ride a train in the first ce, so I¡¯m guessing he¡¯d have to run all the way from Ishay¡­¡¯ They say that if your head is bad, your body will suffer but Inrang is such a monster. I wonder if he really suffered. In any case, the patient in front of me had no injuries that my acupuncture could address so I focused on triaging the patients as Prisci had instructed. As I worked on the patients with the asional abnormality, watching my progress with acupuncture, Prisci walked up to me and asked softly. ¡°You¡¯re having a hard time, Zetto.¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m not running out of steam.¡± ¡°Oh, good.¡± She hadn¡¯te to me, but had been treating a patient next to me. ¡°By the way, you seem to be in quite a dangerous situation.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°¡­They haven¡¯te for you yet.¡± Prisci, the healer, muttered something to herself when I tried to pretend I didn¡¯t know anything. Apparently, news had reached her ears, and it wasn¡¯t good news: the hound was after me. I wasn¡¯t surprised to hear that she was getting news from the underworld. ¡°You¡¯d best keep to yourself for the time being.¡± This was not her advice as Prisci, the Academy¡¯s medical officer, but as the Ghost of the Holy Land. ¡°Haha, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡± ¡°Just today, didn¡¯t you fearlessly face a divine beast? I heard it was called an ¡®extraordinary divine beast¡¯.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Instructor Edward asked me to stop it at least until the evacuation was over.¡± ¡°Edward¡­? What does he think we cadets are¡­?¡± ¡°We managed to stop him somehow.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t get me wrong, you did, but it only worked out so well. Anyway, will you take care of yourself, or better yet, stay around me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a bit clumsy with your date requests, Doc.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± My smirk leaves Prisci speechless. ¡®I¡¯m going to have to do something about it.¡¯ There¡¯s nothing I can do to stop it. The ¡®dog¡¯ she¡¯s worried about is already in the palm of my hand. ¡®But what are they doing over there¡­?¡±¡¯ Prisci turned her head and nced at the three women on the other side. There were Aizel, Yuri, and Kaen. ¡°Zetto, I have a headache.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you used too much mana, and you¡¯re suddenly feeling dizzy¡­¡± ¡°My muscles are sore from blocking the divine beast attack earlier¡­¡± The seemingly healthy, or at least well, women pretended to be sick and took a seat where the least prioritized were sorted. ¡°I put out the immediate fire, so it doesn¡¯t matter¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll send you back.¡± I¡¯m going to have to let these women off the hook. *** While Zetto had safely chased away the divine beast, the silver-haired boy who remained in Ishay was trying to figure out how to get to Hwaseong. ¡°You want to go to Hwaseong? You can take the train.¡± ¡°A train¡­? What is it?¡± The bearded old man, who looked much older than he was, stammered. ¡°You don¡¯t even know trains¡­¡± Judging by the boy¡¯s shabby appearance andck ofmon sense, the old man didn¡¯t even bother to tackle him, assuming it was due to hisck of education. The old man then exins to the boy about trains. ¡°So if I take the train, I can go to Hwaseong, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± ¡°I want to get on the train.¡± ¡°Do you have any money?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a dime.¡± The boy¡¯s ears pricked up at the sound of money. He had been spending every penny he earned on his sister¡¯s treatment. ¡°Then you won¡¯t be able to catch the train.¡± ¡°Give me money.¡± The boy spread his hands. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not paying you for anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll sleep with you. Why do old people sleep with young children and give them money?¡± The boy¡¯s life in the underworld had taught him to see only the abnormal, and he had nomon sense. ¡°You¡­! You deserve to be punished¡­ I¡¯m not that kind of person.¡± At the mention of prostitution, the old man was taken aback. ¡°Really? Then how can I get paid?¡± The boy didn¡¯t seem to know what he was talking about. ¡°Hah¡­ Bow down.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a bow?¡± The old man with the cane barely managed to stifle a sigh as he exined that bowing is a culture of the East. The boy understood and immediately bowed down to the old man. Then he dusted himself off, stood up, and held out his hand. ¡°Now give me the money.¡± ¡°With your bald head¡­ Yes.¡± The old man clicks his tongue and puts the money into the boy¡¯s tiny hand. It was just enough money for a train ride. ¡°But what are you going to do in Hwaseong?¡± The old man, who was curious about the boy¡¯s purpose, asked and the boy¡¯s lips twitched as he looked at the money, then he answered in a nonchnt voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill a man. 50,000 gold.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes, go ahead, go ahead.¡± The old man gave up on further conversation. Chapter 215: East, Hwaseong (3) Chapter 215: East, Hwaseong (3) The wounded were nearing the end of their treatment. A shrine maiden and two ninja spirits who hade to the vige after hearing the news had appeared, and were now talking to them. It wasn¡¯t really a ce for cadets to be, but those of us who had driven Miho out of the vige were invited to join them. The ck-haired woman standing in the center of the group was the first to bow. She was a shrine maiden who would be at the center of this incident. I couldn¡¯t quite remember how many generations she was. ¡°I, Hino, the 53rd shrine maiden and heir of the Embers, would like to express my deepest gratitude to the members of the Innocence Academy on behalf of Hwaseong.¡± Fifty-three generations, that¡¯s a long time. Apparently, Hino¡¯s name indicated that she was a shrine maiden. That means there were 52 Hino¡¯s besides her. ¡°We did what we had to do.¡± Edward, the Academy¡¯s representative, bowed. Brief greetings were exchanged on both sides, and the conversation cut straight to the chase. ¡°The members of the Academy told me you were traveling, and I¡¯m afraid we may have presented a less than favorable picture of the country.¡± ¡°I understand. Every country is bound to have a problem or two that gives them a headache.¡± ¡°It would have been much better if you could have held onto it a little longer.¡± One of the ninja next to Hino said in a grumpy voice. He had a disgruntled expression like that of a toad. He was a dooshin who ruled over the viges around here. ¡°Happo, your tone is quite disturbing. These are the people who saved a vige with which they have no connection.¡± ¡°I apologize, shrine maiden.¡± Judging by his appearance and cocky demeanor, it would be easy to think, ¡°Is he a traitor?¡± and I wanted to, but s, Happo was not a traitor. He¡¯s just a bit ill-tempered and a bit averse to ¡®strangers¡¯. ¡­On second thought, maybe not ¡®a little¡¯. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who should be apologizing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hino nced at Happo, and Happo lowered his head, unable to meet Hino¡¯s fierce gaze. It wasn¡¯t so strange that a man who was supposed to be the leader of several viges of ninjas couldn¡¯t even make a sound to a shrine maiden. It was all due to the Hwaseong Kingdom¡¯s system. The king had entrusted the management and protection of his territory to ten lords, each of whom had many ninja under him, so this could be considered a private army but there was no coup. All ninja have an unwritten code of honor: do not oppose the king. The consequences of breaking this rule are death. Even if there were two lords in Hwaseong history who tried to stage a coup, they would have been eliminated before they had a chance to do so. The original ninja are good at that, and the two lords are in a position to keep each other in check. The same goes for the higher ranking ninja who are beneath them. If one of them plots to betray his country, he has a reason to remove him at any time, and the vacancy created by the removal of the coup-plotter belongs to the higher-ranking ninja who took his head. So now there are no more reckless lords to walk the streets where death lurks. So what is the position of a shrine maiden? A shrine maiden has power almostparable to that of a king. She has the power to control all of Hwaseong¡¯s divine beasts, and when she has aplete set of divine beasts, even a lord would stand no chance against her. Moreover, killing her would lead to the current situation. Just a few years ago, an ignorant demon assassinated a shrine maiden. The demon was killed instantly, but with her assassination, the country was plunged into chaos by the divine beasts. The uncontroble divine beasts, carrying on the maiden¡¯s grudge, were rampaging and burning the country to the ground. In a half-hearted attempt to save themselves, Hwaseong made Hino, the most likely candidate for the next shrine maiden, a shrine maiden, and gave her full power to retrieve the divine beasts. That was the reason why Happo couldn¡¯t stand up to a shrine maiden who hadn¡¯tpleted the session ceremony. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s okay, maybe we didn¡¯t have enough cadets.¡± When Happo didn¡¯t apologize until the end, Edward chuckled and shot back. ¡°What do you mean, cadets?¡± Happo raised one eyebrow at the mention of the cadets stopping the neer. ¡°It was the cadets standing behind me, not the instructors, who stopped the divine beast.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to hear more about what happened.¡± Hino asked, tilting her head. ¡°Hmm¡­ Perhaps someone would like to exin?¡± At his suggestion, Yuri, who was behind me, taps his finger on my back. ¡°Zetto exin.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll exin.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I¡¯m shoved in front, and I¡¯m met with strange stares from the Hwaseong group and they looked at me as if they didn¡¯t know how I would exin. ¡°The white bandage¡­ Is it¡­? No. Can you exin first?¡± At least Hino seemed to know about me, but that wasn¡¯t important right now. I immediately proceeded to exin how I was able to chase away Miho. ¡°¡­So I figured her weakness was water.¡± ¡°Exactly. But it requires a lot of water.¡± Happo, who was crossing his arms, nodded. ¡°So I decided to try to make it rain.¡± ¡°Rain¡­? Of course rain works best, but¡­¡± ¡°Are you saying that Western magic can change the climate?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not possible for us, cadets, at any rate. We could only make it rain with our mana, and it was only a brief trickle. Luckily, Cadet Orphele here is a master of water magic, so he shot a giant drop of water into the sky, and then¡­¡± ¡°After¡­?¡± ¡°¡­I sliced through that droplet, and that¡¯s how I made it rain from the sky.¡± ¡°Even with your exnation, I don¡¯t understand, did any of the lesser ninja who remained in the vige witness the scene?¡± ¡°I¡­ I was nearby.¡± ¡°Your name must be¡­¡± ¡°¡­My name is Daijin, my lord.¡± ¡°Yes, Daijin. Is what that cadet said true?¡± At Happo¡¯s question, the lowly ninja named Daijin, who was on crutches, scratched his cheek. ¡°There was a giant water ball in the sky, yes, and then that cadet ran towards another cadet¡­¡± ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°Well¡­ after that, I couldn¡¯t keep track with my eyes, although it¡¯s true that it rained as a roar echoed in the sky.¡± ¡°¡­It was a speed that was invisible even to a ninja¡¯s eyes?¡± Happo, who had a strong ninja pride, asked. ¡°I apologize, my lord.¡± ¡°Happo, what does it matter if it was invisible to the eyes of a lesser ninja?¡± ¡°It could be that these strangers are taking advantage of a lucky rain shower and running a scam, after all, they¡¯re only cadets, ording to the academy.¡± Happo¡¯s eyes narrowed as he pointed at me. ¡°Besides, the blind man¡¯s sword¡­If I were you, I¡¯d dodge it without opening my eyes. That¡¯s not a very credible exnation, is it?¡± ¡°Happo¡­¡± Hino¡¯s voice lowers, as if she¡¯s angered by Happo¡¯s rudeness. ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± I eventually lost it and said something like that. ¡®This Happo is way out of line.¡¯ I could understand his conservative nature of being suspicious of strangers, but he dared to disrespect my master¡¯s swordsmanship. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That you can dodge it without even opening your eyes.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Before Happo, whoughed in disbelief, could formte an answer, I grabbed the sword at my waist. In that split second, the world stops. The entrance to the tent was slightly lifted by the wind blowing in, and Hino¡¯s eyes narrowed as she red at Happo. In a world where everything has stopped, only I can move. Technically, I¡¯m not the only one, since Sierra is here. I walked leisurely in front of Happo. His eyes didn¡¯t follow me at all, as if he couldn¡¯t keep up with my speed. -A. I gently slid my sword into the chair he was sitting in. It was right next to where his neck was. [Hmph¡­] Sierra, who had watched the whole thing in real time, tilted her head, looking at me curiously. I take another breath, and the world starts to move again. -Boom! With a deafening crash, the chair Happo was sitting in tumbles backwards without resistance. -Kudangtang! Then came a rather ridiculous sound. ¡± Dooshin!!!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The ninjas behind Happo pulled out their chakrams, and Hino, who had been frowning, was now wide-eyed as he looked at me. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Happo, who had been knocked off his chair along with the rest of the party, red at my red sword at the side of his neck, his mouth agape. ¡°How dare you¡­!!!¡± Happo shouted, furious at my hostile behavior. ¡°Judging by the sound of your voice, I¡¯m guessing my blindness prevented me from aiming for your neck.¡± I said, nonchntly pulling out the sword that was embedded in the side of his neck. ¡°But it looks like you didn¡¯t dodge¡­ were your eyes closed or open?¡± Well, it wouldn¡¯t matter either way. I looked down at Happo and shed him a wry smile. ¡°You damned thing¡­ How dare you attack me¡­?¡± ¡°Happo, that¡¯s enough, I won¡¯t be able to keep my eyes closed for much longer.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°How far are you willing to go to lower the prestige of the Hwagoku? It doesn¡¯t change the fact that they saved the people of the Hwagoku.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I apologize.¡± ¡°Cadet Zetto?¡± Happo, stunned by Hino¡¯s stinging words, bowed his head deeply, and Edward, on the other side of the room, jerked his head in response, calling out to me. ¡°I apologize. I must have been terribly rude but I swear I didn¡¯t mean to hurt him.¡± I bowed my head and apologized politely, as Edward had hoped. ¡°I¡¯m afraid our cadet went too far, he¡¯s known for his good nature¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just that it¡¯s a strange thing to have saved people¡¯s lives, only to be met with scorn, not gratitude.¡± You have a point. ¡°¡­¡± Happo was still ring at me, but it didn¡¯t matter what he thought of me. ¡°And what is your name?¡± I needed only to win the favor of the woman in front of me. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± And I guess I was halfway there, because she was showing me a face that was the exact opposite of the one she had used to look at Happo. ¡°My name is Zetto.¡± Chapter 216: East, Hwaseong (4) Chapter 216: East, Hwaseong (4) ¡°That was a sword I couldn¡¯t dodge with my eyes open.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being kind.¡± ¡°Phew, Happo actually had his eyes open.¡± Hino covers her mouth with her sleeve andughs softly. The story is over for now, and she¡¯s calling me over to talk to me privately. ¡°Paradise outcast, that¡¯s what they call you in the East.¡± Hino speaks first. She knew about me, after all. Paradise outcast, that¡¯s a bit¡­ ¡°¡­That¡¯s not a very nice term.¡± ¡°Actually, it¡¯s probably used in a simr sense, because there¡¯s a rumor that you could have been a freshman, but you failed the test.¡± ¡°Haha, fresh¡­¡± I wondered if there really was such a thing as a divine being, given what Shui had said and the fact that the person who built the Celestial Academy was also a divine being named Celestial. ¡°The East and the West worship different gods, so I think that¡¯s why there are some negative reactions, although I think the roots are the same¡­Anyway, to think I¡¯ve met a celebrity and I¡¯m rude. I hope you¡¯re enjoying your trip, but am I interrupting?¡± ¡°Not really, I¡¯m just a man who can¡¯t leave a woman alone with her troubles.¡± ¡°Hmm, troubles¡­I don¡¯t think it¡¯s easy to tell even if you can see my face¡­¡± ¡°If I told you I could hear the worry in your voice¡­ would you believe me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ll believe you, because it¡¯s true that I¡¯m worried.¡± ¡°Is it the divine beats?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something I¡¯d discuss with a stranger, but¡­ Yes, it is. The divine beasts that used to protect Hwaseong are now being treated as monsters.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I have any knowledge of this, but you seem to be having a hard time locating them¡­do you have any kind of device that can locate them?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that there was such a thing in the distant past but when the shrine maidens began to control them, it became unnecessary¡­We don¡¯t know where they are now.¡± A radar that can detect divine beasts exists and I know where it is. It¡¯s tricky, but if they can get it, it will make retrieving the divine beasts much easier than it is now. ¡°I can feel Miho¡¯s fear and resentment even from here.¡± Hino shook her head ruefully as she stood on the hill, looking down at the vige in mes. ¡°Cadet Zetto. No, can I call you Zetto?¡± ¡°You can call me whatever you¡¯refortable with.¡± ¡°Zetto, can you believe that all of this happened because of the assassination of the ancestral shrine maiden?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The Ancestral Shrine Maiden often told me that the Shrine Maidens of the Hwaseong Country are like gunpowder, that even the slightest spark will cause them to explode, so she told me that I should keep my emotions in check, but I can¡¯t seem to do that as well as I thought I could, given how much anguish and pain she was in¡­ I wonder why the gods are so angry.¡± ¡°I think that they must have felt the same way, just as you followed and cherished the old shrine maiden, they did the same.¡± ¡°Miho liked to y tricks on people, scaring them when they came to the shrine, taking what they were eating and running off with it¡­ that Miho¡­¡± Hino squeezed her eyes shut as she looked out over the view of the vige burned to the ground by Miho. ¡°I must thank you once again. I hear there were no casualties thanks to your help, and I¡¯m so grateful that you were able to help stop Miho from taking the people¡¯s children, parents, and friends.¡± ¡°As our instructor said before¡­ we did what we had to do.¡± ¡°¡­I wonder if you¡¯ll overlook Happo¡¯s disrespect, as I was supposed to have him under control, but it seems I haven¡¯t gotten the recognition I deserve yet.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They say I¡¯m a half-assed shrine maiden who hasn¡¯t even taken the session ceremony. To take the session ceremony, I need four divine beasts that belong to a special ss.¡± ¡°Miho must be one of them.¡± ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t have any of them in my arms, so the half shrine maiden isn¡¯t wrong.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, you¡¯ll have your session ceremony in the not too distant future, I¡¯m sure.¡± I looked up at her and shed her a confident smile. If only she actually had that ¡®radar¡¯, it would be a matter of time. ¡°Zetto¡­ You have such a beautiful smile.¡± Hino¡¯s red eyes echoed my smile. ¡°Haha, I hear that a lot.¡± ¡°If only you hadn¡¯t said that.¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Soon, Hino and I were simultaneously giggling and holding in ourughter. Her mental strength was also quite important in order to retrieve the Divine Beasts safely, so her current behavior made sense. With that, I parted ways with Hino after chatting a bit about my feelings, which is something neers are usually curious about. We¡¯ll meet again when I find the radar. We walked down the hill and back to the cadets and instructors, who exined the schedule. Given the state of affairs in Hwaseong, it was decided that if an issue would appear at any point during the trip, we would help as much as possible. There was a meeting between the instructors, but so far it was the same game I knew. There was nothing else to do during the day, and I made my move when the sun had set and everyone was asleep. *** In a dark forest, where the moonlight had subsided, there were three women. ¡°Are you sure Zetto went this way, give me that thing.¡± Frustrated, Yuri snatched the telescope from Kaen¡¯s hand and peered at the robed figures at the far end. ¡°The way they walk¡­¡± Yuri murmurs, and Kaen opens her mouth to speak as she snatches the telescope from her once more. ¡°Please don¡¯t be so bossy. Keep in mind that I¡¯m the only one who knows the extent of his powers, and we all know it wouldn¡¯t do any good to get caught going behind his back, right?¡± ¡°¡­So where is Zetto going?¡± ¡°Well.¡± Aizel, who hadn¡¯t taken her eyes off Zetto, who was a dot in the distance, answered in a dull voice. ¡°What I do know is that he¡¯s up to something, and he¡¯s doing it with some strange-looking guys.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the way, so I don¡¯t know where we¡¯re going.¡± ¡°Even if you did know the way, you wouldn¡¯t know it.¡± ¡°Shut up, Aizel.¡± ¡°Do you think they¡¯re trying to catch a demon?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if it was Zetto, but¡­¡± ¡°I told him to take care of himself but he¡¯s beingpletely unreasonable.¡± ¡°Yuri, he didn¡¯t listen because you told him.¡± ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t Aizel go tell Zetto right now, don¡¯t do anything dangerous ande back to your quarters in peace.¡± ¡°Hey, can you please stop fighting? If you keep doing that, I¡¯m going to run forward and get within the range of his senses.¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Yuri and Aizel re at each other at Kaen¡¯s threat, then fall silent. ¡°I don¡¯t really like being with you either. I could havee by myself, but I asked you toe with me because there¡¯s a chance that something might happen that I won¡¯t be able to stop on my own.¡± ¡°Ha, so what? You got caught going alone.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we all think the same thing in the first ce? I thought he was going to see the shrine maiden or something, but now I see he¡¯s not going to see her.¡± ¡°I suppose I should say that¡¯s good news¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s follow him just long enough and not give ourselves away.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t matter if it gets dangerous, will it?¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± Yuri asked, while Kaen and Aizel nced at each other in turn. They were thinking the same thing: I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to save Zetto. Of course, they were also curious and wondered what Zetto was doing in the middle of the night, sneaking out of his quarters without anyone noticing. The three women were chasing after him, even as they wondered if he was in any danger, but secretly hoped he wasn¡¯t. Meanwhile, Zetto had his doubts when he saw the same emotions in the three women on the rtionship chart. ¡®All three of them have doubts and expectations¡­¡¯ He scattered his senses, wondering if they were following him, but none of them touched anything but hispanions. Soon one of them, walking alongside him, looked at him and asked. ¡°By the way, who brought this blind man?¡± ¡°The man in charge of the navigation suddenly drowned, so I brought him along.¡± ¡°¡­Do you know how to navigate?¡± ¡°I have a pretty good ear.¡± At the ensuing sarcasm, Zetto smiled and replied. ¡°It¡¯s not just that you have good ears! Do you know where we¡¯re going to rob?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to rob the tomb of the Great Ninja Hanzo, and if you¡¯re going to make such a big deal about it, it¡¯s your first time, right?¡± The woman who brought me shrugged. ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem, I¡¯ll cover him. He¡¯s so handsome and can pick a lock. The guy I hired couldn¡¯t, so he ran away.¡± ¡°I can pick other things besides locks.¡± ¡°Like my heart?¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Zetto forced a smile at the woman who had been flirting with him. He had gotten between them by using some sort of beauty queen, so he had to cater to her even if he didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re not normal¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing normal about grave robbers who dig up other people¡¯s graves out of greed¡­¡± ¡°¡­Shut up!¡± Their destination was the tomb of the Great Ninja Hanzo, the First Ninja, who was buried with a device that could locate the divine beasts. Once inside the cave, they encountered a giant door. There were no guards there but that didn¡¯t mean it was easy to get into the tomb. Hanzo¡¯s tomb was inscribed with the name of the tomb¡¯s owner, Hanzo, as if to dare them to enter. Many grave robbers had attempted to enter Hanzo¡¯s tomb in the past, but were blocked by the massive doors. ¡°I guess it¡¯s my turn.¡± That¡¯s when Zetto stepped forward. As he approached the door, he put his ear to it and turned a dial-like device embedded in the door. ¡°I suppose I should go back and get a proper enchanter now¡­¡± ¡°Could you be quiet for a moment, I can¡¯t hear very well.¡± Luckily, Zetto knew thebination to the door blocking the tomb. ¡®If this door opens, these grave robbers will be dead anyway.¡¯ Zetto wasn¡¯t sure if he should just stand by and watch the grave robbers die. In truth, Hanzo¡¯s tomb was not a vault full of gold and silver treasures; it was a dungeon of sorts. Chapter 217: East, Hwaseong (5) Chapter 217: East, Hwaseong (5) Hanzo Tomb it¡¯s a sizable dungeon, filled with traps, challenges, and wooden golems called wood soldiers. [I see you¡¯re hearing things. I didn¡¯t realize my apprentice was so skilled in the art of deciphering.] Sierra¡¯s voice rings out as she watches me unlock the tomb. Sierra let out an exmation, but I couldn¡¯t hear anything. It wasn¡¯t like something you¡¯d see in a movie or an anime. No, she should be able to hear it, but maybe this door was special. I turned the dial to the correct number and tried my luck, but it didn¡¯t give me any information. ¡®Was this a five?¡¯ Even I couldn¡¯t remember all 16 digits. I could remember everything else, but I couldn¡¯t remember a single digit. I leaned my ear against the lock and scratched my head. ¡°Do you want to go in?¡± I whispered, nudging the door to Sheddie, who looked up from my feet curiously. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± There was no way my whisper could have been missed in the silence of the cave, where the only sound was me turning the dial, and one of the grave robbers turned to me, squinting. ¡°Since I¡¯m blind, I sometimes see things¡­ ghosts¡­ Spirits¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve brought a madman with you¡­¡± The grave robbers were not strange, but I suppose it¡¯s inevitable that when you¡¯re in the presence of someone who¡¯s about to die, your tongue bes lighter. ¡°Kerung.¡± Sheddie ducked under the shadows on the floor and tried to reach the doorway. A tiny shadow lodged itself in the door jamb and struggled to break through. ¡®I guess that means there¡¯s no way around it.¡¯ I¡¯d hoped so, but it looks like there¡¯s something stronger at work. ¡°Kerung¡­¡± Sheddie stepped out of the shadows, a few bumps on his head and a sullen expression on his face. It was unnecessary, but he¡¯s a good one. ¡°Failure again today.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of bringing your gear? The door won¡¯t open.¡± ¡°Consider it a field trip. We¡¯re all new here.¡± The grave robbers gave up early, and I was spitting out my frustration. -Bam! As I turned the long-awaited 13th dial, I heard a pleasant sound. ¡®Seven, not five.¡¯ With a heavy scraping sound, the giant door that separated us from the tomb was opening. ¡°The gates are opening!¡± ¡°Are you crazy¡­You unlocked it¡­?¡± ¡°See, I told you.¡± The grave robbers went wild with excitement at the unexpectedly good news, and I stepped forward, leaving them behind. ¡®What dust¡­¡¯ As I ran my hands through the years of dust, a hand grabbed my shoulder from behind. ¡°Hey, trying to get ahead.¡± It was the voice of one of the more vocal members of the group. The next thing I know, he¡¯s holding a chillingly cold sword to my throat. ¡°Get lost, I don¡¯t need your help anymore¡­.I¡¯ll give you a few gold nuggets for your efforts.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be grateful, but I¡¯ll give you the right of way, you go ahead.¡± If he wants to die so badly, I won¡¯t stop him. ¡°It¡¯s Hanzo¡¯s tomb!¡± ¡°We¡¯re rich now!¡± The excited grave robbers run up the massive passageway. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯ll make sure you get your share.¡± The woman who brought me to this group taps me on the shoulder. ¡®Well¡­¡¯ It¡¯s just my personal opinion, but this ce didn¡¯t smell like the gold they were looking for. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± One of the grave robbers ahead of us stared uselessly at the huge passageway, questioning. Thud. He stomped on one of the scaffolds. Greedy grave robber, you¡¯re going to cross that river after all. ¡°Hey, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡­ stepped on¡­ There¡¯s a trap here¡­!¡± The grave robber¡¯s cries soon turn to screams. -Boom! A giant iron spear protruded from the wall and pierced his abdomen without any effort. ¡°Aaahhhh!!!¡± The grave robber¡¯s skin quickly turns a sickly color as he struggles against the spear. He was poisoned and it didn¡¯t take long for his breathing to be cut off. ¡°¡­Damn it! What was his name again?¡± ¡°I just met him today, how would I know?¡± The grave robbers begin to realize what¡¯s going on. ¡°Everyone, watch the floor¡­¡± It was no one¡¯s tomb, but Hanzo¡¯s. It had dawned on them that even if there was treasure there, it wouldn¡¯t be designed to be taken so easily. In fact, Hanzo¡¯s tomb was a dungeon, one of Hanzo¡¯s tests. The traps near the entrance are simply to see if you¡¯re worthy of the test and the test is for ninja who want to be Hanzo¡¯s sessor. Therefore, the difficulty level would be very high for a simple grave robber. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go first.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s full of traps up ahead! Do you want to kill yourself?¡± Well, if a blind man wants to run into a field of traps, who cares who stops him? But traps don¡¯t bother me. ¡®Is this the first time since the Labyrinth?¡¯ These traps were a bit more borate than the ones in the Labyrinth, but that didn¡¯t stop me. ¡°I don¡¯t mind you following me, but please don¡¯t get in my way. If I may give you a piece of advice, you might as well turn back now.¡± I walked through the trap field at a leisurely pace, strangely untouched by any of the traps, much to the surprise of the grave robbers who stopped and watched my back. They are no longer needed, for they have fulfilled their role as guides to the location of Hanzo¡¯s tomb. [Hanzo, the first ninja¡­ could there really be treasures in his tomb?] Sierra, who had been walking down the passageway across the trap field, squinting her eyes and scanning her surroundings, asked. ¡°Do you know anything about Hanzo?¡± [Every ninja I¡¯ve ever met has died saying something along the lines of ¡°Glory to Hanzo¡±. Even if it wasn¡¯t that, you¡¯d have to not be an easterner not to know.] ¡°Were you ever chased by a ninja¡­?¡± [When I was a girl, I heard that one of the two spirits was skilled with a sword, so I crossed swords with him once, and after that ninjas often came to visit.] ¡°They¡¯re very narrow-minded.¡± He was angry that he had lost to a young girl, so he ordered ninjas to bring him her head. [I wonder if he¡¯s still alive? From the looks of it, he¡¯s got a long life ahead of him.] As far as I know, none of the current Ten are skilled with a sword so he¡¯s either dead or retired. There is one younger one, Kakubo, who is a swordsman, but maybe he¡¯s rted. As I walk along, chatting with Sierra, Ie across another door. The only difference between this one and the massive gate at the entrance is that it doesn¡¯t have a lock. [There¡¯s a sentence on it. Hmm¡­A ninja must not be misled by the tempting fruits in front of him¡­? What does that mean?] Sierra read the sign above the door for me and shook her head. It was the first gateway, the Door of Deception. ¡°We¡¯ll only know what¡¯s inside when we open it.¡± Behind the gate, a blunt-armored guard waited. The gatekeeper tempts those who enter by disguising himself as the one they love most but death is the only thing that awaits them after they¡¯ve been seduced. [Let¡¯s take a look.] With that, Sierra moves to pass through the doorway, only to hear the clear sound of something hitting something else. [ ¡­¡­ ] Sierra hit her head on the door. ¡°Master, are you okay¡­?¡± I asked as she rubbed her forehead in embarrassment. ¡°There seems to be a seal on the outside wall of the building.¡± [Why are you saying that now¡­!] ¡°You saw how Sheddie couldn¡¯t get in¡­¡± [¡­I thought she was different.] Sierra shrugged her shoulders once at the muttering and pushed the door open. [I¡¯m d, though; I don¡¯t think my apprentice would fall for something like that.] ¡°Haha, is that so¡­¡± I honestly didn¡¯t feel confident as I pushed the door open and I could skip, I would. I wasn¡¯t sure whaty ahead and if I could resist the temptation but contrary to what I thought, I could see right through it. ¡®They came out of nowhere and¡­¡­¡¯ Unintentionally touched by a terrible imagination, I unnecessarily fixed the bandage over my eyes and stepped fully into the gateway. [That one¡­] A woman was standing there. She looked familiar, with peach blossoms in her hair and blue sky in her eyes. [Kaen¡­?] Simrly, the first thing that came to my mind was Kaen, but something was different. She wasn¡¯t Kaen. Her hair was shaped differently, and she was not the mature woman I knew, dressed in those eastern clothes and exuding a dignified air. Then her lips parted. ¡°Mr. West¡­?¡± I was stunned, and Sierra was even more baffled than I was. [What does she mean¡­?] ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Have you forgotten about me already¡­?¡± [I¡¯m calling out to you in a intive voice, and you¡¯re trying to y games?!] ¡°But I don¡¯t remember getting married at all¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you propose to me first, you said you wanted to have children¡­¡± [Oh, a child¡­?] ¡°No, because I¡¯ve never had children.¡± ¡°Well, sure¡­You haven¡¯t had kids yet.¡± The woman who looked just like Kaen blushed and twisted herself into a ball. ¡°Then perhaps today is your chance¡­?¡± She took a slow step toward me. ¡°My moon. My West.¡± She cupped my cheek. [My, my¡­¡­] And just like that, Sierra and I were stuck at the first gateway, unexpectedly *** By the time Zetto entered the first gate, the Door of Deception, the three women who had been secretly following him had arrived at the entrance to Hanzo¡¯s tomb. ¡°Hanzo?¡± Aizel questioned, reading the sign above the massive open door. ¡°Hanzo¡­ I believe he was the first ninja, and this is his tomb.¡± ¡°Why would Cadet Zetto be in a ce like this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I¡¯m not surprised. Zetto doing things behind everyone¡¯s back is kind of like Crank eating bread all the time.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kaen grunted as she stepped through the door and looked around at the passageway almost asrge as the door. In it were two corpses, impaled on spears protruding from the wall, and two living people. ¡°People¡­!¡± ¡°Other grave robbers? Don¡¯te! This is a trap field!¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± The three women scratched their heads at their cries. ¡°Didn¡¯t a man with a bandage over his eyes just pass through here?¡± Kaen asked them as they stood still, unable to move a single step. ¡°Bandages¡­? The handsome blind man? If so, he¡¯s already passed by, walking casually and not stepping on any traps¡­¡± ¡°Of course Zetto wouldn¡¯t step on a trap.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s Cadet Zetto.¡± ¡°Kaen, are you good at avoiding traps?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any problems.¡± ¡°And Aizel?¡± ¡°As long as I¡¯m faster than the traps can reach me, I¡¯m good, but there might be traps that trigger faster than my speed, so I¡¯m not gambling on that. In the Labyrinth, maybe, but here, I¡¯d actually get my head blown off.¡± The three women shrugged off the grave robber¡¯sment and went on amongst themselves. ¡°Hey, Kaen¡­ Can¡¯t you make way for us¡­?¡± Yuri, who wasn¡¯t so confident in avoiding the traps, asked Kaen. ¡°Then it¡¯s better if Kaen, who is more confident in traps, leads the way here.¡± ¡°¡­Why are you all like this?¡± Kaen nced at the two of them in disbelief. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She sighed, shook her head, and stretched. Feeling sufficiently warmed up, Kaen took a step forward, only to have her body shudder and immediately pull back. ¡°Haa¡­ Haa¡­¡± Kaen is breathing heavily. ¡°¡­Kaen, are you okay, or is it a trap already?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that¡­¡± A flushed Kaen struggled to exin. ¡°¡­Cadet Zetto it¡¯s in front of me, and I entered his range for a moment.¡± Chapter 218: East, Hwaseong (6) Chapter 218: East, Hwaseong (6) ¡°Hmph, but it¡¯s good to see your face after all these years.¡± ¡°How about we¡­ put this murderous sword away for a while and have a conversation¡­?¡± The woman holding the sword to my throat and smiling broadly was a figure from my past named Dao Hua. ¡°Dao Hua wants you dead.¡± I barely managed to keep her sword from reaching my neck by pressing the back of my sword against her elbow. She lunged for the sword, thinking I¡¯d beenpletely seduced, but I hadn¡¯t been seduced by a mere woodsman¡¯s blunt armor, or by her seduction. I panicked because my mind was flooded with her name as I touched her energy field. Disciple, kill her.] Sierra, watching me, made a gesture of slitting her throat with her thumb. -Really. It just happened to coincide with the scent of Dao Hua¡¯s bandaged chest hitting my nose. ¡°I¡¯m not your husband in the first ce, much less your lover.¡± My guess is, she¡¯s rted to my past life but I couldn¡¯t figure out why she recognized me as my past life self. The exnation isplicated, but it¡¯s that Hanzo¡¯s tomb, or this dungeon, recognizes me as one of three things: a saint, a king, or a demon. I don¡¯t even know how that¡¯s possible. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say it¡¯s because Hanzo knew me in my previous life but what I do know is that once I¡¯ve crossed all the gateways, I¡¯ll have a chance to get an exnation from Hanzo himself. That gives me one more reason to clear this dungeon. For the record, Hanzo is dead. What I¡¯ll encounter is a ghostly version of him. ¡°Have you forgotten about me already¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who Dao Hua is.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Suddenly, Dao Hua¡¯s arms go limp, and she drops her sword to the floor. In the original game, this gateway was not difficult at all. No matter who the woodcutter was disguised as, it wouldn¡¯t hit the yer. However, when I experienced it firsthand, it was a difficult gateway in more ways than one. Even though I didn¡¯t know Dao Hua, it was quite annoying to see her look exactly like Kaen and have such a realistic expression on her face. ¡°If it¡¯s Kaen¡¯s neck¡­ I¡¯ve cut it off before¡­¡¯ I had dueled with her once and cut her throat in an illusionary spell. It had been a long time ago, and the Kaen of that time had been a bit of a coward, so it was less objectionable. Yes, a resemnce. She is not Kaen but she could be Kaen¡¯s ancestor. ¡®Wait¡­ does that mean I¡¯m going to cut down the ancestor of the woman I love¡­?¡¯ That was a problem as it was. What mattered now was how strong the woman in front of me, Dao Hua, was. Hanzo¡¯s techniques were never simple. Copying a person¡¯s appearance is copying, but it also brings a certain amount of power. I know it¡¯s implemented using the memories of those who enter the gate as a database, but since I don¡¯t remember Dao Hua, I couldn¡¯t predict what to expect. She was carrying a sword, but at the moment I was hoping that she might not be someone skilled inbat. [Now that I think about it, her outfit looks quite familiar¡­] Sierra¡¯s eyes widened, and she nced at the painting, which was slightly over her lowered clothes. [Could it be¡­?] ¡°Master, if you have any information, please let me know as soon as possible, preferably something that will give us an idea of her strength.¡± ¡°Master, who are you talking to right now?! Are you bandaging the corners of your eyes because you¡¯re seeing things in vain?¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Dao Hua grabbed my cheek and made a pouty face. Her personality was slightly different from Kaen¡¯s, so this was a different vor. [Dao Hua¡­ Dao Hua¡­ Hmph¡­ ] Sierra rubbed her chin while repeating Dao Hua¡¯s name over and over again. [Ah¡­!] Then, with an exmation, she ms her fist into her palm. [ ¡­but I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m right. ] ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± [¡­Sword Demon, Dao Hua¡­When I took up the sword, my grandfather once told me that there was once a female swordswoman like me in the Warring States. He said it was an old story that was passed down through the generations, so even if she existed, it must have been quite a long time ago.] ¡°Sword Demon¡­?¡± ¡°¡­I told you, Mr. West, I¡¯m not a big fan of that name.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I apologize.¡± What¡¯s clear is that it¡¯s the tinnitus of someone who is very good with a sword. ¡°Then you shall pay for it with death.¡± She drops the sword to the ground and Dao Hua disappears from view for a moment. I quickly scatter my ki, but¡­ ¡®¡­Gone?¡¯ Aside from Sierra, nothing touched my ki. I caught a glimpse of something in the distance, probably the grave robbers trapped in the trap field but it was no time to worry about them. ¡®Where¡­¡¯ Where is Dao Hua? I raised my sword and scanned my surroundings. [Behind you!] Sierra¡¯s voice rang in my head, but it was toote. -POOF. Dao Hua appeared from behind me and hugged me tightly. ¡°Did you look for me? By the way, since you¡¯re using a reverse sword, have you learned another sword technique in the time since Ist saw you?¡± ¡°¡­Why didn¡¯t you stab me?¡± ¡°I am the shadow of the moon¡­ Your shadow, so how could I aim for your throat?¡± Dao Hua was nothing more than a spirit after all, but the demeanor she was disying now felt different from the ordinary spirits I knew. ¡°And haven¡¯t you had enough of death already?¡± ¡°How can you¡­¡± Dao Hua¡¯s meaningful words were whispered in my ear, and at that moment, the status window red loudly, making my head spin. [Contacted a key figure from the past!] [Greatly increased progress!] [As a reward for reaching a certain level of progress¡­] I tried to check the rewards but I couldn¡¯t read the words anymore. My vision darkened, and my body¡¯s senses were being cut off one by one. -Thud. My mind was fading away. *** ¡°Dao Hua, where are you?¡± I entered Dao Hua¡¯s room and looked for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Dao Hua? ¡­Are you going to make fun of this king again?¡± I stifled a sigh and sat down on the floor. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you for days and days.¡± Soon enough, Dao Hua appears and hugs me from behind. ¡°You were looking for me?¡± ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to have any fun, so let¡¯s see you get back out¡­¡± ¡°Hmph¡­You¡¯ve been busy for a while, so you didn¡¯t even look for me, right? It would have been nice to hang out with me for a bit.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been busy as well, and I heard that you¡¯ve been visiting Ishay this time.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ I hear the two tribes have been fighting again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s their business, let them be. Forcing a mold doesn¡¯t produce a beautiful shape¡­One day the strife will end, and the unification won¡¯tst long anyway.¡± When I say something serious that doesn¡¯t fit the mood, she ruffles my hair as if she doesn¡¯t like it, and then jumps right onto my body. ¡°You¡¯re getting heavy.¡± I stood up, still carrying her. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve gained muscle.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Dao Hua angrily ps me on the back. Gone was thepletely emotionless Sword Demon I had met before. There was only the lovely Dao Hua, my wife. ¡°More importantly, why are you spending all your resources to destroy the ghosts? It won¡¯t be toote to start exterminating them once the Great Yue Kingdom is more stable, and thend of demons is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s far from the East, so why do you care?¡± ¡°¡­I know you don¡¯t like it, but I still don¡¯t understand.¡± Dao Hua said cautiously. ¡°Dao Hua, how many humans in the West do you think are dying fighting demons right now?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I heard there were five thousand casualties in thest battle, and if the goblins devour the West, where will they head?¡± ¡°To the East.¡± ¡°They feed on corpses to grow stronger. As the days go by, they grow stronger and stronger, and more and more humans die. The enemy of man is not man, but demons. My question is, why don¡¯t humans join forces against demons?¡± ¡°Is that what you said when you went to the Celestial Academy this time?¡± ¡°I did, though I don¡¯t think anyone was listening¡­These days, young people want to¡­¡± ¡°Oh, my Lord, you¡¯re still in your prime, aren¡¯t you?¡± As I set the painting down on the bed, she unnecessarily added more meaning to my actions. ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean anything, I just put it on the floor¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­? Wasn¡¯t it you who said you wanted to have children?¡± Dao Hua, who interrupted me, lifted her leg slightly as if in provocation. ¡°Well¡­ I mean¡­ yes, and I have to help train the soldiers¡­¡± ¡°Speaking of soldiers, I gave them a special lesson this morning.¡± The soldiers¡¯ bones and muscles must have been harpooned. As soon as my ¡®duty¡¯ is done, I¡¯ll have to call a counselor. One for me. Five for the soldiers. I quickly finished my calctions, looked at the painting, and smiled. The cold woman who was once called the Sword Demon was now begging for a hug. Life is something to be lived and seen many times. *** It was a very sweet dream. I opened my eyes and saw Dao Hua and Sierra. The two women were staring down at me. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± My headache hasn¡¯t fully set in yet. ¡°Did you sleep well, my lord?¡± ¡°¡­I apologize. I was in the middle of crossing swords¡­¡± The fluffiness on my head must be Dao Hua¡¯s knee, judging by Sierra¡¯s narrowed eyes. What I just saw was a memory of my past life, a memory of what happened with Dao Hua to be exact. It was a very foreign sensation. I thought it would feel like someone else, but of course it was me there, and it felt as vivid as if I had actually had that conversation. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I felt a little nauseous, probably a side effect of what had just happened but I pushed myself to my feet and watched as Dao Hua stood up. I still couldn¡¯t believe she was my past life wife, and I wondered about that, as well as the connection between her and Kaen. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to get things organized.¡± Dao Hua sheathed her sword again and turned to me. ¡°¡­I suppose.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t die, you won¡¯t be able to cross this passage, will you?¡± ¡°That would seem to be the case.¡± ¡°Then you may pass through.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± If she doesn¡¯t die, the next gateway won¡¯t open. ¡°Pass through. Even if you¡¯re a mean old man who doesn¡¯t remember his one and only wife¡­ I don¡¯t want to show you again.¡± Dao Hua grinned. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I knew what she didn¡¯t want to show me, maybe that¡¯s why the way she smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to show it again,¡± really bothered me but for now, I decided to respect her choice, because there was nothing to be gained bymenting and swarming in hindsight. I gave her a curt nod and pushed past her to walk ahead. With each step, I felt a surge of fear and just when I thought I was a good distance away from her. -Poof. A sound I didn¡¯t want to hear came from the other side. I resented my superior hearing, at least for now. ¡°¡­¡± I clenched my teeth. I should have covered my ears. For a brief moment, I may have been dazzled by her. In that sense, my former wife had cheated. She was a thief, but not just any thief. The woman I had just met was the real deal so I¡¯ll have to ask her how that was possible. ¡®Hanzo¡­¡¯ It was a very unpleasant p. Only a good p across the face of the culprit would make me feel better. ¡®Don¡¯t think you can get away with this just because you¡¯re a ghost¡­¡¯ I had a teacher who could deliver a spicy punch on my behalf. Chapter 219: East, Hwaseong (7) Chapter 219: East, Hwaseong (7) Arriving at the gate Zetto had passed through earlier, the three women read the words on the sign. ¡°A ninja must not be deceived by the tempting fruits in front of him¡­ Perhaps this ce was meant to be a training ground for ninja, not just a grave?¡± After reading the sentence, Yuri summarized the situation. ¡°But we¡¯re not ninjas, and neither is Cadet Zetto.¡± ¡°Did Zetto want to be a ninja?¡± ¡°Zetto¡­?¡± Aizel raised an eyebrow at Yuri¡¯s question. ¡°Because he¡¯s cool¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprisingly fond of being cool, but¡­¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s just open the door.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Yuri grabbed Kaen¡¯s wrist as she opened the door. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I think there¡¯s something up ahead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure there is.¡± ¡°Focus on the word deception. Are you sure you won¡¯t panic if something jumps out from behind this door?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it would faze me.¡± ¡°Me neither.¡± ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you guys underestimating the Great Ninja, the first ninja?¡± ¡°Well, we do know that the strongest ninja we¡¯ve seen wasn¡¯t exactly a hotshot.¡± Kaen was referring to the Happo they¡¯d seen before. At least the Happo they¡¯d known had been rude, unable to react to Zetto¡¯s speed, and ridiculously outmatched. ¡°I was thinking something simr.¡± ¡°The First Ninja¡­Could it be different¡­?¡± Yuri stammered. She was doing this for a reason. It was because of a warning from Benno, the dragon trapped in the orb in her arms. Benno spoke to Yuri. ¡®You were right, this is a test so don¡¯t panic if something appears behind the door.¡¯ The sudden seriousness of Benno¡¯s warning was a bit rming for Yuri, who had always been prone to bullshit and obscenities. ¡°Cadet Yuri, if you¡¯re only doing this because you¡¯re scared, you can take it easy ande slowly, but if you do, we¡¯ll meet Cadet Zetto first.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go with you¡­!¡± Aizel and Kaen found Yuri¡¯s hesitation frustrating, and eventually she followed them to the door without much choice. Contrary to Yuri¡¯s fears, however, there was nothing special to see. Except that it was a bit dark, making it difficult to see the entire passage. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kaen murmured, looking around. ¡°¡­There¡¯s nothing.¡± Aizel grumbled, staring at Yuri. ¡®Benno¡­Did you y a trick on me to scare me?¡¯ Yuri frowned, seemingly annoyed by this. ¡°We should probably find an exit.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go this way.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go this way.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The three women split up for a moment to find their own exits, and ended up walking off in different directions. ¡°Benno, answer me.¡± [But, master¡­] ¡°What the hell is in here?¡± Yuri asked in an irritated voice as Benno walked through the darkened passageway, fireball in hand. [Didn¡¯t the master feel it?] ¡°What?¡± [Pfft¡­ You can¡¯t be serious, you can¡¯t feel the smell.] ¡°What smell? Could you even smell yourself?¡± [Just saying.] ¡°So what¡¯s here¡­?¡± Yuri trailed off and turned her head. -Bam¡­ She didn¡¯t miss the small sound from across the aisle. It was a feint. ¡°¡­Hey, who¡¯s there?¡± Immediately, Yuri raised the fireball she was holding in the air to identify the face, then slowly moved it to light up the dark passage. His face was finally revealed. ¡°¡­Zetto?¡± ¡°You must be Ms. Yuri.¡± Zetto, who had been slouched against the wall, waved in greeting. ¡°Why are you here¡­?¡± ¡°How long have you been following me?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t youe this way?¡± Yuri was dumbfounded by his next suggestion, but she moved to his side without a second thought. ¡°Sit next to me, it¡¯s just the two of us here.¡± ¡°Just the two of us¡­¡± As Yuri muttered that, she came to the conclusion that Aizel and Kaen hadn¡¯t found Zetto yet, and for some reason that gave her a sense of pleasure. As Yuri carefully sat down next to Zetto, he shed her a smile. ¡°Shall we take a break?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah¡­ should we¡­?¡± Yuri¡¯s mind raced, trying to figure out what he meant by resting. [Master.] Benno, who was watching, called out to Yuri. Unfortunately, Benno¡¯s voice didn¡¯t reach Yuri, who waspletely distracted by Zetto¡¯s smile, now that they were alone for the first time in quite some time. [Ha¡­ ] At this, Benno let out a deep sigh, and then, deciding it would be better if she realized it herself, so she kept her mouth shut. *** Hanzo, who had been holed up in a darkened alcove, watching the three women surreptitiously through a screen ying on a scroll, clenched his jaw. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they all see the same man.¡± The three women on the screen were blushing and fidgeting in front of the disguised guard. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s going to be so easy to get through the gate, does it?¡± Hanzo muttered in a low voice but his words carried a lot of meaning. The truth was, the blunt armor he had created was far from perfect. Even if he could recreate the appearance to perfection, a sloppy performance would quickly give him away. In general, his charade was usually a matter of spouting words that seemed to work, increasing his chances of deception. The exception to this was when it came to people he knew, where he could capture them in their entirety. Hanzo¡¯s transcendent doujutsu was already dangerous enough to exceed the standards of humanw and fall into the same realm as possession, necromancy, andmand. As such, Hanzo himself rarely practiced it during his lifetime. A jutsu that crossed the line would mess with the caster¡¯s memory. So he came up with the idea of the wooden armor. By casting the jutsu on a wooden armor instead, he could mimic a character¡¯s behavior and speech without any risk. In many ways, this man was serious about the art. ¡°So the person they had in mind was an old friend of mine who had just passed through there¡­ Lucky.¡± Hanzo turned his head and looked at the scroll beside him. On it, a dark-haired young man with a white bandage over his eyes was engaged inbat with abat woodcutter he had prepared. ¡°Reincarnation again, by the way, and a blind one at that? What a god.¡± Hanzo clicked his tongue and shook his head. The Zetto in the scroll was the reincarnation of his friend, the Conquering King, and unlike his previous life, he was somehow blind, but he was unmistakably the Conquering King. Proof of this was that his aura was identical to that of the Conquering King he had met in life, and that it was Dao Hua, the Conquering King¡¯s only wife, who stepped out of the doorway. Hanzo closed his eyes as he remembered the moment he first met the Conquering King. ¡®Are you the ninja Hanzo I heard about?¡¯ ¡®Yes. You are the King of the Moon Kingdom, which has been making quite a stirtely. Is it any wonder, then, that the King of a nation should parade before a ninja without an escort, shamelessly baring his neck?¡¯ ¡®If you can cut it, do it now, you¡¯ve already received the king¡¯s orders.¡¯ That¡¯s how the Moon Kingdom devoured Hwaseong. The mad king of the Moon Kingdom had a pacifist solution. A single duel would seal the fate of both countries. At the time, the Moon Kingdom was already muchrger than Hwaseong, and the foolish king of Hwaseongughed it off. Hanzo was foolish too. He should have stopped the king, but he didn¡¯t because he wanted to fight the king of the Moon Kingdom. His blood had been boiling since their first meeting, and he could hardly contain it. Since then, Hanzo had lost the duel, and now that the Hwaseong Kingdom had be the Moon Kingdom, Hanzo wondered if he should serve the King of the Moon Kingdom, but he was told he didn¡¯t have to. ¡®Ninjas are a bunch of men who will hang themselves out of loyalty. I have no intention of doing such a cruel thing. I only ask one thing of you. Let¡¯s get together for a drink sometime.¡¯ As a side note, the Conquering King was a terrible drinker. Hanzo, on the other hand, who was an excellent ninja, was tolerant of alcohol. ¡®Now that I think about it, I was just trying to keep him from getting into trouble when he was drinking.¡¯ Hanzo thought as he studied the scroll. ¡°But¡­¡± Hanzo raised the corner of his mouth. It was true that it had been fun and it hadn¡¯t taken much to make him a friend. Hanzo could share a drink with him and hear many stories. ¡®You know, Hanzo, it¡¯s true. This king reincarnates.¡¯ ¡®Reincarnation? You mean like reincarnation?¡¯ ¡®No one knows about this but you and my wife. You¡¯d better keep your mouth shut.¡¯ ¡®This man has been drinking too much.¡¯ At the time, Hanzo thought this was drunken rambling. Until Dao Hua, his wife and Queen of the Moon Kingdom, came to him with a request. ¡®You do know that my husband can reincarnate, right?¡¯ ¡®You mean to tell me that he told the Empress that as well?¡¯ ¡°If he dies in this life and is reincarnated, if he has another woman in his arms besides me¡­please kill him¡­by any means necessary.¡¯ ¡®¡­Your Majesty?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s a thought that¡¯s been running through my mindtely, and I don¡¯t have much time left before I have to start the ughter.¡¯ ¡®Even if that means reincarnation¡­¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve heard that ninjasplete their missions even after death.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ The words were merely propaganda to ensure the ninja¡¯s loyalty. ¡®I know, even the greatest ninja, Hanzo, can¡¯t escape death, so you¡¯ll probably close your eyes at some point. I was just throwing that out there half-heartedly, so don¡¯t pay too much attention, hehe¡­¡¯ Dao Hua held out something on the desk with a smile on her face. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s a gift. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be seeing you much anymore.¡¯ Dao Hua handed over a small piece of jewelry. A jewelerter confirmed that it was too precious to be a simple gift. Indeed, it was thest time she saw him alive, and as she feared, it didn¡¯t take long for the glorious moon to shatter. The Conquering King of the Moon Kingdom, who had embarked on a massive crusade, and his wife, Dao Hua, had met their end while battling demons. Without an heir, the only unified state in the East throughout history, the Moon state naturally fell into chaos and weakened, and the nations rose up and returned to the way things were before. The moon that once dazzled all thends of the East was no more. ¡°A ninjapletes his mission even in death¡­¡± Looking at Zetto, Hanzo pondered the words. He was clearly dead. There was nothing left of his body. His body was now merely a spirit body to watch the next great ninja. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Did she ask me to kill him if he was carrying another woman after his reincarnation¡­? One of them seems to be her reincarnation¡­¡± Of the three women who followed him, one had the same aura as Dao Hua, but the others were exceptions. ¡°The king, the queen¡­I don¡¯t think I remember either of them, but a mission is a mission¡­ I¡¯ll at least try to fulfill it.¡± Although his body was incapable of handling any physical force, he could still manipte the inside of the tomb he had prepared for him in life with his will. ¡®Don¡¯t be too angry because I¡¯m only halfway there.¡¯ *** -Crack! The sound of a wooden doll cracking echoed in his ears. ¡®Now there¡¯s only one left.¡¯ He quickly passed through the second gate and was on his way to the third, the Gate of Anomalies. A ninja must be able to face whateveres his way without panicking. That must have been the sentence. The content of the gate was all about defeating a bunch of guards with all sorts of weaponry strapped to their bodies. However, they were quite good, so I practiced my swordsmanship while sealing up my Reverse Heaven for the first time in a long time. ¡®A demon who used reverse grip¡­¡¯ Keraph said my swordsmanship is simr.¡¯ He firmly believed that if I continued like this, I would gain the swordsmanship he had practiced as a demon. He was right, because this time, when the King¡¯s progress reached 10%, I was rewarded with a skill. What was unusual was the name of the skill. ¡°Ordered by the King of Conquest¡± appeared in my status bar, in the skills section. How to use it was really simple. When I give an order to someone, they receive a beneficial effect, a ¡°buff¡±. I hadn¡¯t quite figured out what the buffs would be like yet, but it sounded like it could be very useful. ¡®I can¡¯t wait to try it out.¡¯ I thought to myself as I slit the throat of thest remaining guard. -Boom! Something fell from the ceiling. -Thud! It made a heavy sound as it fell from the ceiling. -Thud! There were quite a few guards. The test for the gateway was supposed to be over after dealing with five guards, but the number of guards that suddenly fell seemed to be over twenty. ¡®No matter how you slice it¡­ It¡¯s going to be hard to do it without the use of Reverse Heaven¡­¡¯ This was the first variable I encountered in the Gate of Anomalies. Chapter 220: East, Hwaseong (8) Chapter 220: East, Hwaseong (8) [Zetto, why are you suddenly wearing¡­] [It¡¯s a little hot.] [I see.] The tinum-haired girl¡¯s face flushes red. ¡°Well, from the sounds of it, they¡¯re not ninjas, they¡¯re not grave robbers, they¡¯re just students from some western academy who followed a man, so I wonder if it¡¯s okay to kill them.¡± Observing the three women through the scroll, Hanzo ultimately decided not to kill them. The tomb, he realized, was meant for ninjas to enter at the risk of death, to pass through the gates, and to gain enlightenment from their training, not for needless killing. If there were ninjas floundering around with such blunt armor, they would certainly deserve to be killed on the spot, but they seemed to have nothing to do with this tomb, nor with ninjas. ¡°I¡¯d better get them back to the entrance.¡± Hanzo was about to rescind his earlier order to the guards and order them to ce the sleeping spit. -Poof! Suddenly, the tinum-haired girl from inside the scroll pulled out a golden rod from within her arms, and immediately pierced the chest of the guardsman in Zetto¡¯s form. [Ms. Aizel¡­?] The smoke didn¡¯t end when the chest was pierced, and she frowned. [Unpleasant.] [What is that¡­?] [How dare you copy and mimic Zetto, it¡¯s so unpleasant I can¡¯t stand it anymore. Did you think I wouldn¡¯t notice, you don¡¯t smell like him.] Tilting her head, a blue spark leaps from her spear, and the wooden armor entire body is quickly engulfed in mes. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Hanzo scratched his head at the sound of Aizel¡¯s murderous voice. Turning his gaze slightly, he saw the other women¡¯s reactions were no different. [You¡¯re not Cadet Zetto, are you?] [What are you talking about, Kaen.] [I guess you couldn¡¯t keep up with the ki?] [Ki¡­?] [Oh, please just die now, it¡¯s a waste of time.] And this one, who was supposed to be the reincarnation of Dao Hua. [Zetto is not a man who takes his clothes off so easily, nor is he a man who doesn¡¯t ask where the others are in a situation like this. He makes sure to check on them every time, to the point of frustration.] The same was true of the red-haired woman. Next, the throats of the wooded armors burst open, and thest of the armors is reduced to ashes by the intense mes. Just when he thought they¡¯d beenpletely taken in, without any other indication, the women realize that the man in front of them is not Zetto. ¡°Did I underestimate them?¡± The wooden armor acting was perfect, he thought. He had already observed things like Zetto¡¯s tone and demeanor firsthand. Still, it was clumsy. That was how they were judging him. ¡°This is¡­ What have you done, my friend, to have so many women around you with eyes like that?¡± Hanzo nced at the lifelike eyes of the women staring down at him and shook his head. Soon, the three women were walking down the aisle, touching a dot. [Did you all find anything?] [Well, I didn¡¯t see anything.] [Neither did I.] The three women continued on to the next gateway, seemingly oblivious to the wooden armor they had just met. ¡°These women are talented, so as long as I adjust the difficulty level, they should be able to get through the gateway without too much trouble, so where¡­¡± Hanzo trailed off and turned his attention to the scroll in front of Zetto. ¡°¡­¡± But there was no sign of Zetto, only the shattered remains of the wooden armors. ¡°Where is he?¡± Hanzo closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to find his signature. -Thud! Someone knocked on the door of the alcove Hanzo was in. ¡®He went through thest gateway because I took my eyes from him for a moment¡­¡¯ It was Zetto standing behind the door. Hanzo snapped his fingers and opened the door on the other side, revealing his pure white bandages. ¡°¡­Wee, the ghost next to you must be your Master.¡± Hanzo could then make out the face of his mentor floating beside him. It was a ck-haired, violet-eyed beauty. [Can you see me?] Sierra asked, tilting her head as Hanzo spoke to her. ¡°We¡¯re both dead, so it¡¯s only natural that we can see each other.¡± The scrolls hadn¡¯t been able to confirm it, but now that they were face to face, the spirits could see each other. ¡°Are you¡­Hanzo. You¡¯re already dead, only your spirit remains.¡± Zetto said as he strode into the alcove. ¡°Hmm¡­ so this ce¡­ this building¡­ is your soul. It¡¯s unique. I¡¯d say this entire tomb is you.¡± ¡°Indeed. It would bemon to put one¡¯s soul into a weapon like your master¡¯s, but what I wanted was to nurture the next generation, not blood or killing, so I couldn¡¯t help it since my disciples died before the master.¡± ¡°To seal one¡¯s soul in a grave in order to train the next generation is something one cannot even think of without being somewhat insane. [That Hanzo was such an old man.] ¡°You have been fortunate to live a long life as a ninja, and you have unfortunately died at a fairly early age. I am Hanzo, a ninja of the Hua n, once called the Great Ninja.¡± [My name is Sierra.] ¡°¡­I¡¯m Zetto.¡± With that, the introductions were made, and for a moment, Zetto wondered if he should mention his tinnitus or not. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯te here to train as a ninja or to gain enlightenment¡­ You should be rewarded for that, but you don¡¯t seem to care. You seem to have a purpose, and what is it?¡± Indeed. Hanzo knew that Zetto¡¯s former life was the Conquering King, but he had no idea why he was here or what his purpose was. ¡°I want two things. The first is the treasure that should be here.¡± ¡°I see, there are no gold or silver treasures here that would be coveted by grave robbers.¡± ¡°But I thought there was a treasure here that would be worth more than any gold or silver treasure to the current Hwaseong.¡± ¡°¡­ Hwaseong? Are you from Hwaseong?¡± ¡°Not exactly, but we need it for the great battle ahead.¡± Zetto went on to exin the difficulties Hwaseong was currently facing. In reality, Hanzo¡¯s soul had been dormant for hundreds of years, awakened by the opening of the tomb, so even he had no way of knowing what was going on outside. ¡°When I was alive, I told them to be very careful when dealing with shrine maidens¡­¡± Hanzo sighed, realizing the pathetic state of the ninjas of theter generations. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you¡¯ll need that pass¡¯ that can detect divine beats, but you can¡¯t see it, can your master help you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be necessary for me to use it, but it would be sufficient for me to give it to the shrine maiden.¡± ¡°Ah, I see, then what is the second thing you want?¡± ¡°¡­¡± At Hanzo¡¯s next question, Zetto paused, nced at Sierra, and finally spoke. ¡°I had an unpleasant experience in the first gate. Apparently, Mr. Hanzo, you have some connection to my past¡­ to my previous life. I would like an exnation for that, and if you don¡¯t have a satisfactory answer¡­¡± ¡°And if not?¡± ¡°¡­Well, I was thinking earlier about what might be a valid threat to a ghost. Like, say, breaking this tomb where Hanzo¡¯s spirit is sealed. I haven¡¯t decided yet, but I¡¯m hoping that after I get your answer, I can stop thinking about it.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Hanzo stroked his long beard andughed. ¡®He¡¯s very angry¡­¡¯ *** Meanwhile, on the train bound for Hwaseong, a demon sat in his seat with his horns hidden and a newspaper open. ¡®If things have gone ording to schedule, Lord Zetto should be in Hwaseong.¡¯ It was Keraph. He hadn¡¯t expected to have to follow them all the way to the East, but a valuable piece of information had reached his ears, and he was in a hurry to find Zetto. There was only one problem: the boy sitting right next to him. Keraph could barely concentrate on his current newspaper. ¡°I smell something¡­¡± The silver-haired boy, dressed roughly in a tattered gunny sack, turned his head toward Keraph and sniffed but it was therge, red coffin beside him that distracted him. ¡®Wasn¡¯t that Zetto¡¯s coffin¡­?¡¯ Having watched Zetto¡¯s funeral from afar, Keraph recognized the imprints on the coffin. He didn¡¯t know if the other passengers were unaware or uninterested, but to him at least, this boy carrying ¡®Zetto¡¯s coffin¡¯ and heading to where Zetto was full of foreboding, no matter how he interpreted it. Trying to avoid eye contact and pretending to concentrate on his newspaper, Keraph tried to make a guess at the boy¡¯s identity. ¡®Silver-haired boy, carrying a coffin. Keeps sniffing.¡¯ If nothing else, there was one character whose bizarre behavior of sniffing and sniffing and sniffing made sense. ¡®Wild dog¡­¡¯ The boy next to him was definitely looking like a wild dog, but he was a little boy. ¡®There¡¯s no way a hound could be this small, and I don¡¯t see any ears or a tail, which are the hallmarks of a lycanthrope¡­¡¯ Shaking his head, Keraph quickly cleared it. ¡°Did you smell something?¡± Keraph asked, smiling as kindly as he could to the young boy without making him feel scared or suspicious. The silver-haired boy responded with a grunt. ¡°I see now. You¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re not human, are you?¡± ¡°Gah, this guy doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about all of a sudden, does he?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m not exactly human either. I¡¯m a lycanthrope. And you?¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m¡­¡± Keraph searched for a suitable species to hide his identity. ¡°Demon, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± But his worries are quickly dashed by the boy¡¯s resolute voice. ¡°I think so, because I¡¯m pretty sure I can smell it.¡± The silver-haired boy flicks his nose and beams with pride. ¡®I see, the hound was a little boy.¡¯ Keraph smiled slightly at this new information about the wild dog, and prayed fervently inwardly. ¡®Lord Zetto, please don¡¯t kill me¡­¡¯ Chapter 221: East, Hwaseong (9) Chapter 221: East, Hwaseong (9) In a ramshackle alcove, two airborne spirits and a living human were having a conversation. Oh, and let¡¯s not forget the ck, furry elemental. ¡°So you¡¯re saying I¡¯m not a virgin?¡± ¡°Not a virgin, from what I recall of your withered visits with your wife.¡± They were in the middle of a pretty ¡®deep¡¯ conversation. ¡°I didn¡¯t have children, did I¡­?¡± Zetto asked, knowing that in his previous life, he had fathered a child and that his blood was passed down through the generations. ¡°That was a strange thing. The king was obligated to have a sessor, so I thought it wouldn¡¯t be long before you had a child, but for some reason it never happened. I¡¯m sure there must have been a lot of pressure from his subjects.¡± ¡°Still, I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t have a child, for there is nothing more miserable than a child who has lost a parent.¡± ¡°I think your answer exins why you didn¡¯t have children. Since you were going on an expedition, you must have been using birth control. If you did have a child, I doubt it would have been a happy one, and with your death, the unity of the Kingdom was all but lost. You certainly wouldn¡¯t have carried on the dynasty well, and you were expecting to die. You¡¯re so¡­hard on yourself.¡± ¡°Haha¡­I guess it couldn¡¯t be helped.¡± Hanzoplied with Zetto¡¯s wishes and told him about his previous life, the Conquering King, and his wife, Dao Hua. [My disciple was that ¡®Conquering King¡¯¡­?] Sierra was the only one who didn¡¯t join in the conversation, for it was all new to her. [Weren¡¯t you supposed to be an otherworldly human?] ¡°Well¡­ I thought so too, but it¡¯splicated to exin. Come to think of it, wasn¡¯t Master from the Moon Country? What was your evaluation of the Conquering King?¡± [Evaluation¡­? That¡¯s¡­ better not to ask¡­] ¡°Well, nothing good can be said about him. At best, he unified the East and promised to destroy the demons, but then he left and turned to dust without leaving any descendants.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Hanzo added, and Zetto understood the meaning and let out a sigh. [A Conquering King, yes, but that¡¯s the judgment of other nations, and it¡¯s hard to hear good things from the people of Moon Kingdom, for the massive conquest went badly, and the repercussions have been felt to this day, making Moon Kingdom one of the weakest nations in the East.] ¡°A lot of people must have died¡­¡± [Don¡¯t take it too much to heart. It¡¯s not umon for some to say that the Conquering King was right, and there was even a war a decade ago, so maybe the assessment is different now.] ¡°Still, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that many of the soldiers who followed me are dead, even my wife, who I don¡¯t remember.¡± Zetto¡¯s words bring a somber pause. ¡°That¡­ Would you like a drink? I have a bottle of something I saved before I died. It¡¯s been aged for a couple hundred years, if not more¡­¡± ¡°¡­No, thank you. I¡¯m not much of a drinker.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re not drinking¡­¡± ¡°Baek Cheon Seol, was that the name of the Conquering King?¡± ¡°Yes. His wife was Baek Dao Hua.¡± ¡°Baek Dao Hua¡­¡± A sudden headache struck Zetto as he muttered to himself, and he grasped his forehead. Once again, memories of his past life began to flood into his mind. *** I was riding a horse, somewhere in the East, judging by the buildings andndscape around me. As I slowly turned my head, there was Dao Hua on horseback. I smiled at Dao Hua, who was twisting and turning in the reins as if he wasn¡¯t used to riding a horse, and I opened my mouth to speak. ¡°By the way, swordsman, I¡¯d like to hear your name.¡± ¡°You can continue to call me swordsman, just like you¡¯ve always done.¡± The Dao Hua painting I saw now was different from the one I remembered seeing before, blunt and cold. Perhaps it was a memory from even earlier. Was this the Dao Hua before they became a couple? ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what I was asking. I don¡¯t even know the name of the woman who will be my wife.¡± ¡°I never said I was going to be a concubine to the king¡­¡± I persisted, and Dao Hua stopped talking and red at me. ¡°Why a concubine?¡± I shrugged. ¡°This king doesn¡¯t have a wife yet.¡± ¡°Who cares about the order, it¡¯s where youe from, and I¡¯m well aware of my humble origins, so stop teasing me.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t care where youe from?¡± ¡°Then no.¡± ¡°Why do you think that?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s not worth it. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m uneducated, but I know that I, with the blood of so many people on my hands, shouldn¡¯t be queen of a country. For the Conquering King who united the East, you don¡¯t seem to understand something so simple.¡± ¡°Simple things¡­¡± She was like an iron fortress. I guess that¡¯s what I thought at the time. ¡°Then I will show you what I, Baek Cheon Seol, am in this country, and how much we can aplish if we set our minds to it.¡± ¡°Hah¡­As you wish.¡± In my previous life, I was a bit unlucky. Maybe it was because I was a king, maybe it was because it was my first past life. I was full of confidence. In any case, Dao Hua at the time thought so. ¡°Your Majesty, you¡¯re going to take Sword Demon as your queen?¡± ¡°If you take a woman of such lowly status as your wife, the country will be in turmoil. There has even been friction between the kingdom and the sword guards!¡± ¡°If you really want to embrace the Sword Demon, then take the princess of the Ho Kingdom as your consort first¡­¡± Indeed, it seems that the opposition from the subjects was quite strong. I could feel my mouth hanging over my ear as I listened to their unspoken words with one ear but I wasughing. ¡°Shut up, everybody. This was not a discussion, but an announcement. This king will crown her queen. The decision has been made, and I hope you will not interfere further. And as for the princess of Ho Kingdom, do you really think I can take a woman who looks like her as my wife?¡± At my question, the vassal who brought up the subject of Ho Kingdom bowed his head deeply. Green ghost was an Eastern word for a goblin and judging by his trembling reaction, the princess of the Ho Kingdom must not have been very beautiful. ¡°I dare to ask¡­ Sword Demon¡­ what is it about that woman that has drawn you to her?¡± ¡°Hmph¡­Well¡­She ughtered all the mighty men of Naro, so it¡¯s good that she doesn¡¯t need an escort.¡± That¡¯s what I said, but my mind was on Dao Hua¡¯s chest. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± My vain ramblings silenced the courtiers, who had grown ustomed to my behavior. With that, the meeting ended, and I immediately ran toward Dao Hua. ¡°There you are.¡± ¡°Why are you running around like an excited puppy now that you¡¯re king, please behave yourself.¡± ¡°Now that I¡¯m the king, I can run around like an excited puppy. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°¡­Are you still saying that?¡± ¡°This king has never given up.¡± ¡°Then how are you going to give up? What was it about me that you liked so much in the first ce? I don¡¯t have any womanly charms¡­ I¡¯m just a cold, cruel ¡®sword demon¡¯ as many people think¡­¡± ¡°Your charms as a woman¡­¡± I trailed off and nced at Dao Hua¡¯s chest. ¡°¡­Your Highness?¡± Sensing my covert gaze, Dao Hua covered her chest with her arm and frowned. ¡°Oh, no. Anyway, I have good news.¡± ¡°Even if you don¡¯t, I¡¯ve heard a rumor that you¡¯re going to take a princess from the Kingdom as your queen. I hope those rumors are good news.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who would spread such a rumor. Don¡¯t believe the rumors that circte within the pce. They¡¯re all full of lies.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s good news? ¡°Before I tell you¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard your name yet.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Dao Hua hesitated. It¡¯s my theory that she was probably much morefortable being called a Sword Demon than being called by her real name. She may have separated her identity as a woman, Dao Hua, from that of Sword Demon, who was known to be cruel and without mercy. ¡°¡­Dao Hua. Of course I don¡¯t have ast name. How can you be satisfied with this?¡± ¡°Dao Hua. Peach blossom¡­It¡¯s a fitting name.¡± Just then, a cool breeze blew in, ruffling Dao Hua pink hair. ¡°Then I suppose we can call you Baek Dao Hua now.¡± ¡°Baek¡­Dao Hua¡­?¡± ¡°Baek Dao Hua, what¡¯s wrong with you, or are you nning to use the King of the Moon Country as a pawn?¡± ¡°I am not an ordinary woman who can bear children, take care of them, and feel happy.¡± ¡°That remains to be seen.¡± ¡°In fact, I¡¯m a very jealous woman, so jealous that if His Majesty were to take another wife, I would cut her throat.¡± ¡°Haha, how well you know my tastes, I¡¯ve been looking for just such a woman, and it seems I was not mistaken. And don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t have an innocent woman¡¯s blood on your sword. At the very least, I will never have another wife.¡± Listening to this now, I felt a sting in my heart. ¡°I¡¯ve spent my entire life looking at swords, so I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t be able to satisfy your majesty when I have to serve you at night.¡± Dao Hua continued to deny my suggestion. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing,¡± he said, ¡°because I thought the queen was a virgin.¡± I countered, nonchntly turning the negation into an affirmation. ¡°¡­I am a sword demon. I am so terrifying that I can be used to stop a child from crying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good thing.¡± I stepped closer to Dao Hua and ced a hand on her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ve been worried about the number of men who want this king¡¯s life. So if I¡¯m going to make a woman my queen, I want her to be a swordswoman who can keep them at bay.¡± ¡°You mean there are forces that dare to threaten you, the Conqueror King?¡± ¡°Try being the king of a unified country. If a rock rolls by ident while you¡¯re riding through the mountains in your carriage, you¡¯ll have to kill it.¡± ¡°Wow, for a king, you¡¯ve been living quite a hard life, I didn¡¯t realize that.¡± For the Sword Demon, Dao Hua, killing was just another day in the life, so she swatted my hand away and sneered at me with a surprised expression. ¡°I¡¯m trying to find a little happiness in such a hard life¡­Only because you are behaving like this¡­¡± ¡°As promised, I am the king¡¯s sword, and a king¡¯s sword is an escort who protects the king with her life, not a wife who shes children in the night.¡± ¡°Well, there is now an escort named the Queen. And this king told you that the position belongs to a youngdy named Baek Dao Hua.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ What did the servants say?¡± ¡°They said it was a match made in heaven.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Dao Hua narrowed her eyes at the obvious lie. ¡°I told you I wouldn¡¯t give up.¡± I grinned into her murderous gaze. The memory ended there. When I came to, I could see the desk in the alcove. Then I heard Hanzo¡¯s voice. ¡°Are you awake?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I was just dizzy for a moment.¡± The name Baek Dao Hua must have been a trigger. My progress jumped by a whopping 5 percent, reaching 15 percent. What¡¯s more, the word ¡°King¡± on the progress bar had been reced with ¡°Conquering King Baek Cheon Seol¡±. It seems that what we learned from the past has been applied. ¡®By the way, that was quite the proposal.¡¯ As I thought that, I stood up. ¡°You¡­If you don¡¯t mind, could you help me stop these vicious women¡­?¡± Hanzo uttered the meaningful words ¡®vicious women¡¯, and at the same time, the three women¡¯s aura entered my senses. I didn¡¯t even have to turn my head to realize it. Aizel, Kaen, and Yuri had suddenly appeared, their bodies radiating killing intent like a snarling beast. ¡°This old ghost must have done something terrible to Zetto.¡± ¡°How do we kill a ghost, anyway?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe we should exorcise it¡­Zetto, are you okay?¡± Zetto turned his head slowly, and saw Yuri and Aizel forming a magic circle at the tips of their palms toward Hanzo, and Kaen with her sword raised. What were they doing here? Or more importantly, how did they get here? The absurdity of this situation demanded an exnation. Chapter 222: East, Hwaseong (10) Chapter 222: East, Hwaseong (10) The three women were threatening a half-transparent ghost, and Sierra¡¯s exnation echoed in my head as I tried to make sense of the mess. Perhaps these three were following me. If so, why didn¡¯t I feel them? It must have been the pink haired girl over there. She could sense my aura. It was a big deal that I hadn¡¯t realized they were following me, but it wasn¡¯t the worst thing that could have happened to me in Hanzo¡¯s tomb. I tried to think of it as a positive, as if this experience had taught me to be more careful if they were following me. It wasn¡¯t exactly dangerous, since it couldn¡¯t harm Hanzo, but it was still embarrassing for him, so I quickly exined the ghost¡¯s identity to them. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that this is the Great Ninja Hanzo¡­?¡± ¡°How is he still alive?¡± ¡°Not exactly alive.¡± Kaen, who was waving his hand through Hanzo¡¯s spirit body, answered Aizel¡¯s question. They couldn¡¯t see Sierra, but they could see Hanzo, and that was because Hanzo¡¯s spirit was contained in this great tomb, and those who entered it could always be in contact with him. ¡°Then¡­ Why did Zetto lose his mind¡­?¡± Yuri asked, extinguishing the mes in his palm. ¡°Umm¡­ I was tired for a while¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t tell them that I was going through the memories of my previous life. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Well, the people I met on my walk turned out to be grave robbers, and they took me away, iming that since I was blind, I must be good at crystal mending or something¡­Well, halfway through, I became intrigued by the tomb of Great Ninja Hanzo and ended up here¡­But more than that, why are you guys here?¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± The three exchanged nces at my counterattack. Judging by their reactions, they didn¡¯t have a pre-nned answer. ¡°I guess you guys met the grave robbers too, huh?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we¡­? We were out for a walk, too, and we just happened to¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­I wonder why there are so many grave robbers¡­ I think there are more than ninjas.¡± I extended my hand of salvation to them, and Yuri and Kaen gave me the benefit of the doubt. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Only Aizel pouted and made a face that said she didn¡¯t like it. But it wasn¡¯t because I wanted to lie. It was unavoidable for the sake of smooth progress. ¡°Hmph¡­Are we done talking?¡± Hanzo coughed and looked around. Apparently, he had missed the main character. ¡°I apologize, sir. I was rude to you. Please forgive me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Now that I have a general idea of the situation¡­¡± Hanzo narrowed his eyes and squinted at me. His subsequent exnation made it clear what he meant by having a general idea of the situation. ¡°That young man told me about the situation. He told me that the country is in trouble because of the outbreak of the divine beasts, and that¡¯s why I asked him to take on the job.¡± Hanzo paraphrased so I wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed. ¡°Work?¡± ¡°I have a reward for you, so don¡¯t show your reluctance. I have a device here that can locate the divine beasts. Will you deliver it to the shrine maiden for me? It will be of great help to them. There, the pink one¡­yes, you.¡± ¡°Oh, me? My name is Kaen.¡± ¡°Kaen¡­will you follow this old man to deliver the goods?¡± Hanzo then called out to Kaen and left the alcove with her to retrieve thepass. ¡°Hmm¡­Well, it looks like things got done somehow.¡± At this rate, she¡¯d exin where she got thepass without me having to, and I¡¯d gotten close to her past life and gained a skill at the same time, so I¡¯d say I¡¯d done okay. ¡°The only thing left to figure out is the connection between Kaen and Dao Hua. I¡¯d already checked, but they looked very much alike. Dao Hua and I had no children, so unless Dao Hua had siblings, it was impossible for her to be Kaen¡¯s ancestor. ¡®Did she reincarnate too?¡¯ Could the threads of fate be twisted in such a way? If she did reincarnate, she wouldn¡¯t have any memories so she must be in a simr situation to me. Like me, she might be able to touch the past and get her memories back, but it seemed unlikely. In my case, I was reincarnated with the power of Heneryes, so it is said that I have a record of it etched into my soul, but in a normal reincarnation, the case would be different. Regardless, I had to assume that Dao Hua and Kaen were connected, even if I didn¡¯t know exactly what that connection was. ¡®The only question is¡­¡¯ Quickly organizing my thoughts, I nced back at Yuri and Aizel, who were curiously examining the alcove. Their overprotection was getting worse by the day. Of course, this time they were probably following me out of curiosity. I¡¯ll have to be more careful when I go off on my own in the future. But then Yuri, who was looking at a scroll on one of the desks, asked me a question. ¡°So, Zetto went through all these mysterious gates just like the rest of us, right?¡± ¡°Gates, yes. Lord Hanzo said they were prepared for ninja training.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m curious, do you remember the first gateway?¡± ¡°The first gateway?¡± ¡°Yes. It was called the Gate of Illusion¡­Did anyonee out of it?¡± Yuri rattled off, and Aizel turned to me, looking interested¡­ [Ahem, I can see the question in her eyes.] Sierra was right, it was a very revealing question. It was the kind of question that made me wonder who they might have met in disguise. It was a question that should not be answered in the interest of fairness, something Geppeti had been emphasizing ever since I dered my intention to embrace everyone. ¡°¡­Who did Ms. Yuri meet?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t see anyone.¡± It was an unexpected answer, but it was a lucky one. I smiled and opened my mouth to speak. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anyone in particr, either. Were you supposed to see anyone?¡± ¡°¡­Well.¡± Aizel responded with a small click of his tongue. It wasn¡¯t the answer she was expecting, and she was disappointed. ¡®Kaen¡¯s a littlete, by the way.¡¯ It¡¯s not like she¡¯s just going to get something. *** She was walking down a dark passageway with a bluish ghost behind her. ¡°¡­Do you believe in reincarnation?¡± The old ghost turned around and asked her. ¡°Reincarnation? You mean like reincarnation or something?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Do I have to believe in it?¡± The question caught her off guard. Up until that point, she had thought of it as the kind of thing that interests ghosts whose bodies have long since worn out and disappeared. ¡°I would believe in it, if I was the reincarnated one.¡± Hanzo shrugged, spitting out something rather meaningful. ¡°I wonder if you¡¯ve ever heard of the Conquering King.¡± ¡°Never heard of him.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Anyone from the East would know about him, but aren¡¯t you from the East?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not often that an orphan knows her hometown.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Hometown and birthce, those things were too far away, especially for me. By the time I had a clear idea of who I was, I was already living on the road with my grandfather. When I grew a little older and realized that I was an orphan, that I wasn¡¯t rted to him by blood, I once asked him a question. ¡®Grandpa, what kind of people were my real parents?¡¯ My grandfather stuttered, clearly flustered by my question. ¡®Gah, why are you asking such a question all of a sudden, Kaen, did someone tease you?¡¯ ¡®Not really, I was just wondering about my roots.¡¯ ¡®Roots¡­?¡¯ ¡®Humans, they say, tend to value their roots.¡¯ ¡®Who told you that¡­?¡¯ ¡®A friend of my grandfather¡¯s we met the other day.¡¯ ¡®Juliut, that wretch! How dare he tell a child something so difficult¡­¡¯ ¡®And my mom and dad? Were they close to grandfather?¡¯ ¡®No, I don¡¯t know who your parents were, I just saw a newborn baby on the road and picked it up.¡¯ ¡®Heh¡­¡¯ ¡®But it¡¯s a good thing that you got to be my granddaughter, right? This grandfather is quite a famous man, isn¡¯t he?¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s a lie, no one recognizes you.¡¯ ¡®Hmph, it¡¯s a good thing they don¡¯t recognize me. It saves me a lot of trouble.¡¯ At the time, I used to think of my grandfather as an adult with a slightck of responsibility, but when I saw him leave me in the care of an acquaintance during the war with the demons, I changed my mind. He was not only responsible for taking care of me, an orphan, in the first ce. In fact, his sense of responsibility was so strong that when he encountered a problem, he couldn¡¯t ignore it, so he lived his life away from the public eye. After that conversation, I stopped looking for my roots. I thought my roots were enough to be a disciple of the Sword Saint, and my grandfather¡¯s granddaughter. I didn¡¯t care where I was born or who my parents were. But why was Hanzo asking me this? As I continued to listen to the exnation of the Conquering King, I realized that he wasn¡¯t exactly a person from the same Hwaseong Kingdom like Hanzo. He was the king of a country called Moon Country, the one and only king who unified the East. What does that have to do with reincarnation? The answer came soon enough. ¡°He had a queen, and I was very close to her in my lifetime.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­He must have been a contemporary of yours.¡± ¡°And you resemble that queen.¡± ¡°¡­Like what?¡± ¡°Your appearance.¡± ¡°Aha, so that¡¯s why you spected that I might have been reincarnated. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with me. In life, you might meet someone who looks a little like you.¡± Honestly, at this point, I was worried that the ghost of Hanzo had grown old. ¡°It¡¯s not spection, it¡¯s fact.¡± ¡°I see and I¡¯m eager to get the thing and return home.¡± ¡°You have that blind young man in mind, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­So?¡± ¡°If I told you that the young man was the Conquering King in a previous life and that you were his wife in a previous life, would that interest you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a ridiculous statement.¡± It was definitely a rant, but it didn¡¯t really resonate with me, and it didn¡¯t have any evidence. ¡°Here, this is thepass. All you have to do is give it to the maiden.¡± ¡°Sounds easy.¡± Hanzo pointed me to where thepass was, and I quickly picked it up. It wasn¡¯t an ordinarypass. It was an oddly shapedpass with unidentifiable characters written all over it. ¡°And your reward¡­¡± Hanzo scanned the warehouse and pointed to a stack of papers. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°An amulet. It¡¯s supposed to be effective against demons.¡± ¡°Well, it seems to have some use.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a great ninja¡¯s amulet, but your reaction is rather cool.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Considering Zetto¡¯s situation, it seemed to be a satisfactory reward, as we might have more encounters with demons in the future. ¡°And¡­This.¡± The next thing Hanzo pointed to was a sword. The sheath was white and unblemished. At the end of the hilt was a metal ornament in the shape of a crescent moon. ¡°What is this sword?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your sword.¡± ¡°¡­Just by looking at it, it seems like a valuable sword, so I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m suddenly¡­¡± I said, but my hand had already picked up the sword. -Grrrr. The rust-free de emitted light. It was a strange thing, considering it had been in his possession for what must have been hundreds of years. On the de there were words that were hard to read. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s an ancient script from the East. It reads ¡°Wol-young.¡± ¡°Wol-young¡­¡± ¡°It means moon shadow.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a sword of such quality that it could be called a master sword or a treasure sword, but can you give me something like this out of the blue? I haven¡¯t done anything to deserve it.¡± I knew I wanted a sword as good as my grandfather¡¯s or Zetto¡¯s, but I never thought I¡¯d get one for doing nothing, so I wondered if it was a demon sword or something. My grandfather had once told me that there¡¯s a reason for every favor. ¡°What need is there, you are the owner of the sword.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still saying that reincarnation thing¡­¡± Hanzo¡¯s ramblings continued, and whether it was because of my mood or not, the weight of the sword in my hand or the feel of it in my grip was familiar, as if I had experienced it before. ¡°The sword is called the Moon Spirit Sword. It was wielded by Baek Dao Hua, the wife of the Conquering King, and it has already been proven that you are the reincarnation of Baek Dao Hua.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± I frowned unintentionally. I didn¡¯t understand how that inference could be true when it hadn¡¯t been proven, and no evidence had been produced. ¡°The Moon Spirit Sword you¡¯re holding is the proof, and it¡¯s enchanted with a powerful magic form. No one but Baek Dao Hua herself can take it. You didn¡¯t even bother to check the de a moment ago.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Believe it or not, it¡¯s all true, and I¡¯m just trying to help you. It¡¯s a shame you can¡¯t remember your past life.¡± ¡°Whoa¡­ Wait. So you¡¯re saying that I was a queen in a past life, and my husband was the Conquering King, and that¡¯s Zetto¡¯s past life?¡± ¡°Exactly. My head is spinning, and so is yours.¡± It felt good to hear that Zetto and I were connected in a past life, but I still didn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Does Zetto know about this?¡± ¡°Sadly, like you, he doesn¡¯t seem to remember anything.¡± Hanzo shook his head in sympathy. ¡°Still, I¡¯m d you¡¯re interested. If you want to learn more about your past life, I suggest you look up the Moon Spiritual Society in the Moon Country.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the Moon Spiritual Society¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an organization founded by Baek Dao Hua in the past. She gathered powerful people from all over to protect the Conquering King, Baek Cheong Seon. I don¡¯t know if it still exists, but I¡¯ll see if I can find any records.¡± The Moon Spirit Sword and the Moon Spirit Society. Baek Dao Hua and Baek Cheong Seon. It was all a little hard to make sense of, but for now, I decided to get back to where they were before I aroused anyone¡¯s suspicions. I turned to Hanzo with onest question before entering the alcove. ¡°The one thing I don¡¯t understand is why Lord Hanzo is going out of his way to help me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s this little ghost wish. The end of Baek Dao Hua and Baek Cheong Seon was not good, and I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a twist of fate, but here they are once again¡­¡± Hanzo closed his eyes and trailed off, as if reminiscing about the past. ¡°¡­So this time, it should end well.¡± A connection to Zetto that only I know. ¡®Maybe this is a chance.¡¯ I thought to myself. ¡®The Moon Festival¡­¡¯ I¡¯m even going to the Moon Kingdom on this trip. I¡¯m not one to believe in reincarnation, but I couldn¡¯t deny that I wanted to find out more. Chapter 223: East, Hwaseong (11) Chapter 223: East, Hwaseong (11) Kaen and Hanzo returned to the alcove shortly afterward. I found thepass I needed to give to the shrine maiden and was rewarded with an effective amulet against demons. All was well, until I noticed a new sword at Kaen¡¯s waist. It was a familiar design. That sword was also on Dao Hua¡¯s belt in my past life. Perhaps Hanzo had kept the sword for himself after Dao Hua¡¯s death, but it¡¯s unclear how a human from the Kingdom of Hwaseong could have gotten his hands on the sword of the Queen of the Moon Kingdom. When Aizel and Yuri asked about Kaen¡¯s new sword, she told them she¡¯s running an errand. I don¡¯t know what Kaen and Hanzo talked about, but since she didn¡¯t mention anything about her past life, I decided to y along. Well, upgrading equipment is important so there was no reason to take it negatively. I said goodbye to Hanzo, and on my way out of his tomb, I rescued a group of grave robbers who were still stuck in the trap field, unable to get out. In exchange for their lives, I asked them to spread a small rumor. ¡°What rumor¡­?¡± ¡°That the One Exiled from Paradise has opened Hanzo¡¯s tomb.¡± ¡°¡­We¡¯ll do it.¡± It was a personal request from Hanzo, who wanted to enlighten the ninjas, and, as a bonus, nag future generations who came to visit. Word would spread through themunity of grave robbers and soon reached the ears of the ninja. By then, the shrine maiden would know about it, and it would be a good thing for me that I wouldn¡¯t have to exin anything further when I met her and handed her thepass. Hanzo was curious, though. ¡°But you¡­ How did you manage to crack the code to the entrance?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean to ask me how I can walk around so well since I¡¯m blind before that? Haha, I just got lucky.¡± I skirted around his question and shrugged it off, as the number would have to be found in Hanzo¡¯s memoirs. The sun was rising as I stepped out of the cave. Apparently my previous life had taken up more time than I¡¯d anticipated. Now all I had to do in Hwaseong was find the Divine Beasts with thepass, help the shrine maiden retrieve them, and deal with the traitorous Lords, preferably before the Session Ceremony. The Session Ceremony will provide a good excuse to bury them. ¡°When will I take a break?¡± I thought to myself, as my schedule was busier than I expected. Perhaps after the festival, I¡¯ll be able to rx. *** As Zetto and the three women returned safely from Hanzo¡¯s tomb, barely able to sleep and eager to start their day, two men on the train to Hwaseong finally set foot on thend of the country. Keraph and Wild Dog walked along, inhaling the pungent odor of thend they had never trodden before. The station and the town that they arrived at were in shambles. ¡°Is there a war?¡± The silver-haired boy¡¯s words were true, and the view of the burned-out vige was enough to give the illusion of a war. From the first light of the morning, vigers were running out barefoot to help rebuild the vige and bring it back to life. ¡°It must have been the divine beasts.¡± That¡¯s what Keraph said, piecing together the information from the chatter in less than a few seconds. ¡°Divine beasts? What are divine beasts?¡± ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to find out now.¡± Keraph stopped in his tracks and scattered his spirits through the crowd around him to investigate further. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him, he¡¯s a strange one.¡± The silver-haired boy grumbled, looking at Keraph, who remained motionless, eyes closed and ears alert. They both had a purpose. Keraph was trying to follow the trail of Zetto, who must have passed through this vige earlier, and ¡®Wild Dog¡¯ was following the faintest trace of his scent. One wanted to assassinate him while the other wanted to warn him of the danger. Each had a different purpose, but the end goal was the same. Keraph, in particr, was determined to find Zetto before the silver-haired beast boy did. ¡°Kek¡­ Kek¡­ Kek¡­¡± The silver-haired boy who had stuck his nose through the ashes on the side of the road sneezed in a long string of pained sneezes. ¡°I wonder who¡¯s the weirder one¡­¡± Keraph, distracted by the sound, muttered, frowning. ¡°Kehek¡­ Fuha¡­ I could smell him from here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Keraph turned away from the boy in silence. Now he understood why Zetto had reacted so casually to the wild dog¡¯s threat, and why he had called the dog stupid. Keraph borrowed the ears of the spirits to follow Zetto¡¯s trail once more, listening to the chatter of the vigers to gather information. ¡°Are the repairs finished?¡± ¡°The ceiling needs to be fixed. If they hadn¡¯te to help, the house would have been torn down, let alone repaired.¡± ¡°Where did they say they were from, Innocence?¡± ¡°Innocence, my dear, some kind of academy in the West.¡± From a conversation between two people on adder, banging hammers and fixing up a building. ¡°The students left quietly this morning.¡± ¡°Oh, I should have packed something for them.¡± ¡°I thought about bringing them some fruit, but they said they were fine and that the residents were the ones who were having the hardest time.¡± ¡°They have such big hearts.¡± ¡°Where did you think they went after this, anyway?¡± ¡°I thought they went to Hwajung, over the valley.¡± And the chatter of the women who were helping to treat the wounded. It didn¡¯t take long to figure out the academy¡¯s schedule. ¡®He¡¯s headed to a city called Hwajung.¡¯ Looking around, Keraph soon spotted a fairlyrge valley in the distance. ¡®It must be in that direction, then¡­before the dog gets to Zetto¡­¡¯ Quickly making his decision, Keraph sets off but then his ears catch the sound of footsteps behind him. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Keraph turned his head, and the silver-haired boy stared back at him as if he didn¡¯t know what he was looking at. ¡°Are you following me?¡± ¡°No, just heading in the same direction.¡± Said the boy, who had been sniffing in the direction of the valley. He had already distinguished Zetto¡¯s scent. Deciding that the dog had already begun to track him, Keraph decided to get ahead of him and reach Zetto first. He considered taking a carriage, but the state of the vige made it difficult to find a functioning one, so he decided to walk the rest of the way to Hwajung. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re suddenly walking a little faster?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an illusion. Why are you walking faster than me?¡± ¡°Because I want to have a race?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The race didn¡¯tst long before a winner was dered. ¡°Huh¡­ Huh¡­¡± Keraph, who is not very physically fit, was unable to ovee the stamina of Wild Dog, who was the most athletic of the Lycanthropes. One thing that struck him as bizarre was that the dog just stood there and watched Keraph gasp for air. The dog was supposed to be on its way, but instead, it was lying on the ground watching the exhausted Keraph as if to mock him. ¡°Heh¡­ Now¡­ What are you trying to do¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know your tricks.¡± ¡°¡­What are you saying?¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying to be a turtle.¡± ¡°A turtle?¡± ¡°Yes, a turtle. That¡¯s what my sister said. She said that in a race between a hare and a tortoise, the tortoise always wins.¡± ¡°No, that doesn¡¯t mean¡­¡± Keraph was having a hard time breathing anyway, and listening to this nonsense was making it even harder. ¡°You¡¯re acting like azy turtle, so I have no choice but to be just aszy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because the hare iszy¡­¡± It was a losing battle so Keraph trailed off. In retrospect, the situation was actually better now. If he wasn¡¯t going to outrun the hound anyway, he might as well get to Zetto with him and he might be able to capitalize on his stupidity. ¡°Hah, I wonder if the n was discovered¡­¡± Keraph cleared his throat at that thought and gave a look of great regret. ¡°Hmph, your schemes won¡¯t work on me.¡± Keraph wasn¡¯t much of an actor, but the dog was very stupid, so he shook his head. As they crossed the great valley, there was not a city or town in sight, only a barren expanse ofnd. Apparently, the valley beyond was much farther than he had thought. He nced at the boy¡¯s yellow eyes, which seemed to follow his every move. ¡®At least I¡¯ll get some sleep¡­¡¯ The moment the hound was caught off guard was the only time he could win the race¡­ *** Hwajung wasn¡¯t the capital of Hwaseong, but it was one of the main strongholds of Hwaseong, home to the Hwayu Temple, where the divine beasts and the shrine maiden reside. The entire city was bathed in moonlight. A woman stood alone in contemtion, gazing out into the vast forest in the center of Hwayu Temple. The forest was empty and silent now, having once been home to roaming beasts many years ago. Only the muffled cries of a few captured divine beasts could be heard from time to time. Hino, the 53rd shrine maiden of Hwayu Temple, was a ck-haired woman who repeatedly recited the names of the souls with pity in her eyes. ¡°¡­Who is it?¡± Hino turned her head, sensing the sudden presence. Hwayu Temple was a sacred ce so it was not a good thing that a mysterious person had invaded a ce where even the King of Hua could not set foot without the permission of the shrine maiden. But once Hino saw the man in the darkness, she breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps it was the brightness of the moonlight, but the bandages around his eyes were unusually noticeable tonight. ¡°Hah¡­ it was you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, shrine maiden.¡± Zetto approached her cautiously. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you ended up here, this must not be an easy ce to get into, and even if you are lost, you have crossed too many lines.¡± ¡°I had toe this way. I had an urgent package to deliver to the shrine maiden.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Here.¡± Zetto pulled a small object from his pocket and handed it to Hino. Hino examined the object and then looked at it with a serious face. ¡°This is¡­Divine Beast Compass¡­ How did you get this¡­?¡± Divine Beast Compass was apass that contained a mysterious aura that could track the aura of a divine beast to determine its location. ¡°¡­I thought it was something that had been lost to history.¡± ¡°Lord Hanzo asked me to pass it on to you, saying it would help you¡­¡± ¡°¡­Have you met Lord Hanzo? Even if you haven¡¯t, I¡¯ve heard a rumor that the One Exile from Paradise somehow managed to open Lord Hanzo tomb, but Lord Hanzo is¡­¡± ¡°Yes, he wasn¡¯t exactly alive. I met him as¡­a ghost, if you will.¡± ¡°A ghost¡­ I had sent ninjas to Lord Hanzo¡¯s grave to find out if the rumors were true or not, but after what happened, I guess I¡¯ll just have to believe it.¡± ¡°Haha, I got lucky.¡± ¡°You really are¡­ It hasn¡¯t even been a few days since you set foot in Hwaseong¡­¡± Zetto¡¯s behavior so far had been unbelievable for a normal cadet. From putting a stop to Miho¡¯s rampage as soon as he arrived in Hwaseong, to not being outmatched by the Lords. On top of that, he¡¯d managed to open Hanzo¡¯s tomb, one of Hwaseong¡¯s great mysteries, and had even managed to obtain the one thing Hwaseong needed most, the Divine Beast Compass. Hino, who had been silently admiring him with her mouth open, turned to him and spoke. ¡°By the way, did you stop by Ishay before you came to Hwaseong?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Actually, I have a personal acquaintance with the princess of Ishay, and she had written me a letter, saying that she had met a nobleman whose eyes were covered with a white bandage¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ A nobleman¡­ Who could that be? I don¡¯t know.¡± Zetto smiled as he fiddled with the bandage. ¡®You¡¯re definitely someone to covet.¡¯ Hino suddenly realized why Kimei, whom he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, had been so full of praise for him. Chapter 224: East, Hwaseong (12) Chapter 224: East, Hwaseong (12) A dayter, Hino, now with the Divine Compass n in hand, called a meeting of all ten Lords early in the morning. The idea was to share the locations so they could more easily deal with the scattered Divine Beasts. ¡°Using the Divine Beast Compass that Lord Hanzo passed on to me, the locations of the top divine beasts are as follows. Starting from Hwajung, Wen Yao is to the northeast, Bichao to the west, and Han Gui to the south.¡± ¡°Miho is¡­¡± Curious about the absence of one beast in the exnation, Du Ling cautiously raised his hand and asked. ¡°Of the four, she¡¯s the closest to Hwajung. I¡¯ll take this one myself.¡± ¡°If Wen Yao is to the northeast, then it must be in my area, I think that the Divine Beast Compass is working properly.¡± The Lords went on to ask about the source of the Divine Beast Compass that had appeared out of thin air, and Hino told them what he had heard from Zetto the night before. Many of them looked at her in disbelief at the mention of Hanzo in his grave, but then one of the younger Lords raised his hand. ¡°I just happened to see Lord Hanzo in person.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­You must be Hamuro, then tell me what you saw and heard.¡± The old man, who was the oldest of the Lords, asked the younger one, Hamuro, to exin, to which Hamuro smiled and began to speak. ¡°Well¡­ I couldn¡¯t stand the rumors of Lord Hanzo tomb being opened, so I thought I¡¯d pay a quick visit to see if there was any trouble.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Inside the tomb was some sort of ninja test, with a total of five gateways. In terms of level, it was appropriate for ate intermediate ninja or early advanced ninja.¡± ¡°A test.¡± ¡°After going through all the gateways, I reached the end and was able to meet Lord Hanzo. In a word, the Lord Hanzo I met there was a ghost, or a wraith, as he was invisible and unable to make physical contact with my body. I never met him in person, but judging by the level of humanw, it was definitely the Great Ninja Lord Hanzo.¡± ¡°So what did Lord Hanzo say?¡± ¡°He said that he hoped it would be a ce where young ninja could find enlightenment, and Lord Hanzo gave his full support to a man named Zetto.¡± ¡°Zetto¡­?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Zetto?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a name I¡¯ve never heard of, not even among the high-ranking ninja, let alone the lords.¡± The Lords were puzzled by the sudden appearance of the name Zetto. Hino exins. ¡°Zetto is the real name of the One Exile from Paradise.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­¡± Happo, who already knew about him, clicked his tongue as bad memories came flooding back. ¡°What the hell happened to him that he has Lord Hanzo¡¯s support? He¡¯s not even a ninja in the first ce, he¡¯s just a stranger with no ties to Hwaseong.¡± Happo grumbled. It was a stinging blow to the egos of the ten lords. He had opened the tomb of the great ninja Hanzo, a tomb they could not open themselves, and he had met Hanzo before anyone else, and by the looks of it, both Hanzo and the shrine maiden were supporting him. It was then that Hamuro spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t know about anything else, but I have to admit that he outperformed our lords in just a few days.¡± ¡°I agree, and it can¡¯t be denied that he¡¯s done the country a favor. He has done what we could not, and that is the difference between him and us. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something to sleep on and stroke your ego over, Happo. This is a matter of national honor.¡± The upright-looking lords and the only female lord spoke up as if to agree with Hamuro. ¡°Damn, I see. I got too emotional.¡± Happo finally curled his tail but he wasn¡¯t the only one who didn¡¯t like Zetto. One of the Lords who had been quietly listening to the conversation spoke up. ¡°But there¡¯s one thing I don¡¯t understand. If, as Happo said, he¡¯s not even a human of Hwaseong, let alone a ninja, then why did he help Hwaseong, and if he wants a reward, can Hwaseong afford to reward him for his deeds?¡± The Lord who asked the question was named Baku. He was the man who had assassinated the elderly shrine maiden years earlier ¡°Can you believe what he did in the first ce? As soon as he set foot in Hwaseong, he drove out the Divine Beast Miho, and after that, he opened Hanzo¡¯s tomb to obtain the Divine Beast Compass¡­? Even if the timing was coincidental and he was lucky, it¡¯s still strangely neat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that it¡¯s hard to believe, even looking back, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something that can be done easily, even if it¡¯s for a reward.¡± Baku¡¯sment was followed by Hamuro¡¯s denial. ¡°So what I¡¯m saying is, what kind of reward would he want after such a great performance? To put it bluntly, I think it¡¯s safe to be suspicious depending on the content of the reward.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­What do you think he might want, or does the shrine maiden have any idea?¡± Hamuro asked, and Hino, who had been listening, spoke up. ¡°I can understand Baku¡¯s opinion. Certainly, given his status as a stranger and his exploits, it would be difficult to reward him appropriately, but I don¡¯t think we need to worry about the reward.¡± Hino smiles faintly, covering her mouth with her sleeve, and then continues more leisurely. ¡°¡­Even if you don¡¯t, I asked himst night if there was any reward he wanted, and he said he didn¡¯t need any reward, that he didn¡¯t do it for the reward.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Of course, even if he doesn¡¯t want a reward, it¡¯s still the right thing to do, but¡­ At least he didn¡¯t do it for the reward. Does that clear things up?¡± Hino¡¯s voice echoed through the room and Baku¡¯s jaw dropped, while the other Lords nodded in affirmation. ¡°¡­I see there is no further disagreement, then we shall move on.¡± Hino then moved on to talk about the retrieval operation, but Baku was still not happy that the n had gone awry. ¡®The One Exiled from Paradise¡­ Where the hell did hee from¡­?¡¯ *** Meanwhile, Zetto had just gotten out of bed and was holding his head in dizziness. ¡°¡­¡± He must have overslept since the sun was already high in the sky. He hadn¡¯t slept for days, so it wasn¡¯t unreasonable. [Disciple, you have a visitor.] I rolled my eyes at Sierra¡¯s mention of guests, but at least there was no one else in the room. At that moment, a familiar voice called out from outside the sunlit window. ¡°¡­Mr. Zetto¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­Keraph?¡± Zetto scanned the room and recognized Keraph lurking outside the window. He leapt to his feet and approached the window. ¡°What are you doing there, or more importantly, how did you get here?¡± What is Keraph doing here? This is the East, and Zetto hadn¡¯t expected him to follow him this far. Soon he heard Keraph whispering outside the window. ¡°I¡¯m here in a hurry because I have information for you¡­ but that¡¯s not the point¡­!¡± -Grrrr. On a whim, I open the window to see Keraph¡¯s face. He¡¯s crouched under the window, looking up at me. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°The wild dog¡­! Wild dog ising¡­!¡± ¡°Ah, the dog. So?¡± I asked, wondering what was going on. ¡°No, the wild dog ising¡­? I ran into him on the way here, but I managed to get away from him¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be here soon, he¡¯s got a good nose.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you need to dodge him fast!¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± It didn¡¯t matter if the wild dog came to visit since I even left my coat behind so he wouldn¡¯t get lost on the way. But this is where the cadets are staying, and that means I¡¯m in close proximity to women who are overly protective of me. If they were to see the wild dog trying to kill me, there would be a bloody fight, even if I had no intention of fighting him, so I¡¯d better move to a different ce to meet him. ¡°Lord Zetto¡­! This is not the time to stand still¡­!¡± Why is Keraph making such a fuss, anyway? ¡°Keraph¡­ What happened to the dog?¡± I don¡¯t know how he managed to outrun the wild dog known for its tenacity, but it was clear that something had happened between them. ¡®A turtle? A rabbit?¡¯ Keraph, who was sweating profusely at my question, mumbled something about a turtle or a rabbit. He was obviously in bad shape and it was hard to tell what had happened between them. *** It was the night of Zetto¡¯s encounter with Hino after arriving at Hwajung. Keraph and the wild dog had been traveling to Hwajung when night fell and, at Keraph¡¯s suggestion, they stopped to rest by the fire. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve never tasted anything so delicious.¡± The boy, who was picking at the roasted snake that Keraph had cooked, grinned. ¡°Is that so¡­? I¡¯m d it fits in your mouth. Eat up.¡± ¡°Hmph, I heard you eat snakes, so I thought it might be poisonous, but it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°I removed the poison beforehand. I don¡¯t do dirty tricks like that. You must have been starving for days before you realized that all the snakes around here are dried up¡­¡± It was up to the boy to hunt the snakes. Keraph had told him to take as many as he wanted to eat, and he had taken well over twenty, all of which had found their way into the boy¡¯s stomach, and the roasted snake he was holding now was thest one. ¡°One¡­A week.¡± The boy replied, his fingers flexing as he counted. ¡°¡­Anyway, thank you. I should pay you for the delicious food, but I don¡¯t have any money.¡± ¡°Forget it. The food isn¡¯t worth the money.¡± ¡°For some reason, I recognized the disgusting smell of demons, but you¡¯re a nice guy after all.¡± The boy¡¯s disgusting smell was a reference to magick, and since Keraph had a congenital disorder that prevented him from using magick properly, it was no wonder he didn¡¯t smell disgusting. ¡°You are a turtle, but you are a reliable turtle.¡± ¡°A trustworthy turtle.¡± ¡°Good. Make friends with me. My name is Volk.¡± The silver-haired boy, Volk, smiled and extended his hand to Keraph. ¡°I am Volk, son of Zargas, chieftain of the Great Fang n.¡± ¡°The Great Fang n?¡± ¡°It was the greatest of the Lycanthrope ns, but they all died in the war, and there¡¯s only me and my sister left¡­ So what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I am¡­ Kerud¡­¡± ¡°Kerud? That¡¯s a strange name. Do all demons have names like that?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Keraph would not give his real name. What good would it do an assassin to know his name? Better to open up and thank him for the food. ¡°Well, a name is nice.¡± Volk smirked, patted his stomach, and leaned back against the coffin behind him. ¡®Please¡­ Please sleep¡­¡¯ Keraph, who hadid down in response, stared at Volk. Why else would Keraph have gone to the trouble of tending to so many roasted snakes? He was just waiting for the creature to fill his belly and let sleep overtake him with satiety. ¡°Hah¡­ I¡¯m getting sleepy¡­¡± Volk¡¯s eyes fluttered open and he yawned. It wasn¡¯t long before the silver-haired boy began to purr and snore. Keraph waited for Volk to slip deeper into sleep, then gingerly pushed himself up. ¡°¡­¡± Keraf stared down at Volk, then turned away. He could see the white city in the distance, so he figured he could reach Zetto before he woke up. His n worked, as he actually managed to reach Zetto before the hound did. ¡°Mmm¡­ Kerud¡­?¡± By the time Volk woke up, squinting in the sunlight, Keraph was nowhere to be seen. No matter how stupid Volk was, there was no way he couldn¡¯t interpret the current situation. Even with his rudimentary racing skills, Volk instinctively realized that his finish line and Keraph¡¯s finish line were the same. Volk didn¡¯t think it was a coincidence that he had met the demon when he boarded the train to Hwaseong. After all, his goal, the Returned from Paradise, was to be hunted by demons and countless assassins, which meant that Keraph could be a contender. ¡°You sneaky little turtle¡­How dare he take my 50,000 gold¡­¡± Volk¡¯s teeth gritted and a feral snarl came from his mouth. Even the Lycanthrope¡¯s ears, which had been hidden by his intense emotions, were revealed. Until now, Volk didn¡¯t know the future that awaited his target, a blind man who would be used like a ve in the mines. Chapter 225: East, Hwaseong (13) Chapter 225: East, Hwaseong (13) I slipped out of my quarters as soon as I heard Keraph¡¯s warning, waiting to meet him alone in the deserted bamboo grove. The wind whipped past my ears as the hungry wild dog appeared. -Yelp. The boy dropped the red coffin on his back and took a deep breath. ¡®I thought he picked up something to track me¡­I wonder if it was the coffin¡­¡¯ The silver-haired boy, dressed in a tattered robe, looked like a wild dog untamed by human hands. The boy was sniffing. He sees the world with a transcendent sense of smell that ordinary humans can never reach, and he interprets it in his own way. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± The boy shed me a wicked smile. I wonder what my body odor smells like that he can discern with his nose. Well, it doesn¡¯t smell like much, but to him, it probably smells like money. I¡¯m sure my body is emitting a deliciously sweet scent that¡¯s worth 50,000 gold. ¡°Where¡¯s the turtle, anyway?¡± The boy, sniffing around, asked. ¡°What if it¡¯s a turtle?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t a Kerud or somethinge along?¡± ¡°¡­Oh, a Kerud.¡± He seemed to mean Keraph. He must have been on my trail, because he said he ran into the wild dog on the way and escaped from him. ¡°Did you kill him?¡± ¡°What if I did?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good thing, because you still have your head.¡± I told Keraph to stay nearby. Weak as he was, he would be no help in a skirmish like this, and would only get himself captured by the ankles. ¡°You know why I¡¯m here,¡± he said. ¡°If you need money, I can give it to you.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take the money around your neck, and I¡¯ll take the money you have on you.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have much time.¡± The boy shook his head as if to say he didn¡¯t need the small talk, and then bounced lightly in ce. [The young one has a lot of spunk.] Sierra was right. The boy was still very much a child, but he carried himself with the air of a strong man. ¡°Volk of the Great Fang n will take your head.¡± The lurking wolf¡¯s ears perked up at his deration, and sharp fangs protruded from the corners of his mouth. [Beware, apprentice, this is not like the one you met in the Labyrinth.] Sierra¡¯s eyes were precise. Volk was different from the nameless Lycanthrope I met in the Labyrinth. Just as there are those among humans who have nothing to boast about but their numbers, there are those among the Lycanthropes who rise above them all. Thick nails grew from his hands so I drew my sword and took a deep breath since I would have to use Chapter 2 of Reverse Heaven to counter his speed. The mana in my body twisted and the bamboo around me swayed. Volk moved first. The ground he was standing on crumbled under the force of his legs but even with my Reverse Heaven, Volk was normally fast. My eyes could barely keep up but it was a matter of whether my body could keep up or not. -Aaah!!! Before I could assess Volk¡¯s speed, a terrifying sh of metal rang out. One was my Sierra with its red de and the other was Volk¡¯s nails with both hands outstretched. -Ack¡­ Despite my struggles, his nails, which were still in contact with my sword, reached for my throat. It was an incredible feat of strength for a boy who hadn¡¯t yet grown into his body. In terms of physical specs alone, he was superior. By nature, lycanthropes are not a race skilled in assassination so they don¡¯t make their living from assassinations. Their thick hides are hard to pierce and their overwhelming speed allows them to avoid most ranged opposition, whether magic or arrows. They had stamina to keep moving for long periods of time, and an innate sense of toughness, their fangs and ws that could easily pierce an opponent¡¯s frail flesh, armor, and weapons, and the strength to support them. Their entire bodies were weapons and magic. Werewolves, also known as Lycanthropes or Inrangs have been mercenaries since time immemorial, and were called ¡®war machines¡¯. At one time, when demons were left to the other side and humans fought bloody wars against each other, it was a matter of which nation was favored by the lycanthropes. Arguably built solely for war, lycanthropes are said to have swept the battlefield with their superior physical prowess. The species itself was not particrly specialized in assassination, though it was adept at tracking, but in other words, they were so skilled inbat that they didn¡¯t need to worry about stealth, which is the basis of assassination. ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered why a blind man would have a 50,000 gold bounty on his head¡­You seem to react normally.¡± Said Volk with a curious look in his eyes as his strong nails, which could shatter most metals, failed to do any damage to the de. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I hadn¡¯te here to fight him in the first ce. Based on our physical specs alone, I was at an overwhelming disadvantage because I couldn¡¯t strengthen my body with mana while using Reverse Heaven. That¡¯s just the way it is with physical specs, but he¡¯s no match for me. If I wanted to take his head, I could but his talent and body were too great to kill him. ¡®¡­I must first subdue him.¡¯ Volk had a knack for assassination that he¡¯d honed over the years, and he spun his body around with his ws outstretched. I leapt backward, shing at his nails at an angle to close the distance. In that split second, Volk¡¯s w almost touched me as he spun, but I was able to swat it away with my prosthetic hand just in time. -Aaah! Despite the contact between our flesh and nails, it was the metallic sound that rang in my ears. ¡°¡­What is it? Why is your skin¡­?¡± Volk¡¯s words trailed off as he alternated between his nails and my left arm. Through the gap in my shirt, where a portion of the sleeve had been torn off, I could see a lump of iron, not human skin. ¡°I lost my arm.¡± ¡°Ha, the gods are too kind. As if the eyes weren¡¯t enough, they also took your arm.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, and now a wild dog hase to take my neck¡­¡± ¡°Wild dog¡­?¡± Keeping my distance, I deliberately provoked him by mentioning Volk¡¯s tinnitus. There was no time to rest since in a race like this, every minute was wasted, and every erratic breath would prove fatal. ¡°You son of a bitch¡­¡± ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t ¡®son of a bitch¡¯ more like ¡®asshole¡¯?¡± Another taunt, and Volk, with his face contorted, charged straight for me. In his path was a trap of Arachne¡¯s thread, which I hadid out before he arrived. ¡°Ha, did you think your webs would stop me, I can see through them!¡± Volk snapped off Arachne¡¯s threads like it was nothing, barely noticeable if you weren¡¯t paying attention. His excitement at having me figured out spurred him on but it was a fleeting moment. The bamboo supporting the thread shook, and the bamboo leaves twisted and fell. I cast Reverse Heaven again, drawing out a separate energy from the mana flowing through my body. The shadow of Volk, who had been charging at me, shimmered in response. It was Sheddie¡¯s power. Although it was new to me, I had already tested it. Sheddie¡¯s shadows could be manipted at will, but they were never fast. It would have been difficult to keep up with Volk, especially with his speed and flexibility so I was curious to see if I could use Sheddie¡¯s power in a situation where I was already using Reverse Heaven. The result was this. The jet-ck grip that emerged from Volk¡¯s shadow was able to keep up with the now much more ¡®normal¡¯ creature. ¡°¡­¡± Recognizing the grasp toote, Volk turned around and swung his ankle out, but he couldn¡¯t dodge anymore while he was in the air. -Ugh. Shadows shot out from everywhere,pletely enveloping Volk¡¯s body as I grabbed his ankle. In conclusion, it was possible to use Sheddie¡¯s power while casting Reverse Heaven Chapter 2. The only penalty was that it was swordsmanship, not magic, so the sword had to be wielded whether I liked it or not, and the strain on my body was already there, and using both Chapter 2 and Sheddie¡¯s power at the same time only made it stronger. This time, I wasn¡¯t trying to kill my opponent, so I swung my sword into the air. The red de grazed the neck of Volk, whose eyes widened. ¡°¡­What is this¡­?¡± Volk swallowed hard. No matter how stupid and ignorant he was, he couldn¡¯t fail to recognize this. A taunt, then Arachne¡¯s thread plus the momentarypse in judgment and his excitement led to a loss. Without the leap he made in triumph, he would have escaped Sheddie¡¯s shadow. Volk was that fast, that¡¯s why I wanted him. I turned to the wolf pup in the trap and spoke. ¡°I am blind,¡± I said, ¡°but in exchange I can see things that others cannot.¡± ¡°¡­So what am I supposed to do? If you¡¯re going to kill me, kill me fast.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t die like this, I can see you have a sick family to take care of.¡± ¡°Krrr¡­¡± At the mention of the word family, Volk¡¯s eyes widened and he snarled but the threat of a wolf missing ws and fangs was not to be feared. ¡°Looks like that¡¯s the only family left, too.¡± ¡°Touch my sister, and I will hunt you to the ends of the earth¡­!¡± He and I are probably picturing the same face now. He has a sister with a serious illness, a sister who is the reason he lives with blood on his hands and the meaning of his life. He loves her dearly and wants to cure her, even if it means killing for dirty money. It¡¯s the same reason he¡¯s been after my head that is worth 50,000 gold but even with the vast sums of money he earned from the blood of so many people that he became famous in the underworld, he can¡¯t cure her. That¡¯s because he was spending his money in the wrong ce. The viin in this story is his broker. He was lured into believing he could cure her this time, and now he¡¯s pocketing the money. Of course, the cure is a charade. The only people around Volk are those who want to take advantage of him. Even though I¡¯m trying to take advantage of him right now, I pride myself on being a good person. I know how to cure her. ¡°I¡¯ll cure her.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll¡­?¡± Volk frowned, as if that was suddenly some kind of bullshit. After all, Volk is no saint but he¡¯s also not a terribly evil person. If ignorance is a sin, he¡¯s a sinner, but at least he¡¯s a good man. Well, that¡¯s good for me, since I don¡¯t mind taking advantage of him. Chapter 226: East, Hwaseong (14) Chapter 226: East, Hwaseong (14) Parents were a distant memory. ¡®Who is Zargas?¡¯ ¡®Our father.¡¯ ¡®Father?¡¯ ¡®Parents.¡¯ A statue in the center of the n¡¯s empty vige was the only link between him and me. ¡®Where has he been?¡¯ ¡®Long gone to war, probably dead.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t understand why my sister, who would sometimes stare at the statue and look sad, would try so hard to smile at me. I wasn¡¯t really sad since I was with her. She had taught me so much. ¡®We are lycanthropes, not like normal humans.¡¯ ¡®What¡¯s different about us?¡¯ ¡®¡­Normal humans don¡¯t have this.¡¯ My sister would pull out her long nails and exin. It wasn¡¯t until muchter that he realized exactly what made them different. ¡®We¡¯re going to live outside the vige now.¡¯ ¡®Why should we? It¡¯sfortable here.¡¯ ¡®Doesn¡¯t Volk want to meet people?¡¯ ¡®Not really.¡¯ ¡®Do you want to stay here with your sister forever?¡¯ ¡®I love it!¡¯ I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever have to leave the vige. To me, she was the world, and everything else was prey and our food. I thought our little world would be peaceful but thatsted until her face turned pale. ¡®Kholok¡­ Kholok¡­ Is Volk here¡­?¡¯ ¡®Sister, I have brought you some herbs!¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s wonderful¡­¡¯ Her hand stroking my hair was much weaker than before. I knew what it meant to be sick. I had been sick before, and each time my sister had brought me a bunch of tasteless grasses called ¡®herbs¡¯. They were tasteless, but they were effective, and they helped me get over my illness quickly. Lycanthropes are said to be very resilient. So I knew my sister would be able to get back on her feet quickly but her illness was not so easily cured. ¡®I¡¯m going out of town.¡¯ ¡®Volk¡­¡¯ She didn¡¯t even have the energy to answer anymore. I knew instinctively that I had to make a decision. And so, for the first time, I stretched my legs outside the vige. For the first time, I met ¡°normal people¡± outside the vige, and for the first time, I talked to someone who wasn¡¯t my sister. What Iter learned was that I needed money to cure her illness, and I needed to work to earn it. I needed to work but no one would give me a job. People just ignored me, calling me a ¡®kid¡¯ or a ¡®beggar¡¯. Along the way, I was stoned by children who looked about my age. It was the first time I had ever felt malice in my life. Then I met a woman named Shanova. ¡®You¡­I¡¯ve heard rumors that you¡¯re a lycanthrope. Is that true?¡¯ ¡®Yes, I can do this.¡¯ I showed Shanova the ¡®normal humans¡¯ and other things I had learned from my sister. Shanova¡¯s eyes lit up as if she had found a treasure. ¡®You need money?¡¯ ¡®Yes, I need money to cure my sister.¡¯ ¡®Hmm¡­ I have a job for you.¡¯ Shanova gave me a job. There¡¯s a bad guy who borrows money and doesn¡¯t pay it back, and she wants me to kill him. I readily agreed and the hunt had changed from animal to human. I followed the scent, and my sharp nails simply cut the air from my prey¡¯s lungs. In a way, it was much easier than killing an animal. Apparently beasts could instinctively sense threats, but mere mortals could not. I brought my prey¡¯s head to Shanova, who pped her hands in delight. ¡®Now give me the money.¡¯ ¡®Of course I¡¯ll pay you. I¡¯m not some middleman who doesn¡¯t pay his bills.¡¯ That day, for the first time, I touched money. It was a shiny, glistening mass of metal. ¡®But can you find a doctor to treat your sister? What do you need me to do?¡¯ ¡®A doctor? What¡¯s that?¡¯ ¡®Someone who cures people.¡¯ ¡®¡­Please, herbal medicine hasn¡¯t helped.¡¯ ¡®Then I¡¯ll introduce you to a doctor I know.¡¯ Shanova kindly introduced me to the doctor and gave him all the money she had. She said it costs more to treat non-humans. I immediately took the doctor to the vige, where he examined my sister and gave her medicine. After taking the medicine, she was able to regain some strength. I was happy. Now it was just a matter of getting back to our normal routine, I thought. ¡°Sis, I caught a rabbit! ¡­Sis?¡¯ But soon after, she copsed again. When I went to the doctor, I was told that her condition was serious and would take a long time to treat. She needed medication again, and I needed money. ¡®This time it might be a little more difficult,¡¯ she said, ¡®because he¡¯s a knight.¡¯ ¡®A knight? I don¡¯t care. But you¡¯ll pay me more for the difficulty, right?¡¯ ¡®Sure.¡¯ I turned to Shanova once again. She gave me a steady stream of work and money. Of course, all the money I earned went to the doctor, but it was nice to be able to talk to my sister, who was feeling better after taking her medication. So began a life of taking care of her during the day and killing people at night. There was no time to sleep, no time to bathe, and no time to find simple food. ¡®What a wild dog¡­!¡¯ I was given a strange nickname. A nickname I didn¡¯t like very much. How could a noble lycanthrope bepared to a wild dog? I was even more offended that my sister, who had the same blood as me, was being called such a name. Years passed and her condition remained the same. She would take medication, but it wouldn¡¯tst long before she would be bedridden again. The cycle was elerating as time went on. Feeling uneasy, I questioned my doctor about it, but he assured me that I was on the mend. I decided to believe him. Shanova and the doctor were the only people outside of the vige who had reached out to me. So¡­ ¡°¡­I don¡¯t need your help. The cure is already well underway.¡± I said to the blind man who had spouted such empty words about curing my sister. The Returnee from Paradise. I don¡¯t know how he got that cumbersomely long nickname. But one thing was clear: this ck-haired blind man in front of me was an outrageous powerhouse, worthy of a price tag of 50,000 gold. I¡¯ve met countless powerful people in my time as an assassin, but this was the first time I¡¯d ever been forced to part with more than a handful. I found myself talking to him, bound by inky ck tentacles. ¡°Is the treatment progressing?¡± ¡°Yeah. Do I look like an idiot for not being able to find a doctor?¡± ¡°I suppose you look that way.¡± The blind man who adjusted his bandages had an uncanny knack for scratching people. ¡°¡­Anyway, I don¡¯t need your help. I have no intention of entrusting my sister¡¯s care to a blind man. If you¡¯re going to kill me, kill me. I¡¯m sure Shanova will take good care of my sister.¡± ¡°Shanova?¡± ¡°My broker.¡± ¡°Keraph, do you know her?¡± The question was not directed at me. As the blind man calls out Keraph, I see a familiar face walking toward me from the other side of the bamboo grove. ¡®¡­Isn¡¯t that the turtle? Isn¡¯t he dead?¡¯ The man walked cautiously up to the blind man¡¯s side, made eye contact with me, and smiled wryly. Apparently Kerud wasn¡¯t his real name either. ¡°Shanova¡­ I¡¯ve heard of her. She¡¯s quite the tycoon in the Underworld.¡± ¡°How can a demon be rted to a human¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe it¡¯s because I don¡¯t smell as foul.¡± Keraph smirked as he said this, and then he continued his conversation with the blind man. Judging by his tone and demeanor, Keraph was working for the blind man. ¡°What is she like?¡± ¡°She¡¯s called the Corpse Witch, because she exploits the mercenaries and maids who work for her until they be corpses¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. Shanova is not like that.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ve never heard of the corpse witch?¡± Keraph asked. ¡°Yes¡­¡­.¡± I couldn¡¯t answer, because I remembered hearing her called that once in passing. The corpse witch was a horrible sounding nickname but that didn¡¯t make me suspicious of Shanova. I just figured I couldn¡¯t be the only one with a weird nickname but I still didn¡¯t believe it. I thought it was just a bunch of bullshit made up by the people who were investigating me. I was close to Shanova, but not close enough to be ignorant enough to take the word of a blind stranger I¡¯d barely met at face value. That was until I heard the blind man mutter. ¡°Feverish and unconscious. Lycanthropes are so resilient that she shouldn¡¯t have lingered for long¡­A gic disease, or a rare one endemic to the race.¡± The blind man who had been speaking with Keraph murmured. ¡°¡­How do you know my sister¡¯s condition?¡± ¡°I told you, I can see things that others cannot.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what tricks you¡¯re ying, but it won¡¯t work. I told her that if she took her medication on time, she¡¯d be better in no time.¡± ¡°How many years has that been, now?¡± ¡°Quite a few. It¡¯s a serious illness¡­¡± ¡°¡­And even though she is taking medication, isn¡¯t she getting worse by the day?¡± ¡°But when she took her medication, she felt better!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that she got a little bit of a boost¡­¡± ¡°Maybe he was using stimnts or something.¡± Keraph, who had been listening to the conversation, interjected. ¡°If it¡¯s the disease I¡¯m thinking of, I think a stimnt might have a mild effect, but it won¡¯t cure it.¡± Who the hell were these guys to know all those details, unless they had some sort of magic that allowed them to read people¡¯s memories? ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the corpse witch did something like that.¡± ¡°Perhaps the poor wolf pup was being used for show.¡± The blind manughed bitterly as he spoke. My head felt dizzy. Everything they said, everything Shanova and the doctor had said, seemed to be a lie. I couldn¡¯t trust anyone anymore. ¡°As the old saying goes, there are no children who are innocent. There are only bad adults.¡± The blind man leaned in close to my chained face and continued. ¡°So let me ask you, do you see me in front of you now as a bad adult or a good adult?¡± ¡°¡­A bad one.¡± I said in a low voice, turning my head away to avoid his burdensome gaze and wondered how I could feel his gaze when he was blind. ¡°Excellent. You¡¯re right, I¡¯m a bad adult. But a bad adult who can cure the sister you care so much about.¡± ¡°Cure her how?¡± ¡°Perhaps your sister is suffering from a rare disease endemic to the Lycanthrope race, called ¡®Full Moon Disease,¡¯ which is exacerbated when there is a full moon in the sky, is that correct?¡± ¡°¡­¡­What¡¯s a full moon?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ It¡¯s a full moon. A round moon.¡± Keraf immediately exined. A round moon, a full moon. A full moon. ¡°¡­Maybe it was.¡± Certainly, on the nights when my sister shivered violently, such a round moon had hung brightly in the sky. ¡°Then the cure will require very rare medicinal ingredients, but don¡¯t worry, this bad adult knows where to get them.¡± ¡°So you mean it¡¯s possible to cure my sister?¡± ¡°Of course. With that medicinal ingredient, your sister will be back to her old, healthy self. I can get you the medicinal ingredient, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­What else?¡± ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m a bad adult, and I¡¯m not good enough to give a child a rare medicinal ingredient with no strings attached.¡± ¡°You mean you¡¯ll want something in exchange.¡± That actually made me feel morefortable. It was bing hard to trust either Shanova or the Blind Man, but there was no denying that my heart was leaning toward the Blind Man, since Shanova¡¯s years of treatment hadn¡¯t made a difference, and the Blind Man hadn¡¯t even met my sister, but he knew the disease and its symptoms. Instead, it came down to what he would ask me to do, and it was pretty obvious. ¡°I need you to kill one ninja, preferably quietly.¡± The blind man replied, and with a flick of his hand, the unpleasant tentacles that had been holding me captive released their grip and slithered to the floor. ¡°Quietly? That¡¯s a bit of a stretch.¡± With 50,000 gold out of my pocket anyway, I figured one more job couldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Keraph will help you.¡± ¡°¡­Wait, me? Lord Zetto?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you familiar with each other? I thought we already knew each other.¡± I smirked at Keraph, who stared at the blind man with wide-eyed wonder. ¡°¡­We were friends for a while.¡± Chapter 227: East, Hwaseong (15) Chapter 227: East, Hwaseong (15) After sending off Volk and Keraph, I rejoined the cadets. I had told Keraph who to assassinate, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Instead, I was concerned about the news he brought me. Once, as we waited for Volk in the Death Forest, he exined why he hade to the East. ¡°The demons are on the move,¡± he said, ¡°and they¡¯re looking for a sacrifice.¡± ¡°Speaking of sacrifices, what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Sacrifices¡­The vessels of the great demons. Somehow, their resurrections have been elerated.¡± The sacrifices were the vessels, or bodies, of the Great Demons, the Demon King¡¯s alter egos. Unusually, one of the requirements for the sacrifice is that it must not be a demon. Strong people who can withstand the magick erosion to a certain extent and people of high status are targeted. The reason for this is that they must be able to withstand the erosion, so that they don¡¯t be deformed like demons and fiends from normal magick erosion, making them suitable for sacrifice. The only downside is that the descent of the Great Demon, the Demon Lord¡¯s alter ego, was so long ago that not many demons were able to witness it firsthand, so neither Keraph nor I know exactly what will happen next. What is important now is that they are considering the vessel¡¯s strength or status. The reason why they are considering the power of the vessel is that they want to further strengthen the power of the demons that have taken over the body, and the reason why they are considering the identity is that they want to cause great confusion to the humans at the same time as the descent. For example, if Ishay princess, Kimei, had be the vessel of a Great Demon as nned, it is highly likely that Ishay would have been swayed by her and joined the side of the demons. The demons could not have asked for a better situation than to have humans fighting amongst themselves in the face of the Demon King resurrection. Demon King alter egos and sacrifices. This was a tricky one. It wasn¡¯t just the power of the Great Demons to consider. Worse, my name was on Keraph¡¯s list of possible sacrifices. ording to Keraph, who had spoken with his staff, I would hold great symbolism for the humans. The Miracle of Heneryes, the Returnee from Paradise could be as influential in theing wars as a saint, the General Staff reasoned. However, unlike the saint, I don¡¯t not possess immense divine power, so I would not be able to counteract the erosion of magick and I think that¡¯s why I was on the list. I chuckled when I heard that. Keraph expressed bewilderment, saying it was a very serious matter, but I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I had a brilliant idea. ¡°If the conditions of the sacrifice are met, and the ritual is proceeding smoothly, what happens to the Great Demon if the sacrifice suddenly fails to meet the conditions?¡± ¡°For example, the magick that waspletely eroding the body of the sacrifice would disappear?¡± Keraph looked at me suspiciously, at my question. ¡°It¡¯s a ritual that was forced upon them under less than ideal circumstances, so it¡¯s likely that the Great Demon that entered the sacrifice¡¯s body would not be able to take over. ¡°And it can¡¯t be sent back, can it?¡± ¡°Probably not, but why do you ask¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m curious.¡± It urred to me that if I yed my cards right, I could easily take care of the four Great Demons. Instead, I would have to entice them to sacrifice me, and I had someone right in front of me who could help me do that. So I asked Keraph to stir up the demons. The chief of staff agreed, telling him that the man who had returned from Paradise would do great harm to the demons if left alone. Keraph wondered why he should risk his life to do so, but an order is an order. He was my informant, but he was also a spy for the demons, so his inducements were likely to be sessful. After that, it would only be a matter of time before I would naturally lose the battle to the demons who hade to erode me with magick. Keraph gave me a puzzled look, but Sierra was quick to recognize my meaning, knowing the function of the ¡®hunk of metal¡¯ on my left arm. ¡°It sounds like a risky way to do things,¡± Sierra said, ¡°but you always go for it, like you¡¯re missing a screw in your head.¡± As long as the result is good, it doesn¡¯t matter what the process is. The process was risky, but I couldn¡¯t think of a better way. Heneryes said I¡¯ve been doing it since myst life, so what did it matter? I guess it¡¯s true that people don¡¯t change much after death and rebirth. ¡°So why are we following you?¡± An irritated voice interrupted my reminiscences and thoughts. Turning my head, I saw Yuri grumbling among the procession as they made their way through the rain. ¡°This is our chance to catch the express, to announce the greatness of Caligus to the East¡­.¡± Amon added, as if agreeing with Yuri. I was currently following the shrine maiden who had managed to locate Miho in the New Capital. ¡°We can¡¯t help it. We¡¯re not even Easterners, let alone from Hwaseong, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll want to handle this on their own if they can.¡± Kaen said. We¡¯re strangers, after all, and we shouldn¡¯t have been forced into the divine beast retrieval operation in the first ce. If the academy cadets were brought into the operation, it was because they were responsible for obtaining the divine detector, and because they had previously driven Miho away. That didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t recognize us as a force to be reckoned with. Miho is more than capable of taking on three jounins but there¡¯s only one jounin-level ninja in the group that¡¯s currently on their way to capture her. The shrine maiden Hino and us seem to be filling in for the other two. I¡¯m guessing that there will be three jounins dealing with the other three divine beasts, excluding Miho. That would make the numbers just right. By the way, ever since I visited Hanzo¡¯s tomb, I¡¯ve been bothered by the fact that whenever I see Kaen, she sometimes oveps with a drawing I¡¯ve seen before. Now that she¡¯s carrying Dao Hua¡¯s sword, she¡¯s practically identical to her, except for the way her hair looks. In retrospect, the resemnce to Dao Hua is quite striking. From my past life memories, it seems that my past life, the Conquering King, didn¡¯t make a very good first impression on Dao Hua. It was the same for me now. My first impression of Kaen was never good, let alone our first meeting. ¡®Even if we¡¯re rted in a past life, I wonder if we should be so simr¡­¡¯ Another thing we have inmon is our love of swords. Dao Hua was a sword demon in her previous life and Kaen, who became Sword Saint disciple in her current life. Her body doesn¡¯t seem to have any deterioration, which exins her natural talent with the sword and her physical appearance, which is why the Sword Saint picked her up and raised her. ¡®The wife from my previous life¡­¡¯ Crank looked up at the sky, which was now dripping with rain. ¡°Still, it¡¯s raining, so Miho should be easy to catch.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t think we should go out, and that ¡®Hamuro¡¯ seems to be quite strong.¡± Amon pointed to Hamuro in the distance and Sierra was staring at him, too. [They look alike¡­] Hamuro was the sword-wielding apprentice of the two Lords she had spoken of earlier. ¡°He looks so much like Edward, it¡¯s creepy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s simr in that I¡¯m not sure if his eyes are open or not.¡± ¡°¡­I was thinking about that myself.¡± Edward suddenly appeared from between the cadets who were talking while looking at Hamuro and interrupted the conversation. ¡°Instructor Edward¡­?!¡± Hamuro, who had turned around just in time, locked eyes with Edward and shed a snake-like smile he had seen many times before. ¡°¡­¡± Edward waved in return. There must be something between them. After all, although he is one of the younger Lords, Hamuro is quite strong. It¡¯s raining, so it should be an easy task to catch Miho, but she¡¯s turned into a tiny fox, so it¡¯s not easy to keep up with her. It wasn¡¯t for nothing that I didn¡¯t chase her downst time. ¡®If there¡¯s one thing that¡¯s bothering me, it¡¯s that cave I can sense on the other side¡­¡¯ There was a huge cave in this forest. As I recall, Miho was very reluctant to fight in the rain and tended to avoid it. She would instinctively flee to a ce where she could get out of the rain as much as possible. With her considerable explosive power, if Miho were to enter a cave, we would not be able to approach quickly. Not to mention, if the cave copses, there will be casualties. We will no longer be able to chase after Miho and will be in vain. ¡°It¡¯s Miho! She¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Form a line and surround her!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, go after her, the shrine maiden is with us!¡± At that moment, a shout came from the front line that they had spotted Miho. The cadets in the rear began to slowly follow the ninja who were leading the way. Hamuro and Hino,manding from the front, seemed unaware that there was a cave in the neighborhood. No wonder. I was the only one with a sense of direction, and my cartography wasn¡¯t advanced enough to map a cave in an unnamed forest. So, after chasing her all day, I could see that we were going to have a confrontation over Miho entering the cave. I turned to Amon, who had taken up a position in the rear and was snorting ufortably. ¡°Amon, you don¡¯t seem to like the situation.¡± ¡°Of course not. As a Caligus, I must always be at the forefront.¡± ¡°Then perhaps I can give the great Caligus a chance to shine.¡± If he was going to be a wall against the cave, he was a good fit. I¡¯ve already won Hino¡¯s favor, so I didn¡¯t need to go out on a limb, but I didn¡¯t want him to suffer in this unpleasant weather either. ¡®I¡¯d also like to see how the skill works with my own eyes¡­¡¯ Amon interrupted me with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯d love to hear more about that.¡± Fortunately, the Amon in front of me now seemed more than happy to fulfill the Conquering King¡¯s orders. Chapter 228: East, Hwaseong (16) Chapter 228: East, Hwaseong (16) ¡°Do you ever feel a surge of power or a boil of mana?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell you¡¯re talking about¡­¡± Amon clicked his tongue as a massive wall blocked the entrance to the cave. ¡®Order of the Conquering King¡¯ was a unique skill but one thing was for sure, the current Amon seemed unaffected by it. It was one of two things. Either the skill hadn¡¯t been applied, or the buff was so faint that he couldn¡¯t tell if it had been applied or not. I suspected the former. The skill wasn¡¯t being applied to Amon. It¡¯s probably a problem with the ¡°This is amand¡± sentence attached to the skill. The idea is that amand is something a higher ranked person does to a lower ranked person. But to me, Amon was a coworker and a friend. And generally speaking, there is no hierarchy between coworkers and friends; you ask for favors and requests, but you don¡¯t give orders. So when I asked Amon to fill in the wall, it was a request, not amand. That¡¯s why the skill didn¡¯t trigger. The Conquering King was literally a king, so any word he spoke would have been an order. Therefore, the skill¡¯s use was limited by my status and position. ¡®If I want to use the skill, I have to have someone under me.¡¯ The easiest way would be to join the military. Nowhere is the chain ofmand clearer than in the military, but I didn¡¯t want to be a soldier just to use one skill. I want to have as many subordinates as possible. That¡¯s what this skill is all about, and I think that¡¯s where it can be most effective, just like the Conquering King did before. The other skills that can be gained from the Conquering King¡¯s progression will be simr. ¡®For now, the only ones I can use the skill on are Geppeti, Keraph, and the vague Volk. There are two who have chosen to serve me and a Lycanthrope whose sister¡¯s life has been taken hostage and who has no choice but to obey my orders. More broadly, the ¡°otherworldly¡± robots under Geppeti¡¯smand. Amon, whose chain ofmand is unclear, and the women on the other side, unfortunately, do not qualify. I don¡¯t know if there will be a war in the future and they will follow my orders, but at least for now. ¡®So I¡¯m supposed to be a king, or at the very least, a figure of simr influence to a king¡­¡¯ It¡¯s tricky. I¡¯ve given Keraph and Volk the order to eliminate the traitor, so I¡¯ll know when they get back if the skill is useful or not. I¡¯m open to creating my own faction if it works. I have the resources to do so, and I know where to find talented people who don¡¯t belong anywhere yet. If I¡¯m going to go to war, I might as well have a faction in ce. But since I¡¯m not a noble, and I¡¯m only a cadet at an academy, I need to have a high enough reputation that people will trust me and follow me. Just as I was reaching that point, someone tapped me on the shoulder. ¡°¡­Zetto.¡± It was a grumpy-looking Amon. ¡°¡­Yes? What did you say? I was distracted for a moment¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­ So, what kind of activity can I do here? You¡¯re suddenly asking me to help block the cave¡­Won¡¯t I miss out on an opportunity?¡± ¡°Have you finished blocking the cave?¡± ¡°For now, I¡¯ve blocked it up as requested, with thick walls and not a single gap to be seen¡­¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡± I patted Amon¡¯s wall at the entrance to the cave, which was unlikely to crumble if a small fox were to bump into it but I had to be extra careful, just in case. ¡°Orphele, can you cover this wall with ice?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Without another word, Orphele quietly approaches the wall and begins to cover the massive wall with ice. To put it bluntly, the members of the Continental Four Elemental Families are all monsters. If a normal first-year Academy cadet were to do the same thing, they¡¯d run out of mana before they¡¯d even covered the entire cave entrance. It was only because of their mana that they were able to create a structure of that size in one fell swoop, without stopping to rest. Soon, I could hear the conversation of the four women in the distance. ¡°Could it be that Zetto wanted to y around?!¡± ¡°No way.¡± Aizel shakes her head at Lucia¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s true that Zetto does go off on tangents all the time, but he¡¯s never done it for no reason.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Yuri and Kaen chimed in. Suddenly, I was being perceived by them as the one who always went on these inexplicable tangents. Judging by the way Sierra nodded repeatedly between them, I guess they weren¡¯t wrong. ¡®Wanderings¡­¡¯ I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and looked up at Sheddie, who was sitting on my head, sucking the life out of me. I wonder if he thinks the same of me and she looks up from her delicious meal, startled. ¡°Kerung.¡± Sheddie lets out a single snort, apanied by a cry. Well, I guess that¡¯s what they call medicine. I wonder what I was like when I was a demon, so she¡¯s used to it. Now we¡¯ve broken away from the group that was chasing Miho, and we¡¯re standing in the cave, waiting. ¡°More importantly, why is Instructor Edward here?¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m seeing what the cadets can do.¡± By the way, Edward was with us. When he spotted us slipping through the ranks, he shed a devious grin and chased after us. Maybe he figured it would be more fun this way. Anyway, as we wait impatiently in the rainy, damp weather, we hear murmurs of discontent. ¡°Zetto, you can exin this to me now.¡± Said Crank, who was blocking the rain with his shield. ¡°This is the front line.¡± ¡°This is the front line?¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying something unintelligible again¡­¡± ¡°Just wait a little longer.¡± At Amon¡¯s grumbling, I held up a finger as if to say wait and scattered my mana. ¡°Hmph!¡± Suddenly, a groan escaped Kaen, who was climbing a tree. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Kaen, did you get a bug or something?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that¡­Ahaha¡­¡± She was still very sensitive to my skill. Anyway, I decided to put Kaen aside for a moment, and I raised my eyebrows as I recognized the signs of the divine beast that had touched my senses. ¡°They¡¯reing.¡± ¡°What?¡± Amon looked around. There was still no sign of anything but rain in the forest. ¡°Nothing¡­¡± ¡°¡±Go after Miho!¡±¡± Amon was too afraid to speak, but the distant shouts of the ninjas cut through the rain and echoed through the forest. Soon enough, he saw a small fox sprinting toward the cave and the ninja chasing after her, trampling through the dense branches. ¡°Why did you tell me to block the cave¡­?¡± Amon trailed off, looking up at the sky where the rain was pelting down. ¡°Because this is a hunt, not a war, and a hunt requires traps and hounds.¡± The cave was the trap, and the ninjas were the hounds. I smiled at Amon, thinking that he¡¯d done a good job. ¡°Excellent. Cadet Zetto.¡± Edward, who had been watching the whole thing, pped. ¡°Was that your n? Excellent.¡± Hamuro, who had suddenly appeared, also pped since he also wondered when we got here. The two snowy eyes, each with a suspicious aura about them, talked nonchntly. ¡°This is¡­ You must be Lord Hamuro.¡± ¡°You must be the instructor. The shrine maiden said that Miho¡¯s movements were suspicious, so I came here to see if there was anything in her path. Apparently, Miho was¡­ trying to enter this cave.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good thing, because our students have blocked the cave, and by the way, it¡¯s Cadet Amon of the Caligus family who blocked the cave.¡± ¡°Haha, the Inhoshansu academy is full of talented people.¡± ¡°Inhosansu?¡± ¡°Innocen¡­ Was it s-s? It¡¯s a little hard to pronounce. I¡¯ve changed the name to the Touhou form, but do you like it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Inhoshansu.¡± ¡°In any case, it looks like we¡¯ll be able to retrieve the Miho with ease thanks to you, and I, Hamuro, would like to express my deepest gratitude to you on behalf of the Kingdom of Hwaseong.¡± Hamuro took up his posture and bowed slightly, then turned his attention to Miho and drew the sword on his back. The encirclement to capture Miho was unfolding smoothly, but there was still one more step. Even though Miho was weakened by the rain and had taken on the form of a small fox, there was no reason to believe that a cornered mouse wouldn¡¯t bite a cat, and a cornered divine beast wouldn¡¯t unleash her full strength. Miho would reveal the fox core even if she had to. -Grrrr. Therefore, I had to prepare for battle. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re a reverse swordsman, Lord Paradise Returnee.¡± Hamuro said as he nced at me with his sword drawn. ¡°Wasn¡¯t I called an outcast?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t call a benefactor of Hwaseong such a name. I don¡¯t know about the rest of the world, but that¡¯s what we¡¯ve decided to call you in Hwaseong.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind it, but it¡¯s better than an outcast.¡± It seems like a lot of perceptions of me have changed in a short time. It was understandable, because while there were some blind lords like Happo, most of them were quick to calcte what was good for them and what was bad for them, like Hamuro. ¡°By the way, are you sure you don¡¯t need a reward?¡± Hamuro whispered, sneaking up beside me. I remembered that Hino had also asked me about the reward but my answer was the same as before. ¡°As I said, I¡¯m not doing this for a reward.¡± If this were the Celestial Academy, it would be a different story, as I would be able to obtain the medicinal ingredients to save Volk¡¯s sister, but in the Hwaseong Kingdom, I had no need for anything. If anything, their trust and goodwill was my reward. All I asked for was that they agree with me about the future threat of the Blood Brotherhood. The royal family of Ishay, and the shrine maiden and lords of the Hwaseong Kingdom. ¡®All that¡¯s left is the Celestial Academy and the Kingdom of Ho.¡¯ The rest of the countries didn¡¯t have much influence, so that was it. Unfortunately, Moon Kingdom was much weaker than it used to be, so I didn¡¯t have to worry too much about it. However, I¡¯m nning to stop by the Moon Kingdom as well¡­ My trip there will probably be a search for records of Sierra¡¯s past or my past life. All that¡¯s left to do in Hwaseong is to retrieve the new recruits, like Miho I see on the other side, and eliminate the traitors. With Volk and Keraph in charge of dealing with the traitor, all I had to do was focus on Miho in front of me. ¡®They¡¯ll do it quietly¡­?¡¯ Since the targets were two lords, it would be noisy no matter what, but in order to do it quietly, there had to be no witnesses. In that sense, I was a little worried. What if Keraph doesn¡¯t control Volk properly? *** Contrary to Zetto¡¯s fears, Volk was surprisingly quiet, so much so that Keraph was puzzled. ¡°Volk, did you eat something wrong?¡± ¡°Why suddenly, but.¡± Volk¡¯s ears pricked up from his hiding ce in the bushes. ¡°I just¡­ Something seems to have changed¡­? I don¡¯t remember you being like this when you were fighting Lord Zetto¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a strange feeling, yes. I don¡¯t know, I feel calmer, more rxed, and my body doesn¡¯t tense up even when I stand still.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡± ¡°Did I turn into a turtle?¡± ¡°¡­Then you win the next race.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± ¡°This guy named Bakura. I guess Lord Zetto didn¡¯t have to get rid of him for nothing. You saw him during the day.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean the giant monkey that they let loose on purpose?¡± The giant monkey Volk was referring to was Wen Yao, one of the special divine beasts. ¡°Yes. He missed the runaway divine beast that was wreaking havoc in Huaqiao. It was a deliberate move. I wonder what he¡¯s up to¡­¡± The simultaneous retrieval operations in various parts of Hwaseong were sessful, with the exception of Wen Yao. They even came close to recovering Wen Yao, until Bakura deliberately sabotaged the operation. Keraph investigated, and it turns out that Bakura doesn¡¯t exactly have any contacts with demons. ¡°Even if he did have an agenda¡­it¡¯s all meaningless now.¡± Volk pulled out his sharpened nails. ¡°Do you think you can kill him? You¡¯re up against a lord of the ninjas.¡± ¡°I watched him fight and memorized his every breath. I will make sure that Bakura does not see the sun tomorrow.¡± Volk dered. Failure was not a word he could find in those eyes, so calm and cool that it was hard to believe they belonged to a young boy. Chapter 229: East, Hwaseong (17) Chapter 229: East, Hwaseong (17) The king has no interest in the affairs of the world, and the foolish ninjas are merely cogs in a wheel under a witch who controls dangerous beasts. That¡¯s what my ancestors told me and my thoughts are no different. A ninja is not an interchangeable part that can be reced whenever it breaks. If I ever get the chance, I¡¯d like to ask Hanzo a question. Why couldn¡¯t a ninja be a boss? Hanzo would argue that ninjas are only strong because they serve. Then I would ask another question. Aren¡¯t discipline and oppression imprisoning the ninja? A ninja can be strong enough without someone to serve. They can be strong without anyone to follow. ¡°Why did you want to go it alone? Wouldn¡¯t it have been better if you and your brother had gone together?¡± Of course, I understood him. He wanted me to survive, too, to fulfill his will. ¡°Still, it¡¯s not long now.¡± It was about toe to fruition. When I entered the basement, my first thought was to look at the inscription on the floor. The inscription was immactely drawn and on top of it stood a dozen familiar faces. One of them asked. ¡°What is this ce, my lord, have you invented some new humanw?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t invent it. I discovered it.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Have you ever heard of a Zenw?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a humanw that allows you to gain transcendent power like a god, but it¡¯s too dangerous¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a taboo.¡± I cut him off and grabbed him by the shoulders, the tension evident on his face. ¡°It was devised by one of Hanzo¡¯s disciples, and it doesn¡¯t actually give you the power to be a god. It was a crude technique for turning humans into demons, but it seemed to be true in terms of transcendent power.¡± ¡°A goblin¡­ That was a dangerousw¡­ Haha¡­¡± ¡°Fuhahaha!¡± He let out a stutteringugh, and Iughed heartily in response. ¡°You guys are ridiculous.¡± ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°The state of ninja you¡¯re in right now, half a penny on the back of a shrine maiden, holding on to her rather than ying the insidious beast that¡¯s wreaking havoc in the country, and being manipted by a stranger with unknown intentions.¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± The men¡¯s eyes shifted as if they sensed the sinister nature of my next words. ¡°My Lord, what you just said¡­¡± ¡°I know. Subversion of the state¡­What, you want to call it a crime, and is that so bad?¡± I immediately took out the dagger from my arm and stabbed it into the chest of the one holding my shoulder. -Pow. I hear the sound of flesh piercing flesh and the sound of his breath being cut off. Closing my eyes to take it all in, I continued nonchntly. ¡°Hwaseong deserves to fall, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Duryea¡­ No, Bakura¡­ What have you done¡­?¡± ¡°But if it bes known that I¡¯m plotting to overthrow the country, the other lords won¡¯t stand idly by. Ninjas who¡¯ve spent their entire lives being parts will never understand the will of a man who wants to rise to the top. They¡¯ll never understand. Even I can¡¯t stop nine of them at once. But¡­I wondered what it would be like to have transcendent powers.¡± One by one, the sound of the people pulling their des from their arms echoes through the basement. ¡°And that¡¯s just as well, isn¡¯t it, since killing me will put you on the path to the top of the heap, which is just as well. I was just in need of the blood of twelve ninjas. Ah, now I¡¯m down to eleven.¡± I said, looking down at the corpse on the floor. The blood draining from the corpse was slowly trickling down the pre-drawn inscription. Soon, the sound of shing des began to rise. Under normal circumstances, dealing with eleven high-level ninjas at the same time would be a difficult task even for the lords but this was a different story, as the basement limited the number of people with great power. Any semnce of orderly movement or breathing is lost, and the battle quickly devolves into a chaotic scuffle. Blood sttered everywhere and countless des rushed toward me. After dozens of such exchanges of blows, only I and a senior ninja stood on the blood-soaked basement floor. The answer was clear. I was slightly wounded, but these were wounds that would heal quickly once the proper technique was applied. I surveyed the faces of the men on the floor and opened my mouth. ¡°Foolish ones¡­ Who do you think taught you?¡± ¡°¡­Lord, please stop now¡­¡± ¡°Juhei¡­ something like that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Juhei nodded faintly. He looked puzzled, as if he hadn¡¯t expected me to remember his name. I remembered all the names of the fallen, not to mention Juhei¡¯s. How could I forget? How could I forget them when they were my subordinates who sweated as much as the blood they were shedding now? ¡°It¡¯s too bad but I¡¯ll remember your names. I¡¯m not like other dumb lords. I do this¡­ because I love ninjas. I promise you. In the generation of your children, I will turn the ninja world upside down.¡± At the mention of children, Juhei¡¯s breath caught in his throat for a moment as he imagined the face of his son at home. -Phew. And that was a bad habit of Juhei¡¯s that I remembered. ¡°C¡¯mon¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to keep your personal feelings out of battle. But I understand. Nothing is more important than your children.¡± ¡°¡­My son¡­¡± Juhei, who had been copsing, grabbed my forearm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t die. Please rest in peace.¡± The strength slowly drained from Juhei¡¯s hand, and I closed his eyes. Soon he let go of mepletely. Laying him on the floor, I turned my head and looked around the chaos in the basement. The bodies of my beloved meny everywhere, but I didn¡¯t feel weak. Their sacrifice fueled my determination to finish the job, no matter what. As I watched the blood run down my armor, I waited for it to beplete. ¡°Who are you?¡± I felt a movement at the entrance to the basement. I almost didn¡¯t notice it, but it was faint and stealthy enough for me to recognize, since I was the only living thing in the cer. ¡°Ah¡­.¡± The sudden entrance into the basement was made by a young silver-haired boy. ¡°This doesn¡¯t look like the kind of ce a child would enter¡­¡± ¡°It was, but you made the way so difficult, I only found it thanks to your bloody scent.¡± The silver-haired boy snorted, his pointed ears peeking over the top of his head. ¡°You¡¯re not human in the first ce.¡± There was something different, something alien about him. As his eyes swept across the flesh and blood strewn space, he had a gleam in his eye that made it hard to believe he was a boy. ¡°Not human, of course. Can¡¯t you tell?¡± ¡°Then what the hell is your identity?¡± ¡°Identity¡­ I don¡¯t know about that, but I¡¯ll tell you something fun.¡± The boy approached with a nonchnt face, brushing back his mane of hair but I didn¡¯t let my guard down. As soon as our eyes met, I knew. He¡¯s strong. ¡°Something funny¡­?¡± I lowered my stance and steadied my breathing as he approached. In that split second. Boom!!! The boy leaped. I saw the floor warp where he stood, but I missed the most important part of his movements. It wasn¡¯t until I heard his voice behind me that I spotted him. ¡°All the guys here are dead?¡± I turned quickly and locked eyes with the boy. He was tossing something in the air and catching it as if he were ying with a toy. I recognized it immediately. It was my left arm. ¡°Not human, beast¡­ what does it matter¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The boy threw my left arm roughly to the ground, and I immediately fell to my knees, clutching my left shoulder in agonizing pain. I couldn¡¯t even react so I hastily tried to close the wound, but I could clearly feel the blood rushing out of my shoulder. If only I had been prepared, if only I hadn¡¯t gotten injured in the process, and other foolish thoughts quickly shed through my mind. ¡°You know, I wanted to ask you something¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I red at the boy. He was scratching his cheeks and frowning, and I couldn¡¯t help but think that he was in the middle of some kind of tense battle. ¡°Did you just see my move?¡± It was thenguor of a predator, waiting for its prey to y more tricks on it. ¡°Are you trying to humiliate me, boy¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that, I¡¯m just curious, how did he dodge when he couldn¡¯t see me, and he didn¡¯t look that fast. I thought I was really slow, but I guess I wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Did you meet the paradise outcast?¡± He was the only person I could think of who was blind. I¡¯d never met him face-to-face, but he was the one who¡¯d ruined my ns. ¡°I did. Paradise¡­ What was it¡­ I don¡¯t think he¡¯s an outcast, but I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s the same guy. What did you do to deserve to be marked by such a dangerous man?¡± ¡°Marked¡­?¡± ¡°He wants me to kill you.¡± ¡°Why would he¡­?¡± We never spoke. In retrospect, he had disrupted my ns by stepping on Hwaseong soil. I had hoped the chaos would be prolonged by the outbreak of the Divine Beasts, but the arrival of the Divine Compass ruined that. He even asked for my death as if he knew this would happen. ¡°Hmph¡­I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s a god¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a god or not, but since he said he could see something special, he must have seen something bad for you.¡± ¡°Just a little while longer¡­ Just a little while¡­¡± I fumbled with the inscription that was about to be finished and wondered if I could have changed the country if I had be a goblin. I don¡¯t know. As I faltered, the boy approached me and drew out his sharp nails. ¡°I see¡­ You¡¯re an Inrang¡­¡± The boy didn¡¯t look like he belonged to the ordinary axis. The next moment, Bakura¡¯s head fell off. ¡°Hmph¡­You¡¯ll keep your word, won¡¯t you?¡± Volk brushed the blood off his hands, his expression unchanged. He didn¡¯t think much of it. Or, more urately, he was thinking something along the lines of, ¡°I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t have to take his head.¡± From what he¡¯d heard from Keraph, the news of Bakura¡¯s death would be proof enough. When Volk was done, he was about to make his leisurely exit from the cer when he heard a strange sound from the floor. Thud¡­ The ninja¡¯s blood had soaked into the inscription drawn on the floor, and the inscription was about to be activated. At this rate, Volk, who was in the center of the image, would be eroded by magick and be a demon. Unaware of this, Volk frowned as he watched the glowing circle. Clicking his tongue in frustration, Volk simply dragged his foot across the floor and wiped it off. ¡°Ugh, grown men doodling on the floor¡­¡± Chapter 230: East, Hwaseong (18) Chapter 230: East, Hwaseong (18) A fox cub has a jelly on the bottom of its paw. It¡¯s not just foxes, it¡¯s dogs and cats, even Sheddie, but Miho¡¯s fluffy jelly is in a different league. Miho¡¯s retrieval was sessful. Predictably, Miho was forced to reveal her fox core and run wild, but thanks to the relentless rain, she was subdued without casualties. The traitorous Wen Yao has yet to be recovered, but with three of the four divine beasts sessfully recovered, barring anything else, Wen Yao should not be a problem. Afterward, I returned to Hua Yu Temple and took care of Miho for a while. As for why I was in such a sacred ce, taking care of Miho, it was because she had no intention of getting away from me. ¡°I see you¡¯re still here.¡± A woman said, cautiously approaching me, her gait is ssical yet dignified. The voice belonged to Hino, a shrine maiden. ¡°This one won¡¯t fall off.¡± ¡°Hmm, you¡¯ve been ying well with Miho. She¡¯s been going around harassing visitors, but she seems to like you.¡± Hino shed me a faint smile as she looked at Miho, who was lying on her stomach in myp. It was a very brief smile. When Hino said he had to go take care of something, she didn¡¯t look happy. Staring at the ash-colored sky as the rain poured down, Hino¡¯s face was as thoughtful as ever. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°The session ceremony ising up, and you don¡¯t sound too happy about it.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I had some bad news.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I apologize. It¡¯s not something that should be made known to outsiders, let alone the people of Hwaseong.¡± I thought I knew what the news was. Apparently, Volk had seeded in assassinating Lord Bakura. Judging by her reluctance to mention it, Bakura is dead, but his death may have revealed some of his more sinister ns. ¡®I wonder if they found any traces of state subversion, or of the taboow.¡¯ I didn¡¯t kill Bakura during this time, so I can¡¯t predict exactly what happened, but I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s what happened. It¡¯s a good thing for me that it didn¡¯t blow up in my face. For now, all I could do for Hino was to be by her side, listening to the rain. The past few years must have been rough for her, too. I handed Miho into Hino¡¯s arms, who looked up at the sky with wistful eyes. [Cough¡­] Sierra¡¯s fingertips tremble as she finally gets to touch Miho. She had been trying to touch her since earlier, but s, Miho was beyond her reach. Sierra wistfully picks up Sheddie, who is lying on top of my head. ¡®Well, at least she¡¯s no longer a halfpenny shrine maiden.¡¯ Miho curled her tail and body into a ball as she rxed in Hino¡¯s arms, then yawned as if she was about to fall asleep. What was clear now, though, was that Hino had the qualities of a shrine maiden. ¡°I have to thank you for this.¡± ¡°It would have happened even if it wasn¡¯t me.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re very humble.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that, it¡¯s true.¡± That one thing was true. I don¡¯t have to help Hwaseong recover the divine beasts, ninjas and people would die in the process of doing that. The retrieval is sessful, but not without consequences. The anxiety and hatred of the divine beasts grows stronger by the day, until the king finally takes action and destroys the Hua Yu Temple, and the kingdom no longer possesses the divine beats. I don¡¯t know exactly what happens to Hino in the process, but it can¡¯t be good. Part of the reason why the nations of the East could never ignore Hwaseong is that ninjas have been trained from birth in the art of maniption and murder, but war with the divine beasts is a different story. For me, the loss of divine beasts was a huge blow, as I wanted to gather their strength for the future war against demons. Hino, who was stroking Miho, who had fallen asleep, spoke up. ¡°Oh, by the way¡­ do you have a destination in mind after the academy?¡± ¡°Destination¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get rid of the thought that you¡¯re the kind of person Hwaseong needs.¡± ¡°Haha, Hwaseong is a nice country, but I have some work to do, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to stay there.¡± ¡°¡­I see. Perhaps Hwaseong is too small to hold you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind.¡± Hino and I talked like that for a while. I didn¡¯t miss the slightest sound from within my coat, and immediately took out my crystal ball. ¡®Suddenly at this hour¡­?¡¯ It was Bernice, calling after a long time. I took out the crystal ball, which was ringing nonstop, and pondered. There was only one reason for Bernice to contact me at this time of day. ¡°Zetto, is that¡­?¡± Hino asked, staring at the crystal ball in my hand. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a crystal ball. It¡¯s a kind of device that allows you tomunicate with someone far away.¡± ¡°Hoho¡­ I¡¯ll leave you alone for a while then, please feel free to converse.¡± Miho wakes up and looks back and forth between me and Hino with bleary eyes, then follows Hino with a stride. ¡°¡­¡­¡± [You¡¯re afraid to contact her because of what you¡¯ve done, ept it, apprentice, it was going to be found out anyway.] I¡¯m scratching my head with the crystal ball when Sierra walks up. She smiled subtly, as if she found the situation amusing but I was not amused at all. Bernice¡¯s mood, as evidenced by her progress, was not good. I took a deep breath and poured mana into the crystal ball before it lost reception. [ ¡­ ] The call goes dead, and the crystal ball goes quiet. ¡°¡­Zetto.¡± [ ¡­Zetto.] ¡°Yes, Saint¡­¡± [How are you enjoying the trip?] ¡°Well, not so much¡­¡± [You made a promise to me thest time you went to the Holy Land, do you remember?] ¡°¡­That you wouldn¡¯t follow me when I went to the bathroom?¡± [Ha¡­] Bernice sighs deeply. Apparently, it was impossible to defuse the situation with a joke. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I thought we agreed not to do anything dangerous.¡± [Yes, I did, but today I received a letter, and it was from Ishay.] ¡°Saint, it was¡­I couldn¡¯t help it.¡± [Tell me about it.] ¡°Somehow, I¡¯ve noticed that the king is a demon, and I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s noticed, so I had to take matters into my own hands because I don¡¯t think anyone would believe me if I told them that a demon who looks and sounds exactly like the king is a demon.¡± I made a big deal out of it, like I was in trouble but it wasn¡¯t exactly a lie, because I did get in trouble. [There¡¯s a lie in there.] Bernice was not to be trifled with. Even so, her powers are tricky. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. It wasn¡¯t ¡®by chance¡¯, I heard that the Princess of Ishay was ill, and I was curious, so I went to see her. Saint, think about it. If a royal family had fallen into the clutches of a demon¡­ what would have happened? I just wanted to save her¡­¡± [I see, that was enough.] ¡°What about it? I couldn¡¯t help it, could I?¡± [ ¡­¡­You weren¡¯t hurt, were you? ] Bernice asked after a pause, her voice sweet but concerned. ¡°I did have a big, gross centipede wrapped around me, but I wasn¡¯t hurt, thank goodness.¡± [You never seem to stop traveling, and I know I can¡¯t stop you, but please don¡¯t get hurt. You¡¯re not only my knight, but you¡¯re invaluable to the Holy Land.] ¡°Yes, sir.¡± [Where are you now, and what are you doing? I¡¯d like to hear thetest news.] ¡°Uh, right now¡­I¡¯m in the Hwaseong Kingdom.¡± [Not much going on there, is it?] At Bernice¡¯s next question, I nced over at Hino, who was talking to Miho about something in the rain in the distance, and then thought back to the faces of Volk and Keraph, who must be returning from taking care of Bakura safely. ¡°Not really¡­¡± I trailed off deliberately. [¡­That¡¯s good, I hope you¡¯re well rested after everything you¡¯ve been through, I wish I could have been there with you.] ¡°Haha, yeah, that¡¯s too bad.¡± [Haha, yeah, that¡¯s a shame. What did you do with her magick, because from what I understand, her magick erosion was pretty severe and acupuncture couldn¡¯t have fixed it?] How did I resolve Kimei¡¯s magick erosion? Bernice was asking. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It may have been good for my reputation that an excited Kimei was sending letters all over the ce, but it was obviously poison to Bernice. I had told her that I was rted to the saint, and this is what happened. Naturally, I couldn¡¯t just say, ¡°I¡¯ve been able to absorb magick with my prosthetic, haha.¡± [Zetto¡­?] When I didn¡¯t answer, Bernice called out to me. At this point, I have no choice but to use the ssical method handed down from time immemorial. ¡°¡­Saint¡­ Msgr¡­? Kite¡­¡­ is¡­¡± [Zetto¡­?!] Bernice called out to me once more, but I quickly disconnected the crystal ball. [Disciple, are you sure this is okay?] Sierra, who was looking at me puzzled, asked. ¡°¡­Wouldn¡¯t it be okay if I could resolve the magick with acupuncture?¡± [ ¡­¡­ ] Sierra¡¯s mouth dropped open in disbelief. For the time being, I¡¯ll have to invest my skill points in acupuncture. It¡¯s not like it would be a huge loss, since Volk¡¯s sister needs healing anyway. Chapter 231: East, Hwaseong (19) Chapter 231: East, Hwaseong (19) In a crowded tavern, drunken and excited voices call out. ¡°I hear they¡¯ve captured Wan You.¡± ¡°All the troublemakers are gone now. What a relief.¡± ¡°She¡¯s scheduled a session ceremony for tomorrow.¡± The shrine maiden Hino, who had seeded in retrieving three of the top-ranked divine beasts, immediately chased after the missing Wan You to retrieve him. With all of them in the palm of her hand, she didn¡¯t have to worry about the rest of the Divine Beasts. ¡°What¡¯s the session ceremony?¡± Volk asked, picking at a chicken leg as he listened to their conversation. Keraph set down his drink and opened his mouth to answer Volk¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s a ritual. I guess you could say it¡¯s a deration that she¡¯s the new shrine maiden.¡± ¡°A ritual? A deration? Why would that be necessary?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe it¡¯s a religious thing¡­ Or maybe it¡¯s to be recognized as a true shrine maiden by performing a session ceremony¡­¡± Even as Keraph exined, Volk shook his head as if he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t live in a vacuum, so just know that while traditions may seem silly, there are more humans who cling to them than you might think.¡± Volk smirks as Keraph adds anotherment. Even his method of assassination was simple, so rituals and traditions could be difficult for him to understand, as he always favored the rational and simple. A day after the capture of Miho, and the night of the capture of Wen Yao by Hino, the shrine maiden of Hwaseong, I was talking to Volk and Keraph, who had returned from their assignments, in anticipation of the session ceremony. ¡°How was the job, by the way?¡± ¡°It was easy.¡± ¡°Easy.¡± As if in unison, they both said the same thing in response to my next question. ¡°I hate to say it, but¡­I don¡¯t think killing a Lord in secret is exactly easy.¡± I mentioned Bakura, their target, and lowered my voice in case anyone was listening. ¡°Well, I guess I got lucky that day, the information was pretty easy to process, and Volk was pretty good at listening to me.¡± ¡°Did you ever feel intimidated trying to control him?¡± ¡°Intimidated?¡± Keraph asked, ncing over at Volk, who sat beside him, picking at the chicken hungrily. It was clear that Keraph had been reluctant to be around Volk before, but now he seemed strangely unaffected. As if he had adjusted to him. ¡°All I could think about was keeping it quiet. More to his credit than mine, he was strangely calm.¡± ¡°Ho-ho. I thought you were the furthest thing from calm.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? There¡¯s no way I don¡¯t have the calmness and coolness that are the basics of killing.¡± Volk, who doesn¡¯t even have the basics of killing, retorted while I was currently trying to gauge the effectiveness of the ¡®Conqueror¡¯s Command¡¯ buff. Volk is far from calm and collected, as evidenced by his earlier encounter with me. He specializes inbat, using his overwhelming physical prowess to crush his opponents. He doesn¡¯t even bother to read his opponent¡¯s characteristics or strength, which are fundamental to assassination. Despite this, he has survived back alleys steeped in blood and the smell of drugs. It is true that none of his targets have ever been a match for him. Of all the Lycanthropes of all time, there were only three that could match Volk in terms of brute strength, so it¡¯s no wonder. However, when facing a stronger opponent, his emotional side can prove fatal, such was the case against me. ¡°But it was a little weird.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a little bit, it was a lot. I honestly thought he¡¯d changed.¡± ¡°¡­My excitement was strangely subdued even though the moon was shining brightly.¡± Volk adds, ncing over to see if Keraph ramblings are bothering him. Lycanthropes are influenced by the moon, just like the werewolves we¡¯re all familiar with from other media. When under the moon, lycanthropes be stronger. However, too much of this energy can have a side effect, causing them to be overexcited and eventually go on a rampage. As a result, lycanthropes hide themselves away during the full moon. The same goes for Volk¡¯s sister¡¯s illness, full moon disease. It was one of the side effects of the moon¡¯s energy. It¡¯s a disease where the body thinks it¡¯s a full moon when it¡¯s not, and the body wears out from the constant energy absorption. The nameless lycanthrope I met in the Labyrinth was a case in point. He wasn¡¯t a pureblood like Volk, so he wasn¡¯t as powerful, and he wasn¡¯t fed by the moon¡¯s energy in a normal way, which is why I was able to deal with him at the time. While Volk¡¯s current human form is only possible because he is a ¡°pureblood,¡± meaning he has no human blood in his veins, he can stillpletely transform at any time by absorbing the moon¡¯s energy, just like the Lycanthrope I met earlier. It just happened to be a full moon yesterday but from the sounds of it, Volk didn¡¯t transform or go on a rampage. ¡®If Keraph¡¯sck of fear of Volk, and Volk¡¯s calmness, were due to my skill¡­¡¯ I had no hard evidence of this, but I could specte. That said, the buffs from my skills are not the usual power-ups, but rather buffs that makes them more efficient. It¡¯s not intuitive, it¡¯s not simple, and it dilutes its value as a buff skill. However, the upside is that there are a lot of different buffs that can be given onmand. For example, ordering someone to defeat an unbeatable opponent gives them the power to do so, or ordering someone to survive in a chaotic battlefield gives them better judgment to help them survive. In other words, mymand somehow enforces a line that must be followed. This interpretation makes more sense when you consider the position of the Conquering King. The Conquering King was the only one who unified the East so at least in the East, his word wasw and his orders were absolute. ¡®If I give orders willy-nilly, there will be side effects¡­¡¯ A king¡¯s words carry weight. Someone will live, someone will die. The more buffs a skill has, the more responsibility it carries. ¡°Ah, well¡­Mr. Zetto, this guy almost became a demon.¡± ¡°What do you mean, didn¡¯t he almost sprout horns on his head?¡± Keraph said, and Volk frowned, rubbing his forehead. ¡°Bakura, I mean. I think he was going to be a demon himself, though that didn¡¯t happen because Volk erased the magic circle that was about to be activated.¡± ¡°A magic circle? Wasn¡¯t it graffiti?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s good to know.¡± Apparently, due to the dy, Bakura was on the verge of activating the Zen Law. The distance between us mademunication difficult, and it could have been disastrous. If Bakura had be a demon, it would have been a terrible thing. ¡®I need amunication device to stay in touch with them.¡¯ Maybe a satellite. I¡¯ll have to ask Geppeti about that. ¡°Bakura was a lord, but I don¡¯t think he fought for the country.¡± ¡°He was fighting for Hwaseong, yes, but in a different way.¡± Bakura didn¡¯t like the way Hwaseong was ruled. It was all ninjas, both the ones holding the swords and the ones wielding them, and he wondered how ninjas weren¡¯t in the hierarchy. I¡¯ll leave you with a quote from Hamuro from a previous game. ¡®A sword without a tooth to protect is bound to rust.¡¯ That¡¯s what Hamuro says after you and the yer defeat Bakura and I couldn¡¯t agree more. ¡°So you already knew that?¡± ¡°To what extent?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Keraph strokes his chin and thinks to himself. [Phew, I wonder what he¡¯s doing¡­?] Sierra smiles as she watches Keraph in agony. She¡¯s familiar with my behavior, but not with Keraph or Volk, who arepletely unfamiliar with her. It was annoying, but Keraph didn¡¯t ask more questions than that, just racked his brain trying to figure me out somehow. Eventually, Volk, who had emptied his bowl and was patting his stomach, turned to me. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve done what you asked me to do. Now heal my sister as you promised.¡± ¡°I told you I need a rare herb.¡± ¡°Medicinal ingredients, where are they?¡± ¡°It should be in the Celestial Academy.¡± ¡°The Celestial Academy?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t have a problem getting the medicinal ingredients, because the next stop is the Celestial Academy.¡± The Old Moon Flower, a medicinal herb that could cure full moon disease, was the reward for the battle between the Celestial Academy and the Innocence Academy. I feel sorry for the students of the Celestial Academy, but if I don¡¯t get it, Volk will bite my head off, so I won¡¯t be able to go easy on them. *** It was the morning of the Session Ceremony. The Academy decided to leave for the Celestial Academy immediately after watching the session ceremony. The sound of cheerfulughter could be heard as the bustle outside could be heard through the wide-open windows. Everyone seemed to be in a festive mood since the session ceremony was to be held. It was a feast for me too. It had been a long timeing. To be honest, I didn¡¯t even want to get up due to the umted fatigue, but I felt like I had to get up right away. The window, which I hadn¡¯t even opened, and the pink hair on the bed told me why. ¡°Miss Kaen¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Mmm¡­¡± I shook her, but she showed no sign of waking up. [Tsk tsk¡­] Sierra shook her head and clicked her tongue. Judging by her reaction, nothing much had happened. I wonder if she¡¯s sleepwalking or something. As I stroked Kaen¡¯s hair, I heard her mumbling in her sleep. ¡°¡­Lord¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I froze for a moment at the meaningful words. It was a word that Dao Hua used to call the Conquering King. I don¡¯t know about other terrible dreams, but she shouldn¡¯t be dreaming about her past life. ¡®There¡¯s no way her memories have returned¡­¡¯ If there was anything that bothered me, it was the sword of Dao Hua that Kaen was clutching tightly in her sleep. ¡°What kind of sword is that¡­?¡± I snatched the sword away from her and propped it up against the wall. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Running a hand through my hair, I pushed myself out of bed, trying to collect my thoughts. I didn¡¯t particrly intend to wake Kaen and I could just leave the room and pretend nothing had happened. Nothing really happened in the first ce. It was at that moment that someone knocked on the door. With a quick scattering of my senses, I recognized the woman behind the door as Yuri. ¡°Zetto, are you awake?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was silent. I rolled my eyes and nced back and forth between Kaen, who was still in bed, and the door where Yuri was waiting. ¡°I was going to watch the session ceremony with you, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Zetto¡­?¡± When there was no answer, Yuri repeated the question. Soon, Yuri¡¯s mumbling could be heard from behind the door. ¡°Is something wrong¡­?¡± Nothing happened, except for the sight of Kaen lying on my bed. ¡°Is Zetto¡­?!¡± There was no danger. I could have dismissed her as just sleeping, but I was so used to waking up at the slightest sound that if I had really been asleep, I would have woken up at the sound of Yuri¡¯s voice soo her question was understandable. Which made it all the more frightening for Kaen, who would have stayed in bed without making a sound. ¡°Zetto, can Ie in¡­?¡± Yuri reached for the door handle. I thought about hiding in Sheddie shadow, but hiding wouldn¡¯t help. Let¡¯s just tell her the truth since I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. ¡°¡­You cane in.¡± I replied and waited for the door to open. The door swung open and Yuri stuck his face in. ¡°Zetto, good morning¡­¡± Her red eyes took a moment to form a crescent moon when she spotted me. ¡°Hmm¡­? Why is Kaen here¡­?¡± She frowns as she touches Kaen¡¯s hair, who is lying on the bed. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know¡­ When I woke up¡­ Miss Kaen¡­¡± I trailed off, telling it like it was. *** ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m so¡­ When I woke up¡­ Ms. Kaen¡­¡± Even though Zetto had told the truth without any falsehoods, Yuri was still horrified. The clever lizard¡¯s voice echoed in her head. [She did it. She did it.] Yuri¡¯s eyes fluttered incessantly. [Master, do you really believe such an obvious lie?] Benno could tell by the air currents in the room that nothing had really happened, but she hadn¡¯t missed the opportunity to attack the frustrated Yuri. [Oh, I picked the wrong one and missed the proactive one¡­] Chapter 232: East, Black Ghosts, and the Spectral Collector (1) Chapter 232: East, ck Ghosts, and the Spectral Collector (1) I had a long dream. In my dream, I met a man with ck hair and blue eyes. He had the same face as Zetto, and he was dressed in a ck robe with brilliant silver embroidery in the style of the East. It was Zetto, but it wasn¡¯t Zetto. I followed the man, calling him Lord. He and I in the dream must have been a couple. If there was one thing he and Zetto had inmon, it was that they seemed somehow very precarious. I felt like I was walking on a dangerous path, like one wrong step and I would plummet to my death. I had the feeling that at any moment he could brush my hand away and disappear. I asked him. ¡®Lord, are you going to stop now?¡¯ I was afraid that this dream would be as fleeting as it was. ¡®What are you so worried about?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to be a widow.¡¯ To my disheartening question, he replied with a confident smile. ¡®I¡¯m not going to leave you.¡¯ And with that, I woke up from my dream. Baek Cheon-jae and Baek Dao Hua were not unfamiliar names, I had heard them before from an old ghost. I wondered if I was dreaming of a previous life. Was it really just a dream? My eyelids open, and I see the face of the man from my dream. Unlike him, a white bandage covered his eyes, but I knew it. Behind those bandages were those same blue eyes. ¡°Lord¡­?¡± The words came out of my mouth like I hadn¡¯te out of a dream yet. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± The other woman¡¯s questioning exmation followed. I blinked and turned to see a red-haired woman with her mouth open. ¡°Miss Kaen¡­?¡± Zetto called out to me. ¡°No, no¡­Lord¡­?¡± Yuri shook her head in disbelief. ¡°You must have been dreaming, because there¡¯s no way you could have gotten married overnight.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s possible that you yed something like that!¡± ¡°What do you mean?!¡± The conversation between Zetto and Yuri gets heated. What the hell is going on here? I was sitting on my bed, rubbing my eyes because I couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on. Yuri, who had been talking to Zetto, looked at me with wide eyes, as if in disbelief, and opened her mouth. ¡°¡­Kaen, are you crying¡­?¡± ¡°Crying?¡± What the hell was that? At the same time, I touched my face, and my eyes were indeed moist. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my cheeks. ¡°It was good enough to make you cry¡­? Really?¡± Yuri looked at me as I wiped the tears away. ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­ Ms. Kaen, don¡¯t sit still, please exin.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t remember¡­¡± She had no memory ofst night. ¡°You didn¡¯t force me¡­ Zetto, was it that kind of thing¡­? Then let¡¯s talk¡­¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± Zetto sighed, not quite sure what Yuri was talking about, but he couldn¡¯t even answer now. ¡°But you guys¡­ What are you doing in my room¡­?¡± I asked with a shaky smile. He, too, wondered what all the fuss was about in the morning. Then Yuri and Zetto answered simultaneously in disbelief. ¡°Because this is my room?¡± ¡°This is Zetto¡¯s room.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Something must have happenedst night. ¡®I must have gone to Zetto¡¯s room yesterday, but he wasn¡¯t there, so¡­¡¯ ¡­What did I do after that? I couldn¡¯t remember. No matter how hard I tried to recallst night¡¯s events, only faint memories came to mind. My head was dizzy with the terrible reverberations of a dream that I didn¡¯t know if it was from a previous life or my own delusions. The final straw in this mess was a voice from behind Yuri, who was standing near the door. ¡°Zetto, the session ceremony¡­¡± The tinum-haired girl stepped to the door, her face slowly hardening as she studied the faces of those in the room. Then she clicked her tongue. ¡°¡­You two shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± *** In the end, the decision was made to watch the session ceremony together. Yuri had a small misunderstanding, but the uncharacteristically foolish Kaen cleared it up with an exnation. ¡®If there was a problem, it must have been you guys. Not Zetto.¡¯ Aizel hadn¡¯t suspected much, but now she was with everyone in the ss. For now, we were watching the session ceremony with everyone else in ss A. Arge crowd gathered in the square. The mood was good, judging by the noise. Apparently, Hwaseong had deliberately avoided mentioning Bakura¡¯s death. ¡°Very tasty.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it because it¡¯s hard.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I eat bread all the time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s sweet and delicious.¡± We were chatting as we ate the sugary fruit skewers. ¡°Do you want some Zetto?¡± Aizel asked, reaching for her own fruit skewer. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± I knew what it tasted like, but it wasn¡¯t my favorite. It was called tanghuru. Here, it was sold as fruit candy. We were in the East, so the snacks were Eastern. As the group waited for the session ceremony and replenished our sugar reserves, I heard a familiar voice next to me. ¡°Turtle, I want to eat that.¡± ¡°What is that, candy¡­? Something children eat¡­¡± It was Keraph and Volk. They had decided to follow me for the time being, so I was stuck in Hwajung trying to keep up with my schedule. ¡°Don¡¯t make a big deal out of eating. Look at that. A guy the size of a house is eating this.¡± Volk pointed to Amon, who was eating tanghuru to convince Keraph to eat. ¡°¡­¡± Amon, who was about to take a bite of the fruit candy, scratched his head silently. ¡°Unfortunately, we have to save up now. From what I hear, it¡¯s not cheap to get to our destination.¡± For your information, the Celestial Academy is located on a floating ind. The only way for non-officials to set foot on the ind was to pay for a tour, which was apparently quite expensive. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Volk muttered, pondering, and approached me. ¡°Volk¡­?!¡± Keraph eximed in surprise. It would do no good for my contact with them to be known to those in the Academy. ¡°Kindly blind man passing by, why don¡¯t you help this poor kid with no money get a snack?¡± Luckily, Volk didn¡¯t pretend to know me. ¡°¡­¡± Without a second thought, I put the money in Volk¡¯s outstretched hand. To the others, who watched in puzzlement, I said that it reminded me of my little sister. I¡¯ll give Keraph the money for the tour of the Celestial Academyter. ¡®I¡¯ll get my coat then.¡¯ As I was getting ready in the morning, I remembered that I had forgotten to get back the coat I had given to Volk as his guide. As I munched on the sweet treats to pass the time, a huge fire erupted from the temple. The session ceremony was about to begin with the people¡¯s admiration. As we got closer to the temple, we could see Hino wearing a red robe as red as the mes. The King of Hwaseong was also present to dere that Hino had officially inherited the torch. Hino is no longer a halfpenny shrine maiden. That was the end of my role in the kingdom. I¡¯ve solved the problem of the divine beasts, eliminated the traitor, and prevented the upset that could have been caused. For Hino, it¡¯s a satisfying ending, as she¡¯s earned enough trust to be offered a position in the kingdom. However, this was not the end of my journey in the East. The issue of my past lives. The blood festival. Demons that could be swayed by Helgenas¡¯ actions. In addition to Hwaseong and Ishay, there were other unresolved matters that awaited me. Right now, I was celebrating Hino¡¯s session ceremony, but my thoughts were elsewhere. Now that the time had been dyed, the events were expected to be different. It was exhausting. *** A group of people dressed in oddly shaped armor that looked like it was haunted and covered their faces with shades were walking through a dark forest. A girl leading the group pointed a finger in a direction. ¡°I sense a strong yogiing from that direction.¡± She led the way. Soon, a man in the group stopped and asked. ¡°A strong yogi¡­is this the demon den you¡¯re looking for?¡± ¡°I think so, but there¡¯s something strange.¡± ¡°What do you mean, something strange?¡± ¡°A faint but distinct energy near the youkai den. It¡¯s not like the usual youkai. What do you think?¡± TLN: youkai = demon. ¡°No way¡­ Is it a ¡®spectral collector¡¯¡­? Captain, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better to deal with it all at once?¡± A youkai was a demon whose mind had been consumed by a demonic weapon,monly known as spectral sword, and was no longer human. A youkai den was a ce where powerful yogi emanating from a buried youkai in a specific location would turn anyone who passed by into a youkai. Depending on its size, the number of demons that lurked there varied, but the one they were looking for wasrge enough to affect an entire country. In response to his question, the man called the captain spoke up. ¡°The Spectral Collector¡­what a windfall.¡± With a raised eyebrow, the captain ordered the group to hurry to the demon den before they lost him. In the West, each country had a knightly order that dealt with demons, but the East, which was far from thend of demons, did not have a national anti-demon organization. Instead, the East had its own organization known as the ck Ghosts. Operating in the East, they are an armed organization that specializes in exterminating goblins and other demons. The rumored Spectral Collector was one of the targets they were after, so taking down the Youkai Den would kill two birds with one stone. Not one to pass up such a golden opportunity so the ck Ghosts were quickly making their way to the demon den. The girl in the captain¡¯s arms, who was acting as a guide, urgently tapped the captain on the shoulder. ¡°¡­But why?¡± The captain clenched his fists and halted the group. The girl was shaking. Judging by her dted pupils and quivering lips, it was a serious matter. ¡°The youkai in the youkai den are disappearing at an rming rate¡­¡± ¡°It must be the Spectral Collector. If they want to take the spectral sword, they¡¯ll have to deal with the youkai, so is that it?¡± At the captain¡¯s question, the girl narrowed her eyes and shook her head. ¡°¡­There¡¯s a slight but distinct aura that¡¯s been growing in size, a youkai that¡¯s the size of a youkai den in a single body¡­¡± At the girl¡¯s continued exnation, one of the officers frowned in annoyance. ¡°A yogi the size of a giant youkai den¡­? I can¡¯t even begin to fathom how many spectral swords he got his hands on¡­¡± ¡°Maybe he¡¯s stronger than we thought. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be surprised if somebody gets killed in this, so if you don¡¯t want to risk your life, go back now.¡± ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± The men exchanged nces at the captain¡¯s stern voice before turning to him and shrugging. ¡°Who¡¯s going, Captain¡­¡± One of the men smirked. ¡°I suppose so¡­¡± Most of the members of the ck Ghosts had lost loved ones, such as family members or lovers, to demons or goblins. The captain was no different. He had lost his wife and their child, who was only a few months old. ¡°Biyoung, you will send the ravens to call for reinforcements from nearby units.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Soho, follow slowly with Biyoung. The rest of us will head straight for the demonir.¡± Leaving Biyoung, the youngest of the group, and Soho, their guide, behind, they moved quickly. Meanwhile, Soho held onto the hem of Biyoung¡¯s dress as she scribbled a letter to be sent off with the raven. As the group¡¯s guide, she had special powers that allowed her to observe the yogi with the naked eye. As she looked in the direction they were headed, she saw it. She had never seen anything like it before. As her eyes took in the horrific sight, Soho prayed fervently. ¡°I hope they¡¯re safe¡­ At the same time in the Youkai Den. Contrary to her fears, it was not the Spectral Collector who had entered the Youkai Den. There was a blind man with a white bandage over his eyes, clutching a sack of blood-red des. ¡®I thought they¡¯d already been wiped out¡­¡¯ It was Zetto. He knew that this huge youkai den was on his way to the Celestial Academy so in the middle of the night, he sneaked out of his tent and stopped by the demon den. [I have never seen so many demons before.] ¡°I¡¯ve never seen either.¡± In front of Zetto, who was cracking jokes at Sierra at the wrong time, a grotesque-looking, no-longer-human creature was howling and drooling ferociously. ¡®Why do I feel like there are more of them than I saw in the game¡­¡¯ Zetto raised a brow as the flesh of the creatures brushed against his skin. They were definitely demons, but they didn¡¯t look like demons to him. ¡®I wonder how much I can level up.¡¯ He didn¡¯t see any youkai lusting for human flesh and blood, just a lot of experience points. Chapter 233: East, Black Ghosts, and the Spectral Collector (2) Chapter 233: East, ck Ghosts, and the Spectral Collector (2) ¡°Phew¡­ Hahahaha¡­¡± Sitting on top of a mountain of youkai corpses, I couldn¡¯t help butugh. Lv.55 The number on the holographic window conveyed my joy. My experience points, which had been rising only slightly since Loki released the Limit, had risen dramatically as I ughtered the demons. There aren¡¯t many ces that allow me to kill so many monsters in one fell swoop, and even then, it had to ovep with my route to make it worthwhile. The reason for therge increase in experience was simple. The unfathomable number of youkai piled up beneath me, and the fact that they were basically high level. The higher the level, the stronger they were. Or should I say, tricky. The yogi emanating from the youkai¡¯sir deals damage over time or it should have done. I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth with my thumb. For the record, the blood I was bleeding now was from overusing Sheddie¡¯s power and had nothing to do with yogi. I was already using a spectral sword, so I wasn¡¯t affected by the yogi in the youkai den. It also helped that I had quite a bit of AoE damage avable to me, which made the fight easier. TLN: AoE = Area of Effect It was a breeze to take on the youkai who were wearing no armor and had no weapons. I aimed for the red circle, the ¡®weak spot¡¯, and their white flesh would be sliced off like pure tofu. ¡®If there¡¯s a problem, I¡¯ll deal with itter.¡¯ The spectral sword embedded in the center of the youkai den and the dposing corpses of the youkai in real time were emitting a nasty yogi. I had Sheddie devour one of the demons, and after that she repeatedly said she didn¡¯t like it and wouldn¡¯t touch it. Now she¡¯s on top of my head, sucking the life out of me like she¡¯s trying to eat me. Burying it would cause the ground around it to rot, and burning it would do the most good, but depending on which way the wind blew, it could also harm the local inhabitants. ¡®If Bernice¡¯s binding can keep the yogi at bay, I suppose I could seal them in this cave somehow¡­¡¯ But that would mean that if anyone came to the cave, they would be turned into a demon. The biggest problem was the spectral sword at the edge of the cave. It was enough to turn anyone who came near the cave into a youkai, and that¡¯s not even mentioning the spirit in the sword. Sierra, who happened to be looking in the same direction as me, asked. [I wonder who¡¯s in that spectral sword.] ¡°Powerful spirits are divided into two branches. Depending on how strong they were in life and the greater the amount of resentment they have, the more powerful their yogi bes. Just like you, Master.¡± [So you¡¯re saying he was a strong man too?] ¡°I don¡¯t know if he was powerful, but¡­ Judging by the aura, I¡¯d say it¡¯s the second case. Depending on how evil you were in life, your yogi can also be stronger ¨C the evil in your body is transformed into yogi. Of course, you have to be an ear to do that, so you¡¯re bound, but I¡¯d say it¡¯s a disgusting kind of ¡®I could have killed more¡¯ kind of evil.¡± Apparently he was called the Butcher. Anyway, he¡¯s a vicious criminal so I have no intention of getting my hands on that nasty little thing. Not only is it unsealed, but a sealed contract requires a price, and I don¡¯t want to think about what he might want. [You¡¯ll have to break it, then.] ¡°But that doesn¡¯t sound easy either.¡± I nodded in agreement. I would have a hard time physically breaking a yogi of this caliber. ¡®Without divine power¡­¡¯ Purification was not my strong suit so I had toe up with a better way to do it, especially since Sheddie, the one in charge of the process, was struggling. Just as I was mulling over the idea, my senses picked up a group of people approaching the cave at high speed. Whoever they were, they were moving with intent and purpose. They weren¡¯t doing anything bad, so I sat back and waited for them. Soon they entered the cave. ¡°Hmmm¡­?¡± I smiled as soon as my eyes caught sight of their outfits. As I stood up to greet them in kind, a nearby youkai head tumbled down from the top of Corpse Mountain. -Thud. With a dull thud, the youkai¡¯s headnded at their feet. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± At the same time, there was an eerie silence. *** The men quickly approached the demonir. One by one, their faces began to contort as they entered. The cave, which had an eerie aura from the outside, was filled with a hideous, thick yogi smell and it was an unpleasant experience for the crew. ¡°It¡¯s eerily quiet¡­¡± The captain muttered as he entered the cave. If there was a battle going on, they should have heard the cries of demons, or at least the sound of footsteps, but there was no sound from inside the cave. ¡°Perhaps we arrived toote.¡± ¡°I told you the youkai were disappearing at a rapid rate, and if we¡¯re not lucky, there will be no youkai, no yodo, and no spectral collector.¡± ¡°Maybe we should have brought Soho.¡± ¡°First things first. The yogi is getting pretty thick, so everyone be careful.¡± This was different from the yogi they felt from normal youkai. Even the crew of the ck Ghosts, who were used to it, were concerned about the erosion. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± With that, everyone stepped inside, tense as ever, and froze in their tracks at the horrific sight they saw. There was a mountain of mutted youkai corpses and just then, the head of a fallen youkai touched the captain¡¯s foot. All that was left of the creature was its neck, its mouth gaping open, its face contorted. How could a creature without reason or self feel fear? The answer was obvious. Looking down at the youkai¡¯s face, the captain¡¯s gaze traveled to the top of the mountain of corpses. There stood a man with bandages over his eyes. The blind man smiled nonchntly, as if nothing was wrong in the space where the thick yogi made it difficult to breathe. ¡°¡±¡­¡­¡±¡± There was a short pause as they were weighing and measuring each other. Zetto, on the other hand, was wondering why they were so unhappy. ¡®Is it because they¡¯ve been deprived of work?¡¯ If so, they might be in a bad mood. Thinking about it, Zetto spoke up first. ¡°I must have stepped in where I shouldn¡¯t have, but I didn¡¯t expect anyone toe at this time either.¡± It had to be done for experience but I hadn¡¯t expected the timing to coincide with the ck ghosts. However, to the ck ghosts, who had assumed Zetto was a ¡°spectral collector,¡± his words came out differently than he intended. ¡°You didn¡¯t expect that. We were secretly following you, so¡­¡± ¡°Me? Oh, do you know me?¡± Zetto asked, his mind racing in a split second. ¡°How could I not?¡± ¡°¡­Then we¡¯ll have to talk fast.¡± Zetto was thinking that he knew the Paradise Exile, which was his alias, and the captain was guessing that he was the Spectral Collector, but somehow, even with the misunderstandings, the conversation was flowing smoothly. ¡°Well, then¡­¡± Zetto, who had been slowly descending, trampling over the youkai, pointed to a corner of the cave. There was a spectral sword with a hideous youkai spewing out of it. It was the source of the evil that had turned an ordinary cave into a demon den. Zetto had pointed it out, hoping that the ck ghosts would have a way to deal with it. ¡°¡­ How can you say you¡¯re human after all that?¡± Misinterpreting his intentions, the officer drew his sword. ¡°¡­¡± A speechless Zetto pulled back the finger that had been pointing at the spectral sword and mped his jaw shut. He could see that things were taking a strange turn. ¡°Since we¡¯re here, you won¡¯t be taking it so easily, Spectral Collector.¡± The captain drew the greatsword from behind his back and mmed it into the ground, dering. ¡°Spectral¡­ Collector¡­? I¡­¡± Zetto tried to clear up the misunderstanding. ¡°Prepare for battle, everyone! Yodo is extremely strong, so avoid sustainedbat and make it a quick one-on-one!¡± The ck ghost captain had already pulled up the mask around his neck in preparation for battle. ¡°Hah¡­¡± Zetto sighed. There was only so much he could do to avoidbat. He also knew that if he used Sheddie¡¯s power to slip into the shadows, they wouldn¡¯t be able to follow him. ¡®Whatever the Spectral Collectors are¡­¡¯ But if he ran away, he would be identified as a Spectral Collector, and then he would have a portrait of himself drawn, and he would be hunted by the ck Ghosts for the rest of his journey through the East. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Not wanting to be a criminal, Zetto crossed his arms and pondered. ¡®The yogi here is very thick, so I won¡¯t be able to fight them for long. If I can hold out just long enough, I¡¯ll win.¡¯ Later, when I heal the members of the ck Ghosts who have lost their minds due to yogi erosion, the misunderstanding will be resolved. ¡®What are spectral collectors, anyway?¡¯ The words alone didn¡¯t give him a good feeling, so he nced at Sierra and smiled bitterly. Chapter 234: East, Black Ghosts, and the Spectral Collector (3) Chapter 234: East, ck Ghosts, and the Spectral Collector (3) From a young age, I saw things that others could not. I still can¡¯t forget the disdain with which the vigers looked at me. The only people who epted me as I was were the ck ghosts. Operating in the ¡°darkness,¡± unseen by others, they told me that I would save the world from what they saw as bad luck or misfortune but I didn¡¯t fully believe them. One day, the chief asked me. I was confused, wondering if I deserved to be treated like this. ¡°Soho, what do you think the organization needs most?¡± I hesitated before speaking, as I had only been briefed on the organization¡¯s mission. ¡°I think it¡¯s¡­ the power to defeat the demons¡­¡± But I had no such power. I was too powerless and weak. If I were as strong as the others, I wouldn¡¯t have almost been stoned to death in the first ce. ¡°The power to defeat youkai¡­ there¡¯s nothing wrong with that, but it¡¯s hardly the most important thing.¡± ¡°Then maybe it¡¯s the strength of mind to face them without being intimidated by them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it either.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I tilted my head. The chief smiled and gently stroked my hair before giving me the answer. ¡°Eyes.¡± ¡°Eyes? But everyone has eyes.¡± ¡°Eyes that can see things that ordinary humans can¡¯t. Without them, even the strongest members of the army would be useless in the face of youkai.¡± I didn¡¯t understand, but he seemed to be referring to me. ¡°Yogi is certainly an aura that can be detected once you get used to it, but not all youkai appear in front of our eyes, and without your eyes, even the most powerful ck Ghost would be powerless if they were in a position to find and destroy them.¡± ¡°Even the Chief¡­?¡± I was surprised that someone as powerful as the Chief could not find the youkai. ¡°That¡¯s why, Soho, you must be the eyes of the ck ghosts. You must find them before they harm more people, and show us where to go so we can save more people. That¡¯s the role of a guide.¡± ¡°A guide¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to gather much information before a battle because of the nature of youkai, who are overly sensory instead of rational, so you¡¯ll need to learn to judge the level of the youkai by looking at the yogi, so your men won¡¯t get hurt.¡± ¡°Something like that¡­Can I save people¡­?¡± ¡°Only you can save them.¡± For the first time in my short life, I was d I was born. I studied youkai harder than anyone else, and developed my senses so that I could identify yogi from farther and farther away in greater detail. I also had the help of my other guide brothers and sisters who had simr abilities to mine. I tried desperately to save my colleagues and told the chief that I was ready, even though he was reluctant. The organization was always short-handed, so I was put into the field at a rtively early age. I joined my colleagues, ate, chatted, and went about my daily routine of finding and destroying demons. So far, so good. I could save people with my eyes, and I was no longer despised by them. Most of all, I was happy that my valuedpanions needed me. They trusted the younger mepletely and followed my lead without question but today, that happiness was shattered. Biyoung, who was about the same age as me, and I arrivedte at the demon den, and the energy inside was so strange that we stopped approaching and waited. A man walked out of the cave. Sadly, he was not one of mypanions. ¡°Hah¡­¡± The blind man, who had ck hair and an unusually white bandage over his eyes, staggered out, breathing heavily as if it hadn¡¯t been easy. ¡°Soho¡­¡± He barely managed to stop himself from stepping forward. Behind the blind man, the faces of mypanions could be seen. The captain and the men who had entered the demon den first were with him. If ¡®together¡¯ could be used to describe being dragged out and wrapped in mysterious ck tentacles. ¡°Run¡­ Run¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Biyoung slowly turned her head to look at me. ¡°That thing¡­ That¡¯s a monster¡­¡± Biyoung, the youngest and most inexperienced member of the group and I were no match for him. ¡­The word opponent was ridiculous. There was no point in running away from him now that he had already closed the distance. The blind man didn¡¯t look like a youkai, nor did he look human. The hideous yogi from inside the youkaiir was hiding his aura like a beast hiding its ws. ¡®What are those ck tentacles, is that the power of the Yodo¡­?¡¯ I sized up the blind man on the other side, a supposed spectral collector. Up close, the realization dawned on me. ¡®We need to call in at least three troops¡­¡¯ It seemed he could be contained. Then I recognized the faces of his colleagues who had been dragged out after him. Their names shed through my mind and a single hot tear escaped my eye and rolled down my cheek. I had led them down the wrong path. I, their guide, should have stopped them. My mistake had killed them all but crying won¡¯t fix the situation. I had to save at least one. ¡°¡­Biyoung, do you think you can run away without making a sound?¡± I wiped the tears from my eyes and whispered to Biyoung, who was standing next to me. That was the mindset the ck ghosts had taught me. ¡°A sound¡­¡± ¡°Not even the sound of a bush being stepped on. As quietly as possible.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll try. But what about Soho¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯ll buy you some time.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Soho live rather than me¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not fast enough on my feet to get away from him anyway.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Biyoung nodded with a stiff face. When I took a step forward to buy time, and Biyoung stealthily shifted his legs, the blind man with the ck tentacles behind his back raised his hand. ¡°That¡­You shouldn¡¯t run away¡­¡± ¡°Biyoung, run at full speed!¡± ¡°Ugh, yeah¡­!¡± From behind me, I heard Bi young running at full speed so I pushed forward, pounding my heart that was about to explode. I wondered if there was any chance I could reach for the silver sword. ¡°No!!!¡± My thoughts were cut short by a scream from the other side of the forest. ¡°¡­¡± I stopped approaching the blind man and slowly turned my head. It was Biyoung¡¯s voice. ¡°How did this happen¡­¡± The blind man mumbled and held up a single finger. Annihtion. With that word in front of me, I sank to the ground. The ground was right in front of me, but it seemed to be getting farther away. My head felt dizzy. -Thud. Suddenly, the blind man stood in front of me. I could do nothing against him. The guide, who had given me the wrong path, could only shed tears of frustration. ¡°Why¡­ Why¡­ Why did I¡­?¡± Scratching his head, the blind man¡¯s lips opened. ¡°Wake up.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was a peculiar death sentence. As I sat there staring up at him, dumbfounded, he continued. ¡°You¡¯ll have to help me, even if it¡¯s just you, because I¡¯m in a hurry, and I need to get this done.¡± A momentter, the ck tentacles behind him moved slowly, picking up the men and dropping them to the ground. The only thing stranger than the mysterious tentacle was that they were still breathing. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± The crying stopped. At the same time, I was so surprised that I hupped. ¡®How are they alive¡­?¡¯ *** Things are twisted but it wasn¡¯t all bad. On the bright side, I got to work on my ¡®healing¡¯ and that¡¯s a good thing because it means I can make progress on my ¡®saint¡¯ path. Of course, I¡¯m only looking on the bright side, and I¡¯m already feeling a little tired at the thought of a long night. I invested all of my new skill points in Acupuncture. Acupuncture was now at level 10. Since Acupuncture is not abat-rted skill, its level is affected more than other skills. In other words, I had invested 10 points in a nonbat skill, but I didn¡¯t mind, as I had many more uses for it in the real world than in the game. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve felt a tingling sensation in my head as I leveled up a skill. For the record, I¡¯ve never taken Acupuncture to level 10 in the game since there were no quests with such requirements. Now that I have level 10 acupuncture knowledge in my head, I realize that acupuncture can do so much more than is currently known in the world. Yogi erosion is no problem. It could even do things that were impossible without divine power. ¡®At least I have an excuse to tell Bernice.¡¯ Inwardly, I was wondering what if level 10 didn¡¯t work, but I was d I stopped at this point. ¡°Ms. Soho, are you ready to go?¡± I asked, turning to look at Soho. ¡°What?! Yes, yes¡­¡± Soho, who had just been stripping the armor from the unconscious men, looked up in surprise and replied in a shaky voice. Fortunately, the misunderstanding was resolved. I made it clear to them that there had been a misunderstanding. Although I had a spectral sword, I was not a spectral collector. I also put her in touch with Sierra and told her to clear up her misunderstanding. This was possible because Soho was a ¡°guide.¡± [Curious. Does that mean this child has the same eyes as the saint?] ¡°Close enough.¡± Sierra leaned closer to Soho and studied her warily. Soho didn¡¯t say much, but she seemed to be feeling a bit overwhelmed. As I cleared up the misunderstanding, I realized that I had been mistaken. They didn¡¯t know anything about my tinnitus or my existence. I thought I¡¯d made a name for myself, but s, with their busy lives, word of me must not have reached them. ¡°Well, I¡¯m surprised to hear that you specialize in spectral swords¡­ I thought it was an ancient and forgotten sword art¡­¡± ¡°Since you know the Ghost yer Technique, you must have studied hard.¡± ¡°Of course¡­! I don¡¯t miss anything rted to youkai¡­ Well, the ck tentacles that Zetto used to handle¡­ It wasn¡¯t even mentioned in the books¡­¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s a guy named Sheddie, and he¡¯s a cute guy whose charm is his fluffy fur.¡± ¡°Fluffy fur¡­¡± Soho didn¡¯t have much of an affinity for spirits, so Sheddie¡¯s exnation didn¡¯t make much sense. ¡°Uh, but can we leave Biyoung alone?¡± Soho asked as she reached for the boy¡¯s armor. ¡°If you mean the boy outside the cave¡­ Yes, he was simply startled and fainted for a moment, and I can wake him up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯d be grateful if you could just take care of the rest of the crew¡¯s yogi erosion.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get started then.¡± I sat down in front of the crewman, whose flesh had been exposed to allow me to ce the needlesfortably, and spread out a clean cloth to pick up the needles that were there. ¡°¡­Come to think of it, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s strange for a blind man to ce acupuncture needles.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not strange at all. The man who invented acupuncture was blind, so if there¡¯s any doubt that acupuncture can solve yogi erosion¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I suddenly remembered something from the past¡­¡± In the West, where the Innocence Academy is located, they were unfamiliar with blind acupuncture, but in the East, the home of acupuncture, their reaction was different. I released the needles without stopping, pulling out the yogi that was eating away at the man¡¯s body. ¡°What the hell is a ¡®spectral collector¡¯ anyway?¡± The Spectral Collector seemed like a viin I hadn¡¯t heard of before, so I had to do some research. I¡¯d get the basics, and leave the details to Keraph. ¡°He¡¯s literally a spectral swords collector, and he¡¯s a peculiar one at that, traveling around the East looking for them and stealing them. From what I¡¯ve gathered, it doesn¡¯t seem to matter if he was a youkai before or after he became one, as long as it¡¯s a spectral sword, he¡¯s going after it.¡± ¡°¡­Could I be his target?¡± I asked the most curious thing. Soho clenched her jaw. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what it is, but he can detect yogi. I think it¡¯s probably some sort of guide ability, like mine, and if Zetto were to run into him along the way¡­¡± Soho trailed off, nodding in assurance. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sure he¡¯lle after you, because the yogi that flows from Zetto is quite unique.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That means he¡¯s going to try to take my sword away from me¡­¡± Hearing this, Sierra frowned. [Unpleasant.] I agree. That was a very unpleasant thing to think about. Chapter 235: East, Black Ghosts, and the Spectral Collector (4) Chapter 235: East, ck Ghosts, and the Spectral Collector (4) After I was done, I heard the man, who was the captain of the troop, mumbling incoherently. ¡°Captain, are you awake?¡± ¡°Soho¡­? This is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡± Grabbing Soho¡¯s hand, the captain stood up and shook his head, trying to get his bearings. ¡°Ugh¡­ that blind man¡­ We need to call for backup¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± At that moment, the captain¡¯s eyes caught my actions. ¡°Uh¡­¡± The captain was suddenly speechless and didn¡¯t seem to understand the current situation. Leaving it to Soho to exin, I turn my head and resume my conversation with Jubei. ¡°I¡¯m well aware that possession of a spectral sword is strictly forbidden in the East, but I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re referring to the risk of being transformed into a youkai.¡± The person known as Jubei knew. She was one of themanders of the ck Ghosts forces, and one of their strongest. Jubei¡¯s troops had been called in to assist by Biyoung. ¡°You¡¯re not affected by yogi¡­Could it be the effect of Ghost yer Technique? There are few beings that are immune to yogi.¡± As an added bonus, Jubei knew me. Luckily for me, the rumors of the Paradise Exile had reached her. ¡°As far as I know, the only other such beings are demons and goblins. Judging by the way you healed our men, it¡¯s unlikely that you¡¯re a Heavenly Saint, but then again, it¡¯s also unlikely that the person who experienced the miracle of the goddess was a demon¡­¡± It was one or the other. Either it was rted to my previous life as a demon, or it was rted to my earthling body. ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know, maybe it¡¯s a quirk.¡± But I couldn¡¯t tell her straight out, so I stammered. ¡°A peculiar constitution¡­ Didn¡¯t you say that the spirit in the sword is your teacher?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Jubei nodded slightly, then pondered. I, a man who couldmunicate with spirits in an uncanny way, and who practiced the Ghost yer Technique long thought to be forgotten, seemed to be quite a unique figure even to them. Not surprisingly, even the dragon Deidros, who had lived for hundreds of years and created the spectral sword, was puzzled. ¡°At least you¡¯re not going to turn into a youkai, so we¡¯ll let the matter of possession slide. It¡¯s not something we¡¯d even notice if we weren¡¯t there anyway.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± ¡°More than that, I heard you helped us deal with the youkai den. When I went into the den, I saw that quite a few youkai had been ughtered. That¡¯s quite a talent.¡± ¡°I was just about to deal with them¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about disposing of them, we¡¯ve got a crew working on the cleanup. It¡¯s more than that, it¡¯s an amazing talent. I was wondering if you¡¯d be willing to join forces with us, we could save a lot more people if you did.¡± ¡°I like your suggestion, but I am currently affiliated with a different group¡­¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s a shame.¡± ¡°Even if I wasn¡¯t, I have a group waiting for me, so I think I¡¯ll call it a day.¡± ¡°I see, the nature of what we do doesn¡¯t allow us to spread the word, but we¡¯ll definitely remember your kindness this time, thank you.¡± That was the end of the conversation with Jubei. It seems that despite the twists and turns, things went ording to n. Finally, I walked over to Soho, who I could see in the distance, and said goodbye. ¡°Well, Ms. Soho, I guess I¡¯d better get going.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving already?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ We heard about it, and we didn¡¯t realize how rude we were to someone who had done such a good job.¡± Suddenly, the captain, who had been talking to Soho, takes a deep breath and hangs his head. ¡°Haha, you don¡¯t have to take it to heart. From the sounds of it, there was a misunderstanding.¡± I¡¯d gotten the experience points I¡¯d been looking for, and I¡¯d gotten the Saint Path progression, so there was no reason to feel bad. ¡°But the left arm¡­¡± I had blocked his sword with my left arm once before, when I was biding my time against them in the cave. He seemed to remember that and was worried. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡± I took off the glove I was wearing on my left hand and showed him my prosthetic. ¡°¡­¡­¡± His eyes widen as he takes it in, realizing that instead of a clean hand, it¡¯s a piece of scrap metal. ¡°A prosthetic hand¡­¡± Soho, equally wide-eyed, mentions it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there was no pain, let alone a wound.¡± I shed them a smile and turned away. Even so, I was still thinking that I would have to face the demons sometime during my travels in the East. Luckily, I was able to avoid a situation where the ck ghosts turned against me because of my unintentional ¡°good deed¡± and became suspicious. If there¡¯s one thing I regret, it¡¯s that my Saint Path hasn¡¯t reached 10 percent. I find Keraph and Volk briefly before returning to the tent with the cadets. ¡°Mr. Zetto, you¡¯re back.¡± They were not far from the tents where the Academy¡¯s cadets were staying. ¡°Is everything all right? I did as you asked and kept Volk in check, though I wouldn¡¯t say I kept him¡­ I just put him to bed.¡± Keraph said, turning his head at the sound of Volk¡¯s snoring. Volk was lying on his stomach, bloated from whatever it was he had eaten, sleeping soundly. I could have taken them to the demon den, but I didn¡¯t. Especially since Volk didn¡¯t seem to be able to keep still when he saw the drooling youkai. ¡°It wasn¡¯t all bad, I even met the ck Ghosts.¡± It was purely for experience, but it was probably a good thing I didn¡¯t take Keraph and Volk with me, as I encountered the ck Ghosts on the way. ¡°You encountered the ck Ghosts?¡± ¡°There was a misunderstanding, but it went well enough. More than that, there¡¯s someone I¡¯d like you to do a little research on before entering the Celestial Academy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°Recently, there is someone collecting spectral swords and the ck Ghosts are investigating him. They call him the Spectral Collector.¡± ¡°Collecting spectral swords¡­¡± ¡°Keraph, would you like to hold my sword for a moment?¡± ¡°What? How can I¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I need to check.¡± After scratching his head, Keraph picked up the ¡®Sierra¡¯ from my waistband, and nothing happened to him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°¡­Why did you do that?¡± Keraf asked as he quickly released his grip on the sword. I guess it¡¯s true that demons aren¡¯t affected by yogi. I did this because I don¡¯t understand this spectral collector¡¯s constitution.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know much about youkai or spectral swords¡­ I think I need a more detailed exnation.¡± ¡°Just because you can handle a spectral sword doesn¡¯t mean you can handle other people¡¯s spectral swords, and yet this spectral collector is somehow getting away with it.¡± ¡°Does that mean¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible that the Spectral Collector is a demon, and even if he isn¡¯t, he probably has a constitution simr to that of demons. To summarize, he¡¯s a monster in human form, one way or another.¡± ¡°Spectral Collector, I¡¯ll get to work on that. What about Volk?¡± ¡°You can take him with you. I told him to protect you if anything dangerous happens, so you should be fine.¡± No matter how weak Keraf was, with Volk by his side, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry too much about being challenged by a bunch of creeps. As for why I was so concerned about the spectral collector, hisck of information was one reason, but the main reason was the difort I felt from the tinnitus. Not that spectral swords are a good thing to collect in the first ce, but I dare say this guy isn¡¯t a collector. An extortionist, that¡¯s the best way to describe him. *** At the same time, a man was walking down a dark street. The sword in his hand was dripping with a red liquid that had just been poured out of someone¡¯s body. A staggering gait, bloodshot eyes and dted pupils. It was clear that the man was not even remotely sane. ¡°Blood¡­ More blood¡­¡± He wanted blood. His body was filled with the soul of someone other than himself. As he searched for another victim, his reddened eyes caught the image of a nameless figure walking across the road. Blond hair, a rarity in the East and dark skin. Any way you look at it, he was quite a striking figure in the East. The only thing that was Eastern about him was the clothes he was wearing and the ponytail he had tied back but there was no way a man in his right mind could tell the difference. The blond man shed his palm with a small dagger, squeezing out his own blood. ¡°You want blood?¡± The blond man asks, holding out a hand dripping with blood. ¡°Blood¡­¡­!¡± Soon, the man, distraught at the sight of blood, lunges at the blonde, spraying him with saliva. The blond man leisurely opened his mouth, the corners twitching upward. ¡°Why don¡¯t you abandon your insignificant body ande to me, and I¡¯ll give you all the blood you want.¡± He was not speaking to the man who had lunged at him. He was speaking to the spirit that had taken over the man¡¯s body. Chapter 236: East, Celestial Academy (1) Chapter 236: East, Celestial Academy (1) Celestial Academy was said to have been built by a god called Celestial God. Opinions differ as to whether or not a person named Celestial God actually existed. Some say that it was just a story that needed to be told when building the academy because why would a god be interested in the world, while others argue that Celestial God was real, saying that only a god could have created the floating ind in the sky. In fact, at this point, it doesn¡¯t really matter if it¡¯s real or not since the young people here are not interested in such things. For many young people from the East who want to improve their martial arts, the Celestial Academy is just another small martial arts center in the sky. The strong dominate the weak, this is what a martial arts center is like. A world where only the strong survive, where survival is justice, and where the weak are trampled upon and dismissed as evil. For the record, I hate Murim. I didn¡¯t always hate them but I once had a dream to be a master, one whose name alone would make people shudder. Ever since I was a kid, I¡¯d getpliments from people in my vige like, ¡°You have good muscles,¡± and ¡°You should learn martial arts.¡± I thought I was really talented because I was bigger than my peers and gained muscle quickly even with the same training. After entering the Celestial Academy, all those thoughts disappeared. I was a frog in a well. Nothing more, nothing less than a strong man in the vige. The men I met here, despite being smaller than me and seeminglycking in muscle, had the strength to beat me with two fingers and send me flying into the air and crashing into walls when they hit me with a punch. It¡¯s the difference of early learning. It turns out that they are the children of a famous family, one of the five great families of Hoguk. My father sent me to the Celestial Academy despite my mother¡¯s protests. The tuition at the academy was 500 silver coins, which was quite expensive for a farmer from a small vige so I couldn¡¯t give up. ¡°Hey, Zhang Shan. Are you still nning to train today?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Come on, then let me help you.¡± The man who was now walking towards me with his sleeves rolled up and an evil smile on his face was Huang Bojin of the Huang Family. When I first entered the academy, I had called him ¡°Bo Jin,¡± and ever since then, he¡¯s been one of the guys who¡¯s been beating me to death. I was puzzled by the simrity of the name to a woman¡¯s genitals, so I called him that too. Luckily for me, his name was ¡°Jin,¡± and unfortunately for me. -Pfft! His technique hurt like hell. A solid palm strike to the stomach sent me flying across the training grounds, sprawling on the floor. Of course, I apologized immediately. It was a sincere apology for calling him by the wrong name. But it was his palm that flew at me afterward. Just like that. ¡°Mmph¡­¡± I muttered in excruciating pain as a gaping hole opened up in my abdomen, threatening to spill out all my organs. ¡°¡­Here we go again?¡± ¡°He¡¯s so¡­ What did he say?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, he¡¯s a country bumpkin, so he doesn¡¯t know Huang Bojin.¡± The academy was a small ce and a simple mistake of calling a stranger by the wrong name had led to this. Zhang Shan was a scoundrel who had dared to disrespect Huang Bojin. There was even a rumor floating around recently that Huang Bojin¡¯s reason for doing this was to help the weaker Zhang Shan cultivate the external arts. For the record, I have never practiced the external arts. When I first entered the academy and chose a martial art for those who were not from a sect or family, a teacher stopped me from choosing the external arts. His reasoning was that it was not efficient. I was told that once you reach the pinnacle of external martial arts, you will be unharmed by any attack. But when one reaches the pinnacle, no martial art, whether internal or external, is stronger. The external arts are much more arduous and difficult, and one is likely to remain in the third or second ss rather than reach the pinnacle. The teacher who stopped me said that he had seen some people whose bodies were split in half because they believed in the strength of the external martial arts. As I listened to more true stories, the romance of the external martial arts was shattered, and I thought of my family suffering in the heat, so I chose the universal internal martial art that many people choose. So now, by beating me up, he was not only hindering my physical training, but also my internal art practice. If I had chosen the external art, it would have hurt a little less and I wouldn¡¯t have felt so resentful. ¡°Zhang Shan, how untalented are you? It¡¯s been quite a while since I¡¯ve been helping you, and you¡¯ve shown no signs of improvement.¡± Huang Bojin looked down at me and sneered. ¡®No sign of improvement¡­¡¯ Since I was unable to cultivate, I naturally fell behind the others, and my grades naturally did not improve. The academy doesn¡¯t stop at paying tuition fees, but it also punishes students with poor grades. I was warned yesterday that if I didn¡¯t improve my grades by next month, I would have to leave the academy. It was unfair. My dreams were shattered and my family was insulted by one mistake of calling someone by the wrong name. Still, there was nothing I could do. In this group, I was the underdog. ¡°¡­¡­Bojin.¡± I called him that in despair. ¡°Have you lost your mind¡­?¡± The corners of Huang Bojin¡¯s mouth, which had been curling upward at my insult, instantly contorted into a vicious grimace, and his eyebrows twitched incessantly. He was right. It wasn¡¯t going to get any better. My grades were at the bottom of the academy and unlike the other bottom-feeders, I wasn¡¯t the scion of a famous family that could keep me from being expelled, nor was I the scion of a wealthy family with tons of money to donate to the academy. In order to avoid expulsion, I had to pass a special exam to make up for my grades, but it wasn¡¯t an exam that I could pass because I hadn¡¯t yet broken through the wall of the third ss. In the first ce, the special exams are just a stepping stone to the prestige of those at the bottom of the academy¡¯s food chain who have already reached the top at a young age. For an underdog like me, passing the special exam was a dreame true. ¡°¡­I think I¡¯ll be leaving the academy.¡± ¡°Hah¡­Did you think that a lowlife like you would be able to survive in the Celestial Academy?¡± After exchanging a few meaningless words, I was kicked by Huang Bojin¡¯s men in the name of physical training, and Iy on the ground, breathing in the dirt. I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of going back to the vige and seeing my father¡¯s face, but I was thinking that at least I was a third-ss citizen, so I could make a living doing hardbor. In the distance, a nameless person ran into the training center, panting. ¡°¡­Heh¡­ Everyone, gather in the academy¡­! The Innocence Academy has arrived!¡± The Innocence Academy. I heard it was simr to the Celestial Academy in the West. Luckily, Huang Bojin heard the news and the guys who were kicking me to death left the training grounds. The others in the training center did the same. I pushed myself up to my feet, my body aching with pain, and stared in disbelief at the now-empty training grounds. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± I spat out a bloody grain of sand and thought to myself. Murim really is a shitty ce. *** The first cadets to set foot on the grounds of the Celestial Academy were thrilled to find themselves on a floating ind in the sky, but the romance of the ind was short-lived. The Celestial Academy¡¯s rtionship with the Innocence Academy was made clear to them by the stern gaze of the greeter who weed them. They werepeting to be the leading centers of learning in the West and the East, respectively. It would be more urate to say that it was apetition between the West and the East. Despite Guan Zhu¡¯s sarcastic re, he dismissed the introduction and led them straight into a hall. Guan Zhu had suggested apetition on the unlikely pretext that they would get along better if they put fists and swords at each other. There was no way that Edward, who was speaking to him as a representative of the Innocence Academy, would shy away from such a suggestion. ¡°A tournament would be great.¡± ¡°¡­But I¡¯m not sure the academy cadets will be able to handle it, given how skilled our students are this time around.¡± The fierce-looking man slowly swept his trusting gaze over the students of the Celestial Academy. ¡°It¡¯s okay, this current generation of our academy is also quite good, we call them the Golden Generation.¡± ¡°Hehe, something as precious as gold isn¡¯t something you can just stick anywhere¡­¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s never toote to see if it¡¯s gold or not.¡± Edward and Guan Zhuughed and exchanged cryptic words with each other. Meanwhile, in the middle of the crowd of students at the Celestial Academy, Huang Bojin and his friends were observing and evaluating the faces of the academy cadets. ¡°¡­There are quite a few beautiful women in the West.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. In terms of beauty alone, there are women who are on par with the best beauties in the academy.¡± At that moment, Huang Bojin chuckled and said, ¡°As for the tinum-haired woman over there, I¡¯ve marked her down, so don¡¯t touch her.¡± Huang Bojin¡¯s eyes were on Aizel Ludwig who had a sour expression. ¡°How dare we touch your prey. I like her red hair, but¡­Her eyes are piercing.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll take the red-haired, big-breasted bitch.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s not all about the size of your breasts¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been saying it for ages, boobs are everything.¡± By the time they were doneughing at the offensive jokes, Guan Zhu stepped onto the center stage. ¡°First, a round of apuse for the cadets of the Innocence Academy, who have traveled a long way!¡± Guan Zhu spreads his arms and shouts, and the cadets and students on either side burst into thunderous apuse and cheers. ¡°And now, I hereby announce the start of the martial arts tournament between the Celestial Academy and the Innocence Academy!¡± ¡°¡±Oooooooh!!!¡±¡± The cheers of the cadets and students who had been pping at the sound of a tournament be even louder. ¡°The rules are familiar to the students of the academy: first, no killing, second, winner¡¯s circle.¡± The winner¡¯s circle, where the winner of a fight stays in the ring to receive the next challenger. ¡°Now, here¡¯s your chance to have the honor of kicking off the Tournament!¡± Free-for-all. Anyone who wanted to fight was free to step onto the stage and fight. If they ovepped, they would talk to each other and decide the order. ¡°I¡¯ll go up.¡± Huang Bojin was the first to step up. He had his eyes set on Aizel, and he was thinking that if he could get on the stage and show her how cool he was, sweeping her off her feet, maybe she woulde over on her own. ¡°Waaaah!!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Huang Bojin!!!¡± ¡°Show them the strength of the Celestial Academy!¡± Huang Bojin walked confidently into the backstage area. ¡°I wonder if this is getting a little too advanced from the start. Has the academy decided on a member?¡± Guan Zhu, who was looking at Huang Bojin with a smile, turned his head to the direction where the academy cadets were. Meanwhile, the cadets were talking about this and that. ¡°A tournament as soon as we arrive¡­Ugh¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I hate it. Let¡¯s just eat.¡± Lucia was frowning, and Crank chimed in. ¡°Hmph, must be a pretty strong guy, huh?¡± ¡°Judging by theck of weapons, I¡¯d say he¡¯s a martial artist.¡± ¡°He¡¯s got a pretty good body.¡± Yuri, Kaen, and Amon were observing Huang Bojin, who appeared with a shout. ¡°¡­¡± Well, Orphele remained silent as always. Aizel cut to the chase. ¡°So, who wants to go?¡± It was Zetto who stood up at her question. ¡°Is there a prize for winning?¡± ¡°The instructor did say something about a prize¡­September flowers¡­ Some kind of rare grass.¡± ¡°Then may I go?¡± His next question is met with a cold response. ¡°¡­Zetto already?¡± ¡°No, Cadet Zetto, are you going to ruin the tournament?¡± Even Edward, who had seen Zetto stand up and walked over, added. ¡°Do you want me to go?¡± But Zetto had no intention of changing his mind. ¡°Have it your way¡­¡± ¡°I wanted the medicinal materials¡­¡± ¡°Zetto¡¯s a bit stubborn, too.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to take a nap. Wake me up when you¡¯re done.¡± Their reactions were inevitable. ording to the rules of the winner¡¯s zone, if Zetto, the member of the academy, didn¡¯t lose, they wouldn¡¯t get a turn. ¡°Wow, no support at all¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. Zetto. Cheer up, you must win.¡± Zetto¡¯s grumbling was followed by Lucia¡¯s tasteless, soulless cheering, and after he smiled at her for her encouragement, they walked offstage. ¡°What, were there blind people?¡± Seeing Zettoing on the stage, Huang Bojin noticed Zetto¡¯s appearance and asked a question. ¡°What the hell do you think this Huang Bojin is¡­?¡± The question was followed by anger. This was because he felt that he was being looked down upon, and by extension, the Huang Family. Guan Zhu then spoke to Huang Bojin. ¡°Huang child, this is a blind swordsman, so you can¡¯t kill him. He¡¯s quite famous in the West.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Huang Bojin replied dryly. Here, Huang Bojin and Guan Zhu made three mistakes. First, the conversation between Huang Bojin and his friends earlier had been overheard by Zetto. Second, Huang Bojin walked on the stage. Third, Guan Zhu picked the wrong person to talk to. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As Zetto walked offstage in silence, he was thinking how to make Huang Bojin think that it would have been easier if he was allowed to die. Chapter 237: East, Celestial Academy (2) Chapter 237: East, Celestial Academy (2) Hwang Bojin is one of the typical ¡°viins¡± you¡¯ll find in the Celestial Academy, with a short temper and a tendency to say mean things whenever he opens his mouth. He reminds me a lot of Amon, as he has decent muscles and is a big guy. However, he¡¯s much worse than Amon. In the first ce, Amon wasn¡¯t even close to being an asshole or having a bad personalitypared to this guy. A cursory examination of his cultivation reveals that he¡¯s still in the early stages of first-ss but even that was due to his own family¡¯s merit. Arrogant and unassuming even with such an insignificant talent and skill. To describe Huang Bojin in one word, he was a terrible bastard. ¡°I doubt that you¡¯ll be able to ovee me¡­¡± Look at him talking all big. Huang Bojin rolled his eyes up and down, red at me, and cleared his thick throat. ¡°I¡¯m Zetto from the Innocence Academy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Huang Bojin from the Celestial Academy.¡± We exchanged introductions, and before we knew it, Guan Zhu, who was watching the referee, announced the start of thepetition. ¡°¡±Oooooooh!!!¡±¡± A thunderous cheer pierced his ears from both sides of the room, where the students and cadets of the Academy were. In response, I drew Sierra from my waistband. ¡°Reverse grip¡­Ha, I can already tell what kind of person you are.¡± Watching this, Huang Bojin stood up and let out a pathetic sigh. I lightly dismissed his words, raised my hand for a moment, and asked Guan Zhu. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have any unfortunate incidents like having our limbs chopped off while fighting, right?¡± ¡°¡­They won¡¯t get cut off unless you use sword qi. Do you know how to use it?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know how to do that.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t worry. There are no students in the academy whose limbs won¡¯t be cut off by a sword that is not loaded with qi.¡± Guan Zhu snorted with a tone that suggested he didn¡¯t know suchmon sense. ¡°Foohahaha! Were you worried that your sword would cut off my arm? You¡¯re even funnier than you look.¡± Before Guan Zhu could finish, Huang Bojin¡¯s sneer could be heard. ¡°¡­I see.¡± I didn¡¯t learn because there was nothing to learn. A sword is a sword and it has a job to do. I turned the Spectral Sword I was holding with the back of the de facing forward into a reverse grip. ¡°You¡¯re so arrogant¡­¡± Huang Bojin¡¯s eyes widened at my behavior, and he gritted her teeth. ¡°What is he doing?¡± ¡°Are you deaf to the sound of your own ears, even though your lordship said there was no such thing¡­¡± ¡°Act like a big deal, asshole.¡± Back to back. The sarcasm poured out along with the unkind gazes of the students who saw me for the first time, but I couldn¡¯t help it. ¡®Not fired¡­¡¯ I held my tongue, wondering if he would. The dark red circles on Huang Bojin¡¯s body in front of me couldn¡¯t have been clearer. If I were to identally cut through those red circles, it was obvious what would happen next. Even though the burly Huang Bojin looked as solid as Amon on the outside, perhaps even more so, he was by no means solid. There were other hard men in the Celestial Academy. ¡®He may be wasting his talent right now, but¡­¡¯ In any case, I wasn¡¯t about to spoil a martial arts tournament that could earn me a Nine Moon Flower, even for the sake of Volk, who wouldter be my sharp w. [You¡¯ve done the right thing, apprentice, and don¡¯t listen too closely. This will be your first duel like this, so it¡¯s to be expected.] Sierra must have noticed my distress, because she stroked my cheek tofort me. Contrary to her concern, I didn¡¯t have time to listen to the criticism that was being heaped upon me. My mind was currently filled with thoughts of how to cook Huang Bojin. I thought about it for a while. Huang Bojin spoke up and solved my problem. ¡°Hey, tinum-haired nameless youngdy! I¡¯m asking you to watch Huang Bojin¡¯s fight. I¡¯ll win this tournament, and I¡¯ll put the Nine Moon Flower into your hands.¡± He pointed at Aizel and made a confessional deration in a thunderous voice. ¡°Are you talking to me¡­?¡± Aizel only frowned in displeasure, but I remembered the lewd conversations Huang Bojin had with his friends and could recognize the malice in his smile. That sealed Huang Bojin¡¯s fate. ¡®If I want to feelfortable¡­I¡¯d better be overpowering.¡¯ After this fight, Huang Bojin will not be able to get out of bed, at least not for the duration of our stay in the Celestial Academy. *** Like a knight before a jousting tournament, Huang Bojin pointed to Aizel as the princess he wished to cheer on, announcing his bold ambitions. Huang Bojin, who had envisioned himself ending the duel with a single punch, was currently out of breath and panting. His opponent, Zetto, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t exhausted himself at all, and was casually tilting his head and raising the corners of his mouth. It was a clear provocation, especially since he had no intention ofing down. Still, there was nothing Huang Bojin could do. ¡®This must be a dream, a terrible¡­A terrible nightmare.¡¯ Eventually, Huang Bojin began to question everything about this. It couldn¡¯t be real, he thought, that he, the second son of the Huang family, couldn¡¯t even touch a blind man¡¯s hair. He was still arrogant. Meanwhile, Zhang Shan, who was also unable to keep his mouth shut in disbelief at the current situation, slowly recounted what had just happened. ¡®What the hell happened?¡¯ Huang Bojin was the first to step out since closing the distance against a sword was the essence of martial arts and he was able to close the distance between them quite easily, just as he wanted. Up until that point, Huang Bojin must have thought he had won. Most of Huang family techniques consist of simple, straightforward movements. However, they are characterized by their simplicity, speed, and the power of each attack. Just like that, Huang Bojin¡¯s fist mmed into the blind man. It was much faster than any fist Zhang Shan had ever seen. It was different from the time he had bullied Zhang Shan. It was only a basic technique but given Huang Bojin¡¯s inner strength, its speed could not be ignored. However, the blind man dodged the punch very lightly. It wasn¡¯t even a swift move, it was simply a slight twist of the body. Huang Bojin let out a weakugh at the unexpected result. He was just lucky, it was a coincidence that the blind man was able to avoid his fist. Zhang Shan guessed that was probably what Huang Bojin was thinking at the time. Immediately afterward, Huang Bojin¡¯s onught continued. Huang Bojin didn¡¯t pay any attention to the reverse de that the blind man was holding, and the blind man didn¡¯t really swing his sword. However, even as he unleashed countless strikes, he was unable tond a single effective hit. As if he knew where the attacks woulde from, the blind man dodged Huang Bojin¡¯s fists and intestines with minimal movement. Huang Bojin¡¯s fists couldn¡¯t touch him and so it came to this. The field, where countless cadets and students had gathered, was as silent as a mouse. However, the reasons were different. ¡°Am I seeing things?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Huang Bojin, did you have any expectations?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect anything, but¡­¡± The other side couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. ¡°He¡¯s being too hard on him, too.¡± ¡°Still, it seems like he held out for a long time.¡± ¡°Should I say endured it?¡± The cadets are not surprised at all, because it¡¯s business as usual. Huang Bojin, who had lost his strength from punching the air, and Zetto, who was leisurely approaching him with a smile on his face. At that moment, Zetto lifted the arm that was holding his sword. Amon, who was yawning against the wall, concentrated on the duel for a moment. Finally, Zetto attacked but once again, Amon missed his move. No, all but a few people missed his movements. Before they could find him, they blinked two or three times, and a loud, alien sound began to echo through the unarmed crowd. -Bam! Bam! -Bam! One dull sound after another. It was the sound of something hard breaking followed by a scream that came from the mouth of arge man. ¡°AUGH!!!¡± As they searched for Zetto, who had disappeared from view, their eyes first fell on Hwang Bojin, who was now lying on the floor of the offstage area. The only problem was that his limbs were twisted in ways they shouldn¡¯t have been. It was such a grotesque sight that some of the onlookers covered their mouths. ¡°Ugh¡­ Ugh¡­¡± Huang Bojin was about to pass out from the pain. Even Huang Bojin, who normally trained in the external arts to prepare himself for physically demanding martial arts such as Wall Force Divine Power, was unable to withstand the pain of having his entire body¡¯s bones crushed at once. As everyone stared in horror at Huang Bojin¡¯s plight, their eyes fell upon Zetto. Zetto appeared in front of Huang Bojin, who was on the verge of passing out, and habitually swung his bloodless sword once in the air. ¡°Hii¡­Hmph¡­¡± Huang Bojin was terrified and fell unconscious. Looking down at him, Zetto spoke in a cheerful voice. ¡°¡­Still, it¡¯ll be less painful than having your limbs chopped off, because it¡¯ll hurt like hell, I know because I¡¯ve been chopped off.¡± It was a joke and a constion that no one else in the room couldugh at. Chapter 238: East, Celestial Academy (3) Chapter 238: East, Celestial Academy (3) Hello everyone, Gxy here with some bad news. A few days ago I found out that the author dropped the novel and I lost my motivation to continue tranting this novel so after struggling with the issue for a few days I decided to stop. I¡¯m sorry for not finishing this novel but a have zero motivation to trante an iplete work, however if anyone is interested to continue tranting or wants to read the raws dm me on discord, I have all the raws downloaded. And finally all the coins used to buy ch this week have been refunded. ¡°Hmph, hmph¡­¡± I stopped looking down at Huang Bojin, whose eyes were rolling back in his head, and turned away. It wasn¡¯t long before Huang Bojin waspletely stunned, and Guan Zhu¡¯s voice was immediately heard. ¡°Winner¡­¡­Zetto of Innocence Academy.¡± Guan Zhu, unhappy with the oue, paused for a moment before finally dering. ¡°Waaaaaah!!!¡± The crowd erupted in cheers. However, unlike at the beginning of the duel, the cheers were barely audible in the direction of the Celestial Academy. Perhaps it was because the sight of Huang Bojin lying on the ground was so devastating. They must be thinking: I wonder if I¡¯ll end up like him if I go out to fight. This overwhelming victory must have been enough to strike fear into the hearts of the students of the other side. I¡¯ll y the viin if it makes me feel better. ¡°Bring a stretcher and take him away.¡± Huang Bojin, lying on the ground, is carried away on a stretcher while Guan Zhu clicks his tongue, then turns to me. ¡°Cadet Zetto, should that be considered a killing?¡± ¡°A mere broken bone doesn¡¯t kill a martial artist, and don¡¯t you know what they say about bones getting stronger after they¡¯re broken? In a way, I was helping him.¡± Of course, if it were a normal person, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he died of shock, but Huang Bojin was a martial artist and I only beat him up to the point where he wouldn¡¯t die. ¡°Funny¡­ What a funny thing to say. After defeating one of the Huang family¡¯s brats, you¡¯ve be so proud of yourself¡­¡± The feverish Guan Zhuughed in disbelief at my shameless words. ¡°¡­Now, the next challenger, forward!¡± Guan Zhu mumbles to himself, and once again, he has found a challenger for the martial arts tournament. I wonder who will step forward now since I knew this would not be the end of it. Huang Bojin was one of the top three people in the Celestial Academy in terms of bad luck, but he was not even in the top ten in terms of merit. There are two main types of students at the Celestial Academy. There are those who are recognized for their talent and start learning martial arts at the Celestial Academy, and there are those who already have a good backing, such as a n or family, and don¡¯t need to go to the Celestial Academy. Needless to say, thetter are moremon. So, you might be wondering. Why do they go to the Celestial Academy? For a n or family, the Celestial Academy is a kind of giant test. Their goal is to step onto the stage of the academy and determine which school¡¯s martial arts are superior and which family is superior. Such is the case with Huang Bojin of the Huang n, but he has long since been eliminated from the race. In the first ce, the Huang family didn¡¯t expect too much from a less talented youngster like him. If the Huang family wanted anything from him, it would be to keep the family name intact. In any case, I had to agree that Huang Bojin was a brat. There were plenty of people better than him but that doesn¡¯t mean he can beat me. I tapped Sierra idly and waited for the next challenger. ¡°I¡¯m out.¡± Soon enough, a challenger appeared. ¡°Jin Soje of the Jeomchang Sect¡­¡± ¡°Jin Soje is alreadypeting?¡± ¡°This thing is on fire.¡± It was still early and my victory was overwhelming, but since it was just Hwang Bojin, I was expecting a big name to appear, but judging by the buzz of the students in the halls, she was quite a big name. Jin Soje was slowly making her way to the stage. She was a pampered disciple of the Jeomchang Sect and one of the two beauties of the academy, the two flowers that bloomed on Celestial Ind. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Jin Soje, who went up to the stage, stared at ¡®Sierra¡¯ who was on my waist. She was a tough opponent. If the previous Huang Bo-jin was only top-notch, she had reached the edge of the peak, a level higher than that. Although Jin Soje was not the type of person to appear in a position like this¡­ ¡®¡­It seems that the second chapter of the Reverse Heaven has stirred her up.¡¯ It was understandable, as she was a figure in the Divination Sect known for her skill with the sword¡­ *** ¡°That¡¯s not good. That blind man.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t ignore him because he was blind, did you?¡± ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s Murim, after all, and someone like him should be paid attention to, don¡¯t you think?¡± At my question, Tang Xiuye, who was standing next to me, pped her hands. ¡°What¡¯s a person like that?¡± ¡°Umm¡­Someone suspicious but handsome?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the answer I was expecting. And do you still recognize that face?¡± ¡°Then if you don¡¯t see that face, what do you see? What, were you looking at Huang Bojin¡¯s backside?¡± ¡°¡­You know, Xiuye, I was wondering.¡± ¡°What else?¡± Jin Soje paused, then repeated in a stern voice as I abruptly changed the subject. ¡°His sword or my sword, which sword is faster?¡± Huang Bojin didn¡¯t even have time to shout his surrender before he copsed. It was a swift sword that others couldn¡¯t even track with their eyes, but at least I could see his movements in that split second. It started with the flow of qi circting through his body twisting backwards. Then, with explosive speed, a sword strike hit Huang Bojin¡¯s right wrist and the impact was enough to shatter his bones. If it weren¡¯t for the reverse de, Huang Bojin¡¯s wrist would have been gently sliced off. The subsequent strikes crushed the bones of his limbs, except for his ribs and skull. It wasn¡¯t as if he had enhanced his physical abilities by cultivating the internal arts. It was purely a matter of speed. That makes it even more interesting. The muscles of martial artists who utilize the inner force are much stronger than the muscles of ordinary people, even more so if it¡¯s the muscles of Huang Bojin. However, that blind man had shattered Huang Bojin¡¯s bones so easily. It was as if the blind man knew exactly where to strike to shatter the bone. In that respect, it felt quite simr to the Silent Sword Method, even though there was a difference between dots and lines. ¡®He may be blind, but his sword is sharp.¡¯ He was much better at identifying weaknesses than I was. It sounds ridiculous, but his eyes are better than mine. I was scared to death that he was actually blind. ¡°You sound uncharacteristically weak. Of course you¡¯re faster, right?¡± ¡°This time is different.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­It seems like there are only cowards here anyway, so why don¡¯t you go first?¡± Tang Xiuye said as she nced around. As she said, no challengers had appeared yet. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t go first.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I cocked my head to the side. She was a scion of the Tang family, a family known for its poisonous arts and rain water, so she was reluctant to participate in these duels, where killing was forbidden since she couldn¡¯t see the fun in it. ¡°So please leave on my behalf. Didn¡¯t you hear what Guan Zhu said? It¡¯s for socializing. Is it hard for you to get acquainted with a handsome man on behalf of a friend?¡± ¡°What if I lose?¡± ¡°What, are you going to ask him to marry you?¡± ¡°Ha, what do you mean¡­?¡± Jin Sojeughed faintly at theme jokes that followed and walked offstage. ¡°I¡¯ll be out.¡± I stepped onto the stage with the now familiar expectation. The moment I stepped on the stage I didn¡¯t take in anything else and my eyes were solely on his waistline. His eyes, on the other hand, were focused on something else. ¡°¡­I¡¯m Zetto from the Innocence Academy.¡± It was impossible to tell since his face, covered in pure white bandages, only conveyed mystery. ¡°I¡¯m Jin Soje of the Celestial Academy.¡± -Grrrr. After exchanging formal greetings, he drew his sword. The red-edged sword was even more beautiful up close, resembling a finely carved work of art. By the way, this is the first time I¡¯ve faced an opponent like him. The way he holds the sword changes the sword routes he can use, depending on his arm and the way he holds it. I had faced a left-handed swordsman before, and I remembered it being quite tricky so I wondered what his sword would be like. -Grrr. His sword was lighter than a typical double-edged sword and a bit thinner in area so I can tell just by looking at it that it was specialized for stabbing rather than cutting. ¡°For the record, I¡¯m more used to stabbing than shing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At the sound of my voice, Zetto tilted his head in question. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to make an unjustified move just because my opponent was blind, it¡¯s a unique sword.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of you, then I¡¯ll ask you a question.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Is that sword¡­a special sword to you?¡± I looked down at the sword in my hand at his question. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t figure out the intent of his question. This sword had been given to me by Master Zhang Wenyin the day before I had left the Sect¡¯s headquarters for a while and headed to the academy. He exined that it wasn¡¯t a famous sword with a name, but it had been wielded when he was the same age as me. It was not encrusted with expensive jewelry, but it was more valuable to me than any other sword. ¡°¡­It¡¯s just an ordinary sword.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, then, because I don¡¯t want to spend a lot of time on it.¡± But exining this to a man who has ck hair and doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s from the East would only make me talk longer. For now, I had to speak with my sword, not my mouth. I slowed my breathing and as I did, I noticed that something had changed in him so I asked him. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you reversing the de?¡± He had been using a reverse de when he was fighting Huang Bojin earlier, so I assumed he was doing it for personal reasons. TLN: Reverse de is different from reverse grip. Reverse de is when he holds the sword with the blunt edge of the sword in front. ¡°Why would I do that?¡± He shook his head, giving me a questioning tone. ¡°Surely, just a moment ago¡­¡± ¡°Because unlike just now, I don¡¯t have to break any bones this time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± What a weird guy. The thought shed through my mind, albeit briefly, at the meaningless answer. It wasn¡¯t until the duel had begun and I¡¯d exchanged a dozen or so words with him that I realized what he meant. He was a¡­¡¯shredder¡¯. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!