Chapter 31
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Yacht Club Invitation
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“…How did my life come to this?”
Verian Calburden, the second-ranked first-year in the Knight Department, let out a deep sigh.
Not even a full semester had passed.
His reputation as the proud heir of the Calburden family and the second-best first-year knight was now a thing of the past.
He had been defeated by the squire of the Armians, the very family Calburden had to surpass to become Electors.
He had been abandoned by the prince he thought was his steadfast backer.
And now, he was accused of being a demon contractor—a demon he’d never even met—and ensnared in the clutches of Fallenberg.
It was like falling off a cliff right before reaching the summit, only to land and roll in the mud. Life couldn’t get much worse.
‘Aint Armian…!’
The fame that should have been his had all gone to someone else.
‘He’s just soaring…! That damn bastard!’
Just yesterday, Verian had seen it. Valoci, whom he had so desperately wanted to befriend, showing Aint Armian an invitation to the Yacht Club.
‘That should have been my spot. I should have been the one receiving that invitation.’
The Yacht Club. A place at the academy reserved only for the children of high-ranking nobles with good families and proven abilities.
Considering his skills and family, Verian Calburden should have been a shoo-in, but his defeat at Aint’s hands had ruined everything.
‘But it’s not like I can just quit now…’
This was the Armian Imperial Academy, after all.
The option to quit midway was tantamount to giving up on life entirely.
“…That will be all for today’s lecture.”
As Verian was sluggishly packing up his textbooks, a shadow fell over him.
“What do you want?”
His face contorted as he looked up at Aint Armian staring down at him.
“Want to get lunch together?”
“What?”
“Well, you looked lonely by yourself.”
“And whose fault do you think that is?”
Verian growled.
After his loss to Aint, Prince Ludger had begun to give him the cold shoulder, and the other students had naturally followed suit.
While no one did anything overt, they subtly distanced themselves, leaving Verian utterly alone.
“…Is it my fault?”
“Is it mine, then?”
“Sparring my hardest isn’t a crime.”
“…Ha.”
Verian couldn't find a retort, because it wasn't wrong. And that just made him even more furious.
“Did you come here to mock me? Get lost.”
“If you still hate me, then I’ll take the blame. Let’s just get lunch. I’ll apologize.”
“Are you messing with me right now?”
“I’m serious.”
“This is your last warning. Scram. Unless I’m possessed by a demon, there’s absolutely no way I’d ever eat a meal with you.”
Verian stood up roughly and left, the whispers of those around them following him.
“…Does he think I enjoy this?”
Left alone, Aint sighed.
*‘Do I really have to go this far?’*
*—He may have lost to you, but he's objectively a capable guy.*
*—You only managed to win because a masterpiece like me was by your side. If it weren't for me, you couldn't have beaten him even if you died and came back to life.*
*‘Well, that’s a given, since I wouldn’t have reclaimed my family’s swordsmanship without you, Sir Gardner.’*
Aint looked exasperated.
No matter how talented someone was, they couldn’t achieve greatness without the proper techniques to back them up.
*—Anyway, the important thing is that a capable guy has no friends. Just like you.*
*‘It’s not that I don’t have friends…’*
*—Whatever the reason, the result is the same.*
And, in truth, the reason was the same.
Other students avoided Aint, too, wary of catching Ludger Schwaben’s eye.
*—In any case, that kid has talent and a good family. Building a decent rapport with him now will be quite helpful later on.*
*—Having been abandoned by those Schwaben usurpers makes him an even more suitable target, doesn’t it?*
Gardner was not only thinking about demons, but also about the Schwabens.
From his perspective, only the Armians were the rightful heirs to the empire, so it was, in a way, a natural conclusion.
*‘I’ll try. But I don’t know if we can actually become friends.’*
*—Don’t just try, get results. You loner. If you outcasts don’t stick together, who will you team up with?*
*‘That’s not…’*
Muttering a half-hearted excuse, Aint left the lecture hall.
* * *
Bella Hohen, a second-year in the Knight Department, awoke from a nightmare.
“…N-No…!”
She shot upright, finding herself in her familiar room.
Sweat poured down like rain, soaking her clothes.
A burning thirst made her instinctively search for water.
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
Bella took a gulp of the cool water someone handed her, then startled.
“What? Ruina? Why are you here?”
“You don’t remember?”
“Remember…?”
Only then did Bella recall the horrific pain, a feeling like her entire body was burning—no, it *was* burning.
“Jace, that son of a bitch…!”
A Saint, he called himself. What kind of Saint was that!
Burning a person alive!
“Looks like you remember. How’s your body?”
“…Bad. Very bad.”
She tried to circulate her mana, but it didn’t feel right.
If only the flames had been precise enough to burn just the demonic energy, but they had consumed her aura and vitality as well.
Destructive flames, powerful enough to even weaken her mind.
But there was a bigger problem.
“I have no strength. I feel weaker.”
“That’s because the demonic energy is gone.”
“…Was it really demonic energy?”
“We confirmed it.”
“No, that could have been a trick!”
“What would a Saint of the Cult gain by deceiving you like that?”
Bella fell silent, unable to argue.
“But I’ve never even seen a demon.”
“I know. You were just accidentally infected. The problem is, we can’t find the source that infected you.”
At Ruina’s words, Bella let out a sigh of relief.
It was a shame they couldn’t find the source, but it was a huge relief that she hadn’t been branded a Vile Breed.
Even though a thousand years without demons had dulled the fear, they were still humanity’s greatest enemy.
This was especially true since the empire itself was founded upon the subjugation of demons.
The instinctive repulsion was only natural.
“So, what now… Wait, did I drink?”
Bella sniffed the air.
The source of the smell wasn’t far. It was her clothes, her hair, her body.
“I poured it on you. I had to make it look like you were drunk to bring you here.”
“Didn’t we meet during lunch?”
“Yes.”
“So, you’re telling me I became the girl who got drunk in broad daylight and had to be carried on your back?”
“Sorry. I covered your face with a robe, though.”
“That’s a relief, I guess… right…?”
Then again, if she was drunk and being carried by Ruina, it probably wasn’t that hard to figure out who she was.
“My academy life is over… wait a minute.”
Bella, who had been sighing deeply, glanced toward the window. The light filtering through the closed curtains was a soft orange.
“…How many hours was I asleep?”
“…Sorry.”
“No, right?”
“Sorry.”
Ruina avoided her wavering gaze. Bella rushed to the curtains and threw them open.
The sunset was beautiful.
“…Quickly. Tell me, Ruina.”
Ruina cautiously held up her fingers.
“…Two hours?”
No, that was impossible. It had been noon; the sun wouldn’t be setting at two in the afternoon.
Ruina shook her head.
“…Twenty hours?”
That didn’t make sense either. If twenty hours had passed, it would be eight in the morning. There would be no sunset.
“N-No, right? Huh? I had so many classes…! It can’t be. Right?”
Bella’s voice trembled as she sensed the worst-case scenario. In the face of her desperate denial, Ruina shook her head.
“Sorry…”
“Two days? Really, two days? I-I’d already missed a few classes, I couldn’t afford to miss any more! You know that!”
“I know all too well.”
What were yesterday’s classes? What was her attendance record now?
Bella’s mind raced, but her face grew paler and paler as she failed to find any good answers.
“Pernyan! Jace! Those sons of bitches…!”
“No, Bella.”
For a moment, Ruina recalled Pernyan’s instructions.
*“Redirect Bella’s anger, Ruina. To where it rightfully belongs.”*
*“Am I pushing a friend into a pit? What nonsense. Telling her to just sit still after being targeted by a demon is what’s truly strange.”*
“What do you mean, no? Because of them, I…!”
“The ones you should be cursing and raging at aren’t Pernyan and Jace.”
She grabbed Bella’s shoulders to calm her, then continued, speaking slowly and clearly.
“They’re not at fault. If anyone is, it’s the demons and the Vile Breed.”
“Demons? Vile Breed?”
“Think about it. The ones who did this to you, who infected you with demonic energy, are the Vile Breed. Not Pernyan, not Jace.”
“That’s true, but…”
“I admit, Jace’s treatment method was rather extreme.”
“I was unconscious for two days. You think ‘extreme’ covers it?”
Ruina shook her head again.
“That’s not what’s important, Bella.”
“I could have died!”
“But you didn’t.”
“…Ruina, have you always been like this?”
She didn’t answer Bella’s question.
“Bella. Regardless of the outcome, Jace was ultimately trying to heal you. It came with some pain, but you are healed.”
“I guess so.”
“What’s important are the Vile Breed. Shouldn’t we catch the ones responsible for putting you in this state?”
At last, Bella’s anger began to turn toward its rightful target.
“…We have to catch them and get revenge. For my grades.”
“That’s right, Bella. I’ll help you. We can do this together.”
“You will?”
“I’ve found a trace of another Vile Breed. Won’t you join me in hunting them down?”
“Of course I will! I’ll kill them all!”
It took a while for Bella to finally calm down.
“So, where is it?”
“Pernyan said there’s a high probability the Vile Breed will try to infiltrate the upcoming Yacht Club event.”
“The Yacht Club? The Yacht Club I know?”
“That’s the one.”
“But that place is filled with the top students! If a Vile Breed causes trouble there, it’ll be a huge incident, won’t it?”
“That’s why we have to stop them.”
Ruina pulled an invitation from her pocket.
“Is that an invitation to the Yacht Club?”
“I got it from Pernyan.”
“Pernyan was the one who blocked you from joining the Yacht Club. Did facing a demon make him remember the greater good or something?”
Bella scoffed.
“Alright, I get it. First, let’s go buy some clothes.”
“All of a sudden?”
“You don’t have anything to wear to a banquet.”
Ruina had never once attended a banquet since entering the academy.
She was focused solely on her grades and swordsmanship, far removed from a life of leisure.
“That’s why we need to buy something. Besides, this time the theme is a masquerade ball. We’ll need masks, too.”
“…Pernyan didn’t mention anything about a theme.”
“Why not? You can’t get in if you don’t follow the theme.”
Perhaps he had intentionally left it out, figuring she would hear it from Bella.
“Anyway, let’s go shopping. I need to vent this anger, even if it’s just through shopping.”
“Wait, I don’t have any money…”
“Just follow me. I’ve already spotted a few dresses that I thought would look good on you.”
“When did you…?”
“Every time I asked you to a banquet and you refused, I’d just go look at them.”
Bella grabbed Ruina’s wrist and pulled her along.