Chapter 340: Complacency(4)
Chapter 340: Complacency(4)
I have never faced a significant threat in my life. This applies to both my previous life and my current one.
Perhaps because of concepts deeply rooted in my past life, I also suffered from a certain "safety insensitivity." You could call it a national trait of Koreans.
Above all, I had been thinking optimistically thanks to my daily routine, which hadn't changed much even after revealing my identity.
Tomorrow will be just like today. What will I be doing two days from now? I’m starting to get used to the stares; maybe I should start taking questions.
Of course, I was fully aware of my popularity. The emotions bundled into that popularity were positive ones: envy, admiration, and respect.
Very rarely—truly, once in a blue moon—there were negative emotions like jealousy, but they never manifested in a way that actually harmed me. I could understand it; everyone thinks differently.
However, 'murderous intent' is different. It is neither a positive nor a negative emotion. It is an aura that can be projected entirely through 'calculation' rather than feeling.
Currently, there was a very high probability that a demon worshiper harbored such intent. Because of Xenon’s Life and Times, they had been dragged out of hiding and were being ruthlessly suppressed.
Even Cardinal Bark, one of their leaders, had been taken down by Kate. It was as clear as day that I would be the number one target for assassination.
And yet, I had complacently gone about my daily life as usual. Part of it was trusting my guards, but it was more a case of thinking, 'Surely not.'
Not only were Adelia and Kate watching over me, but the Academy guards were also keeping an eye out. Furthermore, Gartz and the other Reapers were watching from a distance.
I don't know if I can still call it "safety insensitivity" under those circumstances, but the fact remained that I was negligent.
And I never imagined that this negligence would come back to haunt me so soon.
Fwip!
The sound of something cutting sharply through the air struck my ears. I had been so distracted by the man who collapsed from a heart attack that I noticed it too late.
Was that an arrow? But before I could even react, the result manifested.
Thwack!!
"Aaargh!!"
The sound of a flying projectile hitting its mark, followed by a scream of agony. Those sounds pierced my ears.
It wasn't me, nor was it Adelia, who was by my side. It wasn't Kate, who was checking the condition of the patient on the ground.
The noise came from directly behind us—and not very far away at all.
Don't tell me...
I hurriedly turned my head. My mind instantly became a mess of thoughts, fearing that a projectile meant for me had harmed someone else.
However, it didn't take long to realize that my fear was misplaced. At the same time, I realized the projectile hadn't been aimed at me.
The reason was...
"Kh... ugh...!"
A pained groan echoed from thin air, where nothing could be seen. And there was an arrow, suspended in the empty space.
From where the arrow was lodged, crimson blood dripped—drip, drip—soaking the ground.
Looking closer, I noticed a slight distortion in the air. It was a stark contrast to Dark Elves, who can completely assimilate with space itself without any distortion.
It was Invisibility—a high-level spell specialized for infiltration and assassination. While the spell itself is relatively easy to learn, the key lies in how long one can maintain it.
Someone had used such magic to tail us without leaving a single trace.
"Isaac!"
Unlike me, who was late to grasp the situation, Adelia acted first. Though she was unarmed, she was a talent who had served as a martial arts assistant instructor alongside Nicole.
Furthermore, she had received rigorous training from her father. Subduing an assassin whose surprise attack had failed was child's play for her.
Even if she couldn't see him clearly due to the invisibility, it wasn't an issue.
As the assassin was struck by the arrow, his invisibility began to gradually unravel.
Like a drop of ink falling into clear water, the assassin's form slowly revealed itself.
Thud!
In that moment, Adelia delivered a sharp kick to his legs. The assassin, likely reeling from the shock of the arrow wound, couldn't even react.
The assailant lost his balance and tumbled to the ground. Adelia quickly moved behind him, pinning him down and pressing her knee firmly into his neck.
She used her knee instead of her hands, just as she had been taught. The assailant would find it difficult even to squirm.
"Sir Isaac! Are you alright?!"
Just as Adelia finished subduing the attacker, Kate, who had been tending to the patient, came rushing over.
Looking at her face, which was etched with urgency, she looked as if she might collapse at any moment—terrified that the worst had happened.
Fortunately, the situation she feared hadn't occurred, but it was still grave nonetheless.
I looked at Kate as she ran toward me and replied in a dazed voice.
"I-I'm fine. But..."
"Everyone, get back! Move! Now!!"
Before I could finish my sentence, Adelia shouted at the top of her lungs. It seemed she was yelling at the crowd gathering around us.
People had already gathered because of the man who collapsed from a heart attack. Moreover, we couldn't be certain there was only one assailant.
Therefore, the priority was to keep the crowd at a distance. If people were bunched together, it would create an environment for others to hide.
"Ugh...! You brat...!"
Meanwhile, the invisibility of the man Adelia had subdued had completely worn off, revealing his full appearance. I examined the man, who I presumed was a demon worshiper.
The man looked remarkably ordinary. He had plain dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a bit of dark stubble.
His physique wasn't bulky but lean—a build perfectly suited for an assassin. However, what caught my attention most was his race.
He's human?
The man was a human. Not an Elf, not a Demon, but an ordinary human.
But it didn't make sense. A human capable of using high-level magic like Invisibility would usually be treated with great respect by the state.
No matter how much progress had been made, human magic lagged far behind that of Demons or Elves.
Yet this man had used magic. And he had done so within the Academy, where magic was forbidden.
The moment magic was cast, the Academy should have detected it. How did he go unnoticed? No, how did he even enter the Academy in the first place?
My head spun as I struggled to process the situation.
If that arrow hadn't flown in and struck this man, a tragedy too horrific to put into words would have occurred.
It was my fault.
My complacency had nearly caused a terrible tragedy.
Unlike the inside of a birdcage, the world outside was far too dangerous.
"...I sense a foul aura."
Amidst my tangled confusion, Kate's voice pierced through. It carried a chill that made my skin crawl.
I snapped out of it and saw Kate looking down at the assailant with a terrifying expression. It was a mixture of rage, contempt, and loathing.
Even I felt a shiver from that gaze; I could only imagine how the assailant felt receiving it head-on.
Surprisingly, however, the man did not back down. On the contrary, he stared right back at Kate with a fierce, glaring intensity.
"O God. Grant this place the protection of Light."
Kate offered a short prayer while maintaining eye contact with the man. Immediately, a golden aura spread out from her, surrounding us.
A golden barrier made of divine power.
No one would be able to enter this space without her permission, and a demon worshiper, in particular, wouldn't even be able to get close.
Sssssss—
"Aaaaaargh!!"
Then, a startling phenomenon occurred. Smoke began to billow from the man inside the barrier.
As if meat were being seared on a greased frying pan, the man thrashed violently in agony.
While I was wondering what was happening, Kate spoke in a cold, mocking tone.
"Just as expected of a filthy demon worshiper. To think your soul would reject the blessing bestowed by Lord Luminous. You are beyond redemption, you piece of trash."
Demon worshipers are those who have sold their souls to demons or have been corrupted in exchange for power. Naturally, they would have a violent adverse reaction to divine power.
Furthermore, Kate was a Cardinal—the natural enemy of beings like demon worshipers.
Through the 'Holy Fire' created by divine power, she could even annihilate a soul. Even a simple barrier like this caused immense pain to a demon worshiper.
I watched the demon worshiper writhing in pain before cautiously asking Kate.
"Miss Kate. Is that man really..."
"Yes. He is a demon worshiper who targeted your life, Sir Isaac."
"Then what about the person who collapsed earlier?"
"There were signs of an artificially induced heart attack. This insect likely did it."
"How could they..."
I was speechless with shock. To think they would put a person's life at risk just to target me. What sin had that person committed?
Even as I stood there, mouth agape in shock, the demon worshiper continued to groan in pain.
The smoke was less than before, but the smell of burning flesh still wafted into my nose.
"Kh... ugh...!"
Eventually, as if he had grown accustomed to the pain, the man slowly raised his head. His blue eyes burned like a fierce flame.
Those eyes were filled with intense rage. Was that rage directed at me, or at something else?
But one thing was clear: this man had snuck into the Academy and targeted my life.
Even if he hadn't succeeded in taking my life, he would have eventually put me and those around me in danger.
And... all of this was because of my complacency.
Thanks to this, I finally realized.
"...What will you do now?"
"This trash is someone who trespassed into the Academy knowing the risks. There's likely no information to be gained by keeping him alive. Therefore..."
"Summary execution."
"Yes, exactly. However, since he had the audacity to target you, Sir Isaac, I won't let him die easily. I will make sure he stays alive until we reach the Order, where he will experience every agony a human can possibly endure."
I couldn't help but gulp at Kate's terrifying answer.
Usually, she was always looking for an opportunity to snatch a 'seed' from me, but right now, she looked every bit the Grand Inquisitor.
The demon worshiper must have felt the same, as he stared at Kate while breaking into a cold sweat.
Kate, meeting his gaze once more, simply wore an expression that said, 'So what?' It was the look one gives an insect they could crush at any moment.
At that, the demon worshiper grit his teeth and shouted with a look of grim determination.
"For the Father of All Things!!"
As he spoke, he opened his mouth wide, as if intending to bite off his own tongue.
Crack!!
"Gah!!"
Kate's foot slammed into his mouth, thwarting his attempt. Blood-stained white teeth fell from his mouth like corn kernels.
A single kick had shattered all his teeth. I winced as I watched the scene unfold in real-time.
I had seen many violent scenes in movies and other media in my previous life, but this was the first time I had witnessed it live. Naturally, I felt a sense of revulsion.
"What a shame. You couldn't end your life so easily. Well, even if you had bitten your tongue, I would have just brought you back to life."
"Uuuugh... uuu..."
"What should we do now?"
Adelia, who had been pinning the demon worshiper down this whole time, asked Kate.
She was using all her strength to hold him down, ensuring he couldn't try anything else.
"We have no choice but to wait for the guards. The patient who collapsed from the heart attack has stabilized, so there shouldn't be any issues."
"Understood."
"And... Sir Isaac."
"Yes?"
I flinched at Kate's call and looked at her. Unlike when she was dealing with the demon worshiper, she spoke with a bright, radiant expression.
"We should offer our thanks to the person who fired that arrow. If it weren't for them, things could have been truly dangerous."
"...Yes."
"You aren't hurt anywhere, are you?"
"No, I'm fine."
"That's a relief. I'm glad you're unhurt."
Right. I probably wouldn't have been hurt. Even if I had been distracted, Adelia would have noticed immediately.
But if that had happened, she would have been the one hurt. In the worst-case scenario, she might have lost her life.
I'm so...
Pathetic. To think I had let my guard down after only a week.
Demon worshipers weren't some story from a distant land. Safe because I was in the eye of the storm?
What does it matter if you're in the eye of the storm if everything around you is being torn apart? Besides, even the eye of the storm isn't truly safe.
I sighed as I looked at the demon worshiper, who was bleeding profusely from his mouth.
Starting today, I realized that I am never truly safe.
On the contrary, I am practically a walking hazard.
'But what did he say just now? The Father of All Things?'
Is there something more to these demon worshipers?
*
Meanwhile, around the same time. At the top of a tall cherry blossom tree along the path.
"That makes two of them."
Gartz, the man who had been watching Isaac from a distance, muttered softly as he reloaded his crossbow.
Things had gotten dangerous when Isaac was distracted by the man who suddenly collapsed, but fortunately, Gartz had taken action first and averted the crisis.
At first, he thought the collapsed man was a suicide bomber, but that wasn't the case at all. He was a decoy, and a filthy demon worshiper had been creeping up from behind.
You should be more careful.
Isaac probably had no idea, but there hadn't been just one demon worshiper targeting him today—there were two.
One was the demon worshiper currently being bound and dragged away, and the other was an Academy official.
That official hadn't planned to target Isaac directly but intended to poison his tea. Specifically, during the earlier meeting with the President.
That was a close one.
Fortunately, Gartz's side had noticed first and intercepted the threat. According to the report, the poison was added when the President had stepped out to greet Isaac.
Afterward, the official—or rather, the demon worshiper—was processed as having resigned abruptly for personal reasons, but one could guess what actually happened to him without being told.
If I tell him about today, will I finally get that signed copy back?
Gartz still hadn't received his signed copy.