The Senior's True Face
Eisen’s eyes trembled as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His hand shook violently as he gripped the hilt of his sword. Soon the tremors spread through his entire body. He stared ahead with a frozen gaze.
The senior he had genuinely respected and admired. The senior whose very existence had filled a mage with awe. The fact that this man had now openly revealed his true colors right before his eyes… Eisen seemed utterly unable to accept it. And on top of that, Licht wasn’t even trying to hide that he was the mastermind behind everything. It looked like Eisen simply couldn’t comprehend it.
“Senior Licht… what on earth…!”
His eyes and face said it all—shock, confusion, and a deep sense of betrayal. Eisen’s trembling voice carried every ounce of that pain.
But what answered his shaking was nothing more than the same gentle smile Licht always wore. Still wearing that kind, friendly expression, Licht opened his mouth.
Eisen’s face turned deathly pale. The words that had just left Licht’s mouth were practically a confession that he was the mastermind. I could almost hear the sound of Eisen’s heart shattering.
Watching from behind, I clicked my tongue softly.
So naïve. That’s exactly why you shouldn’t trust people so easily.
I shifted my gaze to Licht, wondering who exactly was backing him. The possibilities I had in mind were the Magic Tower and the professors. Just what kind of big shot in the Magic Tower could orchestrate a plan like this? Someone who could adjust schedules and even control group assignments. At the very least, it had to be someone with that level of authority.
Guess I’ll test the waters.
“So… which part of the Magic Tower—!”
I was about to ask in a relaxed tone when I noticed the shadow at my feet twisting grotesquely. Then a massive skeletal soldier—at least twice my height—burst out from the ground. It raised a foot made of bone fragments.
Fast.
I could have dodged it easily if I wanted to. But for some reason, I felt like playing along with Licht’s rhythm just this once.
Fine. I’ll take the hit.
The skeletal soldier drove its raised foot straight into my abdomen. I willingly relaxed my body and let the impact hit me.
Thud—!
A heavy impact rang out, and my body was helplessly sent flying backward.
Boom!!
I slammed into the rough cavern wall, kicking up a thick cloud of dust. I slid down limply, completely limp. To sell the effect, I deliberately bit the tip of my tongue just enough to let a trickle of blood drip from the corner of my mouth.
“Eros!” “M-Master…!”
Eisen and Lise both shouted my name, but I stayed perfectly still, deliberately keeping silent. Licht burst into a delighted laugh and spread both arms wide.
Jet-black energy began pouring out of Licht’s body, staining the dungeon floor pitch black.
Squelch. Crack. Crunch!
…It feels like a swamp?
That was the first thought that crossed my mind. The energy Licht had spread seemed to possess the same sticky, marsh-like properties as a swamp in the woods. A disgusting, wet squelching sound proved it.
“Come forth, my lovely children.”
The moment he spoke, countless white bones and rotting corpses began rising from the ground. Even a rough count put the number well over five hundred.
…And this guy was supposedly just a third-year academy student?
Watching the endless stream of skeletons rising, I felt a chill run down my spine. Necromancers were shunned by society and rarely revealed themselves. But there were records. And the kind of necromancer who could command hundreds of undead like Licht was doing right now… that was not an achievement an academy student could possibly reach.
Once we were completely surrounded, Lise moved first. But instead of charging at Licht, she rushed toward me. Her eyes were trembling. She radiated uncontrollable killing intent as she plunged straight into the horde of undead.
Crunch. Crack.
Every time her sword drew a crescent arc or a sharp trajectory, skeletons shattered and bone fragments rained down. She sliced through the neck of a charging ghoul, then twisted her blade to smash another skeleton aside. She narrowly deflected a rusty spear from a skeletal knight that came flying at her.
Lise moved with graceful fluidity, as if she were dancing with her sword. Every time the mana stone on her blade flashed, her hands moved in perfect harmony. The rotten bodies of the undead were sliced apart helplessly, and a mountain of bone fragments piled up beneath her feet.
Even while watching Lise’s dazzling display, Licht simply smiled with leisure. He looked genuinely entertained.
He muttered with a sneer.
A massive hand made of bone burst from the ground like a snake, aiming for Lise’s ankle. She instinctively leaped to dodge, but that was exactly what Licht had been waiting for. Skeleton archers had already taken aim at her mid-air position, making evasion impossible.
Swish, swish, swish.
The skeleton archers unleashed a volley of arrows all at once. Lise twisted her waist desperately and swung her sword to deflect them, but the overwhelming barrage was too much. She couldn’t block them all.
“Ugh…!”
One arrow grazed her shoulder, spraying blood into the air. The moment she groaned in pain and tried to land—
A giant skeleton seized the opening, clasped both hands together, and slammed them down.
Clang!
Lise dropped to one knee and held her sword horizontally like a shield, barely managing to block the strike. But her broken stance and the overwhelming numbers proved too much. She was forced to the ground. Just as she bit her lip and tried to stand again, dozens of skeletons swarmed her, pinning her limbs and completely subduing her.
“…Lise!”
Eisen shouted. He had been fighting desperately while protecting Eltemiya. The sight of Lise being overpowered filled his eyes with rage. The aura flowing along his longsword began to flicker and gradually take shape.
“U-Uaaaaah!!”
Eisen gripped his sword with both hands and swung with all his might. The thick trail of aura swept around him, reducing the surrounding undead to dust.
“How dare you.”
Eisen charged straight at Licht. The undead blocking his path were helplessly scattered by his sword energy. Every swing of his blade sent at least two skeletons clattering to the floor in pieces. Ghouls were torn apart by his overwhelming aura. True to his reputation as a genius, there wasn’t a single wasted movement or moment of hesitation in his actions.
Perfect posture. The signature powerful swordsmanship of the Einhardt family. And raw talent.
But even as the blue beast charged toward him, Licht remained completely unfazed. He simply smiled with ease.
Snap.
He flicked his fingers. From one corner of the swamp, something like mud began to gather and form a bizarre shape. Soon, a massive flesh golem rose from the ground. It sounded as if countless vengeful spirits were screaming from within it.
The moment he spoke, the flesh golem stepped in front of Eisen. Eisen snorted and raised his aura. With a light motion, he unleashed a cross-shaped slash at the golem. There was a wet splat as the golem’s body was torn into four pieces.
But the flesh golem simply oozed back together in a grotesque manner and wrapped itself around Eisen’s sword.
“W-What is this…!”
Eisen flinched in surprise and tried to pull his sword free, but the sticky mass of the flesh golem began to suck him in instead. In a real fight, even the slightest opening could mean defeat.
Four skeletons raised their swords and swung. Eisen hastily abandoned his weapon and tried to retreat, but hands of the dead burst from the ground and seized his ankles.
Bang!
Several clubs slammed into him. Eisen raised both arms and poured aura into his defense, but he couldn’t completely dissipate the impact. He coughed up blood and tumbled roughly across the floor. Breathing heavily within the choking cloud of dust, he struggled to lift his head.
But dozens of rusty spears and swords were already pointed at his throat.
“Eisen!!”
Eltemiya screamed from the corner. Ever since Licht had left her side, she had been completely exposed. After being relentlessly pushed back, she had been driven into a corner. Even a dragonkin had to stand still to cast spells. While her natural physical resistance let her endure most blows and continue chanting, that only worked against blunt impacts. Dozens of spears and swords left her with no options.
As if to prove his joy, Eltemiya soon screamed as she was surrounded and subdued by skeletons. Licht laughed with pure delight. He laughed loudly, without restraint.
Before long, the dungeon cavern was filled with the sound of clattering bones and the stench of rotting flesh.
That was when Licht stopped laughing. He tilted his head at a grotesque angle and looked at me. Wearing an ecstatic expression, he spoke in a sticky, syrupy voice.
With eyes and an expression full of rapture, he beckoned to me.
…Well, I had more or less figured it out already.
Even during the fight, he had kept glancing at me, flashing excited smiles. He kept trying to show me more, as if he were proudly displaying his accomplishments. Like a child seeking praise.
He called me a noble being. Looking into those mad eyes and that expression, that was the thought that came to mind.
What a crazy bastard. Him too.
Despite my inner thoughts, I casually brushed the dust off my clothes and stood up as if nothing had happened. As if it really had been nothing at all.
At this point, I could clearly see what he was thinking.
“…E-Eros, you—!”
Eltemiya’s shout told me everything. The look in her eyes revealed the misunderstanding she held about me.
I walked slowly, taking in the surroundings. I passed by Lise, who was still pinned down by skeletons. She looked confused as well. Her expressions had become quite varied lately.
“Right this way.”
Licht gestured to a seat made entirely of bones. He knelt before it like a fanatic, welcoming me.
In me, he saw a vampire—an inhuman existence.