Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Episode 12
Lucia felt as if the air had frozen. She couldn't even respond to Oz's cold gaze.
'What did I say?'
For a moment, Lucia couldn't even remember what she had said, so completely captivated was she by Oz. He was that intimidating.
She had vaguely known he was a dangerous person since their conversation in the carriage. But this was the first time she had seen him express such blatant displeasure. Lucia struggled to breathe, as if his cold gaze had pierced her heart.
Demi-humans possessed senses more acute than other races. This allowed them to perceive and prepare for more than others, but… it was different now. Her sharp senses, instead, paralyzed her.
"Ugh..."
Bang!
Just as Lucia was on the verge of tears from fear...
Eleanor, who should have been copying the reflection essay, burst through the classroom door.
"Huh? What are you two doing here?"
"Nothing in particular."
"Master Oz likes saying 'nothing in particular,' doesn't he?"
"Is that so?"
Lucia flinched, observing Oz casually continuing the conversation. His shift in demeanor was as quick as flipping a switch. Faster than even herself, who had received professional training as a member of Tenebris.
Lucia mentally revised her list of people to be wary of in Scientia, placing Oz right after Tia. He was a monster.
"What are you doing, Lucia?"
"L-Look, Noah, I have a cramp in my tail! I can't move~ Help me~"
"You can get cramps even though you're a cat?"
"...That's prejudice, Noah."
This wouldn't do. Lucia tried to regain her composure, but she started feeling a sense of disorientation, unable to fully blend in. And that disorientation fueled her anxiety. If this continued, Eleanor might notice something was off. A sense of discomfort could easily turn into suspicion. And suspicion could easily turn into distrust.
A single mistake could jeopardize their entire relationship. With that thought, Lucia started looking around. She needed something, anything, to help her.
"Really? I see."
But then, a slightly tearful voice brought Lucia back to her senses. She stopped looking around and focused on Eleanor.
"Wha...?"
Lucia was taken aback for a different reason. Eleanor wasn't looking at them properly.
Her eyes were brimming with tears.
'What happened while I was distracted?'
Lucia massaged her stiff tail and looked at Oz. Oz hadn't noticed the tears welling up in Eleanor's eyes. No, he seemed preoccupied with something else.
'Anger? Confusion? No, that's...'
The cold gaze and oppressive aura from earlier were gone, but Oz's demeanor was clearly strange.
'Anxiety?'
Oz was acting strangely anxious. She didn't know why. His attitude changed again right after the shift in atmosphere.
"...I'll be going back now."
"Ah, Master..."
"Later."
Oz cut Eleanor off and walked across the classroom with anxious steps. The expressions of all the students he passed hardened. Lucia could guess Oz's state. He was acting like he had before. Moving with that cold gaze that seemed to pierce through everything.
'Oh, honestly...'
Lucia felt a sense of unease. She felt fear towards Oz, who could switch his demeanor at an incredible speed despite his seeming inability to control his emotions. She felt exhausted by Eleanor's unpredictable behavior, which seemed to have been triggered by something that happened while Lucia was momentarily distracted.
There was nothing she could predict.
'I want to quit this job.'
She started contemplating a career change.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
It was dangerous. No, it still was. Dangerous. I was momentarily swept away by a torrent of emotions. It was something I couldn't have imagined myself doing normally. I was strangely immersed.
[Contemplation - Activated]
Eleanor's sudden appearance snapped me out of it, and I immediately reactivated [Contemplation] and checked the [Erosion Rate] displayed in the corner of my vision.
[Erosion Rate 20%]
20%. The maximum. Even during the fight with the assassin and amidst the magical bombardment, the [Erosion Rate] had never exceeded 20%. I didn't know why, but it seemed like the limit of erosion I could handle was 20%.
"Damn it..."
But even that 20% was enough to dilute my sense of self. I was the one approaching Eleanor with a gamer's mindset. I had no right to be angry at Lucia. Moreover, even without my intervention, Lucia would eventually become Eleanor's friend.
But I forgot that fact. In this 'world' where everything revolved around Eleanor, I acted as a person, not an actor. I shouldn't have taken the [Erosion Rate] lightly. Even if it was a fluctuating value, I never knew when I might be consumed by it.
[Erosion Rate 20%]
I thought about the absurd magic system. I thought about each character's unique skills. I thought about how the nations continued as usual despite the ridiculous situation of the sky collapsing.
[Erosion Rate 20%]
I thought about the probability of Eleanor escaping from the dangerous Chrysos alone. I thought about the setting where a single individual remained passive despite possessing national-level military power. I thought about the vastly different levels of technology in each nation. Everything was illogical.
[Erosion Rate 20%]
I absolutely couldn't accept this world. If I did, I would be swallowed whole. By Oz? Or by this world? I didn't know.
"Oh, there you are. Oz."
Suddenly, someone appeared out of nowhere and pinned me down. Neatly braided red hair brushed against me like a tail. The flow of mana was strange. Gravity magic? That thought flashed through my mind, but I quickly understood what that mana flow was. This wasn't magic, but [Dragon Language], a dragon's power that was simpler yet impossible for anyone else to replicate. Then there was only one person who could do this.
"...Headmaster?"
The [Dragon Emperor], with a wicked smile that didn't match her childlike face, was looking down at me.
"Word of your murderous glare spreading throughout the school has reached my ears, you crazy brat. You're causing trouble again even before the disciplinary meeting is over?"
"...Me?"
"Hahahaha!"
Headmaster Tia clutched her head and burst into laughter, as if in disbelief. And at that moment, I lost consciousness.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I felt the cold touch of a wooden floor. My body was tied up with something, perhaps rope. I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was a wave-like pattern on the floor. It seemed to be made of high-quality wood.
"Are you awake?"
[Contemplation - Activated]
At the chilling line, I activated [Contemplation] and looked around. I turned my head and saw Headmaster Tia sitting in an antique wooden chair, crushing a candy with her sharp teeth. As I was imagining my flesh being torn off if I was bitten by those teeth, Headmaster Tia muttered in a low voice,
"Are you going to keep those lights on in your eyes?"
[Contemplation - Deactivated]
Since my goal was to be a well-behaved student, I deactivated [Contemplation] as instructed.
"Well, go ahead and speak your mind."
"Isn't this treatment a bit harsh for a student?"
"Haha! I told you to speak your mind, not bark like a dog."
Crack!
Headmaster Tia, finally crushing the candy completely, had a vein bulging on her forehead. It wasn't the cute cross-shaped vein you saw in manga or anime. This thick, curved vein looked like that of a mafia boss enraged after losing his subordinates to a cowardly trap during a gang war.
I might actually die if I spoke carelessly.
"You little brat, you've caused multiple incidents in such a short time?"
"Yes?"
"You woke up early this morning and caused trouble with the Disciplinary Committee."
"There was a slight misunderstanding..."
"Shut up. I'm talking."
There was a cliché that Red Dragons had fiery personalities, but I thought this was a bit different. This wasn't just fiery. It was a cold, controlled rage, beyond mere fire.
"And then, what was it? Nora?"
"It's Noah."
"Right, Noah. You caused a commotion with that kid, blowing up the hallway and the classroom door?"
"That's an exaggeration. The classroom door is fine."
"The hallway?"
"..."
"The hallway, brat."
The hallway was slightly scorched because of the [Little Bomb] I set off. Just slightly. But I would die if I said that. Unlike Noah, I was a man who could read the room, at least in my head. Even if Oz's body and mouth seemed to have a mind of their own... this was homework I had to work on.
"And lastly, you walked around the hallway radiating killing intent?"
"Isn't that not really causing trouble?"
"What would you do if you saw a lunatic wielding a knife in the street?"
"I understand."
"Shut up."
My existence itself seemed to be considered a weapon. It made sense. Even though I was currently a piece of junk who could only use basic magic and a random skill, my title was still [Successor to the Mage King]. That title alone made me a strategic weapon of sorts.
"Don't you think you're being outrageous?"
"..."
"I'm asking you."
She told me to shut up when I answered, and urged me to answer when I was silent. I didn't know what she wanted.
"It just happened..."
"It just happened? It just hap-pened?! You little—Gah!"
Tia suddenly clutched the back of her neck. She should see a doctor if her anger was that hard to control.
"Ahem! I can't keep this up for long. Just shut up and listen. I'll do the talking."
"Yes..."
"Shut up."
"..."
"Good."
Crunch! Crunch!
After confirming that I had closed my mouth, Headmaster Tia created a large amount of ice with magic and shoved it into her mouth, perhaps to cool down. The ice started to get crushed like it was in an icebreaker.
"Your punishment has been decided, taking into consideration your actions during the practical exam and the minor incidents you've caused."
"Ah, yes."
"First, you'll investigate what's inside the dungeons that have recently appeared. You might even end up managing them."
"Giving such a task to a mere stu—"
I closed my mouth at her silent glare. I didn't know this before, but Headmaster Tia was more frightening when she didn't speak. It felt like she could crush my head with just her aura.
"Second, you'll join the Disciplinary Committee. It's like putting a leash on you."
I wanted to ask, but I didn't. I could clearly see what would happen if I opened my mouth this time.
"I want to give you a different punishment, but the scale of your actions, your social standing, and above all, your power, are too troublesome. Or do you want to clean the toilets like a 'mere' student, as you put it? Then you can take care of all the toilets in the entire school for two years by yourself."
That sounded awful. Besides the minor incidents I caused today, the terrorist attack I committed during the practical exam seemed to have had a major impact. Normally, I would have been expelled or forced to withdraw, but they seemed to be trying to cover it up considering my social standing and symbolic importance.
"...I'll investigate the dungeons. After confirming what's inside, can I destroy them completely?"
"If they seem to be of an appropriate difficulty, leave them be. We'll use them for practical training."
The dungeons were nothing special. Like in typical games, it was a ridiculous system where you cleared them and received unknown rewards. That fact was preventing my [Erosion Rate] from rising, but it still felt unrealistic.
"Then where... Where is it? Ah, here it is."
Headmaster Tia rummaged through her desk drawers for a while and then tossed me a small scroll. I unfurled it and saw a map of Scientia and its surroundings. It reminded me of the map from the game. There were six red dots marked on the map, which seemed to indicate the locations of the dungeons.
"This is..."
The six marked locations were familiar to me.
"Headmaster, have you been to these places before?"
"No. I'm certain they've become dungeons, but when I went to one of them, there was nothing there. I don't know if they're hiding from me or if there's something else hidden there since I haven't checked yet."
"Why didn't you check the other locations? Such important information..."
"Because of you! You brat! You've been causing trouble non-stop since before the semester even started! How am I supposed to check them all?!"
"I see..."
I nodded in understanding and got punched. Perhaps because she was being considerate, or perhaps because of Oz's defense stats, it didn't hurt much.
"Well, do you understand?"
Headmaster Tia floated up, rested her chin on my shoulder, and looked at me with narrowed eyes. She seemed interested, but also too lazy to check herself. It was an indifferent attitude.
"...I have a guess."
"Then hurry up and take care of it and report back. Don't waste time."
"It'll take at least a week."
"Yeah, do as you please."
Headmaster Tia took out a new candy and started fiddling with it. It was a sign for me to leave.
[Contemplation - Activated]
I activated [Contemplation] as soon as I left the Headmaster's office. I checked the [Erosion Rate], and it was 15%. It wasn't decreasing much this time.
"Hmm..."
The six red dots marked on the map. Headmaster Tia said there was nothing when she visited one of them. It was probably jus
t bad luck on her part. These dungeons only opened on specific days of the week. The six dots on the map were those commonly seen in games, opening only from Monday to Friday and on weekends.
[Erosion Rate 4%]
"Daily Dungeons."
A must-do course for game users to acquire various resources.