Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Chapter 23
I couldn't help but mutter as I looked at the two girls (or what was left of them) sprawled on the ground.
“This is strange. Why aren’t they improving?”
“…I think Prince Oz’s teaching methods are strange.”
“And you’re saying this now, after staying silent during the whole thing?”
Lucia, arms crossed, looked down at the two collapsed figures and quietly nitpicked. If she thought my teaching methods were strange, why didn’t she stop me earlier? I thought everyone did this.
“M-Master’s standards are strange. I should have known from the time you used magic on yourself…”
“…You did that?”
Lucia muttered with a horrified expression.
“No, it’s not wrong, but saying it like that is misleading.”
What I did was merely an experiment. It was an experiment that had to be done, and the pain was bearable. Considering what was to come, this level of sacrifice was something I had to endure.
“I don’t see what’s misleading…? Just hearing that tells me how Oz has lived his life.”
Lived my life? I haven’t even been in this world for a year yet.
As expected, it was difficult to make her understand without explaining the 'Outer Beings.'
Unfortunately, I had to bear this false accusation.
“First, could you get these out of my sight?”
“…Of course Oz shouldn’t clean them up himself, but isn’t your choice of words a bit much?”
“What’s wrong with them?”
“Well, that… Never mind.”
Eleanor shouldn't be struggling this much over something so trivial. If she wanted to avoid being hurt as much as possible in the events to come, she couldn't afford to be this helpless.
I hoped she would at least realize the Key she possessed.
Even with my full support, there were limits. I didn’t want her to become a useless idiot.
“I need to make them presentable within a week.”
Eleanor wouldn’t make it unless she changed her temperament. As for Baekyang, she didn't even consider approaching me. I didn’t know if she was traumatized by the last incident, but it wasn't a good habit for a guardian. She was the wall of the party. If she crumbled, everyone crumbled. Even if our relationship was temporary, I couldn't just stand by and watch, considering her connection to the Goblin Forest.
“…For the time being, I’ll try to handle this somehow, so why don’t you take a break from your duties?”
“Lucia.”
“…….”
“You remember what I said, right?”
“Of course…”
“Then I’ll leave it to you for now.”
Based on [Contemplation], there were no lies. At least Lucia wouldn’t try to manipulate Eleanor. Then it was fine. A professionally trained soldier from the Empire would be a much better teacher than someone like me, whose knowledge was based solely on the game.
Surprisingly, the second chapter of the main story began while Tia was still at Scientia. This meant that even under the protection of the [Dragon Emperor], the safest place possible, it was difficult to completely prevent this incident.
Then, who could push the [Dragon Emperor], hailed as the strongest being in the world, to such an extent?
There weren't many beings in the world who could rival her.
At least among those I knew, excluding a few of the 'Outer Beings,' there were only three.
The [Death King], the [Demon King], and the [Yokai King].
Yes, ‘Kings.’
If they didn't lead a nation or territory, they wouldn't be able to stand against Tia in the first place. In terms of individual power, none of them could defeat Tia.
But they were considered formidable opponents because they never left their advantageous positions and commanded their subordinates from afar.
Of course, if the opponent set foot in Tia's territory, their chances of winning were nonexistent.
Yes, usually nonexistent.
But that was only considering brute force. This opponent dared to step into the [Dragon Emperor]’s territory.
“It would be good to get a look at him beforehand.”
That was Thanatos, the Key Person and the [Death King] appearing in the main story’s Chapter 2. He would cause trouble again in the future, so it was best to see him in advance. He would cause an incident in his search for the reason behind Tia's obsession with Scientia, and Eleanor would get caught up in the aftermath.
So how would he set foot in Tia's territory?
Scientia had a fairly powerful barrier. Even the [Death King] couldn't break through that magic in a short amount of time. And the moment the barrier was touched, Tia would notice and take action. Therefore, Thanatos had no choice but to attack from the inside. He was playing tricks from within, just like Tia had warned me.
Scientia's interior was vulnerable. This was due to Tia’s arrogance, believing she could handle anything a student might do.
Of course, no student possessed the power to threaten Tia.
“Nice to meet you, Daughter of Death.”
“……?”
Tia rarely investigated the students she admitted into her territory. It was a result of her confidence. There were no beings who could pose a threat to her, and even if there were a student with such power, there was no need to investigate. A person with that level of skill couldn't possibly be unknown.
Of course, there might be hidden masters.
But even if there were, would they be used as mere pawns?
Using and discarding such talent would be highly inefficient.
That was why Tia didn't take any special measures.
Because of that prejudice, she hadn’t investigated Eleanor and didn't care about the infiltration of the Empire’s intelligence agency, Tenebris.
Regardless of their identities, they couldn’t pose a threat to her.
Of course, if Tenebris crossed the line, she would immediately turn the Empire into a sea of fire. She hated anyone playing tricks in her territory.
[Contemplation– Activated]
And there was one being who was taking advantage of that gap.
A gloomy girl with black hair tied in pigtails and dark gray eyes was sitting on a bench, looking up at the sky. She was the one who hadn't moved among the three powerful presences I felt during the practical training.
“Do you mind if I sit next to you?”
“…….”
[KP Death King (Erosion)]
Marie Sistus
A famous and talented individual known throughout the world. A genius considered the best among the children of the [Death King], known as Sistus. Who would have imagined such a being would be used as a mere pawn?
Was it even conceivable that someone would use and discard their own successor, practically their own child?
“What are you looking at?”
“…….”
I asked Marie, who was staring intently at the sky with her head raised, but there was no answer. Honestly, I didn't know what she was thinking. In the second chapter of the main story, she only appeared wearing a black hood, and she didn't have any lines.
“…….”
Had she received orders from the [Death King]? I tried talking to her several times, but she didn't respond. She just stared blankly at the sky, like a doll.
“…The sky.”
Just as I was about to get up from the bench, having received no response despite my repeated attempts to talk to her, Marie suddenly spoke. Her timid voice sounded somewhat plaintive, which was unsettling.
“The sky here is clear and beautiful.”
“…….”
“The clouds, the sun, and above all, that clear blue color is truly beautiful… So, I was looking at it. They didn’t exist where I lived.”
“O-oh, I see.”
She spoke quite fluently. Was she a better speaker than me? I still activated [Contemplation] whenever someone tried to talk to me. That way, the person trying to talk to me would often shut up and go away, which was convenient.
“You resemble that girl. Everyone avoids me, but you suddenly approached me as if it was nothing.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“A girl with strange ideas… Her name was…”
“Noah?”
“Yes, I think that was her name.”
I knew it. The only person in this academy with stranger ideas was Eleanor.
By the way, being compared to Eleanor was quite humiliating.
“She suddenly talked to me and tied my hair like this.”
Marie said, fiddling with her pigtails. Eleanor’s behavior patterns were truly unpredictable.
Originally, there shouldn't have been any connection between them, so was this a butterfly effect caused by my rampage? Perhaps because I fought Gerard instead of Eleanor.
In any case, the result wasn’t bad.
Eleanor had been getting beaten up by me since this morning.
So that meant she didn’t tie Marie’s hair today.
If Marie usually kept this hairstyle, it meant she liked the hairstyle Eleanor gave her.
“If you see her again, could you say hello for me?”
“Do it yourself.”
When I rejected Marie's suggestion without a second thought, she widened her eyes in surprise. Aside from anything else, I didn’t want to see Eleanor’s smug, triumphant expression. The only Eleanor-related favors I would do outside of the main story were those asking me to subdue her when she was causing trouble.
“…I’ll try.”
Even until the moment I met Marie, I hadn’t decided what to do with her. She was destined to die in the original story after serving her purpose, so it would have been easier to just kill her off early. It would have been a simple matter if I reported her to Tia. Tia would expel Marie from Scientia, and having become useless, Marie would be abandoned by the [Death King] and die.
Since Marie was the [Death King]’s pawn, intending to harm Scientia, Tia wouldn’t leave her alone. She was a dragon who liked the potential of humans, but she was utterly ruthless when it came to intrusions into her territory. It was rarer for her to spare someone’s life.
It would be too late after the incident. Tia would kill Marie.
But it was also awkward to report and expel Marie before she did anything. In the end, she would be killed by the [Death King]. And Tia wouldn't care about anything that happened outside her territory.
“Decide what you want to do in the future for yourself.”
“…….”
I left those words for Marie and got up from the bench. I didn’t care whether she accepted them as they were or misinterpreted them. I decided against eliminating Marie. So, I would aim for the opposite.
Taking her away from the [Death King] wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Since she was partially eroded by the [Death King], she possessed fairly high stats. Probably SSR rank.
Of course, if I acted on my own again like last time, I might actually get my head ripped off this time.
I should inform Tia… but after making some arrangements. That is, I needed to create a situation where Tia could choose to save Marie and screw over the [Death King].
“…This will be busy.”
I hadn’t made this decision out of some pathetic feeling like pity. I didn’t intend to be that sentimental.
When I looked at Marie through [Contemplation], I made eye contact with someone residing within her.
『He seems like someone worth collecting after death. It would be good to retrieve him this time.』
The eyes of the [Death King], not Marie.
The [Death King]’s eyes were looking down at me, evaluating me. As if I wouldn't know anything, his crescent-shaped eyes looked down on me.
That arrogant bastard…
“How infuriating.”
Who was he looking at?
So, just… yes, just because.
Just to show that bastard [Death King] how utterly infuriating it felt.
I was already looking forward to seeing his expression when his plan was shattered.
[Erosion Rate 27%]
The arrogant [Death King]’s plan would fail.
I would make sure of it.
I wouldn’t allow him a single benefit. He would fail before he even discovered what Tia was hiding, before he could even guess the reason for her obsession with Scientia.
The midterm exams were fast approaching. I barely remembered attending any classes, but the exams were already here.
“How did this happen…?”
My heart ached when I heard that Professor Aira had been incredibly energetic while I was hospitalized.
Meanwhile, Eleanor and Baekyang had decided to correct their bad habits. Of course, we would have to do joint training with everyone since the exams were approaching, but it would probably be fine. Arietta's support abilities were unparalleled. And I had [Contemplation], so we wouldn't lose unless something extraordinary happened.
“Oz, you’re surprisingly busy.”
“Could you please leave out the ‘surprisingly,’ Arietta?”
Saying that made me sound like a jobless bum. I had a pretty busy schedule after work.
I had delegated the training to Lucia, so that was fine, but there were many things I had to prepare.
“I heard you were working for Headmaster Tia. I heard it was dangerous, was it alright?”
“It wasn’t bad for me, so it's fine.”
First, the daily dungeons had been completely transferred to my jurisdiction. Tia, who also found the daily dungeons troublesome, smiled with satisfaction when I offered to manage them. The stiff feeling around my neck when we talked was scary. In any case, I was able to consistently visit the daily dungeons and collect a lot of Fragment of Prana.
[Mana Dominator Lv. 1]
Exp: 147/200
[Spatial Barrier Lv. 1]
Exp: 1/300
Thanks to that, I had gained a lot of experience for [Mana Dominator].
It would have been better to invest in a survival skill like [Spatial Barrier] rather than a luck-based skill like that, but it couldn’t be helped.
How could I resist such curiosity?
I was too curious to see how it would change when it leveled up.
“Your performance as a member of the Disciplinary Committee has been impressive lately. I was surprised to see you taking it so seriously.”
“It couldn’t be helped since a certain troublemaker kept causing incidents.”
Needless to say, that troublemaker was Eleanor. Thanks to her, I earned nearly 3 credits in this short period. In exchange, or perhaps not, Eleanor would automatically fail if she messed up the midterm exams.
“Even so, I heard many people saw you patrolling. You’re surprisingly shy.”
“…Anything I say here will be interpreted that way, so let’s just go with that.”
“Heheh.”
See? She was already pushing it in that direction. For the record, the patrols Arietta was thinking of were the result of me running around to thwart the [Death King]’s plan. The [Death King] was using Marie to carve formulaic inscriptions with his traces, such as blood and flesh, throughout the academy.
Since the inscriptions were made with life force, they weren’t detectable by mana.
It was natural that Tia hadn’t noticed.
Of course, to me, with [Contemplation], it was just a transparent trick.
“Excuse me, Oz. Could I ask you a favor?”
“Yes? Ah… yes, that’s fine.”
As I was inwardly mocking the [Death King], Arietta suddenly spoke to me apologetically. I had completely dropped honorifics, but Arietta still insisted on using them.
“About the party… the freshman party. I’m scheduled to offer prayers at Headmaster Tia's request.”
Arietta continued, her expression filled with apology and guilt.
I already knew. Eleanor had mentioned it before. As a Saintess belonging to the church, she was bound to be busy.
“It seems like the Disciplinary Committee will be short-staffed that day, so would it be alright if you helped out with their duties? If you're free, of course.”
“I don’t like crowded places anyway, so you don't have to worry about it, Arietta. I’ll patrol that day.”
“Ah… T-that’s… not what I meant… No, thank you.”
Arietta flustered, waving her hands, then accepted with a look of guilt. She was probably feeling bad that I wouldn't be able t
o attend the once-in-a-lifetime freshman party. Eleanor had invited me to hang out with her if I was free, but she had many friends, so it would be fine. The condition was ‘if I was free’ anyway…
“Ouch! It hurts… I-I wasn’t trying to lie…”
But she looked too distressed. Anyone would think she had committed a grave sin.