Chapter 65
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: 25. Wasteland Festival
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"...kill her."
"Wait... she's out cold so easily..."
Sabak.
A faint presence.
And the dimly audible voices of men.
After an exhausting day and the festival's aftermath, Iris had fallen into a deeper sleep than usual. Her consciousness surged to the surface.
"..."
Realizing something was wrong, she didn't rashly open her eyes.
Keeping her breathing steady as if still deep in slumber, she focused all her senses on her hearing.
...Three.
The footsteps echoing down the corridor were exceedingly soft, but they couldn't fool her senses sharpened to the extreme.
Above all, what had woken her was the sticky killing intent seeping through the door.
Those harboring clear malice were now...
Standing right in front of her room door.
Since enrolling in the academy, she didn't think she'd done anything to earn such hatred.
Who could they be? And why target her of all people?
She pondered briefly before reaching one conclusion.
She had completely forgotten about the minor clash she'd had recently.
They weren't planning to let it slide after all.
Those seniors who had picked a fight under the pretext of maintaining discipline.
When she saw the venom in their eyes as they fled in pathetic defeat, matching their meager skills...
She had expected revenge someday, but not like this.
...Pathetic.
She sneered inwardly at them.
But what surprised her was...
Fewer numbers than expected?
With that much killing intent, she figured they'd come in a swarm. Just three?
Underestimating her? Or were these guys that confident in their skills?
Click.
Kiiik.
Lost in thought, the firmly locked doorknob turned silently.
It looked professional—something they'd done more than once or twice, by her judgment.
"It's open."
"I'll take the rear. You go in first."
Hearing their whispers, Iris wasted no more time.
She quietly lifted the blanket, shaping a pillow to mimic a body.
Then slithered under the bed like a snake.
Thud. Thud.
The door opened, and three masked men entered the room.
In the pitch-black darkness, they exchanged glances before unhesitatingly raising their weapons toward the bed.
"Begin."
With the whisper...
Thwack! Pow!
Without waiting for each other, they mercilessly smashed down with blunt weapons.
Feathers flew from the savage blows laced with faint auras, and the bed frame groaned in protest.
It was a murderous assault that could have gravely injured an ordinary person.
"...Huh?"
But there was no scream or the sensation of crunching bone they anticipated.
All their weapons met was the disappointingly soft give of cotton.
Whoosh!
"She's gone!"
"...No way."
Their panicked voices scattered into the darkness.
Pulling back the blanket revealed only the mangled pillow lying there. As they stared dumbfounded...
Swish.
Iris slid out from under the bed.
She rose silently behind them like a shadow and spoke coldly.
"Who might you be looking for in the dead of night?"
"...Gasp!"
The sudden woman's voice from behind made them jump in terror.
They whipped around hastily, but it was already too late.
Bam!
Where their eyes landed was her in frilled nightclothes.
And at that instant, Iris's sharp kick perfectly struck the nearest man's jaw.
"Guhk...!"
Crack.
A single blow.
The clean, efficient strike felled him without a scream, eyes rolling back as foam bubbled from his mouth.
"You bitch...!"
With the ambush failed, the remaining two swung their weapons frantically.
But to her now-awake eyes, their movements looked like slow motion.
Full of openings.
She easily ducked the sword, slipping into the now-exposed one's guard.
Whip! Thwack!
A whip-crack explosion rang out.
"...?"
Somehow, the one who swung clutched his nose and staggered.
Dark red liquid seeped between his fingers.
"...What, what the hell? What is this, shit!"
He just stupidly repeated himself, blood streaming from his nose.
The other, swinging wildly to keep her at bay, yelled at his comrade.
"Snap out of it, you idiot! Watch the front...!"
Unfortunately, before his warning registered...
She elegantly swung her hand again. Heavy mana surged along the soft arc toward his face.
Smack!
"Urk!"
A impact like a hammer to the forehead, blood spraying.
The man toppled backward.
Thud.
She kicked the still-conscious one against the wall.
Then turned to the last.
"Now it's just you."
"...Monster bitch!"
He hadn't expected his comrades to drop so pathetically in seconds.
The last man looked utterly demoralized, backing away bit by bit.
Impossible. No way!
"You're not those seniors from before. Where are you from?"
Iris approached slowly, asking.
Her eyes had sunk cold as the midnight sea.
"Kuh..."
"Not talking? Can't be helped, then."
She didn't care if he spoke.
Whoever sent them, whatever the goal...
They came to kill, so down they go.
Without giving him a chance to reply...
She kicked off the floor and charged.
"W-Wait...!"
Boom!
His plea vanished into her fist.
The merciless punch to the face knocked him out cold.
Iris brushed back her disheveled hair and looked down at the sprawled trio.
"...My room's a mess."
Glancing at the wrecked bed, a flicker of regret crossed her eyes.
If midnight guests were coming unannounced, she wished they were more than these small-time thugs...
"Haa."
With a sigh, she began tying them up slowly.
+ +
In truth, she hadn't thought deeply about it before.
But now that it was reality, one thing piqued her curiosity.
Random events.
Those abrupt, user-unfriendly system prompts with no set date.
Back then, it was just a game, so she ignored them.
Fussing over them would've been ridiculous anyway.
No explanations in the game or lore.
But now was different.
This was stark reality.
So where the hell did they come from?
Drag drag drag.
Leaving the dorm and hauling the two burly men to the deserted rear garden wasn't hard.
They were bulky, sure, but nothing too tough.
"...They could've just walked. Did you have to drag them like luggage?"
"Should've woken up before I moved them."
"Fuck... No matter what I said, you wouldn't listen!"
Was that so?
"Let's skip the trivial stuff."
"You goddamn..."
Ignoring the grumbling one.
I approached where he sat, crouching slowly.
Yank!
I pulled off his mask.
If we're talking face-to-face, might as well know what he looks like.
His eyes widened in surprise at the sudden reveal.
"...Kuh."
But he seemed to accept it as inevitable.
No big resistance. Wouldn't change anything anyway.
"Alright, spill what you know. Who sent you?"
"...Told you. My lips are sealed. Kill me instead?"
Zeke turned his head, refusing.
Better to stay silent if talking or not meant death either way.
At least avoid the traitor label. For various reasons.
...That's what he's thinking, huh.
"Fine? You want to make it hard?"
I don't care either way.
If anything, more experiments to try. Lucky me.
"Y-You... what are you gonna do?"
His eyes shook seeing dark red energy waft like haze from my fingertips.
Talked tough, but chickening out now?
"Nothing much. Just kneading your brain a bit."
"...What!?"
Before I finished, my hand was already on his crown.
Vmmm.
Mana from the ring flowed through my hand into Zeke's head.
His eyes bulged in terror, body convulsing like a leaf.
"Wh-What is... ugh, urk...!"
He tried to scream, but only metallic gurgles escaped, jaw locked.
Just beastly groans bubbling from deep in his throat, muffled.
His terrified eyes met mine. I explained kindly.
"Figured it'd be noisy, so I paralyzed you."
"Really wanna talk? Blink up and down. Got it?"
Crunch.
Fingers dug into his scalp, touching brain directly.
The squelchy, gross feel made me grimace unwittingly.
"Feels creepy every damn time."
"Mmph!! Mmph!!"
Same for him, probably.
Wish I could just yank memories without this nasty work.
No such convenient spell in my arsenal, alas.
Sheesh.
Memory alteration exists, but not reading? Figures.
Irritated as I stirred, but can't make what doesn't exist.
Primitive method it is, ugly as it looks.
"Continuing?"
"Mmmph!!"
Tears welling, Zeke's eyes shook frantically up and down for mercy.
Less than five minutes in.
+ +
"Who?"
"L-Lucian... Lord Lucian! Cough cough!"
Amid ragged breaths and near-sobs, he forced the words out.
Desperate not to get his brain rummaged again.
"Hm."
I nodded slowly at Zeke's battered face.
Credit where due—he answered.
But one issue.
...Who's that?
No clue who this Lucian Zeke mentioned was.
Not like Leon popping up from the original story.
No such name among The Glory's notable characters either.
"Who's he?"
"Cough cough... What?"
"Who, I said."
"...?"
"...?"
Gagging, he looked up at me incredulously.
As if saying, You don't know Lord Lucian?
Hey, if I don't know, what can I do?
"Whatever. Why."
"...You really don't know? Lord Lucian, second son of the Hellent Marquess House?"
"Ah."
Hellent Marquess House...?
Rings a vague bell.
I dimly recalled such a family in the kingdom.
But a second son named Lucian?
"..."
Honestly, no idea.
I didn't memorize details on minor nobodies.
"No clue."
Zeke gaped at my flat response.
"Y-You uncultured swine...! Lord Lucian is one of the top reps of second-year S-Class and a leading candidate for next student council president!"
...So who's that?