Chapter 69
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: 25. Wilderness Festival
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Dodging those who approached me like they were possessed by spirits, I slipped out of the classroom.
Pushing through the tangled crowd without any concern for who went first, I headed straight for the dormitory.
Whether it was because of yesterday's uproar or due to the festival season,
the dormitory hallway felt emptier than usual.
The servants who occasionally appeared were few and far between.
'Good.'
A wave of relief washed over me at the thought that I could reach my destination without being spotted by anyone.
Without hesitation, I stopped in front of the door at the far end of the hallway, the most secluded spot.
Knock knock.
Before entering, I gave a short knock and opened the door without waiting for a reply.
I already knew who was inside and in what state.
Still, it was just basic human courtesy to knock.
Click.
The moment I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, a thick, overpowering perfume hit my nose, numbing it.
Beneath that lingered a sharp, fishy tension that assaulted me.
I slowly scanned the room.
"…"
One side held an ordinary bed with no distinguishing features, but right next to it,
stood a lavish bed adorned with frilly lace and red velvet that caught my eye.
'What terrible taste.'
Of course, I had no intention of critiquing someone else's preferences.
It just struck me as downright tacky.
"…"
As I furrowed my brow slightly and walked toward the ostentatiously decorated bed,
a figure sat there atop it, slumped like a broken doll.
"…Eek."
The woman, who had been staring blankly into space, spotted me and shrank back on the bed.
Her abundant golden curls framed a simple dress, but all traces of her usual arrogance were gone.
She looked up at me like a frightened rabbit, shoulders hunched.
Rosalyn Belluga.
The young lady of the Belluga viscount family, the one who had tormented Hera.
But right now, before me, she was nothing more than a terrified lamb.
"If someone's there, you should respond."
"S-Sorry…"
As I took a step closer, she flinched and recoiled,
clutching the hem of her skirt tightly with trembling hands while looking up at me through damp eyes, swallowing her fear with a whimper.
Hmm.
I get that you're sorry, but…
"…A guest has arrived, yet no greeting."
I wasn't trying to scold her.
She was just reacting too sluggishly, even after I'd come all this way.
"Isn't that a bit rude?"
My casual mutter seemed to hit her like thunder,
draining the color from her face in an instant.
"…Eek."
Her trembling hands gripped and released her skirt hem repeatedly.
Then, biting her lip hard, she rose from her seat.
Swish.
She gracefully spread her skirt to the sides and bowed deeply in greeting,
like a handmaiden before a queen or a prisoner facing the executioner.
"Y-You've… arrived, Master."
"Oh? Yeah. I wasn't scolding you or anything. You know that, right?"
"O-Of course… I should have greeted you first. I'm sorry…"
She tried to steady her voice, feigning composure, but the quiver at the ends betrayed her.
I couldn't see her face with her head bowed, but her shuddering shoulders told me just how terrified she was.
'…This should be enough.'
[Absorbing negative emotion 'Fear'.]
[Absorbing negative emotion 'Despair'.]
[Absorbing negative emotion 'Humiliation'.]
"Yeah."
I nodded.
Ever since entering the room, the alerts had been blaring wildly in my ears.
Honestly, though, it was hard to extract high-quality emotions from her now.
She'd already been squeezed to her limit, leaving just an empty shell.
No matter how frantically they rang, the gains were negligible.
"That's enough. Sit."
"Th-Thank you… Master."
I gestured toward the bed with my chin, and she collapsed onto it with a sigh of relief.
Her legs seemed to give out, making her wobble pitifully, but I felt no sympathy.
She'd brought it on herself.
"Classes. You skipped them again today, didn't you?"
I pulled up a chair and sat across from her as I asked.
I'd wondered when I didn't see her; sure enough, she'd holed up in her room again.
"W-Well… I haven't been feeling well…"
She averted her eyes, mumbling an excuse in a shrinking voice.
Not feeling well, huh.
She looked perfectly fine on the outside.
'…I can guess.'
After I'd given her a light "education" for bullying Hera,
she hadn't shown up to classes.
Probably terrified of running into me.
Fair enough. After enduring soul-rending agony and red-hot iron rods scraping across her body,
it was impressive she was still sane.
Still,
"Lying is bad."
At those words, Rosalyn's pupils shook like they were caught in an earthquake.
As her breathing grew ragged and cold sweat beaded on her skin, a strange sadistic urge stirred within me.
"S-Sorry! I was wrong! Y-You're just so scary…"
"Scary? Did I eat you or something?"
Sure, I'd tormented her soul a bit, but I hadn't laid a finger on her physically.
Of course, I acknowledged mental pain could be worse than physical.
"S-Sorry! I won't lie again!"
She dropped to her knees before me, pleading desperately.
So groveling it was hard to believe this was the same Rosalyn.
She'd probably stick out her tongue if I told her to lick my shoe.
Her mind was utterly broken.
"Enough. Get up."
Seeing her like that stirred a faint pity, so
I extended a hand to help her up from the floor by the shoulder.
"And starting tomorrow, attend classes?"
Her unfocused eyes widened as she stared at me.
She looked utterly baffled, her expression blank.
What're you staring at? You dropping out?
Keep this up, and you'll get expelled.
"You made it into S-Class, so you should graduate. Right?"
"…Huh?"
"Answer."
"Y-Yes…"
I nodded in satisfaction.
Since we're already at the academy, she might as well graduate.
As long as she left Hera alone, I didn't care what else she did.
Oh, right.
"How do you address me?"
"…Master."
Hmm. Good.
Now we're communicating.
Turning my gaze from her to the center of the room,
"Tundra."
I called his name softly, and my shadow writhed at my feet before a familiar figure emerged.
"Yes, my lord!"
"Eek…!"
Tundra answered briskly as he appeared,
and she nearly screamed at the sight of him bursting from the shadow but clamped her mouth shut in haste.
She'd seen my expression sour along with her near-cry.
"Bring out Jesse."
[Oh, finally! Hey! Come out, newbie!]
Thud crash!
Something shot out from the shadow, tumbling across the floor amid a cloud of dust, revealing itself.
A man in black clothes with an expressionless face.
Jesse, Lucian's former henchman until recently.
He knelt on one knee, head bowed.
I watched the scene warmly, then turned to Tundra.
"Is the training done?"
[More than enough. He'd jump into fire at your command. I trained him properly!]
Tundra chuckled, shrugging his shoulders proudly.
No matter how loyal a subordinate or brainwashed assassin, they were still human in the end.
Subject them to endless torture and indoctrination in pitch-black darkness without sleep,
and breaking was inevitable.
I'd even considered killing and resurrecting him like Tundra or Borin.
Half-hearted ones often grew stronger that way.
But killing and reviving an academy student risked drawing attention, so I scrapped the idea.
I nodded and looked down at Jesse.
"Rise."
"Yes."
Jesse stood without protest.
His lifeless eyes fixed on me, filled not with enmity but obedience.
The man who once would chase to the ends of hell at Lucian's word
now moved like a puppet at mine.
Tundra, you outdid my expectations.
"Listen well to what we're about to discuss. I won't explain twice."
All eyes focused on me.
Rosalyn, especially, stared anxiously, unsure what was happening.
"Tomorrow night, when the fireworks start, uninvited guests will arrive."
"Uninvited guests…?"
Rosalyn asked cautiously.
"Yeah. You don't need to know who. Just think of them as annoyances."
I smirked and added,
"And our role is to welcome them."
"W-What should I do…?"
Rosalyn asked in a trembling voice.
Her face was pale with fear of getting dragged into something dangerous.
"Don't worry. Your job's simple."
I spoke gently to reassure her.
"Just move with Iris and the rest of S-Class tomorrow."
"…Huh?"
She looked puzzled.
"The entire class…? Why…"
"Don't ask why. Just do as you're told."
"And when Jesse gives the signal, come to the location I'll tell you."
She nodded blankly, uncomprehending but too scared to defy me.
"Jesse. Stay by Rosalyn and protect her."
"Understood."
"Oh, and one more thing."
I paused, glancing toward the door.
It was about time.
The quiet room hung in silence.
As everyone's gazes followed mine to the door,
Knock knock.
A rough, heavy knock broke the stillness.
"Come in."
Click.
With the turn of the doorknob,
the door swung open, revealing a familiar silhouette standing against the hallway light.
"…What is it. You really meant it, Master?"
A red-haired woman strode in, grumbling,
her bursting maid uniform taut but her gait bold as a general on the battlefield—Imir.
She scratched her head irritably and stood naturally by my side,
but their eyes didn't linger on her sudden appearance.
They were fixed behind her, still on the doorway.
Another presence was slowly entering the room.
Step. Step.
With steady footsteps,
another figure emerged from the shadows.
"…Huh?"
A deflating sound escaped Rosalyn's lips unwittingly,
her pupils dilating in disbelief.
[Huh? M-My lord? What's that?]
Tundra couldn't hide his confusion either.
It was understandable.
The man entering through the open door
had ash-gray hair and dead-fish eyes devoid of life.
Even the lazy, sinister smile on his lips.
He was identical to me, not a single detail different.
Another Evan Dreadnote stood there.
[Uh… My lord, you don't have a secret twin brother or anything, do you?]
Tundra rubbed his eyes, glancing back and forth between our faces,
his mouth agape wide enough for a fly to enter.
"Don't worry. They're both me."
It was a new skill gained when the Dark Grimoire, in its lull, leveled up once more.