Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: To the Room of Truth
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Rozarine gazed ahead with weary eyes. Dark circles drooped all the way to her cheeks, and her gaze lacked focus.
She looked utterly exhausted, but that hardly mattered right now. What caught her eye were two figures.
A man with black hair clad in a black robe, and a woman with silver hair and crimson eyes.
Her sharp memory recognized them instantly. Or rather, there was no way she could forget the man.
"Again?"
And rightly so—the man was the very reason for her current state. A human who dragged storms in his wake.
It had started with the assault, then spiraled into dragging Justitia's central incident along with him.
Thanks to him, work never ended these days. She'd gone five straight days without sleep just cleaning up the mess.
"Was the Maldives boring?"
Still, she was the chairman. It was her position to handle such incidents, and she'd done her best. But with yet another crisis brewing, she'd shipped him off far away to prevent more trouble.
Using her own funds, no less. She'd ensured he couldn't set foot in Justitia for a full three weeks—
"So why are you here?"
Why was he here? Rozarine's eyes darted sharply.
A man who appeared like a ghost whenever trouble struck, now draped in a robe he wouldn't normally wear, visibly startled and on guard the moment he spotted her.
"You."
It took less than a second to assess the situation, piece together the clues, and reach a conclusion.
"You're here to hunt vampires."
How? That didn't matter. Rozarine pondered what to do with the man before her.
She'd spent a fortune banishing him, and now he'd returned to stir up more chaos.
The old Rozarine wouldn't have hesitated—she'd have killed him on the spot. Student or not, anything in her way got removed.
If problems arose, she eliminated the source. If monsters rampaged, she'd wipe out the dungeon. If cultists ran wild, she'd storm their lair. That was Rozarine.
But now...
—Absolutely not!!
—Do you think it's acceptable for the chairman to lay hands on a student?!
—Lady Rozarine, you are Justitia's pillar. Get a grip.
After decades as chairman, she'd mellowed a bit. She couldn't just kill a student, could she?
'Probably.'
Yeah, probably not. Rozarine nodded as she eyed the man. Of course, she had no intention of killing him. Or at least...
That aside, her anger was boiling over naturally. Mana seeped out, infused with her will.
A mere flicker of rage, nothing more—and yet the mana pouring from her pressed down on them heavily.
She could see them flinching even from afar.
It made sense, really. Out of billions, only five had ever reached grand archmage.
A realm no ordinary person could touch even in reincarnation. The sheer power of such beings spoke for itself.
"Yes. I've decided."
And the woman at that pinnacle smiled. Her thoughts had aligned in her mind.
The leaking mana purified, returning to its master, swirling within her body.
'The demon search turned up nothing recently.'
Vampires might slink about in daylight occasionally, but they couldn't have infiltrated as students.
Which meant he was human. Human, but displeasing. Yet she couldn't kill him.
So what then? Only one option left.
"Character verification."
Was he really here for vampires? Or colluding with them? Who knew?
It wasn't arbitrary. It was a perfectly logical conclusion.
They'd fallen into her trap, just like the vampires.
'Half-dead should be fine, right?'
That was reasonable too.
"Answer only what I ask."
He nodded at Rozarine's words. His face screamed displeasure, but what choice did he have?
One wrong word, and he'd be done for.
Given her volatile temper, the best move was to play along quietly and slip out of this mess.
He had no idea why she was furious or what her deal was. But one thing was crystal clear.
You didn't mess around with a grand archmage. This wasn't like with Yi Si-woo.
With him, there was Isia as a solid safety net. Not here.
Rozarine would raze Justitia itself if it irked her. A flick of her finger could cleave a mountain. Mess with her? Insane.
Best to just do as she said. What was there to lose? Nothing. He was innocent.
A fine, upstanding citizen.
"You okay?"
There was a pureblood vampire behind him, but no issue. All good. Do as told, then leave.
[Daddy.]
"Oppa."
A voice came from inside the robe, so he slipped a hand in to pat her head reassuringly.
As he steeled himself, a blue window popped up, warping his vision.
His altered vision revealed a single barrier. It blended seamlessly with the surroundings, hard to detect.
But he knew. This was a barrier only Rozarine, with her spatial affinity, could deploy.
She'd probably cast it—
"What brings you here?"
A space that discerned truth from lies, weighing his words on invisible scales.
Simple enough. Just tell the truth. No reason to lie.
"Here to hunt vampires."
"...."
Probably a blue window like that floating before Rozarine. She'd let out a thoughtful 'hmm' at his confident reply.
Right? Her aura screamed incoming attack, but the chairman still showed some restraint.
Impressive. Go, Rozarine!!
"How'd you learn the location?"
He clapped twice in response. A black bird soon winged in from afar. A crow so pitch-black its beak blended into shadows, landing on his hand.
He extended it toward Rozarine. That said it all.
A grand archmage would discern its nature at a glance. Child's play.
"Hmmm."
Now she knew he was truly innocent. No hooks to grab, Rozarine furrowed her brow.
"Looks like she wanted an excuse to attack."
Exactly. He whispered with Lachesis while awaiting Rozarine's next question.
Meek as a lamb. No rebellion here, he sat still to emphasize it.
The follow-ups were routine.
Why return from Maldives? Why kill the vampire? He answered perfunctorily.
Came back 'cause Maldives felt off. Vampire spotted invading Justitia, so here he was.
Straightforward truths. No lies needed.
Unless Rozarine went mad and asked about 'Eternal Night' or 'Lord'—
No tricky ones—
"Then I'll ask something else."
Their eyes met. In that instant, he felt it.
"You really have no connection to the vampires?"
This mouth of hers was always trouble.
Why are you freaking out?
"Thought I was dead."
Especially that last question. Nearly bought it. Panicked and blurted 'Yes' on reflex.
Lucky a call came in for Rozarine right then, saving his skin.
Otherwise—
—Oh?
—A lie, is it?
Combat would've erupted. Sophia's identity exposed, total chaos.
Current power level? No chance against Rozarine, no matter what.
Lily's buffs depleted last time, no souls left. 'Magic slayer'? Only works same-tier.
She was leagues above. Dodging chained spatial rifts? Impossible.
Spell Eater? Shatter after one hit. Slicing her? Dream on.
"Glad we didn't fight."
"We almost did?!"
"Yeah."
Sion, clutching his hand as they walked, looked shocked. Levatein, cradled in his other arm, mirrored her with a weird expression.
"It's fine. We passed. Quit the faces and think what to do back at the dorm."
"Really? Daddy's me, though."
"M-Me too!!"
"Oh? Should I ask Raphael then?"
—Yes!!
Their cheerful replies rang out as he headed to the dorm. Slipping in under the robe was quick.
"We're back."
「Welcome back.」
"Yeah. Raphael?"
「Not yet.」
Got it. He handed Levatein and Sion to Lily, who greeted him at the door.
Routine. Wash up after outings—Lily's job.
Sion whined she could do it herself, but enjoy it while it lasts. Adults don't get that treatment.
Free hands now, he sank onto the sofa, thumbing a text to Raphael.
But another message caught his eye. Sender obvious.
Sophia.
The plain text drew an involuntary chuckle. Why? No clue. Just funny.
[Still, thanks for real today.]
[Photo.]
"Huh."
A snort escaped. The photo: Sophia in pajamas, blowing a kiss.
Her advances had ramped up lately. Unsure how to reply, he tapped and untapped keys.
Smile lingering, forgetting Raphael—he froze at the voice beside him.
"Wow. Having fun, huh? Ditch me, then grin like an idiot texting someone else."
He turned. Blonde Raphael stared flatly at his screen.
His heart plummeted. Why? Shock, probably. Who knew.
"Uh, when'd you get here?"
"Just now."
Raphael smiled sweetly. Was that a smile? He'd read people stay calm under extreme stress.
"Well? Spill. Where'd you go without me? And phone's confiscated today."
"Why?! Hold on. Don't roll up sleeves. Wait. Stay back!! I can explain. All of it!"
Second brush with death today.
「I can't intervene.」
"Levatein, don't watch that."
No time for distant quips.
"Hmm."
Rozarine sat at her desk, stamping documents. That was her work now, an unimaginable pile.
Hence the sleepless days. But as she stamped mechanically, her mind wandered.
Normally, she'd read first. Not now. Just auto-pilot, thoughts elsewhere.
—You really have no connection to the vampires?
—Yes.
That blue window then. Her trusted barrier.
Perfect for extracting and executing foes, undetectable intricacy.
Always [True.] or [False.].
But his reply showed—
First time ever. Even she, its creator, had never seen it.
'The crow was off too.'
No student's magic. How could a summoned familiar move so flawlessly?
Full of oddities. Yet...
"No real hooks."
Nothing to act on. Vampires? 'Hero candidate worth watching' ends it.
Observe for now—
Then the door burst open.
"Chairman!! Intel on the demons you ordered—huh?"
The man who kicked it in tilted his head. Rozarine looked bored.
"But."
"Y-Yes? I looked into it as—"
"You joking? Can't you see this stack? Too much work, no time for demons. Pisses me off chasing vampires every time they pop up. Don't add to my load—hand it all to 「Dawn」."
"Y-Yes?!"
Couldn't follow her rhythm. The man was lost.