Chapter 89: Oh Luce... (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89: Oh Luce... (1)
Knock, knock—
[Breaking and entering! Trespassing! My master’s respect for the law is nowhere to be found!]
“…”
Thwack!
[Bello has been struck! No violence! No violence!]
It was the weekend, and the morning sun shone brightly through the trees.
The area surrounding Briggs Hall, the dormitory for lower-middle-ranked students, was quiet, with no students in sight.
A female student in a one-piece dress sat atop her unusually large killer whale familiar, Bello, as she peered into a specific window of the hall.
Bello was enveloped in translucent water mana, allowing him to swim through the air. He was a familiar capable of flight, provided he grew large enough to carry a passenger.
Luce Eltania, perched on Bello’s back, smacked the noisy familiar and peered through the glass.
The room was empty.
The window, left slightly ajar for ventilation, remained silent. The owner of the room didn't seem to be in the bathroom or the shower, either.
‘I already confirmed that Isaac left to train earlier.’
In truth, she knew the room would be empty, but she double-checked just in case.
Creak.
Luce opened the window without hesitation and stepped inside, carefully returning the latch to its original, slightly ajar position.
“Ugh, it’s so damp…”
Thanks to Bello’s water mana, her entire lower half was soaked, right down to her underwear. If she had ridden Galia, she wouldn’t be in this state.
On the day of the social gathering, after being hauled away by the Student Council, she had been asked to refrain from summoning the Thunderbird, Galia.
While the faculty acknowledged that Galia was now docile enough to be considered safe, many students were still traumatized by the terrifying display it had put on during the end-of-semester evaluations.
As a result, she had tested out riding Bello, but the soggy texture of her dress and underwear only caused her discomfort. She decided then and there that she was never riding Bello again.
[My master succeeds in her break-in! The perfect crim—!]
Luce unsummoned Bello. As the familiar’s voice faded, a suffocating silence filled the room.
In her hands was a small paper bag filled with cookies. It was elegantly packaged, with a letter taped to the front that read:
I’m sorry about last time.
— Luce
The note even featured a small drawing of a trendy character she had spent a great deal of effort on. She really wanted to emphasize the smiling face.
‘I hope this makes Isaac feel better…’
She had read in a book that an apology gift was most effective when left secretly within the recipient’s private space.
Luce followed the book’s advice to the letter. The problem, however, was that her methods lacked both common sense and any regard for the law.
On the day of the social gathering, her plan had been to forcefully restrain Isaac. In the end, she had achieved nothing. Looking back, she regretted the risk she had taken, especially since her relationship with Isaac was currently on thin ice.
She felt no guilt for her actions—in her mind, holding Isaac captive had been an inevitability.
However, Isaac was her only friend, a person precious beyond measure. She would rather die than have him hate her.
‘It’ll probably have a better effect if I put it somewhere easy to find, right?’
The desk was the obvious choice.
Luce’s plan was surprisingly meticulous:
Now, all she had to do was leave the gift and make her grand escape. Once Isaac had enough alone time to be touched by her gesture, he would naturally conclude that he should "forgive Luce and spend more time with her." It was a truly flawless plan.
“…?”
As she set the bag of cookies on the desk, Luce noticed a mountain of books and scrolls on the bookshelf. Specifically, several scrolls were tucked behind the books as if they were meant to be hidden.
The books were fine, but the hidden scrolls were suspicious. Why is he hiding so many?
These scrolls were the meticulously organized plans Isaac had drafted since he first possessed this body. They contained vital information about the future.
Every strategy and every scrap of data needed to defeat the Evil God of Destruction, Nephid, was recorded on those parchments.
Isaac hadn't disposed of them because there was no guarantee his memories would remain perfect until the end. The journey to defeat the Evil God was a marathon. Without playing the game for years, it was entirely possible for his memories to blur or become inaccurate.
Thus, Isaac kept the scrolls hidden behind his books. However, they couldn't escape Luce’s sharp eyes.
“Isaac’s secret…”
She was certain it was something significant.
Luce often caught Isaac stealing glances at her. She concluded that if he had a healthy libido, these scrolls had to be…
‘It’s porn, isn’t it?’
Luce smirked softly. He really was a cute little pervert.
Honestly, she was curious about Isaac’s tastes and preferences. Driven by curiosity, Luce pulled away the books guarding the scrolls and reached for one at the back of the shelf.
She untied the cord and unfurled the scroll to see what was inside.
With one nonchalant action, Luce uncovered Isaac’s deepest secret.
“…What is this?”
Needless to say, it wasn't porn. More importantly, she couldn't even understand what she was looking at.
Were these letters? A language she had never seen before was written in neat, organized, and concise columns.
Even Luce, who had read numerous linguistic texts, couldn't decipher a single character on the parchment.
‘Is this an ancient language? How does Isaac know an ancient tongue?’
It was Hangul.
It was impossible for someone from this world, like Luce, to recognize the script.
At that moment—
Stomp—.
Footsteps echoed from outside the door.
Startled, Luce acted on pure reflex. She sealed the scroll and shoved it back into its original place. Her expression remained utterly calm even as her hands moved at blinding speed.
The footsteps in the hallway were getting closer. They were right outside.
Those footsteps…
‘Isaac!’
It was Isaac, the owner of the room.
The reason Luce could deduce this instantly was elementary. It was the "stride" of the footsteps.
Luce had already memorized the rhythm and sound of Isaac’s walk. Not only that, she had memorized his scent, the shape of his irises, the lines of his palms, the shade of his skin, and even the thickness of his hair. Recognizing his footsteps was child’s play.
It was too late to summon Bello and escape through the window.
If she was caught here, her flawless plan would lie in ruins. Furthermore, her relationship with Isaac was already shaky. Rather than a direct confrontation, she wanted him to find the cookies and feel better on his own.
Is there anywhere to hide? There’s no space under the bed. Why is it designed like this?!
She cursed the innocent furniture designer as she scanned the room.
Isaac was practically at the door. There was no time left.
There were only three places she could hide in the remaining seconds: the closet, the shower, or the bathroom.
Breaking into a cold sweat, Luce bolted into the bathroom, clutching the bag of cookies.
*
I really need to go.
Before heading out to train, I’d decided it was better to take care of business in the morning. Even though there were public restrooms, using my own was much more comfortable.
Click.
I unlocked the door and stepped into my room.
“…?”
How do I put this… It looks the same as I left it, but something feels off.
It felt as though someone had been here. My internal alarm bells started ringing.
“Eh?”
It didn't take long to find the source of my unease. The floor in front of the window was slightly damp.
There was no reason for water to be there. It hadn't evaporated yet, meaning it was recent. Someone had definitely entered my room.
Since I hadn't been gone long, the intruder was likely still hiding, waiting for me to leave.
If it were a friend, they wouldn't have broken in. And even if they had, they wouldn't be hiding.
Then who is it?
“…!!”
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine, and goosebumps broke out across my arms.
Alice Carroll, the Student Council President, flashed through my mind.
Not only had I recently met her face-to-face, but there were also widespread rumors that I was under Dorothy’s protection. It was entirely possible that Alice had come to investigate me.
‘If it’s Alice, wouldn't she have sent a subordinate?’
I didn't know why there was water on the floor, but I couldn't think of any other explanation.
When I’d opened the window to ventilate earlier, I’d wedged a transparent piece of paper between the frames. It was gone. This meant someone had intentionally opened the window and then tried to set it back to its original state.
Alice wouldn't have come personally; her presence carried a weight that was missing here. So, if she had sent a subordinate to investigate me, they were likely looking for evidence that I was the "disruptor."
‘They… had no choice but to hide when they heard me coming.’
The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place.
Right now… Alice’s subordinate is in this room.
I slowed my breathing and tensed my muscles. I drew the Sheath of Disaster while beginning to condense my mana.
Concentrated ice mana swirled in my right hand as I formed the magic circle for [Frost Explosion]. I gripped the Sheath of Disaster in my left, ready to activate its effect on the intruder instantly.
I decided that fighting was better than fleeing for three reasons:
First, Alice couldn't afford to kill me so abruptly.
Second, I had every justification to attack a trespasser.
Third, this was a chance to prove I was significantly weaker than the "Black Monster" disruptor. Once Alice heard the report, she’d likely remove me from her list of suspects.
Plus, if things went well, I could use the academy’s rules to target Alice for the intrusion. As long as I stayed alive, I could turn this unexpected situation to my advantage.
‘Now, where are you?’
Alice made a big mistake. She never would have guessed I’d come back early because of an urgent need to use the toilet.
I checked everywhere, making sure they weren't under the desk or clinging to the ceiling like a cockroach. Nothing.
I silenced my footsteps and slowly approached the closet.
Creaaaak—.
Empty.
The shower was next.
Creaaaak—.
Not there either.
In that case… the bathroom.
I swallowed hard to moisten my dry throat. Behind that door, Alice’s subordinate was waiting.
The opponent definitely wasn't a demon, so I’d have to fight in my normal state.
“Hoo.”
I was ready. Two [Frost Explosions] were primed in my right hand, and the Sheath of Disaster was ready in my left. The first one to strike would win.
I took a deep breath and yanked the door open.
“…”
“…Huh?”
For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.
I was so bewildered that the condensed ice mana in my hand simply dissipated.
Sitting stiffly on the toilet was a student with rose-gold hair. As the door flew open, she froze in shock, her eyes trembling.
“…What are you doing here?”
“Um, well… I came to give you this…”
Luce, still sitting on the toilet, meekly held out a small paper bag tied with a red ribbon.
I took it and untied the ribbon. Inside were several asymmetrically shaped cookies. It was obvious they had been handmade with great care.
“Oh, thanks. But really, what are you doing in here…?”
Luce hung her head and bit her lip, looking as though the explanation was far too complicated to voice.
At that moment, I noticed that Luce’s lower half was completely drenched.
I may… have made a massive mistake.
“Never mind. I’m sorry…”
I quietly closed the bathroom door and stood there, my hand still frozen on the handle.
Behind the door, the silence was so heavy it felt suffocating.
I don’t know what just happened… but there are some taboos in life that are better left unexamined.
I think I just witnessed one of them…