Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Joy and the Filrn siblings parted ways at the fork in the path after leaving the lecture hall.
Tiana had to attend her major class, and Tyborn went off to eat the academy meals.
“Aha ha. So, what about dinner later?”
“We have a separate dinner.”
Tyborn patted his stomach.
Joy let out a small laugh.
“I see. Right. I’ll have to buy some snacks for Tyborn later.”
After exchanging pleasantries with the Filrn siblings, Joy waved and returned to the dormitory.
She stayed in the general dormitory because her entrance grades didn’t place her in the top 30%.
Still, having a single room meant her privacy was completely respected, and it was comfortable.
“Hey, you first-year.”
As she approached the dorm, some boys who had been chatting under the park trees stopped Joy.
Joy turned to look at them.
The boys wore blue cloaks over their shoulders. Academy students wore different colored cloaks according to grade level.
Red cloaks signified first-year students, blue cloaks second-year.
“Hello, seniors!”
Joy greeted them naturally with a smile. One of the boys gestured with his hand.
“Oh, right. Come here for a moment.”
“What is it?”
Joy approached them without suspicion.
Thud.
A second-year boy standing nearby wrapped an arm around Joy’s shoulder with a sly grin.
“What’s your name?”
“Joy Rivet.”
“Yeah, Joy. We’re going to have dinner with the seniors. Want to come along?”
“But I’m a first-year.”
“Everyone will be happy if a cute girl like you comes.”
“But I’m a bit tired today…”
“It’s fine~ Just sit there and do nothing.”
“I really am fine. I’m a bit shy around new people.”
Ha…
As Joy continued to refuse, the senior boy’s smug expression twisted.
“Joy, right?”
“Yes.”
“Just come along. Huh? It’s not that hard.”
Snap…
He tightened his arm around her shoulder. Joy was pulled forward forcibly.
No one stepped in to help Joy. These second-years must be from quite prominent families. She sighed and looked him in the eye.
“Senior.”
The color drained from Joy’s light pink eyes. In its place, a deep abyss-like darkness settled in her pupils.
‘Huh?’
The boy froze. From fingertips to jawline, every muscle stiffened, as if paralyzed. Like a mouse facing a snake.
“I’m tired today. May I go?”
“Uh, uh…”
The boy nodded blankly. Joy smiled warmly and walked away.
Arriving at the dorm room.
Creak… thud.
The door closed.
Joy took off her coat. She removed her top, shirt, skirt, and underwear. The soft moonlight cast delicate shadows across her body.
But the beautiful shadows slowly distorted. Her skeleton expanded abnormally, transforming unmistakably into a male body.
“Phew… Doing this every time really strains the body.”
Joy—or rather, Henry—rolled his shoulders in front of the mirror. In the reflection stood a tall old man. His face was full of wrinkles, yet his two red eyes were sharp like a beast.
No trace of the lively pink-haired girl remained.
Henry, an elite assassin of the Black Moon Order.
Henry sat in a chair, sucking on a candy. The cherry flavor spread in his mouth.
He pulled out the mission orders from the organization and read them again.
This was why he had deliberately enrolled in the academy disguised as a girl.
The emperor’s palace boasted the strictest security. Even all assassins of the Black Moon Order combined could not reach the emperor. So Henry chose the academy.
‘As long as the emperor targets the Forca Republic, and the crown prince is enrolled, he will have to come to the academy.’
The emperor, guarding the golden throne for over a century, had openly desired to annex the Forca Republic.
So he would definitely come. The emperor would come to the academy.
‘Then I’ll kill him…’
Although the academy’s security was as strict as the palace, it wasn’t without flaws. But for groundwork, the academy was perfect.
This plan was not for a year, but for two, three years.
The second mission—the Number 3 kidnapping…
‘Hmm, that can be left to others.’
He didn’t need to intervene himself. His only goal was the emperor’s assassination. He infiltrated the academy solely for that purpose.
‘But there’s one thing I must do… The crown prince’s fiancée, Ophélienne. And her younger brother, Mathios Vinna Moretti…’
He had to get close to that boy. For a 17-year-old, there was only one thing that could attract him: a pretty and kind girl.
That was why he had disguised himself as a pink-haired girl to appear likable…
‘But he’s not falling for it.’
Even after a subtle psychological tactic of flashing his panties, the boy had instead given a contemptuous look.
‘Does he not like girls?’
Then what does he like…
‘…Could it be boys?’
When the thought struck, Henry’s thin eyes suddenly snapped open.
“Heh heh… This is troublesome. Very troublesome.”
He stroked his beard.
“There’s no seduction method for boys, either.”
He seriously pondered.
Clack, clack.
Ophélienne walked quickly but calmly toward Mathios and Wilhelmine.
She stopped directly in front of them.
“I came because my brother is still in the lecture hall… What exactly is going on here?”
Her tone was polite, but her words were sharp.
“Ophélienne.”
“Is it alright to leave a student behind just because they were late?”
“That’s not it.”
“No, it is. I heard everything. Do you think I wouldn’t know?”
Ophélienne glared at Professor Wilhelmine. The professor blinked and looked down at her.
Then.
Snug.
“It’s not like that, sister.”
“Mathi.”
Ophélienne’s gaze shifted to her brother.
“I stayed behind to practice swordsmanship.”
“You’re in the Magic Department.”
“The Magic Department can train in swordsmanship too.”
Honestly, Mathios had half given up on magic. He wasn’t talented at it, and he had destroyed the two circles he had built up, switching to silent incantations.
‘After all, silent incantations were for swordsmen.’
Roschka was a pure swordsman. His style differed from a magician’s. Silent incantations and magic would never mix.
‘My adoptive father decided for me to enter the Magic Department…’
It was strange for the son of the prestigious Moretti family not to enter the Magic Department. He would request a transfer depending on the situation, likely by his sister’s graduation in the third year.
“…Anyway, it’s late. Let’s go.”
His sister held his wrist and led him out of the lecture hall. Before leaving, Mathios gave a brief nod to Professor Wilhelmine. She nodded shortly in return.
By now, the sun had completely set.
The sky was dark, like spilled ink, and the campus was cooling from the daytime warmth.
After walking a fair distance, Mathios tried to pull his wrist free from his sister’s grip. But she didn’t let go.
Up to the dormitory entrance. Even inside her room.
“Did you eat dinner?”
“No, not yet.”
“I ordered dinner for you. It’s your favorite meat dish. The chef used to serve the Charlan royal family, so it should be decent.”
“Before that, can you… let go of my hand?”
“What’s your relationship with the professor?”
“Professor Wilhelmine?”
“Don’t get too close to her.”
Only after reaching the table did his sister release his wrist. He rubbed it; it was still warm.
How did they end up eating dinner together?
After sitting for a moment, the servants brought in dishes, filling the table.
“You know Professor Wilhelmine is the emperor’s granddaughter, right?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Not like other royals, though. She was abandoned by the emperor.”
His sister gracefully cut some meat and brought it to his mouth instead of her own.
“Why are you giving this to me…?”
The meat slid onto his lips. He had no choice but to eat it.
Chew.
Soft. Juices flowed. Delicious.
His sister watched him closely as she cut more steak with the knife.
“If the emperor knew you were close to Professor Wilhelmine, he wouldn’t look favorably on it at all.”
“That’s…”
Before he could speak, more meat was fed into his mouth.
Chew.
“Moreover, Professor Wilhelmine is illegitimate. Her bloodline is different from ours, noble as it is.”
“But I…”
Again, more meat. This time he didn’t hold back. He pushed his sister’s hand away.
“I can eat by myself. And I’m adopted anyway. If we go by bloodline, the professor is more noble.”
“What are you talking about?”
His sister looked at him sternly with wide eyes.
“You are clearly part of the Moretti family. She’s just that abandoned illegitimate girl. It’s different.”