Chapter 14: Auditore da Sicilia (3)

I walked forward. The boy remained still.

“…”

The tension was palpable, and the heavy silence seeped through the walls of the classroom.

Red hair, as if dyed in blood, and eyes of a dark, murky crimson. My instincts were sending intense warning signals. This guy radiated danger, unmistakably. What could I do in this situation?

“If you have something to say, say it.”

My words didn’t seem to provoke any reaction from him.

He just stared at me with empty, hollow eyes. I stood still as well, returning his gaze. A cold, sharp sense of hostility pierced right through me.

‘What’s up with this guy’s eyes?’

I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Come to think of it, he had a similar aura to Chloe when she had lost her sanity.

Besides, it wasn’t common to see that kind of red hair and those red eyes in this world. I had a hunch that there was probably a blood connection between them.

A few minutes passed without either of us saying a word. Then Chloe got serious and stepped between us.

“Don’t worry about this person, Geom-Ma.”

Chloe spoke as if she wanted me to ignore him entirely. I could have done so if he wasn’t emitting such a sinister aura, but how could I ignore something like that? Chloe turned around, and in a trembling voice, spoke to the boy.

“I told you not to come…!”

Chloe’s tone was laced with hostility. She was surely trying to sound defiant, but her shaky voice barely had an effect.

The guy responded with an ironic smile, without saying a word. Chloe paled, trembling as she gripped my sleeve tightly.

I frowned at the sight. Although Chloe was naturally shy, it was evident that she felt a visceral rejection towards this guy. At that moment, the boy, who had been silent until then, spoke.

“You don’t seem very strong. Did you really want to be with someone like him, breaking the rules of the Auditore, Chloe?”

Chloe took a deep breath and responded.

“I don’t care if it’s Auditore or whatever, it has nothing to do with me anymore.”

“Stained blood can’t be cleansed. If you were born as an Auditore, you’ll always be bound to them.”

The boy, named Nox, replied firmly. His way of speaking seemed like something out of a historical drama.

“Abandon this nobody and come back to the Auditore, Chloe.”

“Don’t call Geom-Ma that!”

Upon hearing the word “nobody,” Chloe’s face hardened, and she unleashed a cold hostility toward Nox. A dangerous red energy filled the classroom.

Fortunately, it was lunchtime, and there were no other students around.

Although I was now used to unusual situations like this, if it had been me from a few weeks ago, I would probably have collapsed under the weight of that suffocating atmosphere.

‘…Auditore.’

I repeated that word in my mind, reflecting. I didn’t know much, but I had a general idea of who they were. A shadowy organization specializing in infiltration and assassination.

From my experience during the game, they didn’t appear in the early stages, but their name began to be mentioned around the middle, and by the end, they played the role of occasional allies.

I remembered that among the many families shrouded in mystery, the Auditore were especially elusive.

But one thing was certain: all the members of that family were absurdly strong. Although it was said that they weren’t the best in direct combat compared to other hero families, they were unmatched when it came to ambushes and assassinations.

From a young age, they were subjected to training that bordered on abuse, turning them into tools of assassination.

Come to think of it, the emotionless face of that guy, Nox, fit more with the Auditore, while Chloe, with her timidity and nervousness, seemed out of place.

Perhaps Chloe just wanted to lead a normal life. No one could fully understand her unless they were in her situation.

But life wouldn’t allow it so easily. I had to deal with the blessing of the God of the Sword, and Chloe had to endure the environment of an assassin family. She probably just wanted to escape. Her twisted side was the result of a cruel upbringing.

I looked at Chloe. She was expressing her hostility toward Nox by biting her small lips so hard that blood began to flow.

It felt like a defense mechanism, like a hedgehog raising its spines.

I shifted my gaze to Nox. His eyes had a coldness that suggested he wouldn’t hesitate to kill. Or rather, he seemed like someone who was already used to it.

I knew the Auditore were known for seeking out and eliminating internal enemies to maintain order. Honestly, I didn’t have problems with killing when necessary, either. In fact, I saw it as justifiable under certain circumstances.

I thought people like the Mao twins deserved to die. And in such a corrupt aristocratic society, there were surely many heads that needed to roll.

But living as a machine that kills without emotion, without choice, just because you were born into an assassin family… wasn’t that too cruel?

I thought about it. Heroes save the world with nobility. I’m not a hero. Nor do I want to be.

But if I can’t save the world, at least I could help save the life of a girl.

I let out a dry chuckle. It wasn’t the right reaction for the situation, but I couldn’t help it. I placed my hand on Chloe’s shoulder and squeezed it gently.

“I need to have a word with this bastard.”

I couldn’t avoid it. My power was practically a curse, but I wouldn’t allow myself to be defeated. In the end, everything returned to the starting point. I tried to escape the blessing of the God of the Sword, but it was futile.

A phrase came to mind: “There is no paradise for those who run away.”

After all, my name was Kang Geom-Ma. The sword (“geom”) and the demon (“ma”). A perfect name for someone with a damned obsession. I had even flaunted that name in front of the Sword Emperor.

“Nox, right?”

“…”

Nox blinked without saying a word.

“Follow me.”

Then I continued, in a dry voice.

“I’m going to cut you.”

I am a swordsman.

For me, conversation is something done with swords, not words.

***

Academy Faculty Room.

Instructor Lee Won-Bin, with his shaved head, was deep in thought, arms crossed. What kind of experience could make someone change so much in such a short time? It wasn’t just his appearance that had changed, but also the atmosphere and the impression he gave off.

He had never been a typical teenager to begin with. Sometimes, he seemed to have the experience of someone much older.

“Something must have happened to him.”

As he pondered, someone approached him from behind and surprised him with a “Boo!” It was a woman with short hair and a slender figure, wearing a playful smile.

“Sunbae!”

“Ah, Kim, instructor.”

“Oh, what kind of reaction is that? It’s no fun scaring someone if they don’t react.”

Lee Won-Bin’s calm reaction made Instructor Kim frown in mock disappointment, and she then popped a couple of gummy bears into her mouth.

She always had some kind of sweet on hand. Lee Won-Bin, hiding his complex thoughts, decided to play along.

“Instructor, is something wrong? You seem more clear-headed than usual today.”

“…Don’t make fun of my baldness.”

“Hehe, sorry.”

Instructor Kim scratched her head in embarrassment and stuck out her tongue. Then, with a curious expression, she asked:

“Is something actually wrong? You have a really serious look on your face.”

“It’s nothing. It’s just that Geom-Ma, that boy, was absent for several days, and he came back today, but he seemed a bit… different. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“Maybe he’s just growing up and hit a growth spurt. Kids these days grow fast. Sometimes when I see them from a distance, I think they look older than me. So don’t worry too much.”

“…It’s not just his height. It’s like his expression has changed, as if he’s lost some emotion… It’s hard to explain, but there’s something off.”

Lee Won-Bin sighed and shrugged. Instructor Kim chewed her gummies with a strange expression.

“Well, as long as he doesn’t cause any trouble, it should be fine, right? From what you say, he seems like a polite and respectful kid. It’s probably nothing.”

“Nothing…?”

‘Maybe I’m worrying too much…’

Lee Won-Bin concluded his brief reflection. Thinking about Kang Geom-Ma, he realized there were less than 15 minutes left until lunch. He got up to head to the cafeteria.

Ring! Ring!

The phone on his desk rang with a sharp tone. It was lunchtime, so if someone was calling at that hour, it had to be urgent. Putting aside his surprise, Lee Won-Bin picked up the receiver.

“Class Rang, Instructor Lee Won-Bin speaking.”

—Instructor Lee Won-Bin!

The voice on the other end sounded rushed. Instructor Kim asked who it was, and Lee Won-Bin whispered the answer to her before returning to the call.

“What’s the matter, Instructor Choi? Why the urgency?”

—It seems there’s a problem.

Lee Won-Bin’s brow furrowed, concerned.

“What kind of problem?”

—It looks like one of your students has requested an isolated combat match before the director.

“What? All of a sudden?”

Lee Won-Bin raised his voice without realizing it, causing everyone in the room to look at him. Instructor Kim, still chewing her gummies, almost choked a little.

An isolated combat match. Unlike regular duels, it was an almost real fight, similar to class exams but with an audience.

Basically, it was a live fight in front of all the academy’s students, where there would be real blood and hits, so it was only approved in extreme cases.

“Who are the participants?”

—It’s…

The voice hesitated. Impatient, Lee Won-Bin urged her to continue. Finally, Instructor Choi replied cautiously:

—The one who requested it is Kang Geom-Ma, and his opponent is Nox Auditore.