Chapter 19: There’s never a moment of calm (4)

Seeing Nox, it was clear that yesterday’s duel had broken him.

Though there was a faint glint in his eyes, it was nothing more than a weak spark of resentment, like a matchstick’s flicker.

When I went to his hospital room, just in case, I kept a kitchen knife in the inner pocket of my jacket. If I noticed anything suspicious, I was prepared to cut without hesitation.

Even so, I wanted it to end as cleanly as possible. Nox’s family is the only assassin organization in this world, and no matter how skilled I am, I can’t take them all on.

That’s why, to prevent future issues, I left him with a warning before leaving if they interfered, I would wipe out the Auditores.

Of course, it was a bold and arrogant threat. My blessing only lasts 30 seconds, so facing his entire family would be impossible.

Sure, in those 30 seconds, I might take down ten of them, but that would be in the worst-case scenario, and I’ve always tried to avoid unnecessary violence. I don’t want to grow too used to the feeling of cutting through people.

Seeing his pale expression, my warning seemed to have worked. I’d seen that look many times in my past life: the face of someone who’s lost their will, someone completely shattered.

I didn’t feel great about it. After all, I was the one who’d crushed the will of a boy who had been revered as a genius his entire life.

I scratched my head as I left the hospital, brushing off the faint scent of medicine that clung to my clothes.

The soft purple hue of twilight stretched across the horizon, starting to fade.

I stared at the sunset for a moment. A few days ago, it seemed impressive, but now it failed to stir any emotion.

‘Could it be I’m getting used to it?’

I clicked my tongue softly and patted my chest. Today had been especially draining. Thinking that a simple ramen dinner would do, I headed to the campus supermarket.

***

When I opened my eyes, the sun was already high.

I turned my head to check the time on my phone. Then, I wriggled a bit in bed before finally getting up, beginning my usual lazy weekend routine.

‘I love weekends.’

I opened my sleepy eyes and let out a long yawn. I’d slept so deeply that my body, which had felt like a lump of damp cotton before, now felt light.

When was the last time I slept so well? I scratched my neck and reached for the water bottle by my bed.

I took a few long gulps to rinse out my mouth. ‘Now I feel a bit more alive,’ I thought, wiping my lips with the back of my hand.

Although I hadn’t been drinking, I probably looked like a tired office worker, one of those people worn out by life.

‘I could go for a beer.’

I pictured how refreshing a cold, frosty 500cc glass would be. In my past life, I used to pour myself a glass straight from the tap while cleaning the shop.

I could almost feel the foam brushing my tongue, the cold bubbles tingling down my throat.

Saliva started gathering in my mouth, and I wiped it with my sleeve. What a strange fate I have.

Just last year, I could enjoy a cold beer and live a normal life, yet now, without realizing it, I was in the eye of a surreal storm.

Just yesterday, two cute girls were fighting with knives in front of me. I thought about how I’d gone to see the guy I’d sliced to pieces only to threaten him with annihilating his entire family. I chuckled dryly.

‘I think I’m going crazy too.’

I messed up my hair as if to shake off my thoughts. The more I got caught up in all this nonsense, the deeper I’d get pulled into situations I didn’t want. I didn’t have to worry about Nox anymore, but Rachel… well, she was another story.

Her personality, affected by her blessing, was completely unpredictable—a true “yolo” mentality. She was one of those characters you couldn’t quite figure out.

Even in the game, she’d often approach the protagonist, Leon, flirtatiously, yet she wouldn’t really fall for him until much later than the main heroine, Abel.

Somehow, I’d gotten wrapped up with the last person I wanted to deal with. I didn’t mind avoiding conflict, but I had no idea how to handle her.

‘Guess I’ll figure it out as I go.’

I had a lot on my plate. My top priority was preparing for the midterms coming up in two weeks. The reward was a B-ranksword, “Murasame,” so I intended to give it my best.

Though it was a long katana-type sword, it wasn’t like I had any other weapon, so I couldn’t really complain. Also, the fact that it wasn’t bound by standard blessing categories was a plus. And, well, if I didn’t end up liking it, I could always bring it to the blacksmith.

The exam involved forming a team of five, regardless of class, to hunt monsters. Most of the academy’s exams and drills focused on cooperation.

Individual skill was important, sure, but on the battlefield, trust in your teammates was even more critical—or so they say.

The upside was that if you got a good team, you could earn rewards without too much effort. That would be ideal.

For the midterms, the monster to hunt was a “merman,” a D-rank creature with the upper body of a fish and the lower body of a human. Basically, imagine a salmon walking on two legs.

‘Damn it.’

Even in the game, they were disgusting creatures, and the thought of seeing them in real life sent shivers down my spine. I’d fished my whole life, but the idea of facing fish with legs made me want to curse.

If only they were mermaids instead of those grotesque fish.

‘But those were mazoku, right?’

Mazoku were the demonic races that made up the demon army, while magical beasts like the merman were just their pets.

Around 700 years ago, a truce had been signed between humans and mazoku, and though peace had held, there were always minor conflicts.

The most obvious example was from 50 years ago when the sixth battalion commander, Basmon, crossed the border without permission.

He claimed he wanted to revive the first battalion commander, Lycan, who had been sealed away by Balor Joaquin, one of the founding heroes.

Humanity responded by sending the Seven Star Heroes, their strongest warriors. After seven days of relentless fighting, the heroes achieved victory.

However, three of the seven heroes fell to Basmon.

The mazoku claimed Basmon had acted on his own, and humanity, fearing to break the fragile truce, let the incident slide.

‘If it took the seven heroes so much to deal with just one commander, what would a full-on war look like…?’

And to top it off, Basmon was the “weakest” among the demon king’s commanders—classic cliché. The fact that Balor could single-handedly seal away Lycan was astounding.

The problem is that in three years, there will be an all-out war with the mazoku, including the demon king himself.

“…”

I rubbed my face, patting my cheeks to clear my thoughts.

If I want to survive in that chaos, I have to stay calm. I decided to focus solely on the midterms for now.

I needed to find a good team. Normally, young nobles wouldn’t want to team up with someone like me, a scholarship student, but…

I was somewhat known around campus now. If it was going to be impossible to live quietly here for the next three years, I could at least use my reputation to make things easier.

With that thought finished, I stared up at the ceiling before sinking back onto my bed. At this stage of growth, no matter how much I sleep, I’m always tired.

***

A week later, as if mocking me, no one wanted to include me on their team.

My original plan of joining a good group and coasting through the exam was forgotten; now, I was on the verge of failing.

I seriously wondered why.

It was probably because of how I’d acted with Nox. Looking back, maybe I’d been a bit too extreme in my reaction.

Seems that my inability to do things “in moderation” had earned me a reputation as someone to avoid.

And it wasn’t just me. Chloe hadn’t received any invitations either. After the incident with Rachel, the other students seemed to be avoiding her too.

Well, I couldn’t blame them for keeping their distance from someone who pulled out a knife instead of talking, but since I’d also been involved, I felt a little responsible.

I was used to being a loner, but Chloe had actually managed to fit in and make friends at the academy. Now, overnight, she was isolated.

After thinking it over, I asked Chloe.

“Haven’t you gotten any team invites yet?”

“Oh, no, nothing yet, hehe.”

She replied with a forced smile, scratching her head.

“Doesn’t it bother you? I mean, I’m used to people avoiding me, but you actually made friends.”

“Oh! No, I don’t mind. As long as I have you…”

Her voice trailed off, as if she were talking to herself. Though she claimed she didn’t mind, Chloe did seem genuinely unbothered; in fact, she looked calmer than before.

Yeah, Chloe had always been like that. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Well then, why don’t we team up for this exam? We still need three more people, but neither of us has a team yet. What do you think?”

“Oh, yes! Absolutely!”

She nodded energetically, flashing a bright smile. My suggestion wasn’t just out of pity.

I considered Chloe a strong and dependable ally. With her on my team, I might not need to draw my sword in every fight. Even though I could take down single opponents within 30 seconds, the exam required us to kill as many mermen as possible within an hour. I couldn’t do that solo.

We were discussing the exam when an unexpected visitor showed up.

“I came to see you!”

Rachel. She’d been quiet for a few days, but apparently, that calm had ended. My expression soured at the sight of her.

“What do you want now?”

“Huh? Just wanted to see you.”

Chloe, seated beside me, was watching her with sharp eyes, as if she might strike at any moment. Her hand was already moving toward her pocket, and I could almost see the metallic glint of a knife.

“Not today. I’m busy and don’t have time for you.”

“Kang Geom-Ma, you’re so mean!”

“Can you stop calling me that?”

Rachel stuck her tongue out playfully. I rubbed my temples and gestured for her to leave. But ignoring my signal, she moved even closer, practically pressing herself against me.

“Do you have a team for the exam?”

She asked, hitting me right where it hurt.

“No.”

“Really? Lucky! How about joining our team?”

Her sudden proposal left me a bit taken aback.

“Why me? I’m sure there are others lining up to team up with you.”

“They’re boring. I think things would get interesting with you around.”

“I already agreed to team up with Chloe.”

“That’s fine! We happen to have two open spots.”

I was tempted. As much as Rachel annoyed me, there’s a saying that goes, ‘Hate the sin, not the sinner.’

I rubbed my chin, thinking. It was an invitation from the academy’s fourth-ranked student, after all. Considering the current situation, my outlook for the exam was pretty bleak, so my options were limited.

I looked at Chloe to see how she felt about it. She frowned, probably irritated by Rachel’s presence, but in the end, she reluctantly nodded.

“Alright, I’ll join.”

“Perfect! No backing out now.”

Rachel seemed pleased with my answer, flashing a wide smile. She quickly pulled out her phone to send a message, saying she’d contact the team leader. Suddenly, a doubt crept into my mind.

“By the way, who’s the leader?”

“Leon van Reinhardt, do you know him?”

Damn it…