Chapter 42

A week before the midterm exam.

Drent, helping Julia with her homework, was interested in Epherene's assignment on their club room's desk. He had been in a slump with his own thesis and thought giving his junior a hand would provide him with some information.

However, he couldn't even use her work as a reference. Driven by desperation, he checked out Epherene's assignment while Julia was in the bathroom. What he saw made him feel like electricity coursed through his mind.

Eventually, Drent took Epherene's idea as his own.

However…

"It seems that you don't know, so I'll move on and even do you a favor by asking you easier questions. Now, that magic you've just manifested, [Fire Preservation]…"

Deculein reproduced Drent's spell. However, a glance would be enough to deduce that his fireball was far denser.

"Are you sure this magic will never be distorted underwater, no matter the altitude? Does the same apply when it's underground?"

"Yes, yes. That's right." Drent gathered his senses and answered. He didn't have enough time to comprehend Epherene's thesis completely, but he understood it to some extent…

"If so, then tell me. What makes that possible?"

The fireball that Drent described in his thesis rose in the air. Deculein had already determined its core.

"Which circuit of this technique causes the 'preservation' effect? "

"Uh… That is…"

He was at a loss for words. His professor just stared at him, his silence raging through the entire area like merciless winds.

"…"

It didn't matter how long he waited. The defense couldn't answer. Before long, Deculein's gelid tone enveloped the building.

"I can ask hundreds of questions derived from this paper." The Head Professor's stare made him feel pathetic, his twisted contempt-filled lips even more so. His next words just humiliated him further. "But you can't even answer the easiest of them. Can you even call this your thesis at this rate?"

Drent clenched his teeth, feeling his anger surging from deep within him. As he was about to shout, Deculein continued, interrupting him.

"I'll finish my statement by leaving you with the worst bawling you'll ever do."

"…!"

He held the defense's paper in one hand. "Try again. On your own."

Schrrrk….

The paper caught on fire and was soon reduced to ashes as it fluttered, almost as if it was trying to break free. The scene caused a small commotion among the audience. Even Sylvia's eyes widened due to what she witnessed.

"…"

Drent couldn't say anything.

Now drained of all the strength he possessed to answer back, he just let out a bitter laugh.

Deculein knew.

Everything.

The examinee stomped off the stage, leaving nothing behind but heavy silence.

"That madman. Nobody would be able to answer if he pressures them that much." Infuriated, Julia murmured. Epherene also felt the same way, but something seemed strange about it.

"T-the… Second wizard…"

The host also stuttered, seemingly taken aback.

There were still 22 wizards left that had to go under public evaluation.

"Please be quiet. 4th-year wizard, Solda Malone. Please come up on stage."

The next wizard appeared, already looking terrified.

He had turned pale and was shivering, looking like he would skip his turn if only it were possible.

"I'm M-Malone, a S-Solda-ranked wizard…. My thesis is about…"

He soon explained his thesis, and this time too, Deculein listened carefully and asked questions about the core of his research.

"The reason why I set that magic as part of the control series is…"

Malone successfully answered all of the Head Professor's inquiries even though he stuttered. After a few minutes, Deculein nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"That much is enough."

Since he saw up close how the presenter before him got his thesis burned, he bowed down, feeling very fortunate.

"Thank you!"

*****

As soon as the defenses were finished, I came up to my private office.

Knock knock—

Allen entered the room not long after I arrived, carrying a few documents in one hand. He seemed delighted.

"Professor! I've carefully selected the best of them."

"Them?"

"Yes. The wizards who want to be under your command."

"… Leave the list and return."

"As you wish!"

Allen placed the documents at my desk and left my office. I skimmed through the papers.

"Kloen… Gloan…"

None of them was remarkable or famous. On the contrary, they all wouldn't be able to keep studying here unless I took them under my wing.

"Should I use them as laborers?"

As I was about to put the list down…

Wooooong—

I felt a small vibration in me. It was the crystal marble.

I imbued it with mana, establishing communication. I soon heard a voice coming from it.

—Are you there?

"Speak, my sister."

—…

Charlotte was silent, making me think she brooded for a moment.

—Ha…

After letting out a heavy sigh, she spoke in a dry and chapped voice.

—We have to leave now. There's no time.

"I see."

I took out a map right away. I had long since investigated all possible routes that they might take.

"Follow my directions."

—What do you mean?

"Cross the Crebas Canyon."

—… Are you serious?

'Crebas Canyon' was an abandoned road that wasn't owned by any country. It was also swarming with dark magic, making it extremely perilous.

It was no different than charging headfirst against the world's greatest horrors, but it was Charlotte's only way out.

"It's a shortcut to the Principality of Yuren. No one owns it, so it won't cause diplomatic conflict with Reok."

—I know. I've considered it, but—

"I will be guiding you myself."

—…

The Crebas Canyon wasn't far from Hadekain. It would only take about 3 to 4 hours to reach by horse.

I had the last say on where the wizard's MT would be held, so if I set up MT to overlap with the day Charlotte and Princess Maho would return to their kingdom, I'd be able to safely cover the whole distance without wasting time.

—You'll personally be with us?

"That's right."

—… I heard that the Reok Kingdom attacked you in Bercht.

I frowned.

They were the ones behind that attack?

I didn't know the information that Charlotte knew. My intelligence network clearly needed to be renewed, broadened, and reinforced.

—Did their attack make you hate them so much you can't prevent yourself from retaliating?

"Charlotte."

—What?

"I'm an extremely political person. Moreover, when it comes to matters involving intelligence or discernment, you know I'm far better than you."

—What did you just say to me, you stuck-up—

"I want your princess to live and bring my family's and my estate's profits."

—…

"I'm not doing you a favor. This is a business agreement. Why are you involving your personal feelings? Are you that foolish?"

Charlotte's prying tone irritated me.

I wasn't sure if it was a good answer, but at least she replied in a more assured voice.

—… I understand. If you do carry out your duty to the princess successfully, we'll do you any favor.

"It's a deal, then."

—Where will we meet you? At the entrance of Crebas?

"Yeah. If you can't even make it there, then there's no point since you won't be able to survive the journey that would follow."

—Alright. I hope your skills are as sharp as your words.

Our conversation ended there.

Sitting in my chair, I murmured. "… Should I use this as an opportunity to test it?"

Crebas Canyon was a dangerous area. That much couldn't be denied. It was so heavily filled with dark magic that it was close to being a lair of devils or a dungeon. Demons frequently appeared there when they had nothing better to do.

However…

—— [Yukline] ——

◆ Rating: Lineage

◆ Description:

– This lineage's power is unleashed when punishing the devil.

-Allows Yukline descendants to use their mana to purify areas with demons or heavy concentration of dark magic.

– Purified mana's quality is increased by [1 stage].

—————————

My lineage used the energy of the devil or unpurified dark magic as its own energy source.

In places brimming with so much dark magic, human beings would find it hard to even breathe, [Yukline] lifted all restrictions on my mana.

Hence, areas like Crebas were no different from being the Yukline Family's home territory.

"… I even precisely remember its route."

That made my decision to take the canyon path even more solidified. I cleared it like this in the game as well.

Perhaps Charlotte already had Crebas in the back of her mind.

Knock knock—

The door opened immediately.

To my surprise, Zeit appeared, pushing his huge body through the doorway. "Professor Deculein!"

"… Lord Zeit. What brings you here?"

"Let's have dinner tonight!" He grinned.

I looked at the clock.

3 PM.

It was a bit too early for dinner.

"Ah~ I should definitely arrange a meal once a month. You don't see Julie these days at all, right? We'll go ahead of you to prepare. Make sure you bring my sister with you."

There was a certain 'doubt' in Zeit's gaze and voice.

His physique was like a bear, but his eyes were like a fox.

*****

6 PM.

Unable to resist Zeit's persistence, Julie prepared to go out of the mansion for dinner.

'Starting today, I'll be coming here monthly to observe your progress.'

Those were her brother's words.

She sighed while she put on her armor and cape, then looked at herself in the mirror.

"…"

Her fatigue was evident in her face.

Due to the Veron case investigation overlapping with the heavy workload brought forth by the emperor's death, she didn't even have an hour to rest these days.

Two weeks had gone by, with her schedule being that chaotic.

She didn't want to do background checks, resort to a thieves guild, or even commission an adventurer's guild. Hence, she shouldered the burden alone.

Knock knock—

A servant spoke with a knock.

"My Lord! It's time!"

Julie went outside.

She was just going to ride a horse, but a shiny car was already approaching from the other side of the mansion.

Squinting at it, she already knew who it was.

Deculein.

One of its doors opened when it stopped in front of her. "Get in."

"By any chance, did Lord Zeit tell you—"

"He's suspicious of our relationship."

"…"

"Get in."

Julie nodded hesitatingly and got into the car after saying goodbye to her servants. They left immediately.

As the two of them wallowed in awkward silence, she wondered if the one month she had promised had already passed.

Looking out the window, Deculein broke the ice.

"… Are you still investigating the case?"

"…" She didn't answer. He looked at her as he continued.

"It's better if you don't. You're hurting yourself—"

"It's alright."

She firmly cut him off, expressing her clear rejection of his notion. Deculein didn't press on.

It was silent.

His luxury car moved along the neatly paved road quietly. It was calm and comfortable.

"You're quite frustrating, Julie." He spoke again as if a memory crossed his mind.

"…"

She didn't answer no matter how long he waited. He turned his head and looked at her.

"…"

Julie had her eyes closed.

With her waist upright and both hands modestly resting on top of her knees, she fell asleep, unable to overcome her fatigue.

Deculein smirked and, noticing her disheveled hair was about to go into her mouth, reached out to her to move it.

He then pinched her cheek lightly out of impulse. It was soft.

She rocked to and fro as they made their way to the venue. Although it was a little late, he pulled out a book from his briefcase.

Not a word of it registered in his mind, but he turned the pages nonetheless. Not long after, he spoke to his driver.

"I heard it'll take about a quarter of a day to get there."

"Yes, sir. I understand."

Thanks to his driver's quick wits, the car circled the same road repeatedly, even after an hour had already passed since the agreed time for their appointment, which was 7 PM.

He alternated between reading his book and looking at Julie. After a while, he looked at his watch.

9 PM.

Time's pace today was surprisingly fast, almost as if it was missing a few of its fragments.

"… Mmmh."

It was already 10 PM when Julie woke up from her sleep. Looking around with her eyes still droopy, she was soon startled by the view outside the car window, causing her to jump up like a spring.

"…!"

"Oh, you're up."

"It's dark…"

"It's already late."

Deculein explained the situation as she clung to the window. He pulled out his pocket watch, and the car stopped at the same time.

His driver then went out as if there was something wrong with his vehicle.

"It's 10:30. Our dinner appointment had probably ended a long time ago, making that event the first promise I've ever broken."

"Why… didn't you wake me up…?"

"It's better to be absent together than to attend an awkward dinner anyway. This will also erase their suspicions far more effectively."

"…"

Julie blushed as she realized what he meant.

He kept looking at her, his eyes engulfed by sincerity.

"Julie."

"… Yes?"

"Now that I think about it, our contract is long overdue."

Her eyes widened like a deer staring into headlights.

"It's probably not going to last more than a year with Zeit's suspicion. You should become the Guardian Knight within that time frame. You'll be 30 next year, so you'd be the youngest to reach that position in the empire's history."

Deculein reached out and tidied Julie's hair, which became messy while she was sleeping.

She didn't reject his advances. More than his touch, the emotions in his voice were much stronger.

"If you can't become the Guardian Knight within that time, we might have to get married after all."

"…"

"So, don't get stuck in one place."

She met his eyes without saying a word, taking her time to think about her words.

Soon enough, she asked the question she was dubious about.

"Why… Why are you showing me how you feel?"

"…"

"There are more beautiful women out there than me. There are ladies out there who not only know how to use swords but are also beautiful, non-suffocating, and flexible, unlike me."

He looked out the window, causing moonlight to fill his blue eyes.

"… Julie." His voice sounded serene and uplifting. "I absolutely loathe nonsensical concepts like fate, destiny, and horoscopes."

"…"

"However, there are times when I feel like something that I can't resist definitely exists." Deculein stared at the moon in the sky.

"That's who you are to me."

Julie understood what he meant. But at the same time, she was doubtful. The old Deculein would never say those words.

"… Is that so?"

What changed him this much?

Deculein spoke again.

"That's why it would be beneficial for both of us to stay as far away from each other as possible. That way, I wouldn't return to my former self."

He leaned over.

Thinking he was about to do something, her startled body stiffened and instinctively assumed a counterattack position.

Clack—

Deculein opened the door.

"Get a good night's rest. I was absent from the meal, which means Zeit is probably still looking for me."

"…"

She stared at him in silence.

"Get off."

"… Okay. Take care." She nodded and got off the car.

A fresh wind blew past her. She didn't know how much she had slept, but the world had become darker and her heart calmer.

She was dropped near their mansion.

"Ah, are you finished?"

The driver went back in the car, and they departed soon after.

Julie looked at Deculein through the rearview mirror for a moment before going home.

"Ah, my lord, you're here."

The servants in the living room greeted her. She replied with a faint smile.

"I'm quite hungry. Can you prepare dinner?"

"Ah, yes! Of course!"

The servants moved busily. It was the first time in almost two weeks that she had asked for a meal at the mansion, so they did everything they could to cook the best meal for her.

Julie ate delicious food and slept well that night. After so long, she finally managed to lay down on her bed without thinking about work.

His words kept popping up in her mind, though.

'However, there are times when I feel like something that I can't resist definitely exists…'

She thought she wouldn't have nightmares that night.

*****

"Should we keep going a little further?" Roy asked.

I shook my head. "Let's head home."

"Got it."

I sighed with a smirk, then giggled.

I thought I should stay away from Julie from now on. The more time would pass, the more I would love every aspect of her.

Of course, staying away from her would prove difficult. That was why she had to become a Guardian Knight. That way, she would keep her distance from me herself.

"We've arrived."

"Good work."

I got off the mansion.

On the path in the garden, on top of some shrub. A hawk was looking at me.