— Daaang!
Once again, the sound of a large bell echoed.
…No.
Could I even call it large?
In this moment where everything else is frozen, it might only seem that way because it’s the only thing I can hear.
It felt like the sound moved alone through stopped time—just like the Blood Witch.
“Ian!… Wha?”
Lupina, who had been shouting loudly, now wore a blank expression.
It seemed she had also witnessed the projectile that Leisha had launched.
This kid, surprisingly, has some sharp instincts.
“…You dodged it? H-how? I was sure something terrible was going to happen!”
For some reason, she seemed to be panicking more than I was. It made sense, though—spectators are often more shocked than the people directly involved.
“It’s nothing special. I just got lucky.”
“Lucky? Now that you mention it, where did the assassin disappear to…?”
A tricky question.
There’s the existence known as the “Blood Witch” of the Bloodstone Cult.
She’s either the one who triggered my [Leap] or someone sent to watch me.
To her, I seem to be some sort of toy.
When her toy was on the verge of breaking, she appeared out of nowhere to keep it intact.
And then Raisha, who tried to break her toy, turned to dust and vanished.
‘…I can’t exactly explain it like that, can I?’
So I only provided enough information for Lupina to accept.
“She disappeared suddenly.”
“Suddenly?”
“Yeah, in the blink of an eye.”
“…I’ve heard of a technique that allows for instantaneous movement to a designated location.”
Muttering to herself, Lupina drifted back into her own little world.
I’m glad I managed to dodge that bullet.
Technically, I didn’t lie, so it’s all good.
A nice, clean piece of self-justification.
“…”
I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
‘For now, I need to survey the area.’
There’s a chance the Blood Witch might have left a trace behind.
The Blood Witch.
An irregularity so complete that even Fantasy X Academy had never documented her existence properly.
Since I’m caught in her web, I have to find a way to escape—or at least struggle against it.
‘Let’s start with where I was standing.’
In front of the corridor’s window.
I moved backward as though retracing my steps.
The Blood Witch had stood before me, so any traces she might have left would be here.
I searched the area thoroughly.
Her saliva.
A strand of her hair.
Even a footprint would suffice.
“…Nothing.”
But it was clean—completely spotless.
The Blood Witch had vanished without leaving a single trace, not even a strand of hair.
It was astonishingly clean, as though she had never existed in the first place.
Even when I walked to the end of the corridor where she had first appeared, it was the same.
There wasn’t even a passage there.
Just a perfectly enclosed wall on three sides.
She must have walked out from here, but how?
“…”
Leaning against the wall, I felt a pang of futility.
The surface was cold against my back.
“Could she really be a ghost…?”
Her abilities seemed otherworldly.
The overwhelming gap in power made it hard to think otherwise.
The realization stung deeply.
‘I’ve grown so much, too.’
I’ve honed my skills: pure earth mana gathered in my core, a variety of techniques, my [Leap] mobility skill, the Snowflake Sword style, and the absurdly powerful weapon Ether.
Not to brag, but my strength isn’t weak by any standard.
If I made such claims, people might accuse me of arrogance, even though it’s true.
And yet…
“…I can’t see her.”
The bitterness rising from deep within.
I swallowed the bitterness welling up from deep inside along with my saliva.
This is cleaner—better, even.
I decided to push thoughts of the Blood Witch aside for now.
This battle wasn’t originally about her. It was a fight against the assassins.
Though the assassins had tried to cover their tracks…
‘Compared to the Blood Witch, it’s child’s play.’
Of course, they were professionals.
Their intent must have been to clean up the traces once everything was over.
But they underestimated me—and failed to predict the calamity that was the Blood Witch.
Scattered across the hallway floor were fragments of paper and a few other remnants.
Valuable things worth collecting.
Finding traces of someone as skilled as Leisha, a renowned assassin, wasn’t an easy task.
Even this small act of gathering evidence was an opportunity to learn a part of Leisha’s abilities.
As I searched further…
“…What’s this?”
In one corner of the hallway, Leisha’s coat was tossed aside.
Inside, there was a small notebook.
The contents were encrypted, making them unreadable for now.
“Well, might as well hold onto it.”
Raisha was a titan among assassins.
It wouldn’t be surprising if this held critical information.
While I was gathering the remaining evidence, Lupina—who had been daydreaming—suddenly spoke up.
“There’s only one conclusion!”
…What’s gotten into her?
She ran over to me, full of energy, and asked.
“Ian, I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“Who… or what are you?”
Who I am?
Thankfully, it didn’t seem like she was asking to dig for answers—just to keep the conversation going.
“You’re clearly… in heat, yet you just held it in with willpower.”
“Uh-huh.”
“An assassin suddenly targeted you out of nowhere.”
“…Right.”
I felt unfairly accused on that point.
“And you’re ridiculously strong.”
Now that’s an exaggeration.
I’m not strong enough to warrant such dramatic descriptions.
All I’ve done is make full use of everything I have to the best of my ability.
When I replied that I wasn’t “ridiculously” strong, Lupina shook her head fervently.
“Honestly, I’ve never seen a student as strong as you.”
“Maybe it’s because you spend all your time cooped up in the archives?”
“…Ahem.”
Coughing awkwardly, as though hit where it hurt, Lupina continued.
“Your swordsmanship is top-notch, and your skill with throwing weapons is unbelievable. Just how many of them are you hiding on you? They’re invisible, fast, and I can’t even follow your throws with my eyes.”
Most of it is just me creatively combining things—like pairing Ether with Leap.
Of course, it might look impressive from the outside.
That’s something I deliberately exploit.
Just then—
—Thud.
Something hit my foot.
…What is it?
I thought I’d already searched this place thoroughly.
I knelt to check.
It was a necklace.
A distinct cross necklace belonging to the Deus faith—but blackened, corrupted.
A black nail was embedded into one side of the pendant.
“…Interesting.”
This was an ominous but significant item.
I slipped the necklace into my pocket.
◆
Today, the church was unusually bustling.
Once a week, Aria Lumines Bell left her residence to maintain her qualifications as a saint candidate. Even through her gloom and exhaustion, she sensed something was amiss.
—…Damn it.
—I thought this would be handled somehow.
—What are the others even doing…?!
Her escort knight, Dave, was one of the sources of the disturbance.
He was muttering low and inaudibly, a stark contrast to his usual calm and loyal demeanor.
Still, whenever he addressed Aria, he reverted to his composed, respectful self.
“This way, Saintess.”
Following his guidance, Aria knelt before the holy figure.
The One God, Deus.
Praying before Him once a week was the entirety of her duties as a saint candidate.
In this moment, even Aria found peace.
“Let us return.”
On the way back after her prayer, Aria noticed how unusually heavy Dave’s footsteps sounded. The weight of it lingered as they returned to her quarters.
In a dark room.
As Dave hesitated while closing the door, he finally broke the silence.
“Lady Aria.”
“…Yes?”
“Tomorrow, the Inquisitor will arrive at our diocese.”
“…”
“I swear upon my honor as a knight to protect you at all costs. And also… Ian…”
“You don’t intend to harm Ian, do you?”
Dave gave no reply.
He merely bowed his head, his expression grave.
Aria wasn’t particularly concerned about his mutterings.
‘…Will I be able to see Ian tomorrow?’
A faint smile graced Aria’s otherwise somber face for a brief moment.
◆
“Professor Asilia, how do you maintain yourself so well? Honestly, it’s hard to believe you’ve had a child.”
“…”
“When I first met you, I really thought you were Miss Sharon’s older sister. Someone like you could easily be considered one of the greatest beauties in all of Lichten… Professor? Professor Asilia, are you listening?”
It was a lively gathering of professors enjoying drinks together.
Asilia, staring into her glass, slowly raised her head when her colleagues called her name.
Though she had already had three or four drinks, her pale face remained unchanging.
If someone looked very closely, they might notice a faint blush on her cheeks—but such a subtle change could only be detected by those who had carefully observed her for a long time.
“She drinks so gracefully, doesn’t she?”
“And she doesn’t even get drunk.”
Unbeknownst to them, she was drunk.
She could have chosen not to be, but she had allowed herself this state, thinking that perhaps it would help her forget.
Forget just one thought.
But she couldn’t.
The thought kept resurfacing, relentless and consuming—a wish that must never come true.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Even knowing it should never happen, the very idea made Asilia’s heart race.
The murmurs around her faded into irrelevance.
— Srrr.
Quietly, Asilia stood up from her seat.
“I’ll head back first.”
She nodded and left.
In the distance, voices followed her.
“She left because you were saying weird things!”
“Truly such a moral and upright professor—someone to admire.”
Asilia walked calmly, muttering under her breath.
“…I’m not that kind of person.”
They wouldn’t understand the terrible thoughts swirling in her mind.
It had been a long time since she’d harbored such dark thoughts.
“No… Maybe it’s the first time…”
And yet, that very realization made her heart pound even harder.
Leaning on the warmth of intoxication, Asilia let her feet guide her forward.
It wasn’t in the direction of her lodging.
