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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Swoosh…
In the center of the square hallway, at the fountain, Aria realized that the fox she had seen earlier was Lev Denec.
There were so many questions she wanted to ask him—how he had returned from the dead, why he had become the Saint’s fox. But there was something else that bothered her more.
‘What was Lev doing in Yeriel’s room?’
The surveillance magic had been suddenly activated, and the unexpected attack had prevented her from seeing clearly. And due to the nature of the magic, she could only see the target’s silhouette or what they were seeing, without sound.
All that remained in Aria’s mind was the back of Yeriel, her neck and shoulder line… and Lev’s body holding her tightly.
But there was a certain… atmosphere. Aria had felt something sensual and heated. Like witnessing a forbidden scene that made her want to cover her mouth. So she had to ask.
“What… were you doing with Yeriel?”
“…”
Lev’s gentle gaze, which had been fixed on Aria, now shifted forward.
“…?”
Aria felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Something was wrong. A slightly cooler tone crept into her voice.
“Answer me.”
“…”
“Answer me, please.”
On the other hand, the ashen-haired man knew. In conversations with the opposite sex, a moment of silence or hesitation… could be worse than choosing the wrong answer. He finally managed to speak.
“Yeriel… bathed me when I was a fox.”
“Yes, she bathed you?”
Aria’s eyes, and her tone, were now completely business-like. Lev also felt a sense of déjà vu. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
“The transformation wore off…”
“Yes, the transformation wore off.”
“…Yeah.”
“So?”
The interrogation wasn’t over. Aria still looked at him with an unreadable expression. The only difference from before was that she was holding his large hand on her lap with both of hers.
This gesture, ironically, seemed to be asking, ‘Are you going to lie to me?’ in a gentle way, which made his heart even heavier. There was no other choice.
‘Honesty. Let’s go with honesty.’
As Lev decided to confess…
“Aria…! And… you…?”
A savior appeared. Beautiful platinum blonde hair with red eyes… an ethereal being who exuded a mystical aura every time he saw her.
It was Saint Psyche.
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After that, time flew by.
Psyche learned about my identity and that Aria, Yeriel, and I were all attending the same academy.
“Yes…?! Lev, you’re a student at Clarice? And a first-year…”
“…Do I look that old?”
“No, of course not. With your skills, I thought you were a high-ranking official…”
She was quite surprised by the identity of the man who had saved her twice. Although we looked similar in age, due to the nature of the Saint, there was a considerable age gap between us.
But, as expected of the accommodating Saint…
“I… have nothing but gratitude for you. Thank you for saving me and my child.”
Not only did she keep my identity a secret, but she also helped me escape the Imperial City in fox form. And after safely returning to Clarice Academy, we agreed that I was a survivor who had barely escaped Mystic Island.
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“Clarice Academy, Archery Department, required course. We will now announce the top and second-place students in the Practical Shooting course.”
A few more days had passed since that day.
“Surprisingly, the top student, with a grade of A, came from this class. Cadet Lev Denec. The highest score in all evaluation categories.”
At the words of the middle-aged elf male professor, the classroom became noisy.
“Second place goes to first-year, grade S, Cadet Selena Windforce. She also received a near-perfect score.”
“Ha. That human archer beat Selena again?”
“Even the second-year seniors participated this time. Crazy, just crazy.”
“I heard he was a practice worm from the first semester.”
“Really? He doesn’t show his face these days, except in class.”
“It’s a relief. The kids who made fun of him at first can’t even lift their heads now…”
“Let’s just acknowledge his grit, since he even survived Mystic Island, that hell.”
Except for a few hunter’s children, most of the Archery Department was composed of elves. Of course, I was also initially treated as a joke, being a human archer.
I had chosen a crossbow, which had a clear limit, and I didn’t have any innate talent or family backing. I had to endure the elves’ disdain and contempt until I defeated Gaylon.
But now, as winter approached, the tables had completely turned. Having hunted and defeated Great Demons and monsters several times, I was now considered to have no equal among my peers.
“Now that the grades have been announced, there will be no class today. Rest is also a form of training…”
At the professor’s words, the cadets quickly packed their bags and left the classroom. No one bothered me. In fact, many cadets now seemed to accept it.
“You’re that popular human archer? You’re quite cute.”
“I don’t know…”
“…I quite like you. We’re having a party at my family’s mansion soon. You should…”
Starting with upperclassmen who suddenly showed interest,
“I heard you were unfortunately disowned by your family… you must have gone through a lot…”
“Not really.”
“Ah… anyway! You, will you be with me…? I’m only telling you this! Don’t misunderstand!”
Noble ladies from decent families approached me and offered to be my kept man. Of course, popularity was a positive interest and quite enjoyable, but I didn’t have time to be complacent.
As a staple of academy stories, in the latter half of , Chapter 5, demons would descend on Clarice and cause a commotion. According to the original story, Bune, who had appeared at the last Clarice festival, would attack again with Yellody’s help.
‘I killed him in advance.’
And Yellody was also under my control. I had done what I could.
‘If they still come at me with such determination in this situation…’
I had no choice. I would have to ‘exterminate’ them…
Walking towards the train platform, I opened my skill window.
Ding.
‘Let’s think…’
A slightly twisted event from the original story. The use of this dimensional portal scroll, secretly developed by Heisman.
‘If I were him…’
I would somehow collude with Pandemonium and utilize this dimensional scroll to its maximum potential. Then, where would be the most efficient place to open a path?
A place with little influence from the sanctuary, with a villain at the connection point who could provide assistance. And most importantly, a place where, like a demon, one could strike at the heart of human weakness.
That would be…
‘The Imperial Underground Prison.’
Located beneath the Imperial Palace. Regillus and the remnants of Crow Fey were imprisoned there, so a smooth opening was possible, and it was a blind spot the Empire would never imagine.
‘The reason they targeted Psyche was also…’
If they killed the Saint, they could weaken the sanctuary’s power and gain favor with Pandemonium. Even if they failed, by being imprisoned themselves, they could naturally enter the underground prison.
And by taking advantage of the fact that all magic casting was sealed in the underground prison, they would have used the scroll to open a dimensional gate.
‘He used his head, for a villain.’
Since the Emperor of the Empire was a coward by design, if he learned that a dungeon had been created right beneath the Imperial Palace where he lived, the order of the Imperial City would quickly collapse.
‘Horrifying.’
If it weren’t for Aria’s surveillance magic… I would have had to watch this grand plan to turn the Imperial Capital into a domain of Pandemonium unfold.
‘It’s really foolish to just wait.’
The existence of this scroll to Pandemonium… the demons probably didn’t know about it. So, I had to raise the tempo and strike first. They were demons who wouldn’t hesitate to use any means.
‘The leader, perhaps?’
A leader-killing party. In RPGs with opposing factions, it referred to a party that assassinated the enemy leader. Success depended on stealth, teamwork, and geographical information about the enemy territory.
‘Let’s calm down.’
There’s a saying, ‘Haste makes waste.’ I checked the time on my wristwatch. It was almost dinnertime.
‘It’s cutting it close.’
After this incident… if I didn’t return before dinner, Aria and Yeriel would be extremely worried. So, I had a non-binding curfew. And because of what happened in the Imperial City, our relationship had become quite awkward.
“Yes. The flirt… Lev.”
Aria’s gaze was colder than before, and she was looking at me more often…
“Ah? Uh… Lev, you have to come back early…?”
Yeriel was so shy that she couldn’t even meet my eyes. I had to talk to them to clear up the misunderstandings, but… I couldn’t.
[No knocking except Lev.]
Lily, who had hung such a sign on her door…
Clatter.
“Hmm! Lev! I knew you’d be back!”
…had followed me from the Black House. She had also gone through a lot, and there were many traces of her crying alone in her room.
“I want to sleep with Lev…”
So, I had given in to her childishness out of pity, and she had been sticking by my side in the Black House. And what was really getting on my nerves…
“…I underestimated the reproductive urges of human males.”
“…”
“So, I’m not enough for you.”
…was Selena, who would prop her chin on her hand and glare at me with Lily attached to me at every meal.
‘I’m scared to go in…’
“!”
It was then.
As I approached the train platform…
“Long time no see~. You flirtatious junior.”
“…”
Familiar sky-blue hair. The demon girl Yellody was sitting on a bench, swinging her legs like a fish. I casually sat down next to her. Although she was my subordinate, I couldn’t completely let my guard down.
She didn’t know it, but when I wasn’t in my demon form, controlling her was quite difficult.
“I didn’t expect you to be back so soon.”
“Hmm~ Because you’re quite interesting, junior?”
I smiled and asked her, “Yellody, you know, right?”
“What?”
“Where the Demon Lord is.”
Thud.
At my question, Yellody’s movements stopped.
“…”
And then, slowly, her lips parted.
“Hmm~ That’s…”
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