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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“Are we all studying together?”
Tesha, after a moment of hesitation, asked. I readily nodded.
“Yes, I think it would be good for us to study together.”
The demon’s primary target was Tesha.
She was the one destined to become the ruler.
The demons weren’t attacking the academy just to eliminate a few Hero Candidates.
Rumors were already circulating among the demons that Tesha was the empire’s last hope.
They believed that if they captured Tesha, the empire would crumble from within.
That was their goal.
So, for the library event to unfold, Tesha had to be in the library.
If she wasn’t, the demon might choose a different location.
For example, if they attacked the women’s dormitory, it would be a disaster for me.
“Okay, let’s study together during midterms.”
And so, midterm season arrived.
I practically lived in the library with Arthur.
It was a medieval world, yet the library was open 24/7.
A few days passed, and we had taken several exams.
Anya, Tia, and even Sepia were studying in the library with us.
However, Tesha was subtly distancing herself from me.
Arthur might not have noticed, but I wasn’t oblivious.
Whenever I asked her a question, she responded in a flat tone, a stark contrast to her usual friendly demeanor.
So, I decided to keep my distance from her as well.
“Ah… I wish we could go see the cherry blossoms.”
Anya said wistfully, gazing out the window.
“Me too. It would be nice to go cherry blossom viewing together.”
Tia replied, pushing up her horn-rimmed glasses. Her eyesight was fine, but she always wore glasses during exam season.
It was a way to hide the dark circles under her eyes.
I glanced at the window.
A full moon hung in the night sky.
Tomorrow was the last day of midterms.
Which meant that tonight was the night of the demon attack.
“Where’s Tesha?”
I asked Arthur.
Tesha hadn’t shown up all day.
Had she failed an exam and was crying in her room?
Or was she still asleep in her dormitory after pulling an all-nighter?
“Ah, she texted me earlier. She said she wasn’t feeling well and was going to study in her room.”
“Study in her room?”
“Yeah, so I told her it was okay. Why?”
I glanced at the window again.
The full moon was turning red.
Damn it.
I stood up.
“Ethan?”
In the original story, the second demon attacked the library.
But that was the original story.
The plot had already been significantly altered.
I grabbed my sword and ran towards the women’s dormitory.
I tried contacting Tesha through my communication crystal as I ran.
But she wasn’t answering.
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Tesha opened her textbook.
Tomorrow was the last day of midterms.
‘Tesha, that’s called “leading someone on”.’
She tried to forget, but Tia’s words kept echoing in her mind.
Ethan’s behavior had been bothering her ever since that conversation.
‘If I misled him, then it’s my fault…’
She would distance herself from Ethan from now on.
That was Tesha’s new resolution.
Buzz—
Her communication crystal vibrated. It was a message from Ethan. Tesha ignored it.
‘He’s looking for me.’
She sighed.
The academy was unusually quiet today.
The professors had been summoned to Central Ward for a meeting. It was the eve of the final midterm exam, so everyone was feeling relaxed.
Buzz—
Her communication crystal vibrated again.
It was a message from her friend, Paula.
―Tesha, look out the window! Red full moon!
Tesha tapped on her communication crystal.
―Wow, a red full moon?! Awesome! (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑
She could hear students chattering excitedly outside.
Tesha walked over to the window and looked out.
As Paula had said, a red full moon hung in the night sky.
It was gradually turning crimson.
She stared at it, mesmerized by its beauty.
Tesha eventually returned to her desk and tried to focus on her studies. She had one exam left.
But she couldn’t concentrate.
Buzz—
Her communication crystal vibrated again.
It was another message from Ethan.
Tesha tried to ignore it.
Suddenly, she felt a tightness in her chest.
A thick demonic aura filled the dormitory.
Tesha instinctively reached for her shortsword.
Shing—
The silver blade slid out of its scabbard.
She couldn’t hear any sounds from outside.
Knock, knock.
Someone was knocking on her door.
Tesha cautiously approached the door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s security.”
“What’s going on?”
“We’ve detected a demonic presence. Please gather in the dormitory hall according to the instructions in the guidebook.”
Tesha peered through the peephole.
A kind-looking security guard was standing at the door.
He was smiling, as usual.
Tesha opened the door.
“Miss Tesha, please come with me to the dormitory hall.”
“…”
Something felt wrong.
“That’s strange… If I remember correctly… you have a mole under your left eye…”
Tesha stepped back.
“Ugh… I hate kids with sharp eyes.”
The security guard lunged at her, his hand reaching for her throat.
Whoosh—
Tesha thrust her shortsword into his palm.
It felt strange, like she had stabbed a lump of clay.
She quickly withdrew her sword and backed away.
“Good reflexes.”
The guard smirked.
His face began to melt like ice cream on a hot summer day.
His eyes glowed red, their shape twisting into crescent moons.
Whoosh—
A fist made of steel shot towards her.
‘I have to dodge!’
Tesha instinctively knew that she couldn’t block the attack.
Bang!
The fist smashed into the wall behind her.
The ground trembled, as if an earthquake had struck.
A crater formed in the wall.
“You’re a demon…”
There was no response.
The demon attacked again, his fist a blur of motion.
Clang!
Tesha raised her shortsword to block the attack, but the force sent her crashing into her desk.
Crash.
Her communication crystal and her mug shattered on the floor.
Her vision blurred, and she felt nauseous.
Blood filled her mouth.
Thump, thump.
A dark shadow loomed over her.
The demon grabbed her throat.
Tesha couldn’t breathe.
‘If only my mana… If only my mana was fully recovered…’
A wave of purplish demonic energy surged through her body.
But Tesha didn’t have enough mana to repel it.
“W-what… what are you going to do with me…?”
The demon’s response was a twisted grin.
Static filled her vision as it slowly faded to black.
Crack!
A jarring sound pierced through the darkness.
A man with black hair entered her blurry vision.
He sliced the demon’s wrist, and Tesha’s body slumped to the floor.
He was breathing heavily.
“Huff… huff… Damn it, she’s so stubborn.”
His voice was filled with annoyance.
Tesha felt a surge of indignation.
‘How dare he talk to me like that… I’m a princess…’
She wanted to protest, but she couldn’t speak.
She might be disguised as a commoner, but she was still a princess.
But… Tesha also felt a strange thrill, a sense of excitement mixed with something else.
It was a foreign sensation.
She lifted her head, her vision blurry.
‘Ethan…? What’s he doing in the women’s dormitory…?’
The man fighting the demon was Ethan.
“W-who are you?”
“I don’t know, you bastard. But thanks to you, I discovered I can run 100 meters in 5 seconds.”
The demon glared at Ethan.
Ethan’s body was enveloped in a blue aura.
It was an overwhelming display of mana.
“Yesterday was the mana control exam…”
“Yeah, I screwed up the exam. So, I’m taking it out on you.”
Ethan charged at the demon.
His movements were more fluid and precise than before.
His swordsmanship was flawless, his attacks targeting the demon’s wrists and ankles.
Thwack!
His attacks were smooth yet powerful, like a rock cleaving through water.
‘Impossible… my unique ability is steel transformation…!’
The demon’s steel-like body was being sliced apart like tofu.
He tried to regenerate his limbs, but a blue flame erupted from the severed wounds.
He forced his demonic energy to flow, regenerating his limbs.
But Ethan sliced them off again.
He was relentless, like a predator tearing apart its prey.
‘Even if he can’t sever them in one blow, he keeps attacking relentlessly.’
The demon’s steel transformation was useless against Ethan’s attacks.
The relentless barrage of attacks was leaving countless wounds on his body.
Ethan was frustrated.
The demon kept regenerating like a vampire.
It was like a battle of attrition.
‘He must be one of the stronger demon generals… around rank 60.’
Ethan continued his assault, relentlessly inflicting wounds on the demon’s body.
Time seemed to stand still.
One thing was certain: The demon was exhausted.
“Damn you! You devil! Just kill me! Just kill me already!”
The demon shouted, his massive body slumped on the floor.
“You kept regenerating… Ah, finally stopped. Come on, man. Just die already!”
The last thing Tesha saw was a surge of blue mana engulfing Ethan’s sword.
The demon’s head flew off.
“Hey, Tesha! Are you okay? Huff… She’s still breathing…”
She could hear Ethan’s voice, even though she was barely conscious.
Something touched her left chest.
“Her heart’s still beating… She’s just unconscious… Ugh… That damn girl. Why didn’t she listen…”
Ethan muttered, his tone laced with annoyance.
Then she heard him talking to someone.
“Vivian, it’s Ethan. Can you come here?”
“Yes, Vivian speaking. What’s going on, Ethan?”
“Someone was attacked by a demon.”
“…I understand. I’ll be right there. Just wait a moment.”
Their conversation faded in and out as Tesha’s consciousness flickered.
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That fight scene was terrible ngl but meh I’m reading this because I like the plot so whatever