Ch.138138. Accident (2)

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‘…I’m bored.’

Serath barely suppressed a yawn that was about to escape.

Since she had infiltrated Elphante Academy as a student, she couldn’t completely avoid attending classes, so she had no choice but to pick a few suitable lectures to attend. That’s why she was now forcing herself to sit in the classroom listening to this useless explanation.

‘This is supposed to be the Empire’s finest educational institution?’

She had come to what was supposed to be an advanced lecture, but the professor in front of her was only covering the basics of holy power manipulation.

Of course, comparing it to the Holy Empire, the homeland of such abilities, would be too harsh, but even so, this level was disappointingly low.

For someone of her caliber, this kind of lecture was almost a complete waste of time, but there was only one reason she was sticking around this academy.

In the end, it was all because of one human.

“-thus, holy power is categorized into several grades, from basic blessings to the miracles above them, and at the highest grade is none other than the angel’s blessing-“

“…”

Angel’s blessing.

Serath slightly lowered her head with an expressionless face, thinking about the word that had just flowed from the professor’s mouth.

As it happened, she had encountered something related to that very recently.

“…”

A deep sigh escaped from within.

At first, she had simply planned to deal with that man and return to the Pope immediately, but things had become complicated.

Starting with the unidentified ‘pulsation’ she had felt, that man had even shown himself casually associating with an angel, a being considered God’s apostle by the church.

“…”

And if there was no manipulation or deception in what she saw.

She should not harm that man.

According to doctrine, those who can make contact with angels are those with sincere faith.

But if that were true, then the Pope himself, who had ordered her to harm that man, would be in error.

‘…What exactly is going on here.’

She rubbed her temple as her head throbbed.

That man, true to being a troublemaker for the Pope, had more and more bizarre aspects the more she observed him-

“…!”

Serath’s eyes widened slightly at a sudden sensation. It was a feeling coming from near her chest.

Recently, this had been happening unusually often.

This pulsation that she had felt when she was near that man now rises in her body just by thinking about him.

Especially whenever she deliberately tries to ‘belittle’ that man in her mind, this sensation comes through.

She wasn’t sure what it was, but.

It was as if something inside her body was forcibly warning her: ‘You must not do that.’

Don’t speak ill of that man.

If you do, you will surely regret it.

It was very similar to the sensation that had forcibly stopped her movement when she had tried to stab him before.

‘…Don’t make me laugh.’

She frowned deeply and twisted her body slightly.

It was a gesture that came out involuntarily due to the strong feeling of rebellion against that sensation.

She found this sensation, which seemed to be trying to forcibly control her will, utterly vexing.

‘The Holy Empire’s doctrine is flawless. So is His Holiness the Pope. That man doesn’t even compare.’

That’s why she had been drawn to the Pope ever since she first met him and heard his ideology.

The world the Pope dreamed of was truly a genuine and authentic paradise to her.

An ideal world where no one is discriminated against.

A world where everyone can enjoy equal happiness without being restricted by barriers of birth, race, or other innate factors.

Compared to the Pope with such an ideal vision, that man is nothing but a degenerate who puts leashes on women and drags them around-

“…”

She twisted her body again.

Her pounding heart was now transmitting pain that felt like being repeatedly stabbed with a knife.

As if it was getting angry the moment it heard such words.

If she hadn’t been in a profession that made her extremely accustomed to enduring pain, she might have screamed involuntarily.

‘…Am I possessed by an evil spirit or something? What is this?’

At first, she had dismissed it as just feeling unwell, but now it was truly strange.

As soon as the class ended, she would have to go to Bizla for an exorcism ritual.

While she was clutching her chest and thinking this, the professor in front of her continued his explanation.

“-so much so that some scholars interpret the birth of the first humans as the work of beings from the Otherworld.”

She smiled slightly at those words.

Yes. That’s correct.

And the Holy Empire, which maintains the closest exchange with such beings from the Otherworld, is undoubtedly at the top among the continent’s hegemonic nations.

‘For once, you’re making sense for someone from the Empire?’

Serath thought as she looked at the professor in front of her.

“But it seems they made quite a few mistakes that are unlike them.”

However, the words that followed from his mouth made her expression freeze.

“Those crude, disgusting Furry races who should be ashamed to be treated as humans like us. If anyone ever meets an angel, they should ask why they created such creatures.”

“…”

As light laughter spread among the surrounding students.

Serath desperately managed the killing intent that was trying to break through her expression.

Memories that she had buried over many years rose from the back of her mind.

The discrimination, humiliation, oppression, and persecution she had experienced in the Empire before moving to the Holy Empire.

Even the most precious thing she had ‘lost.’

‘…Vulgar bastards.’

She looked at the surrounding humans who were laughing with contemptuous eyes.

Furry races.

Those who resemble humans but also possess characteristics of ‘different races.’

It generally refers to the Furry races commonly called Bipeds.

The Empire thoroughly rejected and discriminated against these people who, except for slight differences in appearance, were no different from humans.

Unlike the Holy Empire, these narrow-minded and disgusting humans only treated pure-blooded humans as their kind.

“That concludes today’s class. Submit your assignments through the teaching assistant by next time.”

With those words, the students all got up from their seats, chattering noisily.

Meanwhile, Serath expressionlessly organized her writing materials and textbooks.

Unlike the others, she didn’t even have any friends around her, but she didn’t have any particular feelings about that.

The student identity was just a cover anyway. Once she dealt with matters related to Darwood Campbell, she would discard this identity immediately.

So as usual, she would just organize her things properly and then go straight back to gathering information about that man.

That’s what she would have done normally.

“Hey.”

But today, there was a group unexpectedly approaching her.

She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the humans in front of her.

A skilled assassin can gather a great deal of information just from a person’s first impression. Especially someone with the title of Grand.

Male student. Proudly wearing a pendant with his family’s insignia around his neck.

A somewhat trained body, and he seemed to have diligently learned combat skills as there were no gaps in his overall movement.

After looking him up and down, Serath nodded seriously to herself.

‘…I can ignore him.’

He was trained, but just that.

At her level, where even regular knights couldn’t touch a hair on her head, she could dispose of him with just one finger.

“Do you have busi-“

“Not interested.”

Hearing the answer that came out before he could even finish speaking, the man frowned.

Normally, he would probably shout something like ‘Who do you think you are to be so rude?’, but this was Elphante. Even if royalty enrolled as a student, they couldn’t throw their weight around in this educational institution of equality for all.

The man suppressed his anger inwardly and opened his mouth again. He even had a somewhat friendly smile on his face.

“…I am Brix Chester, the eldest son of Count Chester. I came to make you a proposal.”

“…”

The attitude screaming ‘You won’t be able to resist once you hear my family name’ was painfully obvious.

A roster of names unfolded in her mind.

One of the assassin’s skills, information about personnel from each country, was quickly scanned.

‘The Chester County family…’

They were somewhere ambiguously between the Empire’s great nobles and mid-tier nobles.

It was a level where he could have such confidence when dealing with ordinary people, but.

“…What is it.”

To a Grand Assassin, he was still just a weed.

With just her alone, it would take only a day to wipe out this entire family.

So when she spoke with an obvious tone of annoyance, the other person’s expression crumpled again.

Normally, at this point, he would either back off or get angry, but this time he cleared his throat and continued.

“You, are you perhaps hiding your skills?”

“…What?”

“I’m asking if you’ve ever professionally trained in combat techniques.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“You might try to hide your presence, but you can’t hide your body’s contours. The degree, condition, and development of your muscles. It’s clear you’ve trained to the point of breaking bones and crushing flesh.”

“…”

It seems he has no intention of letting this go easily.

Thinking this, Serath inwardly sighed.

“…I’ve learned some self-defense.”

“Come on. Are you joking? I’ve been holding a sword since I was 7 as the eldest son of a count’s family. Let’s stop pretending.”

“What do you want?”

“…”

Hearing Serath’s voice, which had become slightly sharp, Brix smiled shallowly.

“…There’s someone I want to deal with in the upcoming competency evaluation.”

“…”

“Let’s work together on this. I’ll compensate you generously.”

“…”

She doesn’t like this.

The only one who can employ her is the Pope. She doesn’t even want to deal with weeds like this normally.

‘…Wait. If he’s from a count’s family.’

But.

Suddenly, she had a thought.

“…Do you know someone named Darwood Campbell?”

She thought she might receive some useful information about that man if he happened to know anything.

After all, this guy is from a noble line with some standing, and he’s been at this academy longer than she has. He might have access to valuable information that she doesn’t know.

But.

As soon as he heard that name, Brix’s face twisted horribly.

“What a coincidence.”

His voice was filled with contempt and disgust.

“That’s exactly the man I want to deal with.”

“…Really?”

Suddenly.

There was a twinge in her chest again.

Serath was momentarily confused but managed to keep it from showing on her face.

Again.

This feeling again.

Why does this happen whenever that man is mentioned?

“He’s a beast who disgraced my father. A filthy, worm-like, trash of a person.”

“…”

Again.

Her chest twinged. Thump-thump. Eventually, it hurt as if being stabbed with a knife.

With each insult directed at that man, the pulsation grew stronger.

“If you know about him too, that’s good. How much of a scoundrel he is, every student in this academy knows at least vaguely.”

And at the following ‘impulse,’ Serath was surprised at herself as she clutched her chest.

Her whole body seemed to be screaming.

To draw the dagger from her bosom right now and stab this man. To shut that mouth.

Her breathing quickened. Her head spun. Her consciousness blurred slightly, as if covered in mist.

“…He doesn’t seem like such a bad person to me.”

She even blurted out such words.

‘What are you doing, Serath?’

Why would she defend that man?

Such thoughts fleetingly crossed her mind through her gradually fading reason.

But even through such thoughts, anger that made her head feel like it was boiling was rising regardless of her consciousness.

This was almost.

How should she put it.

Very similar to the emotion she felt when the Pope was insulted.

The feeling she gets when someone she ‘serves’ is insulted.

“What? Then you’re being deceived. He’s a cunning snake.”

“…”

“So, you can think of it as implementing justice.”

“…Implementing justice?”

At some point.

Her voice had sunk coldly, but Brix, too busy badmouthing Darwood to notice, continued.

“Yes. Teaching him a lesson that he shouldn’t have messed with the Chester County family.”

“What exactly are you planning to do?”

“Exactly what I said. Violent accidents often happen during practical exams. It’s easy to handle such incidents.”

And then.

“I’m going to kill him.”

As soon as she heard those words.

Her vision was tinged with ‘violet.’

Then.

-!

Blood splattered.

Screams echoed all around.

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“Kyaaaaaaah-!”

“Qu-Quick, call someone!”

At those screams, her consciousness that had momentarily left returned.

Serath opened her eyes wide and took rough breaths.

‘…What have I just…!’

This was a symptom she had never experienced even once until she rose to the rank of Grand Assassin and created the covert organization known as the Crescent Moon Covenant.

It would be very similar to the situation when she had tried to harm Darwood Campbell before.

Her body moving on its own, beyond her will.

As if someone else was controlling it.

However.

The seriousness of the situation was much worse than before.

“…”

Serath looked at her own hand with a shocked expression.

A blood-stained dagger. Brix collapsed in front of her.

And above all.

The gazes focused on her.

“…”

This was a disaster.

There couldn’t be a bigger disaster than this.

To suddenly stab someone with a weapon in a situation with so many witnesses.

Cold sweat ran down. Her back felt chilly. Her head was dizzy.

Thanks to being accustomed to killing emotions, she didn’t fall into panic, but no matter how calm her mind was, it was nearly impossible to come up with a suitable remedy to overcome this situation.

“…”

No.

There is one.

A terrible but effective method crossed her mind.

A thought she would never have considered normally, but.

In her current ‘strange’ mental state, it came to her as a very appealing idea.

‘…I just need to eliminate them all, don’t I?’

She could slaughter all the humans here.

If all witnesses disappear, no one would know who killed them.

And as if supporting such imagination.

Violet flashes in her vision again.

‘…Anyway, they’re all just people who are of no help to that man, right?’

What does that mean? Why is she thinking such a sentence?

Such thoughts fleetingly crossed her mind, but.

Again, they were buried under the intense pulsation that spread like smoke rising in her head.

These weeds, these nobodies here.

They have no meaning, no value.

It doesn’t matter if they’re cleared away.

In this world, only things that are helpful to ‘master’ should remain. These things are just cumbersome.

“…”

And then.

The door to the lecture hall opened urgently. Serath’s eyes swiftly turned in that direction.

Ah.

It’s that man.

Darwood Campbell.

“…”

Serath’s heart began to pound.

Ah, yes.

Master.

She must do something helpful for that man.

‘…Please wait a moment.’

She would clear away all these useless people.

That must be what that man wants too.

As she thought this and raised her dagger again.

Darwood made a surprised expression, then assessed the situation and.

“…Ah, really.”

He sighed.

What followed was an expression that said there was nothing to be done.

And then.

The ‘insignia’ on his chest began to shine.

‘…White?’

With a ‘captivating’ white light that captured the attention of all the humans around.

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