episode_0038

Karl Mayner recalled a man who seemed like he wouldn’t shed a drop of blood even if stabbed.

The original work, the knowledge he always relied on, scenes from novels that came to mind without much effort due to having read so much. Among them, he recalls memories of the student council president, David.

…

“Let’s put it aside.”

He used to obsess over the novel’s setting like a neurotic patient, but now he realized it was pointless. There was no longer any reason to drag the situation along according to the setting. It had already gone awry as it was.

David de Leon, that’s it.

However, when he let go of his obsession with the original work, he couldn’t stop another impulse. Becoming Karl Mayner. Becoming the perfect him. That was the last resort he could choose to survive in this world. The advantage he had as a reader was now over.

He decided to completely erase his appearance before possession. It was a kind of survival instinct. Now, his mind was filled only with thoughts of playing Karl Mayner. Ignoring the rising doubts, he intended to imitate the appearance of the novel, which had been engraved as a symbol of resilience, while brushing off suspicions like “I’m different from the protagonist in the novel.”

As a famous SF writer said, highly developed fakes are indistinguishable from the real thing.

Kim Se-jin would mimic Karl Mayner until becoming him.

This is the path she chose.

A path chosen as if pushed by an encounter with the unknown.

A conclusion reached in a short time based on instinct and intuition.

So, what needs to be pondered now is not the man in front of her, but what answer Karl Mayner from the original work would have given. After a moment of contemplation, Kim Se-jin said, “Karl Mayner.”

“You must know that I’m not asking for that, right?”

It was an audacious and confident response. David was not satisfied with that answer.

“The successor of author Mayner, Christopher Mayner’s only son, and the one to wield the Holy Sword. Wouldn’t that be an answer?”

“Or, can’t you accept the fact that I am strong? I easily got into the Imperial College just like the Duke, and I excel in martial arts too?”

David was listening to Karl’s words without much agitation.

“Is it inconceivable that such a mutation occurred in the Empire’s most prestigious family? Is it intolerable for the pride who ascended to the position of student council president?”

It was a sharp remark that turned the listener’s mind upside down. Although there were no harsh words, it was a tough way of speaking that stimulated the other person’s mind like a dagger, just like the original Karl Maier.

“But as you saw for yourself, it did happen, Mr. President.”

He finished speaking with a smirk, using an honorific. However, respect was still nowhere to be found. David also seemed indifferent to Karl’s attitude. It was an attitude of “whatever.”

Karl briefly said, “Well then,” and tried to pass by David. But he stopped his steps at David’s call.

“You’re trying to avoid the situation with an aggressive tone. But that doesn’t change the fact that you entered the Imperial College while hiding your strength.”

“….”

“If you were a rightful successor, you wouldn’t need to do that. Besides, you…”

David continued speaking, looking at Karl’s back.

“…Why do you call my father ‘Duke’?”

A cold silence fell. The blowing wind seemed to become even colder. Karl momentarily considered summoning the Holy Sword again. Without relying on the original, it was an exam to become Karl Maier.

“Was it awkward…?”

He doubted whether he had inadvertently revealed the weak side of Kim Se-jin instead of being Karl Maier. So he hesitated about erasing this wrong answer. However, he soon gave up such thoughts. He couldn’t break through by just avoiding. He decided to let it go and go with the flow.

Thud-

He turned around and stared at David. An atmosphere unbecoming of a student pervaded. His calm demeanor seemed as if he were looking at the Duke of Maier.

“That could be possible.”

“What?”

“You could also call my father a duke. It’s not like we have that kind of close relationship.”

Carl concealed his confusion and continued with his initial brazenness.

“If not Carl Meiner, what do you think of me?”

“Well, there are several possibilities, but nothing is certain at the moment.”

“Interrogation should be based on solid evidence, not speculation. Is it different in the Lugo Alliance?”

There is no evidence that he is not the son of Duke Meiner. There is also no evidence that he is a colonial intelligence agent. Even if it’s within the academy, it’s not easy to interrogate the son of the empire’s grand duke. Even though he is an adopted son, there is still some evidence, isn’t there?

“You’re right, it’s just speculation. It’s not an important issue for now.”

“Is that so?”

“It will be revealed someday. Then…”

David adjusted his glasses and looked at the place where Eligos had been. The devastated wall and deeply dented floor testified to the power of the holy sword.

“Was Eligos completely defeated?”

“Yes, without a trace.”

“Were there any casualties?”

Sensing the mana left behind by Eligos’s disappearance, David accepted the fact that Eligos, as Carl had said, had been resurrected and then killed.

“No, there were none. I arrived in time.”

“Thank goodness.”

Carl remembered Unknown, who had been choked by Eligos. If he had been a little late, he wondered if he would have had to treat Unknown as a casualty. He quickly concluded that it was a pointless thought. There was no need to dwell on it.

“The guards will arrive soon. They will handle the aftermath.”

“…”

“I’m going to check the academy for any potential damage. What about you?”

“I… want to go back to the dormitory.”

It had been a tiring day. Before getting caught up in something troublesome, Carl wanted to leave.

“There must have been a reason for hiding your strength. Leave before people arrive.”

“?!”

“Why are you so surprised? Did my speculation make you uncomfortable?”

Karl briefly glanced at David with a grim expression before turning to continue on his way. David also began walking in the opposite direction of Karl. Coincidentally, their destinations were in opposite directions.

“Come to think of it, I forgot to say thank you.”

“…?”

“Thank you for protecting the academy from Eligor. It could have been a disaster.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Karl turned his body slightly and shrugged his shoulders. David was sincere. Because he didn’t immediately kill Fabian, something irreversible almost happened.

“I’d like to hear more about you later.”

“I don’t like that guy.”

I mean something else.”

“Well, if the opportunity arises.”

With a vague ending to his words, Karl continued on the path they had been taking.

Karl recalled Louis’s evasive conversational style with an absurd joke. In the novel, Karl Meiner gradually began to speak more like Louis, but such a conversation style did not resonate with the naive David. It was as if he were the Duke Christopher Meiner.

“Yeah, if the opportunity arises… I definitely want to compete with you.”

David muttered quietly as he turned his body in the opposite direction of Karl, who was moving away.

And so, the two men went their separate ways.

*

The street the two men left behind was filled with silence. The only things remaining were the traces of Eligor, which had vanished into dust upon being summoned, and the body of an unknown demon that had become a rag on the spear of magic as soon as Eligor summoned it.

It was a physical form that would soon be handed over to the arriving guards for investigation. In other words, there were no living beings on the street. It had to be that way.

Swoosh-

Like a soundless wind blowing through the streets, someone appeared on the quiet street. It was a man wrapped in a robe, covering his face.

Without making a sound, he appeared like a ghost through spatial movement.

“As expected, this seems to be the limit for Fabian’s physical form.”

He passed by the sprawled demon’s body and approached where Eligor had vanished.

Then he reached out his hand.

The ominous mana gathered at his fingertips. The red energies that had been in the place where Eligos had vanished also gathered at his hand. With a low growl, the gathered energies took shape. When the red light disappeared, a horn had appeared in his hand.

It was Eligos’s horn. It looked much larger than when it had first been asleep in the museum.

“Still, there is a harvest.”

The horn disappeared like melting snow, as if being sucked into the man’s body. He had absorbed the power of the horn.

“The Yellow Nobles and the Holy Sword… It’s quite ruthless for a coincidence, isn’t it?”

He clicked his tongue and disappeared from the street. Just as he had used Fabian, he thought he needed to hurry with his next plan.

Fabian had mistaken the voice for Eligos’s, but in fact, it was all part of the man’s scheme hidden under his robe. Leading Fabian with Eligos’s horn was entirely his intention.

The plans of the man under the robe would not stop in the future. Until he achieved his purpose.

*

“This tin can head is mine.”

As I soaked my body in the warm bathtub, I felt as if the fatigue of the long day was melting away. As the tension eased, I recalled the voice of the sword.

“A tin can… There’s no way something like that would be here.”

It was a word fitting for a possessor, so I couldn’t help but laugh unintentionally. And then the following words…

I felt strangely uneasy at the phrase “mine.” Words are subtle, and their meanings vary depending on interpretation. Surely, the sword must have meant prey or target, but when I heard those words, I was greatly perplexed. I felt awkward and uncomfortable.

Although I knew in my head that it obviously meant nothing, my emotions kept trying to interpret it differently. It was exasperating. After staying in the hot water for a while, I felt like my body was getting warmer.

I should probably get out before I get dizzy.

Splash-

As I got up from the bathtub and moved my feet, the water spilled onto the floor with a loud noise.

I tried to pass by the mirror with a towel on my head. Then I stopped and wiped the misty mirror with my hand.

My reflection appeared in the mirror.

The reddened cheeks seemed to indicate the heat of the bathroom. Although I often enjoyed bathing, today the blush seemed deeper.

“You’re really pretty.”

Slightly swollen from the tears shed earlier, but still beautiful. My appearance.

*

I wiped away the moisture, put on a gown, and stepped out of the bathroom. On the table in the room, there was an open bottle of wine and wine glasses.

It was brought by Yulia.

This was the dormitory where Yulia stayed.

As each student had their own room, Leticia left all the items she didn’t want to be seen by her in Yulia’s room. Since it couldn’t be returned in a mess today, I came to Yulia’s room.

The single room was smaller than the one I used at the Dallia Mansion, but it was much better than a double room. From the size to the interior materials and design. Maybe the Imperial Department doesn’t provide good rooms? If so, it would be a little painful.

Yulia willingly offered her room. She prepared the wine while I showered and quietly left the room. She knew that I couldn’t sleep without alcohol every night.

She also knew about the nightmares that had been haunting me since losing Theo. But she never spoke about it. This silent care was her way of showing consideration. She was a kind person. No, should I say a capable maid…?

I wanted to sleep together and talk in the same bed, but today I wanted to be alone. So I let her have the bed and tried to sleep in the living room.

Sorry.

But I still want to be alone today.

Unlike usual, instead of finishing a whole bottle, I only had a glass before going to sleep.

Less than a minute if short, up to 5 minutes if long.

In that time, I would fall asleep. Into a deep sleep.

Into the nightmares that torment me every night.

I closed my eyes, recalling the unfamiliar agony. The low voice of a sword still lingered in my ears.

It could be.

The voice I heard most today.

I thought it must be a voice that just kept echoing because I had heard it so much, like lazy muscles turned over by heavy armor.

I felt my vision being covered as I blankly pondered.

The moment of a nightmare is coming.

A scene unfolds before my eyes. My heavy body seems to be sucked into the bed like a weight. A garden full of dahlia flowers, an artificial fountain, warm hands holding my delicate and beautiful hand. I see Karl with his bangs swept back. And in his opposite hand, two gold rings matching his hair color.

He put one on my slender finger. I also received a ring and put it on his long finger. Karl kissed my forehead.

I closed my eyes.

Is this… a nightmare?!

It was different from usual. It was too warm to call it a nightmare. It felt slightly embarrassing and ticklish, but it was a different kind of pain from the terrible agony I usually experienced. There had never been such a warm nightmare before.

….

My subconscious cries out.

Why do I see such a sight?

This is Beatrice’s wind.

An unfulfilled wish.

Perhaps a crossroads that could have been the ending of a novel. Because it was an unfinished novel, the future remained only as a possibility that no one could know.

However, this future will change with even the smallest change.

Nothing is predetermined.

No one will know what future the flow of the original work I twisted this time will lead to.

Whether it’s good for me or bad for me.

It will change.

But….

Some things may not change.

For example.

Beatrice’s unchanged heart…

A turning point.

-The end