Gathering (1)

On the afternoon of the day I narrowly escaped Machart’s attack.

Naturally, I couldn’t focus properly in the subsequent Magic Department class and could only reflect on the crisis I had just experienced.

‘That was really dangerous…’

I almost died absurdly because of that bastard Machart’s whim. Though I managed to escape through fierce resistance and inducing his carelessness, the fact remains that my life is still under threat.

No, perhaps this situation is even more troublesome than just having my life threatened.

If he had simply threatened to kill me, I could have resolved it by killing him first, but if Machart is truly targeting me personally, that would be particularly tricky.

If I’m not careful, even after killing him, there’s a possibility I could be labeled as a human colluding with demons.

Even setting that aside, getting entangled with someone of his status as the 4th Prince is problematic in many ways. Not only is he connected to demons, but his status is disgustingly high.

There’s also the possibility that unfortunate sparks could fly toward Ethan, who is currently pretending to be my fiancé.

‘I need to deal with this as quickly and quietly as possible.’

Originally, he was a character who could only be defeated right before leaving the Empire after graduation. After all, in the game’s main story, he’s essentially the final boss of Part 4.

After the battle with him, the story of Part 5 begins, where you fight against the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings and the Demon King himself in the Empire’s demon-occupied territories.

‘Theoretically, he’s the final boss of Part 4, but that doesn’t mean there’s absolutely no way to defeat him at this point.’

Machart received power from the demons about four and a half years ago. Since he assassinated the 1st Prince and the Empress shortly after gaining that power, this timeline is undoubtedly accurate.

And at the five-year mark after receiving that power, Machart successfully underwent demonic transformation, and no longer able to hide his true nature, he killed his double to fake his own death at the hands of demons and escaped the Empire.

In other words, Machart only gained Part 4 final boss-level power after his demonic transformation, and fortunately, there’s still about half a year left before he completes that transformation.

It’s not exactly a comfortable amount of time, but it’s enough to attempt killing him. If I gather the main characters of 『Luminor Academy』 for a serious fight, we might be able to subjugate him.

…The problem is, even if I try to gather those main characters now, it won’t be that easy.

‘I don’t really have any connections with the Hero’s party to begin with, and approaching the Hero would mean going against Ethan’s orders…’

Even if it’s to save my own life, the fact remains that I’d be ignoring Ethan’s orders to contact the Hero.

Moreover, since I already secretly met Agnes without telling Ethan at the end of last year, if I do something similar again, even Ethan would undoubtedly be disappointed in me.

That means I’d have to explain to Ethan not only that my life is being threatened by Machart but also why the Hero’s help is necessary to resolve this smoothly… and honestly, I’m not confident I can explain this part without mentioning my past life.

‘If it were Kyotmwa Josyegigot, I could just spill everything openly.’

I was certain from the moment I first saw his name, and after observing his behavior, Kyotmwa Josyegigot is undoubtedly a player of 『Luminor Academy』.

In other words, to him alone, I could reveal that I’m a reincarnator and that I played 『Luminor Academy』 in my past life, and he would understand without finding it strange.

But Ethan is a person from this world, and just getting him to understand that he’s a character in a game would be a hurdle.

He wouldn’t even have the concept of computer games, so I’d have to substitute it with something like novels or other media to explain.

…And above all, I really didn’t want to reveal to Ethan that I was a man in my past life.

Well, it’s obvious. If I tell Ethan, who likes me, that I was a man, he’d either become someone with a sexual preference for men or someone who fell for me just because I look like a woman, regardless of what’s inside.

Neither outcome would leave good aftereffects, so there’s no need to burden Ethan with that harsh truth.

And most importantly, if I tell Ethan I was a man, then in the future, I’d also…

“Lilith, Lilith.”

“Huh? Ah, yes?”

“Class is over. How long are you going to just sit there?”

“Ah…”

…Come to think of it, it was still during the afternoon class.

I remember entering the lecture hall, exchanging brief greetings with Agnes, and sitting down, but when I finally snapped out of it, all I saw was a blackboard with remnants of erased writing and an empty classroom with only Agnes and me left.

“Is something wrong? You’ve been staring into space since earlier.”

“S-sorry, Miss Agnes.”

“…No need to apologize.”

Still, the fact that she stayed by my side until everyone else left the classroom showed she had some sense of loyalty.

During my 『Luminor Academy』 player days, she wasn’t a character I particularly liked, but the more I get to know her in-game, the more I realize she’s the real deal.

I quietly apologized in my heart for my past mistake of labeling Agnes with the derogatory term “rabid red Chihuahua.”

“I was lost in some important thoughts. Thoughts deeply connected to my future, actually.”

“…Career problems? Worried about where to go after graduation?”

“It’s more fundamental than that. It’s about whether I’ll even be able to graduate from the Academy.”

“…You’re the Magic Department’s vice-president.”

“Well… that’s true.”

…That wasn’t exactly the kind of graduation I meant.

Anyway, this isn’t the time to be picky about methods. To survive Machart, I need to seek help from anyone who can provide it.

Especially since I already owe Agnes a favor, securing her cooperation should be relatively easier.

“Miss Agnes.”

“Yeah.”

“Before returning to the dorm today… could you accompany me to the Swordsmanship Department building?”

“…Sure. I don’t mind.”

Agnes hasn’t yet reached the ranks of an Archmage, but at least with her by my side, Machart won’t be able to approach me as easily as last time.

Even if her protection is only temporary, that’s enough. Just until the end of this semester’s classes, before summer break begins.

Before Machart completes his demonic transformation, before his final semester begins this summer break-that’s when I plan to defeat him.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

With Agnes’s help, I moved to Ethan’s Swordsmanship Department building, and from there, walked back to the dorm with him.

After dinner, as we returned to the dorm together, I immediately explained to Ethan what had happened that afternoon.

How Prince Machart had approached me after parting with Ethan at lunch, threatened my life, and then, after demanding I become his wife, eventually gave up and left.

Since it wasn’t a story Isabelle needed to hear, it was just the two of us, of course.

“…What… did you say?”

“This afternoon, Prince Machart came and threatened my life. In the end, he tried to force me to become his wife at the cost of my life but eventually gave up and left.”

-Crack!

“E-Ethan, young master?!”

“That damn bastard…”

…I had deliberately served lavender tea to calm his mind before telling the story, but unfortunately, it didn’t seem to have much effect.

The teacup in Ethan’s grip shattered along with his clenched fist. At least his sturdy body prevented him from injuring his hand.

While the shards of the teacup scattered across the table and floor, stopping Ethan from storming out with his sword in the middle of the night was far more exhausting than cleaning up the mess.

“Young Master Ethan, please calm down.”

“…No, I can’t calm down. Before dawn tomorrow, I’ll hang that vomit-inducing head at the Academy’s front gate. Then I’ll throw the body into the stables and let it be trampled by hooves all night until it’s crushed-“

“Doing that would be an insult to the royal family and treason! Do you want to erase the entire Blackwood family from the Empire?!”

“…Fine, I get it. Then I’ll settle for sneaking in and killing him quietly. If he pointed a blade at Lilith, he must have been prepared to be stabbed to death himself…”

“Young Master Ethan!”

I hadn’t expected him to remain completely unfazed upon hearing that I almost died, but I also hadn’t wanted him to lose his temper like this.

After all, the reason I told Ethan this story honestly wasn’t to urge him to assassinate Machart but to discuss how to deal with him.

Acting recklessly would not only fail to achieve anything but could also make the situation far more complicated.

“Let me say this one more time. I understand how you feel, Young Master Ethan, but as things stand now, you can’t kill that prince.”

“If you’re talking about covering it up, I’ll handle it. It might take some time, but I can create a fake identity and clean up the traces. If I don’t use magic, there won’t be any evidence left.”

“That’s not what I meant. Of course, what happens after killing Prince Machart is also a problem, but the issue I’m talking about is the act of killing him itself.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Prince Machart was using the power of demons, given to him by the demons.”

“……He was using the power of demons?”

“Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

Ethan’s face darkened with concern upon hearing my words. It seems he finally realized how much more serious the situation is upon learning that Machart was using demonic power.

For a moment, I worried about what to do if he stubbornly insisted on going to kill him anyway after hearing this, but fortunately, as an educated noble, he didn’t persist that far.

“Let me give you one piece of advice: acting rashly in this state could put you in danger instead, Young Master Ethan. At least, that’s how it felt to me, having faced Prince Machart directly.”

“Then what should we do? Just let it slide because the person threatening your life is connected to demons?”

“No, of course not. But I’d prefer to corner him thoroughly before finishing it.”

“…Corner him thoroughly?”

“Yes. Ideally, in a situation where there would be no repercussions even after executing Prince Machart.”

“Do you have a proper plan?”

“The plan still needs some adjustments, but there’s someone we definitely need to meet. …After all, the person who knows best how to deal with demons is currently attending our Academy.”

“……”

Ethan’s expression froze the moment I mentioned someone knowledgeable about dealing with demons.

He seemed to have guessed whose name would come out of my mouth, but at this point, I can’t refuse the most reliable force for such trivial reasons.

“The Hero of this era… we need to meet Kyotmwa Josyegigot-nim.”

“…That Hero?”

“Yes. It’s necessary.”