CHAPTER 57: LINA

For a moment, I completely forgot about the dead ogre lying nearby—the smell of blood, the metallic tang in the air, the faint warmth of battle still clinging to my skin.

All I could think was—

Who is she?

There was something familiar about her.

But as I let my gaze drop slightly and really took her in, I quietly shook my head.

No... she doesn’t look like her.

At first glance, the resemblance was uncanny.

The same crimson hair that shimmered like firelight.

Those sharp, feline eyes that seemed to pierce right through you.

But on closer inspection—no. There were differences. Subtle, but clear.

They’re not the same.

How should I even put it? That heroine—the one she reminded me of—had been... let’s say, noticeably more gifted in certain areas.

You know what I mean.

This woman, though—she carried herself differently. Her presence wasn’t as overwhelming, but there was something grounded, almost fragile about it.

"Excuse me."

Her soft voice snapped me out of my wandering thoughts.

"Y-Yes?" I blurted, startled, almost standing at attention without meaning to.

She looked up at me, her expression hesitant but determined.

"What’s wrong?" I asked, trying to sound composed despite my heart still racing from both the battle and her sudden appearance.

"Could you..."

She trailed off for a second, biting her lower lip as if debating whether to speak. Then, with a deep breath, she met my gaze squarely.

"Can you help me?"

Her eyes—those clear, vivid eyes—were filled with a mix of fear and hope.

And before I could even think it through, I found myself nodding slightly, drawn in by something I couldn’t quite name.

----

"Someone’s trying to kidnap the Imperial Princess?" I repeated, staring at the woman in front of me.

"Yes," she replied, her voice calm but her expression tense.

The woman—who had introduced herself as Lina—had just dropped a bombshell that made my stomach twist.

According to her, there were people inside the academy right now planning to kidnap the Imperial Princess.

"...You’re serious?" I asked slowly.

She nodded once, her gaze flickering toward the window as if she was expecting someone—or something—to appear at any moment.

I frowned, trying to make sense of what I’d just heard.

"Who are these people?"

At that, she fell silent.

No answer. No hesitation, either—just a tense, deliberate silence.

I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Who in their right mind would attempt something this insane?

Kidnapping the Imperial Princess wasn’t just reckless—it was suicide. She was the heir to the throne. Touching even a strand of her hair was the same as declaring open war against the Empire itself.

Even the most deranged villains in the manga had drawn the line there. They might’ve plotted to overthrow the nobles or cause chaos in the capital—but kidnapping the Princess? No one was that stupid.

So what kind of madmen were we talking about here?

And more importantly...

’How the hell does she even know about this?’

I studied Lina more closely.

Sure, she was wearing an academy uniform, but something about her didn’t fit. She didn’t look like a student. Her presence felt... older, sharper. Like someone who’d seen real combat before.

Her eyes were too steady. Her movements too controlled.

When I pressed again about the kidnappers, she just broke into a cold sweat and looked away—like she was scared to speak.

That alone set off all kinds of alarms in my head.

’Yeah... this is suspicious. Really suspicious.’

Still, even with my doubts, I didn’t have the luxury of ignoring what she said.

If she was telling the truth—if the Imperial Princess really was in danger—I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

No matter who these intruders were, nothing good would come from harm befalling the Princess.

She might be a bit tsundere and sometimes bossy, but she wasn’t a bad person.

The one I really worried about... was her younger brother.

Baltian Blackwood.

The second in line to the throne—and a boy with a smile as sharp as a blade.

If anything happened to his sister, the Empire wouldn’t need an investigation. Baltian would burn the entire academy to the ground himself.

There mustn’t be even the slightest chance of him becoming Emperor.

Because he is—

A psychopath with a crippling inferiority complex.

A madman bearing the worst combination of traits imaginable.

If he ever ascended the throne, this entire empire would plunge into chaos overnight.

And that would mean the peaceful, enjoyable fantasy life I’d been carefully building would go straight to hell.

That can’t happen.

So the moment I heard Lina’s words, I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed her by the wrist, and together we sprinted toward the main building—the place where the Imperial Princess was rumored to be.

By the time we arrived, the distant noise had turned into a full-blown uproar.

Clang!

The sharp sound of steel clashing against something hard echoed through the courtyard.

"Quik Slash!!"

SCREEEECH!!

A voice cut through the chaos—one that I immediately recognized.

That tone, that shout... there was no mistaking it.

"Tatsuya!" I yelled.

"Lord Louis? How did you get here..."

Through the smoke and dust, I saw him—Tatsuya, the sword fanatic I’d sparred with before. His blade gleamed as it sliced through a goblin lunging at him, splitting the creature clean in half.

I glanced around. The ground was littered with monster corpses, their green blood soaking into the tiles.

He’d taken all of them down by himself.

Even if they were low-tier monsters, the sheer number was staggering.

"What the hell happened here?" I asked, stepping closer.

Tatsuya’s brow furrowed. "I’m not entirely sure, my lord. These creatures appeared out of nowhere and started attacking students. Some... of them weren’t even monsters—they looked human."

His voice grew tighter with each word, and I could see the faint tremor in his sword arm. He’d been fighting nonstop.

"Where’s the Student Council President?" I asked.

"Upstairs," he replied immediately. "She’s holding off a group of strange attackers—strong ones. More importantly, Lord Louis..."

He didn’t finish his sentence. Instead, his eyes darted past me, widening.

Another wave of goblins came charging down the corridor, screeching wildly.

Tatsuya clenched his jaw. "This humble one will hold them off here. Please, my lord—go. The president needs help!"

"Got it. Don’t die, Tatsuya!"

I turned and dashed toward the staircase, the sounds of metal clashing and monsters shrieking fading behind me.

The air inside the building was thick with dust and tension.

Whatever was happening upstairs—it wasn’t something ordinary.

"Quick Slash!"

Tatsuya’s voice rang out sharply from behind me as we dashed up the stairwell. My boots pounded against the steps, the echo of our hurried ascent filling the narrow space.

We didn’t stop until we reached the third floor—and the moment we did, the tension in the air hit like a wall.

Two groups stood facing each other at the end of the corridor, right in front of a large, reinforced door.

On one side were the Student Council members, led by Edmund. Their usual calm expressions were gone, replaced by grim determination.

On the other side stood a man in a black suit, his posture relaxed but his presence sharp enough to cut through steel.

The moment he noticed us, he exhaled softly and began rolling up his sleeves—like he was preparing for something serious.

And that’s when I saw it.

Etched into the skin of his forearm was a vivid red tattoo—a wolf, its head tilted back as if howling at the moon.

My breath caught.

That mark...

’It’s the same.’

The exact same symbol I’d seen on Lina’s wrist.