-"Since Her Highness the Princess won't accept the contract, saying an old man like me is useless, what's the point in living any longer!!"

-"...Hey, stop!"

-"For a loyal subject... suicide. That is the truth, so this old man will prove his loyalty through death!"

-"...Oh, for goodness sake."

After forcing a slave who worked wonders for free onto Shartia, I joyfully walked on to find the next person waiting for their gift.

"Let's see... next is..."

This time, I planned to go to a place a little far from the academy building. I was going to give a gift that was more expensive 'monetarily' than the one I gave to Shartia.

It was an object of astronomical value, so it was important not to be seen by people, and since the recipient of this gift was quite a rare person, I thought I needed to invest some time.

"Where could they be..."

I had a rough idea where one of them was, but I had no clue where the other might be.

"It'll be a problem if they're not here."

There were two recipients for this gift.

It was Hanna and Veilrin, who had won first place in the competition in the capital's sewers a few days ago.

And the gifts for them were an ancient weapon and a secret manual.

I had a general idea where Hanna might be. She was likely to be at the training ground far from the academy or at the convenience store where Shuen was.

The problem was Veilrin.

Veilrin appeared so infrequently in the novel that the author might as well have forgotten about her.

"This is troublesome..."

Veilrin was a character with little presence, starting from her family line.

It was as if she had stealth activated, to the point where it reminded me of a character named 'Vayne' from a game in my past life.

"I didn't pass her, did I...?"

That would be an accident.

Thinking of the items in the subspace pocket Hans had made for me, I quickened my pace. They were valuable items, so it would be a problem if they were stolen.

Even if they were stolen, I planned to chase them to the ends of hell and kill them, but not wanting to engage in unnecessary killing, I walked with a calm mind and began to carefully wander outside the academy building.

"Is she here...?"

I searched through the innocent bushes.

"Ms. Veilrin...?"

Wondering if she might be in the sewers, I even opened a manhole cover to look, but Veilrin was nowhere to be seen.

"Hmmmm..."

This is troublesome.

Hesitating at the thought that at this rate, I wouldn't be able to give the gift to either Veilrin or Hanna, I decided to fill my stomach first and started wandering the downtown area.

Even Mt. Geumgang is best seen after a meal.

And so, after wandering for about 10 minutes in search of a decent restaurant.

"Hmm?"

I found Veilrin standing in front of a nearby restaurant, looking troubled.

It didn't seem to be a popular restaurant.

There wasn't a single customer, and flies were buzzing around.

"The bill..."

Veilrin, trembling in front of the counter as if she was trying to pay after finishing her meal, was calling out softly to the owner who was reading a newspaper.

"Check, please..."

In a very small voice.

How did she even manage to order food?

Letting out a hollow laugh at Veilrin's ability to successfully order, I opened the restaurant door with a calm smile.

-Jingle.

"Oh my...! A customer."

Hearing the sound of the door opening, the restaurant owner, who had been reading a newspaper, put it down and approached to guide me to a seat.

I smiled slightly and said.

"I'm here to meet someone."

"Someone you're meeting?"

The shop owner looked around and then at me, frowning as if looking at someone who sees ghosts, but his eyes widened in surprise when I pointed and said, 'Over there.'

"Oh my!!! Look at me."

"...I'd like to pay."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize there was a customer.."

"It's okay... I haven't been waiting long."

I burst into laughter once again at Veilrin's ability.

-Click

-Clack.

As I walked with light steps, searching for an empty place, Veilrin bowed her head and greeted me.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to pay quickly."

"Quickly...?"

"Yes... I think it was twice as fast as usual. That's my regular spot, and the owner is quick to notice me, so I can usually pay quickly."

"Ah...?"

"Hehe..."

Since she liked it, I couldn't say anything and just gave an awkward smile, replying as if it was nothing.

"How long were you waiting at the restaurant?"

"Well..."

Veilrin, with a shy smile, blushed and held up one finger.

"Ten minutes. You waited a long time."

"No..."

"...?"

"I waited for an hour."

"Oh wow..."

Veilrin's talent was blinding. I felt like if she were nurtured well, she could become a prodigy capable of assassinating the archbishop, and I wanted to feed her lots of delicious food.

"Ricardo-nim, you're good at finding me."

"...Am I?"

"Even my mom and dad have trouble finding me. When I went down to my family home, they filed a missing person report. They said I didn't come even though I sent a letter saying I was coming..."

"That must have been tough."

"It's okay. It happens often."

Hearing the various strange family stories, I let out a hollow laugh and led Veilrin to a deserted place.

"But Ricardo-nim, why did you come?"

"Don't you have something to receive?"

"...Pardon?"

"Didn't I say I would give you an ancient artifact? Did you forget you won first place in the sewers?"

"N-no! I just thought you had forgotten about me, so I had given up."

"I'm not that much of a scoundrel."

Veilrin smiled slightly and clenched her fists tightly.

"Should I... give you money?"

"Pardon?"

"All I have is money... I'm so grateful, I'd like to repay you monetarily."

"Do you have a lot of money?"

"Not a lot, but when it was time to pay taxes, the tax official forgot about our family..."

What kind of family was this?

A family that was a diligent taxpayer, wanting to pay taxes more than anyone, but was evading taxes thanks to their family's trait.

Learning the secret of a family with a talent that the Desmunt family head would envy more than anyone, I let out a hollow laugh and waved off her offer.

"You don't have to. I have a lot of money too."

"Still..."

"How much can you give?"

"1 gold.."

"...?"

"They forgot to give me my allowance."

"How long has it been since you received it?"

"They gave it to me last year and haven't since."

"...Shouldn't I be the one giving you money?"

It seemed like a family with many problems in various ways.

"Well then, let's talk."

I smiled as I rummaged through the subspace Hans had created.

----------------------------------------

Under a quiet moonlit night.

"..."

The members of the cult, with pale faces, watched the back of the person drawing the moon on a large canvas.

"...Art is a profound thing."

"..."

"It's funny how my art can be seen as just lines by some, and as a masterpiece of the century by others."

"..."

"Isn't it funny?"

The man's presence alone terrified the cult's followers. His 'moniker' had a history of shaking the empire once before.

It wasn't just his 'moniker.' For those who could feel the aura emanating from the strong, the man's presence was an invisible weapon.

"It's night..."

"..."

"What do you all think of the night?"

"..."

"Do you think the night drawn on a beautiful canvas is beautiful, or do you think it's scary because you don't know what might happen in the dark?"

The man looked at the moon visible through the window and sighed at the cultists' silence.

"I hate the night, you know."

"..."

"I used to like it. When that moon rose, the art I dreamed of became more beautiful."

"..."

"But it wasn't so."

"..."

"The day I fell endlessly, how scary the moon I saw was... you wouldn't know."

The man, answering his own questions, opened his eyes coldly and looked at the one who seemed to be the leader of the followers and asked.

"Why did you save me? And where did that guy you call the Apostle go?"

"The Apostle-nim left an order to follow the new Archbishop and went to attend to other matters."

"Did he run away?"

"..."

"Silent again."

The man let out a hollow laugh and said to the cultists.

"I'm not interested in the cause you all want. I'm just a twisted artist. A twisted artist who spreads love to many."

"..."

"Unlike you who sacrifice your lives for a worthless purpose, I am a person who loves and cherishes art."

At the man's sarcasm, the cult members showed their displeasure. Even if they had reached out to the wrong place, ignoring their cause was an insult to their journey so far.

-Grip.

The members of the cult, whose feelings were hurt by his negative words, cast a chilly shadow and were approaching the man.

The man took a sip of alcohol and said.

"Do you want to become a work of art?"

"..."

"If you want, I can draw you a picture."

"..."

"Why are you hesitating?"

"..."

"I thought it was a group of madmen, but it was a group of cowards."

The man, who snorted at the flinching members of the cult, spoke as he vaguely recalled the past.

"You wouldn't know because you haven't experienced it. How many strong people there are in this world."

"..."

"Especially that guy... you wouldn't know in the slightest how strong he is, what kind of power he holds."

"..."

"The feeling of powerlessness, of being unable to win no matter what you do, breaks your will."

The man, looking at the desolate moonlight, carefully put down the bottle of alcohol and said.

"My name is Pascal."

"..."

"A lover of art."

"..."

"Don't worry, I plan to pay handsomely for you letting me go. That guy isn't a monster that chases me, so this time I plan to move while avoiding him."

-Grind.

"It doesn't seem bad. This work."

Pascal, whose mantis-like face was revealed in the brightening moonlight, was waiting for the right time with a cruel smile.

With the smile of a villain who had made Mikhail's life the most difficult in the original story.

"Kuhahaha..."

He was honing his killing intent.

The peaceful opening ceremony of the academy.

"Haaa..."

The passion they held at the entrance ceremony was nowhere to be seen; the students, now caught in the swamp of the new semester, gathered in the auditorium with long faces.

-The opening ceremony will begin in 30 minutes. Everyone, please be seated.

Many conversations could be heard.

The students, who hadn't seen each other for nearly two months, had plenty of stories to share.

Where they went during the break.

Who they saw on the street.

In an era unlike the modern one, where letters and expensive magic tools were the only means of long-distance communication, they could only share stories in the moments the situation provided. They were catching up on their recent lives without a moment's rest.

"Did you have a good break?"

"It was amazing... I spent it traveling to the west with my family. Ah~ If it wasn't for the break ending, I would've stayed longer."

"Wow, I'm jealous. I went to the north..."

"Isn't the north better? It's getting hotter these days."

"I almost froze to death..."

"Pfft...!"

The students, reunited with their friends, were unpacking the stories they had saved up over the break and chatting away.

Among them, the single hottest topic...

"Wow... crazy."

...was the voices of the female students worshiping the academy's living idols.

-Ah... fuck, I don't want the semester to start.

"Wow...! Isn't that Senior Ruin?"

"He must be crazy, he got even more handsome... It's like he ate some kind of handsomeness fruit over the break. He's even cooler than he was in the first semester. Ah~ this is what makes coming back to school worth it."

"You cursed a ton when Senior Ruin was fat, though. Saying something like, 'how is that thing the face of the magic department'..."

"That was then...! It's different now."

Looking at Ruin, who appeared as nothing more than a seaweed stem in Hanna's eyes, the voices of the female students dreaming of love echoed loudly through the auditorium.

-Where's Shartia?

-Her Highness the 3rd Princess is preparing behind the stage for her speech.

-Schedule a private meeting with Shartia as soon as the speech is over. I need to borrow her personal funds to stop the situation in the West.

-Understood.

"It's the Crown Prince..."

"He's so sexy... Why do his dark circles look so sexy?"

"I know, right..."

Enthralled by the sight of the Crown Prince, whose fatigue had deepened due to the events in the west, the female students dreamed of a forbidden love that transcended status.

However, the greatest object of fascination was Mikhail, who held a secret that forbade anyone from developing feelings for him.

-Ricardo came by?

-Yes...

-Veilin, did he only come to see you?

-No... he said he was going to see Hanna...

-...Veilin, what year are you now?

-I'm a second-year.

-...Ah?

"This is insane... his aura is different."

"Are we even in the same space...?"

"...I really just want to hold his hand once."

"Me too..."

Mikhail. Ruin. The Crown Prince.

The three idols of the academy paid no mind to the murmuring gazes of the female students and continued their own conversations.

Two of them liked one woman.

And one woman liked one man.

Ruin, who had coincidentally sat next to Mikhail, smiled faintly and spoke.

"Hey... Mikhail."

"What?"

"Aren't you hungry?"

"A little, but... not that hungry."

"This is driving me crazy... My appetite has gotten bigger since I lost weight. I gave Olivia hell for being a pig, but now my hands tremble if I don't have chocolate."

"That's diabetes, Ruin."

"Is it...? Haa... Damn. I'm going to lose it."

Ruin, who was maintaining his weight, blended into the bustling atmosphere and gently tried to persuade Mikhail, knowing it would be useless to ask Yuria.

"Hey, Mikhail. Wanna grab a drink tonight after the opening ceremony?"

"A drink? Why so suddenly?"

"It'd be nice for us guys to have a drink and go to the bathhouse for a change."

"I'd rather not."

"You bastard, don't tell me..."

At Ruin's suggestive words, Mikhail clenched his fists and contemplated how best to deal with the green-haired blockhead.

'Killing him is not an option.'

He thought, wondering if striking the crown of his head with the back of his sword might make him lose his memory.

Though Ricardo being alive had removed her reason for cross-dressing, Mikhail had lived as a man for so long that she was still contemplating how to live as a woman.

It was enough for one person to see her as a woman, so Mikhail planned to take her time and slowly reveal her secret.

If she revealed she was a woman now, her relationship with Yuria, as well as her other friends, would likely change drastically.

Naturally, Ruin...

"...Are you small?"

...didn't suspect a thing about Mikhail.

"Ruin..."

"What."

"You seem a little dim-witted."

"...Huh?"

Just as a curse was about to leave Ruin's lips, this time, cries of admiration from the male students could be heard from another direction.

-Wooooooooow!!!

It felt like a spring breeze was blowing. Even though summer had passed and autumn was approaching, at the sight of the figures walking in amidst the male students' fervent admiration, Ruin and Mikhail, who had been talking, turned their heads and let out a dry laugh.

"Well now..."

"What?"

"They really make a killer picture."

"That's crude, Ruin."

"Are you a eunuch?"

Along with Ruin's eyes, which were faithful to his desires, the ones heading into the auditorium were walking shyly, receiving the ardent gazes of the male students.

-Have you been well?

-I thought I was going to die because undead kept appearing in my dreams.

-Puhaha... Really?

Yuria, walking with a student from the healing department who had participated in the special class with her, was making her fluttering pink hair dance, leaving a trail of unrequited crushes in the hearts of the male students as she passed.

"This is crazy... How can a person look like that?"

"Hey... It's spring right now, right?"

"It is... spring in my heart."

"Idiot."

Yuria had been despised by many nobles simply for her face. That, along with being a commoner, made her the target of every girl's jealousy.

"...Doesn't she seem different somehow?"

The students who used to bully Yuria whispered amongst themselves, noticing the change in her atmosphere over the break.

"She doesn't seem like the commoner bitch I knew... If we mess with her, it feels like she'll grab us by the hair."

"Did she eat something weird?"

"I don't know... Don't tell me she's dating Mikhail..."

"If so, I'll actually kill her..."

The person with the most intense reaction was 'Kaila.'

"What the hell happened to make her so annoying..."

Kaila, once Yuria's closest friend and the leader of her ostracism, bit her nails and clenched her fists.

"Tsk."

Not just Yuria, but the female students who entered after her were also creating a huge wave among the male students.

Second-year, Tetra Schuen.

"Ohoho...! It's been a while, commoners!"

-She's crazy...

-I should have gone to the magic department.

-Do you think she'd even treat you like a person?

-Still... if we were in the same magic department, she might at least talk to me.

-Just go to the convenience store. You can see her there.

-No way.

-Why?

-She charges aristocrats more than the listed price.

-That's insane...

Second-year, Histania Hanna.

-She looks fierce... but I want her to step on me.

-I agree...

-She's the youngest person to awaken their aura. We wouldn't even register in her eyes. You'd have to be at least on Senior Mikhail's level to stand a chance.

-Haaa...

And finally.

-Students, please be seated.

Shartia's enchanting voice, aiming to become the Empress of the Empire, was stirring the hearts of the male students.

These individuals, who had changed in a short period, were preparing for the new semester looking stronger than the other students.

Schuen had realized love.

'How dare a commoner flirt with me... Then I shall respond with a noble's flirtation.'

Mikhail, having learned the truth of the story he had chased for so long, resolved to run forward more diligently than anyone.

'I'll become someone who can help Ricardo.'

Yuria, who had loved a villain, also cast aside her stagnant heart and hardened her resolve to protect her people.

'Ricardo worries because I'm weak.'

Hanna, too, craved growth more than anyone and wanted to advance to greater heights.

'I'm still not enough to stand beside the butler.'

Those who had been with Ricardo were, unlike before, steeling their hearts. They cast aside the feeling of settling for a comfortable position, filled with a fierce fighting spirit and a desire to stand proudly by his side as they awaited the new semester.

-The opening ceremony will begin in 3 minutes. We ask for everyone's solemn attention.

The Crown Prince, who hadn't been able to see Yuria for a long time, glanced at her sitting far away and muttered under his breath.

"What happened to Yuria while I was away from the capital?"

One of his trusted aides, 'Gerard,' nodded at the Crown Prince's words and replied.

"While Your Highness was in the west, a 'special class' was conducted. Other than the fact that it was run under the supervision of the current Senior Director, Histania Malik, no detailed information has been released."

The Crown Prince let out a small sigh and said.

"Find out. Who were the students who participated, and who taught them."

"Yes, understood."

Tae-oh put a hand to his forehead and let out a sigh laced with irritation.

"Haa... Not a single thing is going my way."

Ever since Shartia had captured all the escaped convicts, the balance of power had begun to shift drastically.

Tae-oh was gradually realizing it. The fact that the blade Shartia had prepared was now at his own throat.

He had intended to go easy on her since she was his blood... but at Shartia's defiance, as she seemed to be digging her own grave, Tae-oh glared at her on the stage and hardened his resolve.

-My dear juniors and fellow students of the academy, did you all enjoy your summer vacation?

Just as she was looking straight at him, he too burned with the will not to back down.

-Grip...

His resolve was set.