Adrias' Explanation

Borgyen, the territory adjacent to the northern mountain range border.

Though not a frontline, it was an area connected to the Wailing Gorge, a fortress on the front lines, serving as a supply and vacation area for soldiers, always bustling with people.

Lord Hiksham Borgyen, the ruler of Borgyen, was in conversation with someone in his office.

Surrounded by his aides, the only people present were Lord Hiksham and a figure dressed strangely.

Hiksham received a bundle of cloth offered by his counterpart.

"So, this is...?"

"Once every three days, soak it in his blood and stamp it with the given seal. If you repeat this four times, the curse will be fulfilled."

"Thank you, Jester."

The person known as Jester was a man with a bizarre attire, wearing a triangular hat turned upside down over his head. Based on their conversation, it was clear that he was no ordinary person.

As they concluded their mutually satisfying deal and the meeting was about to end...

"Knock, knock!"

Someone made a knocking sound with their mouth and knocked on the door.

Hiksham furrowed his brow.

"I apologize, Jester. I distinctly instructed that no one should approach."

"It happens."

"Well, of course it can."

As their gaze turned towards the door in response to the sudden voice, an entirely unexpected figure had entered the office.

"Salem Yedidia...!"

"Yeah, that's right. Nice to meet you."

Jester expressed astonishment, while Hiksham looked at the two, puzzled as to what was happening.

"Jester, who is this person?"

"Are you the lord of this place? Sorry, I had to come here because I have something to discuss with this friend."

Salem casually approached and picked up the bottle of liquor on the desk, taking a sip.

Then he sat on the edge of the desk, looking at Jester.

"Hey, Jester."

"...You really have no manners, Salem. You're quite shameless."

"Do you get it now? Don't you have something to say to me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

As Jester finished speaking, a light suddenly burst out from Salem's left arm.

The light seemed to be engraved on Salem's left arm, filled with all sorts of strange and mysterious runes.

Salem laughed as the light emitted from his left arm.

"So, you think you can mess with me?"

"Is this about the recent attack?"

"You know it well."

Hiksham, not knowing what was going on, quietly stepped back as the man who entered the room didn't seem ordinary.

"We were after Dianne Alven, the daughter of Bart Alven. Did something go wrong?"

"Look at this guy. Do you really think I came here knowing nothing?"

Now flames blossomed from the arm that had emitted light, burning Salem's clothes.

The hand engulfed in flames appeared in a form that could hardly be called human, resembling something demonic.

"...What should I do for you?"

"Yeah, that's the attitude I was expecting."

Salem finally relaxed his expression and extinguished the fire attached to his left hand as if snuffing out a matchstick.

As a result, his left arm, which resembled a demonic hand, returned to its original form in an instant.

His exposed, muscular arm was adorned with densely drawn magical runes as tattoos.

"You dared to ignore my warning and dare to hire a mercenary for Adrias' assassination. This is not just disrespect, but treating me as a mere meal, right?"

"I'll lend you the 'Diligent Sloth' for another week."

"Is that it? At least lend it to me right away so I can relieve some anger, don't you think?"

"Right now, Luna has it. If you want it, go and ask her for it."

"Fine. Very well."

Salem showed a satisfied smile and stood up from his seat.

Then he noticed Hiksham, who was about to leave outside the door.

"Oh, Lord? I apologize for today. I was in a hurry, so I just barged in without thinking. Let's continue the conversation we were having."

He passed by Hiksham and shook the bottle of liquor.

"It tastes good. Can I borrow some?"

As Salem left and the door closed, Hiksham simply stared at the closed door with a disgusted expression.

It was like a sudden thunderbolt out of the blue.

"Foolish people."

Jester spat out curses while turning to look at Hiksham.

"I have some business to attend to, so I should go first. Don't worry, I can guarantee the goods."

"Yes, yes. Please go ahead."

"Oh, and let's pretend you didn't hear what just happened. If you want to live longer."

"Ah, understood."

Even Jester left the office, leaving Hiksham alone, mumbling to himself.

"What on earth is going on..."

.

.

.

.

Several days passed after the attack by the black-robed individuals.

As a result of this attack, there were a total of thirteen casualties, consisting of nine students and four assistants.

It might seem like a lot considering that the total number of students in the 3rd year of the School of Magic was only around 300.

'I guess we were lucky. We were in the least affected wing where Dianne and I were discovered first. Otherwise, they would have killed more students.'

Nevertheless, Tolman Venuel faced disciplinary measures until the next semester, and not only the Alven family but also the two heads of the academy and the principal were subjected to a thorough investigation.

'Tolman didn't do nothing, but with the casualties, it couldn't be helped.'

The enemy's forces were more significant than expected.

Even excluding the members focused on Dianne, there were dozens more robed individuals who engaged in fierce battles throughout the mountains. Among them, "Kidwell of the Black Tongue," considered the leader, was instantly killed by Ivy.

I arrived late, hiding my mask and sword, and lied that an unidentified masked examiner had rescued me, allowing me to safely join.

Despite efforts by many individuals to uncover the identity of the masked examiner who saved Dianne and me, they ultimately failed.

'Well, that's natural. Because it's me.'

No one could suspect that I was the masked examiner.

Or should I say, they couldn't even imagine it.

For these people, the phenomenon of Dual Cores is still unknown officially, so they cannot imagine a mage wielding a sword.

But aside from that, there was another problem.

"Hey, are classes over?"

Ivy was waiting for me as I came out of the classroom.

I pondered how to detach myself from this situation and nodded my head.

"Yes, they're over. What's the matter?"

"Come with me."

Unlike her usual casual demeanor, she seemed somewhat serious.

Without waiting for my response, she walked ahead, and all I could feel was a headache.

'This time, I'll be thoroughly interrogated.'

Upon seeing me, who appeared belatedly on the day of the attack, Ivy sent a suspicious glance my way.

Since the infamous dark mage Kidwell, known as the Black Tongue, had been captured, the attack was considered the misdeeds of a black magic group. Unfortunately, I had become entangled in the aftermath of the Boloric incident.

At that time, I was too overwhelmed to say anything, and since then, I needed time to recover and rectify the situation. But it seemed like they finally caught up with me.

She boarded the train.

I had no idea where she intended to take me, but I simply followed her calmly.

Ivy took me to the training grounds in the Knight Department.

Someone was training there, but as soon as they noticed Ivy and me, they quickly disappeared somewhere.

"Don't you want to ask why I brought you here?"

"I trust you to explain it in due course."

"Is that so? Then let me be direct..."

Suddenly, Ivy's words became long.

In that moment, her muscles, breath, and posture sent a signal that an attack was coming.

'A rising diagonal slash from the lower right.'

Instantly calculating, I moved my right foot back and twisted my body.

And just like that, Ivy's sword grazed past my face as if it was tightly aimed and struck.

"Indeed, you're not an ordinary person."

Ivy murmured as she watched my reflexive movements.

Her sword remained poised in a guarded position.

"What are you up to with that?"

"What am I up to? Is that what you're asking now?"

Ivy glared at me with blazing eyes.

"Who the hell are you?"

.

.

.

.

Vivianne Velocan, having finished all her classes as usual, arrived at the training grounds to loosen up her body.

Despite the cold weather, her daily routine remained the same.

"...I want to go."

However, her inner thoughts were directed elsewhere at the moment.

The recent incident of the assault during the Combat Magic Evaluation exam.

It had caused turmoil even in the Knight Department.

Unlike in Boloric, this attack had clearly targeted the students.

As a result, even the graduation class of the Knight Department had been delayed to reinforce the personnel.

"Adrias."

The followers of the dark mage group and the mercenaries had targeted Adrias, whom she had been constantly thinking about lately.

Fortunately, she heard that he was unharmed, but she still had the desire to meet him personally and confirm it.

'...Would he dislike it?'

However, since she had no connection with him other than Boloric, she hesitated.

When she had first visited him without any specific intention, it was nothing out of the ordinary. But after their recent encounter at the infirmary, her face flushed every time she thought about it.

'Why am I like this?'

Vivian despised herself for having such thoughts.

If she had the time to think like this, she should rather swing her sword once more.

At that moment, she felt someone's presence approaching the training grounds.

Lost in her thoughts about Adrias, Vivianne noticed the newcomers entering the training grounds were Ivy and Adrias, and without realizing it, she instinctively hid behind one of the training dummies.

"Adrias? Why?"

Curiosity piqued, she listened attentively to the conversation between the two who had entered the training grounds.

Their exchange started off tense, with Ivy telling Adrias to draw his sword and Adrias refusing.

"I need to confirm you. If that sword is not just for decoration, then draw it now."

"I don't understand why you suddenly came to challenge me. I bought this sword for my protection, not for this purpose."

"In that case, let me allow you to draw the sword for your protection."

Swoosh.

The sound of Ivy's sword being unsheathed echoed through the air.

Hidden behind the pillar, Vivianne began to contemplate whether she should intervene and stop them.

"...I don't understand why you're going this far. Do you see me as a lackey for the dark mages?"

"It's said that coincidences can become inevitabilities. The fact that the dark mages, who are usually difficult to find, were discovered twice in incidents involving you, what are the chances?"

"Are you taking me away without any evidence?"

"Then explain it to me. I still don't understand what happened in Boloric. You're telling me that just you and Chris managed to capture that high-level dark mage? Are you kidding me?"

"The investigators have already gone over that part. I don't feel the need to explain it any further."

"No, there is one thing you haven't explained. Vivianne Velocan. How do you explain her?"

Suddenly, hearing her own name, Vivian held her breath.

And her ears perked up more than ever before.

"...Why is Vivianne suddenly brought up here?"

"When I first found you, you were clearly holding hands with her. After that, you tried to distance yourself from her."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"After returning from Boloric, she changed. What did you do?"

Vivianne's heart raced, and she clenched her chest.

Please, heart, stay calm for a bit.

"I...I just saved her."

"What did you say?"

"She was trapped within the barrier of the dark mage, and I went in and rescued her myself. That's all."

Vivian's eyes widened in astonishment.