Chapter 50. Fake Face, True Nature (2)
After 'Open Eyes' manifested, Alphas was thoroughly slashed all over his body.
On top of Alphas's head, whose face twisted in excruciating pain, a dark purple haze symbolizing 'Fear' continued to emanate.
Yet, it seemed there was still some will to retaliate, as Alphas clutched the severed part of his arm and looked around frantically.
Probably... in search of the sword he had lost.
So consumed by finding the sword, Alphas was oblivious to the fact that he had turned his back on me as he kept looking around.
"How dare you show your back in my presence? Even a demon wouldn't do such a thing."
With a cold smile, I seized the opportunity and swung my sword, slashing his back.
"Graaaaah!"
Suppressing a scoff, I looked at the stumbling figure.
From deep within me rose the malicious instincts of Yulian.
It felt as if accepting all these intensified emotions from 'Open Eyes' would lead to an uncontrollable disaster.
"Huff... Huff."
Alphas lay on the ground, breathing heavily.
It seemed he found the sword, as his blurred pupils were fixed on his severed right arm holding it.
A distance just within reach if he pushed himself off the ground.
"Kraaaagh...!"
"You need my permission to wield a sword in my presence."
Of course, I had no intention of granting it.
I stomped on his abdomen and applied weight.
Alphas attempted to grapple me with his remaining left arm and right leg in a desperate bid to survive.
Simultaneously, he tried to topple my body by squeezing mana from the mana vein for a burst of physical reinforcement.
But now, his efforts seemed slower than a turtle's crawl to me.
"Ugh...!"
"Is this the best you can do?"
With a sneer, I lightly drove my sword into Alphas's solar plexus.
The location where the mana vein known as 'Great Vein' opening was situated.
When the mana vein was damaged, his face turned pale with extreme pain.
With his left hand, he desperately tried to pull out the sword stuck in his chest, but only lost his fingers, severed by the aura surrounding it.
"K-khehehe..."
Realizing he had no options left, he relaxed his grip. Then, with a blood-filled laugh, he looked up at me.
"Arch... Archbishop Tenelon favors you... But don't act like you own everything, Yulian!"
Ignoring Alphas' words, I began to slowly twist the sword handle.
To ensure his breath was completely cut off.
"B-the bishops and the next... Khk! The bishops... most of them... Khk! don't approve of... you..."
With a bit more pressure, Alphas coughed violently, blood pouring from his mouth.
"You... monster... I'll wait for you in hell..."
Uttering curses, Alphas's head flopped to the side, hitting the ground.
Looking down at his limp body, I felt strangely empty.
With 'Open Eyes', the gap that had always been clear seemed so vast now.
"With this level of power, can't I even kill the Sword Saint?"
I was startled by the words 'Yulian' thoughtlessly uttered.
Did anyone hear?
"Cough... Cough!"
Startled by the coughing sound from behind, I quickly turned around.
"Oh, Rinne had collapsed."
At first glance, she didn't seem to have any severe injuries.
Most likely, using her aura had caused this internal injury.
Revenge for her father.
The girl had collapsed helplessly even with her enemy right in front of her.
However, there was something more worrisome than the sympathy derived from Rinne.
'Did she hear...?'
It was uncertain if she was still unconscious or had regained her senses.
If she was awake, she might have overheard the conversation Alphas and I had about the Dawn Society.
'If she only deduces a little, she might conclude I'm part of the Dawn Society.'
Of course, if she was unconscious, she wouldn't have heard, but hanging onto such uncertainty was foolish.
'Hmm. What to do.'
I didn't want the protagonist to die, but priorities had to be set.
With a determined expression, I slowly approached her, gripping the sword handle.
To eliminate a 'future threat' like with Alphas.
Hesitation.
In that moment, I halted the sword pointing towards Rinne.
'What am I doing now?'
These thoughts surpassed the bounds of 'acting'.
What I sought was perfect 'acting', not 'assimilation'.
As I reached this conclusion, I began to sense presences outside.
The loud noise had drawn people in.
"What... What is this!"
The Academy officials who entered the annex couldn't hide their bewilderment at the brutally slain corpses, the damaged interior of the annex, and the scattered bloodstains.
Several who couldn't fully grasp the situation displayed blatant hostility.
"S-Sir Yulian...?"
Fortunately, that misunderstanding didn't deepen. Vice-principal Allom Chorny, who urgently pushed through the crowd, recognized me.
***
"Ah."
Rinne came to her senses with a short sigh and opened her eyes.
In her view was a white ceiling and wallpaper, with glass bottles emitting a sharp alcohol smell.
'Oh, the infirmary... Aagh.'
As she tried to get up, a dull pain swept over her body.
'What happened?'
With her mind hazy like a fog, and struggling to collect her thoughts, Rinne dimly recalled why she ended up in the infirmary.
― That handsome face looked familiar... So you're Deraine Rondvel's daughter. That useless, pampered noble brat!"
An encounter with Alphas, a member of the Dawn Society and one of the assailants who attacked the mansion and killed her father.
― You're a mess. At this rate, you'll just end up dragging the name of our school through the mud.
At the same time, she recalled why she was still alive.
Yulian Cryphart Frason, who used the teachings of her mentor, Hayden Reich, solely for personal gain, had saved her in a dire moment.
Rinne shut her eyes tightly and gripped the bed sheet.
'... How humiliating.'
Was she grateful to Yulian?
She couldn't entirely deny it, but more than that, she was sick of her own weakness.
For failing to avenge her father.
For not fully upholding her mentor's teachings.
A whirlpool of negative thoughts swirled in her mind. What had all her efforts been for until now?
"Awake?"
Before her doubts persisted any longer, a familiar voice came from the entrance.
"... Sir Yulian."
Under normal circumstances, she would have glowered with contempt and hurled insults, but this time, she restrained herself.
It was undeniable he had saved her.
Expressing gratitude took priority.
As the 'Sword Saint's disciple and a representative of the Rondvel family, she couldn't further tarnish her honor.
"Thank you for saving me, Sir Yulian. I'll repay this debt one day."
"I don't see it as a debt. Consider it a mere act of mercy towards a feeble fellow disciple."
Flinch.
At Yulian's words, Rinne glared at him with her widened eyes but stopped there. There was no point in denying what he said.
"You seem unusually calm. I expected you to argue."
"... I know my situation better than anyone else."
"Now that you've realized your capabilities, reconsider this as well."
Without any emotion in his tone, Yulian pulled out a document from his coat.
An appeal.
A document Rinne had submitted to the student office seeking Yulian's personal opinion to be re-evaluated.
"The lack of aura sustainability is a flaw of yours. Instead of denying it and filing this appeal, you should have humbly accepted my assessment."
"I-it's not that I didn't accept...!"
"Then instead of submitting such an appeal, you should've humbly accepted my opinion."
Rip──!
Yulian tore up the appeal document Rinne had submitted, his face unreadable through slit-eyes, wearing a sly smile.
After placing the torn papers on the table, Yulian rose from his seat.
As if he had completed his task, he adjusted the top of his shirt and turned to leave.
Rinne, despondent, lowered her gaze with a blank expression.
'He's right...'
Had I accepted his opinions humbly, I wouldn't have filed such an appeal.
It was merely an act of defiance against Yulian, driven by a fragile pride and intoxicated arrogance as a 'genius'.
'What on earth have I been wasting so much time on? Tarnishing my family's name, failing to avenge my father... What am I aiming for?'
"Your mana vein count is higher than others."
Rinne lifted her gaze to look at Yulian.
"... What?"
"Approaching it with conventional concepts only leads to problems. You need to utilize other great veins, not just accumulate mana in the 'Opening' great vein."
Rinne, caught off guard by Yulian's words, couldn't respond properly.
'Was that advice just now? A person who only desires power and luxury, viewing kindness as a distant concept?'
She watched him with a vacant stare.
"Why are you telling it to me?"
"Because you're a fellow disciple."
Fellow disciple.
At those words, Rinne's lips quivered slightly.
Come to think of it, he must not have said it for my sake. He probably said it indirectly, telling me not to disgrace the 'Sword Saint's name.
Everyone knew he was fixated on the name 'Sword Saint'.
"What happened to Alphas...?"
"He's dead."
Yulian's words were devoid of any emotion.
"I... I see."
A fragment of the revenge she should have achieved herself had slipped out of her hands, eliciting mixed feelings within Rinne.
"It seems you completely lost consciousness. Well, that's fortunate."
The word 'fortunate' caused Rinne to slowly open her mouth.
"In truth... I vaguely remember the conversation between you and Alphas."
Startled.
At Rinne's words, Yulian slowly turned his head, the characteristic smile gone from his face.
He never displayed panic as usual.
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Yulian looked at her intently.
Though Yulian's gaze felt suffocating, Rinne did not look away.
- '... I lost it...'
As she stated, in her blurred consciousness, she could faintly recall some of the conversation between Yulian and Alphas.
- '... After the event, I mean, 'Yulian' essentially died.'
Among the unclear words, there were phrases imprinted in her mind.
'Lost'.
'After the event.'
'I'm as good as dead.'
Combining these words, Rinne reached a conclusion.
She assumed that Yulian, like herself, had also lost someone precious to the Dawn Society.
"Would you believe me if I said it's a misunderstanding?"
"What... is the misunderstanding?"
"All of it."
A lie.
Her instincts told her Yulian was lying.
"So please don't tell anyone."
With that, he left the room, moving away.
- '... It's a fact known to no one.'
To refuse to extend compassion to others meant one also wouldn't receive it.
Refusing to understand others meant one also wouldn't be understood.
Thus, he buried his past.
'Such a foolish person.'
Rinne sensed bitterness at the tip of her tongue.
She couldn't understand his values, but she couldn't help but admire his resolve as someone who also wished for revenge.
'... I need to try harder.'
With that thought, Rinne turned her gaze towards the window where her sword sheath lay.
***
Meanwhile, immediately after leaving the infirmary, Yulian began to move quickly, his steps hastening.
'She says she vaguely remembers my conversation with Alphas?'
His slit eyes concealed his emotions, but his hurried pace reflected his anxiety.
'Isn't this screwed!?'
Clacky's Corner:
I usually dislike misunderstanding, but the misunderstandings in this novel is acceptable.