Chapter 21

20.

The preparations for the great undertaking were proceeding smoothly.

The checks on the movement routes had been carried out multiple times, and contact with the collaborators had succeeded.

The goal of the undertaking: the blood of a divine being. Specifically, the locations of the First Princess and Second Princess were continuously being tracked.

No matter how much divine protection those women received, they couldn’t endure the “sacrificial sorcery” that cost countless human lives. No royal guard or professor could possibly prevent the death that was about to befall the princesses.

All that remained was to wait for the two princesses to meet each other. By using academy students turned into puppets to approach the princesses and then activating the sacrificial sorcery, everything would go as planned.

But why…

“Two hundred… no, maybe three hundred lives poured into this spell? You really amassed quite a collection.”

Why?

“Fanatics never seem to value their own lives. What makes you live like this?”

What grudge did Rakael’s apostles have against them? What reason could justify obstructing such noble and sacred steps?

The assassin who suddenly appeared without warning only brought confusion.

A few of the apostle’s comrades tried to resist but didn’t last long before meeting their end.

Once again, the unpleasant sound of something sharp piercing flesh rang out, followed almost instantly by the lifeless body of a familiar figure collapsing helplessly to the ground.

“My Lord Rakael!!”

KABOOM! Unable to contain his rage, a man roared as a black spear fell from above. The assassin’s gaze fixated on the spear-wielding man with sudden interest.

The man charged forward fiercely, aiming the spear straight ahead, intent on punishing this heretic who dared interfere with their grand plan.

“Hmph.”

The twin daggers in Carian’s reverse grip twitched slightly at the sight of the charging man. Then, an ominous shadow arose.

Carian’s body gracefully leapt into the air just as the spear blade neared, swirling the shadow around to completely erase the light of existence.

“Hiding your body won’t change anything!!”

The apostle shouted loudly amidst the surrounding darkness, sweeping his surroundings. After a moment, he sensed a faint presence nearby.

“There you are!!”

However, that was as far as he got.

-SPLAT!

“Khaaack!”

Before the man could thrust his spear, countless cuts already marked his hands, ankle, waist, and shoulder. Blood gushed out uncontrollably.

Realizing the blood spraying around was his own, the apostle collapsed weakly to the ground, too late to even feel the injuries.

In an instant—no, less than an instant—this unnatural speed overwhelmed him with confusion and despair.

-CLOMP.

-CLOMP.

As the shadows slowly dissipated, Carian reappeared. His eyes met the fading gaze of the dying apostle afterward.

“You… no matter how much you struggle… Lord Rakael’s wrath will manifest…”

Hanging onto consciousness by a thread, the apostle left behind a curse-like testament. Though he himself might perish here, there were still other apostles remaining.

He had no doubt that the others would succeed in carrying out the planned undertaking.

Thus, even in his final moments, he chuckled mockingly at the assassin before him.

“Hmm.”

But the opponent didn’t feel even a grain of tension. Carian’s voice casually dismissed the man’s certainty:

“You’ve chosen the wrong time and place, but if this is what you call destiny, then so be it…”

Recalling the young girl who kicked him in the shins during their first encounter, Carian disappeared once more, showing no interest in why Rakael’s apostles plotted this undertaking.

Carian attacked one of the apostles’ hideouts for one simple reason: to ensure they wouldn’t interfere with his purpose for coming to the academy.

Yet after dealing with the apostle and his followers…

“What kind of confidence do these people even have?”

Deciding it wasn’t worth the effort to hunt down and eliminate the remaining apostles, Carian opted to simply observe the situation instead. He judged their strength insufficient to plunge the academy into chaos.

This minor disturbance would serve as a smokescreen for Carian’s infiltration anyway.

So, Carian resolved to focus on finding the person his former subordinate had met while keeping an eye on the young professor adorned with the ancient dragon crest.

“Let’s start by getting acquainted, I suppose.”

*

“Professor, are you very close with Master High Dragon?”

Immediately after the morning lecture ended, Princess Irina asked me cautiously about my relationship with Orpheon as we returned to the faculty office.

Upon reflection, we weren’t exactly distant, but calling Orpheon—a thoroughly unpleasant lizard—a close friend made me cringe deep down.

So, I settled on describing our relationship as neutral.

Considering Orpheon’s public image, I couldn’t embellish it further.

“We occasionally exchange letters. If we happen to meet, we acknowledge each other…”

“That’s amazing!”

‘What is?’

What image did the name “Orpheon” evoke for Princess Irina? After all, it was common knowledge since the opening ceremony that Orpheon and I were acquaintances.

‘What does she find so frightening when she has divine protection backing her up…’

I couldn’t understand why a princess would fear a lizard. I vaguely remembered Lilian showing no fear in front of Orpheon years ago.

‘Is Lilian just an exception?’

Anyway, my immediate priority was confirming whether Orpheon was behaving himself back in the faculty office.

-CREAK-

After walking a long way, I finally reached the faculty office door and entered immediately. Princess Irina and Evan decided to wait outside, so I told them to do so.

“Master.”

“Oh, you’re here.”

Something was off about Orpheon’s expression. Instead of looking bored as I expected, he seemed amused. This made me uneasy.

Had he caused trouble while I was gone?

“Don’t worry unnecessarily. This time, I just watched.”

“Watched what?”

“Telling you would ruin the fun.”

Orpheon rose from the guest sofa and approached me gradually.

“You’ve become polite.”

“What do you mean…?”

“It seems you’ve finally started showing proper etiquette. It sounds nice.”

“Isn’t it natural to show respect to Master?”

Apparently, Orpheon enjoyed seeing me use honorifics. Surely he doesn’t think I’m doing it willingly, right? How ridiculous.

-MUMBLE-

‘I’m only being respectful because the assistants outside are eavesdropping. Do you think I enjoy bowing to a lizard?’

“You’ve gotten better at using dragon speech.”

‘Enough. Let’s head to my quarters. We can talk there.’

“First, I must visit the café.”

‘Don’t even think about messing with the café owner.’

“I’ll try anyway.”

As always, Orpheon ignored my words completely. Yet his stubbornness regarding interesting things—food, drinks, novels, unknown magic, etc.—remained unshakable.

-CREAK-

In the end, I exited the faculty office with Orpheon and began walking down the long corridor together. I silently hoped the café owner wouldn’t make something less delicious today. Probably wishful thinking.

“Professor! Hey there… Eek?! Wh-what?!”

“Sorry for surprising you.”

The problem was that students greeting me as usual were startled upon seeing the lizard beside me. Sure enough, every time they reacted, I heard stifled giggles from nearby.

“Seems like you get along well with the students—or maybe you haven’t shaken off old habits yet.”

“What’s wrong with professors and students being friendly?”

By the way, I hadn’t realized Orpheon’s human form was so well-known. What exactly has he been up to?

‘Could his face have been posted somewhere…’

Lost in speculation about why Orpheon became so recognizable, we soon arrived at the café. At the entrance, I subtly handed him the menu and told him I’d handle ordering while he chose what he wanted.

“Uncharacteristically considerate. Are you that worried about the café owner? Enough to hide him?”

“I don’t want to trouble Master.”

“Your words are always smooth.”

Then came the order for “Latte Macchiato.” I placed both Orpheon’s choice and mine with the familiar face behind the counter.

-CLANG-

“Y-you?! Why are you here?!”

“Long time no see.”

For some reason, Lilian stood a few steps away, staring at Orpheon. The teacup she’d been holding shattered on the floor.

Something was definitely off about Lilian’s reaction—and Orpheon’s as well.

“Recovering faster than expected? I thought you’d still be wandering around the palace.”

“And whose fault is that?!”

I had a bad feeling. What happened between them?