“…Harpas is dead?”
“That’s right, Agares.”
As his subordinate confirmed Harpas’s death again, the man frowned and tapped the glass he was holding with his finger.
It was a habit he always had when something unexpected and unpleasant happened.
“Pfft, I never thought that crow would die in such a place~”
“Yeah, it’s quite amusing.”
The bright red wine in the glass swayed this way and that at the young man’s gesture.
After staring out the window for a while, he elegantly raised the glass to his lips. Very slowly, the contents of the glass vanished into his mouth.
He set the glass down on the table and glanced at the smiling Cidri sitting across from him. With her beautiful silver hair, she looked curiously at the man as if the fact that Harpas had died was fascinating.
“I wonder who killed him~?”
“I heard it was the escort knight of the current Saint.”
“Escort knight~?”
Cidri’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the noble seated across from her. The flamboyantly dressed man gazed out the window, specifically at the distant Imperial Capital.
The shadowy capital was barely illuminated by scattered lights, but for him, it felt as bright as day.
For a demon, darkness was no different than a lifelong companion.
“I think we need to revise the plan.”
“Hmm~ I hope it doesn’t get too disrupted. I put a lot of effort into this.”
“I can’t guarantee that.”
“Ugh, how troublesome~ Should I just go kill that escort knight~?”
The silver-haired woman, with a delectable voice, abruptly stood up after delivering that chilling line. With the essential exchange of information over, she felt no need to remain here any longer.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave~ You take care of things~”
“Lay low for a while.”
“That’s not my style~”
‘What a nuisance.’
Agares glared at the closed door, then turned his head back to stare out the window. Unlike his calm expression, his mind was a tangled web of thoughts.
‘…The human who killed a demon.’
Indeed, luck is not on a demon’s side.
Agares pondered this sudden variable while tapping his finger.
A subordinate, who had been quietly standing behind him, filled a wine glass anew.
“…Um, Agares.”
“…What is it?”
“How about starting the investigation?”
“Investigate thoroughly. From his past to his connections, everything.”
“Understood.”
The subordinate’s body vanished like mist. Alone in the room, Agares sipped his wine and began to devise a plan anew.
——————————-
“Well, let’s start the graduation ceremony now.”
Far away, Principal Merlin was clearing his throat as he stepped onto the podium. I stared blankly at him, softly muttering words that would be inaudible to anyone.
“Status Window.”
[Johann Quartz]
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Occupation: Escort Knight
– Traits –
Insight: A
Digging: A+
Woodworking: A
Crafting: A
Pharmacy: C+
Dexterity: A
Anatomy: B
Survival: S
Sewing: D+
Metallurgy: A
Tactics: B+
Performance: F
Architecture: A
– Skills –
Crafting: A
Repair: B+
Dismantle: B+
Auto-translate: A
Trait Points: 13
– Blessings –
!(@&(!#$!*(:?
Phoenix’s Blessing: S
– Missions –
– No missions.
13 points.
Killing Harpas nets me 10 points.
I guess that means I was treated as the final boss for this first year? It’s worth the effort since if I waited until next year, I wouldn’t have gotten these sweet 10 points, and I’d have to struggle with sub-par stats in the second year.
I’ve even gained the architecture trait after all the hardship.
After destroying and rebuilding the castle so often, it seems the new trait is actually rated A. I must be able to craft as well as any artisan in architecture now.
And then… the blessing.
The Phoenix’s Blessing I received directly, so I know the effects, but what could that alien-sounding blessing mean? I stared at the alien word, but I couldn’t glean any hints from it.
It wasn’t smudged or noisy, but purely composed of alien symbols, so it was understandable. I turned my attention away from the unknown blessing and focused on the white text written at the bottom.
13 points.
I could probably invest these points into a skill to increase its rank by more than one step if I put them all into one.
What should I invest in?
Given that I don’t know how many points are required for a rank-up, I need to choose carefully, but with 13 points, it’s likely I can at least hit A+.
It won’t take 20 or 30 points to raise it half a rank or so.
Well, I technically have only one choice anyway.
Crafting.
The skill that’s basically my essence.
Without hesitation, I brought my finger to the crafting skill but then withdrew it again.
I’ve been punished more than once for acting without thinking. I can’t let my guard down just because things have improved significantly. The unknown entity that handed me this Status Window managed to thwart the phoenix’s attempts to reveal anything about my castle.
“…There have been many things…”
I half-listened to Principal Merlin’s voice while scanning my Status Window again.
Nothing has changed. No variables.
Only after confirming this did I finally push my finger to select the crafting skill.
[Would you like to invest points in Crafting?]
Of course.
I slowly began pouring my trait points into the crafting skill, one by one.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
…Ten.
Crafting: A+
Ten points for half a rank up. I guess that means I’ll need to invest more if I want to reach S rank?
Then maybe I’ll save three points for now.
“…I hope everyone polishes their weapons during the winter break.”
Is it finally over? I scanned the brightening faces of the students and relaxed my arms. Now that the ceremony has concluded, all that remains is to escort the guests to Yeomyeong-gwan.
I stood up and addressed the group of approaching students.
“Did you sleep well?”
“I didn’t!”
“Wipe the drool off your mouth.”
“Ah.”
I pulled out a towel from my pocket and pretended to wipe Millia’s mouth while subtly correcting her slightly askew head and adjusting the band. Millia sensed the meaning behind my action and whispered to me, her face filled with worry.
“Ah, I hope I wasn’t caught.”
“Maybe.”
As long as no one hits my head to send me flying, it’ll be fine if I just mumble my way out of it. I can evade allusions to my oddly angled head, but if my head actually comes off, it’s checkmate.
“Hehe.”
“Sir Quartz sure takes good care of Millia.”
“Well, I’m her guardian.”
I naturally reached over to ruffle the hair of Millia, who attached herself to my arm. Seeing her act like a puppy was quite cute, but it also felt burdensome with others watching.
This is an auditorium packed with students after all.
“Hehe.”
“Millia seems to really like you, Sir Quartz.”
“I’m practically playing the role of her parent.”
While we’ve been through dungeons together, paying her tuition, tying her hair when there’s time, and making her toys, I might as well be a father to Millia.
Thinking that made me feel oddly nuanced.
Still a virgin, yet called a father.
I’m not some Virgin Mary either.
Ah, in this case, would I be Virgin Johann?
Thinking this put a tinge of sadness in me. I really want to experience a carefree romance too. Sure, my appearance is menacing, but don’t I look decent enough?
I’m only 19, so let’s be real, I’m still in my youthful prime, right?
“Johann?”
“…What is it, Karina?”
“Um, you look rather menacing while smiling…”
Immediately, I turned to look at Karina with a stern, serious, and grave face. She seemed amused by this, giggling softly as she spoke.
“I think it’s the first time I’ve seen you laugh like that, Johann.”
“Really?”
“I-I’ve never seen it before, I swear!”
“At that point, even a bride who swore her love might flee on her wedding day. Well, I wouldn’t run away at the sight of an uncle’s face…”
What kind of face did I have to elicit such reactions?
“I like that expression!”
Right, thanks, Millia.
“Oh my, everyone, it might block the passage if you gather here, how about going outside to chat?”
“Martina!”
“Oh my, Millia. You’re sticking with Sir Quartz as always, I see?”
At the warm gaze of Mama, no, Martina, landing on Millia, she playfully nodded with a smile.
“Yep!”
“Looks like everyone is here!”
“Greetings.”
“Now we’re all gathered.”
“It seems everyone is here.”
At Karina’s words, everyone nodded in agreement.
“I’m looking forward to the end-of-term party!”
“Hoho, I’ve prepared some delicious dishes, so you have something to look forward to.”
Karina replied with a gentle smile.
“Well then, shall we go?”
Karina was the first to start walking.
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