“Did you start this first, senpai?”
In other words, from now on, it’s self-defense.
Ignoring the puzzled look on their faces, I clasped my hands together and raised them high.
With that, I brought my hand down forcefully on my opponent’s arm.
In an instant, the elbow bent.
I quickly unclasped my hands and tightly grabbed the back of my opponent’s forearm, pulling.
Then I gently pressed my upper body down diagonally in front.
Squeezing their arm with my body and hands.
A simple wrist lock joint technique.
“List Lock.”
As soon as the technique was applied, a desperate scream erupted.
“Ah, ack! Aaaah!”
“You bastard!”
While the other senpai hesitated in shock, he rushed at me.
I quickly moved my hands.
I grabbed Senpai 1 by the collar and tilted him.
My other hand still held his arm. With my weight closer to me, it was easy to move him.
I swept him aside and kicked his ankle with all my strength.
Senpai 1 fell, entangled with the rushing Senpai 2.
“Um, umm—!”
The two senpai screamed and fell over.
I took a step back, putting some distance between us, and looked down.
“Until they get hit, there are people who can’t accept reality.”
“You…!”
“Are you going to do more?”
Honestly, I’m not confident in facing two of them.
Both are physically built better than me.
This situation only worked because it was a surprise attack.
But the more it went on, the more unapologetic I should be.
Even though it was a surprise, they were both easily subdued.
I could act confidently.
As expected, they didn’t recklessly charge at me.
They got up slowly, glaring at me warily.
Just then, a voice from somewhere called out.
“Hey you three. What are you doing?”
All three of us turned our heads at the same time.
Someone swaggered over with a lazy gait.
His beard looked like it hadn’t been shaved in a while, and he wore some scruffy slippers.
He looked like a local bum.
“Sir Shylock.”
The two senpai bowed their heads and greeted him.
That bum was the knight of this lodging.
He was probably in charge of Section 1.
“Leo and Cooper? What are you all doing? And you over there…”
Shylock looked down at me and smiled.
“Why, it’s the most famous Sir Judas from our training center!”
With his cheeky honorifics.
Feeling a bit uneasy, I deliberately responded more stiffly.
“I’m Judas from Class 13.”
“Of course, I know. Anyone who didn’t would be an idiot. Just as I thought, your personality is quite eccentric. But I suppose your skills back it up.”
Shylock interrupted as I was facing off with those two.
But he spoke as if he had seen everything from the start.
Raising an eyebrow in disbelief, I found him just smiling smugly.
As if to say, “You might suspect what I’m thinking.”
“I wonder if he intentionally didn’t intervene.”
That guy was overtly suspicious.
Shylock. Wait a minute, that name sounds familiar…
“Those senpai blocked my path first.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that. Understand, will you? Those two have that kind of personality.”
The two senpai, Leo and Cooper, exchanged complicated glances as if they wanted to say something but ended up holding their tongues.
In the end, they didn’t say a word.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I came looking for a candidate named Envinil.”
“Ah, so it’s because of that rumor?”
“I didn’t use the word rumor, but how did you know?”
“Even if you don’t believe it, I’m the knight in charge of this section. I couldn’t possibly not know. Sorry, but I can’t personally monitor the rumors circulating among the candidates.”
Shylock chuckled as he placed a hand on the stunned Leo and Cooper’s shoulders.
“Why are you all acting foolish? You should apologize.”
“…Sorry.”
The two reluctantly apologized.
I just waved my hand dismissively.
“It’s fine. So, may I go look for Envinil now?”
“Of course! Who would stop you? Go ahead, famous one.”
Shylock’s arm moved in a grand arc from above to below.
His exaggerated manners were the etiquette of the nobility.
He was just messing around.
Shylock, draping his arm over Leo and Cooper’s shoulders, walked away.
I frowned, watching his back before moving my feet.
‘Who was that again…’
That annoyingly smirking face.
That mischievous demeanor.
Shylock. Wait a minute, I remember now.
‘That con artist?’
In the game timeline, this would be the future.
He was the guy who deceived people in dark alleys with poor lies for his gain.
Also involved in shady gambling schemes.
He didn’t look dangerous, yet he wasn’t impressive either.
Just an bothersome petty criminal.
‘Come to think of it, he’s from the Bevel Family knights…that guy.’
In this world, knights receive good treatment.
There’s no other reason for it.
Due to the demon race threatening humans, the stronger they were, the more they were guaranteed a certain level of treatment.
Yet Shylock was a knight but flitted around the alleyways.
He wasn’t living well at all.
Scraping by with his scams.
He didn’t even seem to be purposely trying to look inadequate.
‘What was the reason for that… it had something to do with his family…’
What a troublesome man.
But it’s ambiguous to outright dismiss him or pry into him.
More than anything, just because he was a con artist back then didn’t guarantee he’d be a bad one now.
‘I’ll have to keep him in mind for now.’
What was urgent was Envinil.
The rumors about me.
In fact, there was something even more important than that.
‘Judeca.’
I heard Envinil was also from Judeca.
I knew way too little about this individual named Judas.
It’s a good idea to gather any knowledge I can, just in case.
*
Cooper and Leo, being dragged by Shylock, looked dazed.
They had their arms around each other, so they seemed friendly outwardly, yet they were being led along.
They felt no fear.
Shylock was infamous for getting along with candidates without any distance.
However, it was surprising to see him appearing with the very rumors about Judas floating around.
“You brats.”
Shylock laughed and said.
“Why are you doing unnecessary things?”
“Did you not say you’d show that brat a lesson first? If a troublesome one pops up, the whole group is the one that suffers…”
“I heard about it too. And we don’t just want to spread rumors. We need to confirm things and teach him a lesson…”
“Hey, hey. Still, doing it suddenly to a kid isn’t right.”
Shylock glanced down the hallway, watching Judas’s retreating figure.
His half-closed eyes smiled like a snake.
“Slowly, until he suffocates without even realizing it.”
His wicked smile held no personal malice.
He was just going to handle things as instructed.
*
I boldly approached Room 5 and asked.
“I’m here looking for a candidate named Envinil.”
The united gazes of those present were anything but welcoming.
So what?
I lifted my chin and looked down at them.
‘Wait, this is something Elijah often does.’
As soon as that hit me, I dropped my chin and glared at them with wide eyes.
It felt oddly uncomfortable resembling Elijah.
Unlike Leo and Cooper, they didn’t seem eager to directly assess my skills.
They merely gazed at me with unfriendly expressions.
A boy who had been in a corner of the room stepped forward.
He looked just about my age.
His height was similar too.
“…Who are you.”
“Let’s talk for a bit, just the two of us.”
“Why, why me?”
“Don’t you know better than anyone?”
“I don’t know anything…”
“It seems we both know enough so let’s not drag this out. C’mon, buddy.”
“…….”
Envinil immediately shut his mouth.
His pupils flickered nervously.
What a weird kid.
Trying hard to appear strong, but already giving off fearful vibes.
Hunched shoulders, clasped hands.
Eyes darting around, unable to stay still.
I felt like I was dealing with a frightened kid.
“You act like this and I can’t be nice. I just came to ask a few things, so let’s just cooperate, alright?”
“…Okay then.”
Envinil meekly agreed, appearing cornered.
The folks in Room 5 regarded me with discontent but did not physically intervene.
One of them, particularly someone who looked to be the center of that room stood with an intense gaze.
‘…Who is that one glaring at me?’
I was about to lead Envinil away, but I paused.
I faced that young man directly.
“Got something to say?”
I asked openly, and he simply shrugged and smiled.
He had that annoying, cocky face.
“Not particularly.”
Several others in the room glared at me in silence.
“I don’t care what you whisper behind my back… but could you keep it quiet enough to not be heard?”
A few flinched as if caught off guard.
However, upon checking with that center guy, they all stood dead still.
“Since there’s nothing more to say, I’ll take my leave. And let’s do our best to avoid being in each other’s way. If you don’t want that Leo or Cooper’s fate to be yours. If you’re disgruntled, feel free to follow, or come find me later.”
The young man simply smiled, and the others didn’t dissent.
They gave off a quite uncomfortable aura.
Turning away, I noticed Envinil was trembling as he looked at me.
Looking at me as if a madman had descended upon him.
“Let’s go.”
I took him and stepped out of the lodging.
Envinil followed silently behind me.
Honestly, I didn’t care about the rumors.
Whatever they whispered at my back, let them be.
It’s annoying, but I can’t catch every last one of them.
Those in front of me didn’t have the guts to say it to my face.
What I prioritized over this was learning about Judeca, so I sought him out.
The problem was, if I asked about my background, it would seem somewhat off.
I had to play it subtly to extract information.
‘This feels awkward already…. I’m not good at this head game.’
I wasn’t a clever person.
I didn’t know how to subtly draw out the answers I wanted.
Elijah would do it well.
If only Elijah were in my place… wait, why am I even thinking that?
Shaking my head, I decided to speak with whatever was on my mind.
In my own way.
“I heard you were talking behind my back excitedly.”
“…….”
“You don’t know me, do you?”
“Uh?”
“You don’t know me.”
Since we both have Judeca backgrounds, it might be a weird question.
But I know that even if one hails from Judeca, it’s not guaranteed we know each other.
It’s a place where you may have to fight alongside one ally today and face them with swords tomorrow.
Unless you’re a renowned fighter with impressive abilities, which neither of us are.
“I heard you were bad-mouthing me to the others.”
“That, uh…”
“And?”
As I pressed for an answer, Envinil shrank back.
“…Hey, if you react so violently, I’ll seem like a bad person! Anyone would think I’m beating you up!”
“…….”
“…Why so quiet? Does that mean it’s true?”
“Ah, no!”
Why is this kid so frightened?
Though I’m famous in the training center, I haven’t gone around beating people up!
…Did I?
No, no, that’s not right.
I fought against those who picked fights with me, not like a ruffian striking out randomly.
Regardless of why he’s scared, it’s a good thing for me.
A frightened opponent tends to spill information more easily.
“As far as I recall, I don’t think we were close before.”
I have no memory of that.
That’s just an assumption too.
With a high likelihood, that’s the truth.
If we had been close, he wouldn’t be as awkward or scared of me.
“Well, that’s true…”
“But why did you do that then?”
“I heard it too, just listening to what others said, so… I thought it was that way…”
“Ah, just ‘others’? Which others?”
“Just, here and there…”
“Here and there? Who exactly?”
Before long, various names rolled out of his mouth.
Starting from Leo and Cooper—who had tried to block me—and some names I didn’t even know.
Quite a few, to say the least.
Nevertheless, it didn’t seem Envinil was the original source of that rumor.
Then, out of nowhere, a surprising name popped up.
“Sir Shylock also confirmed it…”
“Shylock? You mean the knight in charge of Section 1?”
“Uh…”
Section 1 and 4’s rumors.
Shylock had endorsed those rumors.
He’s a silver-tongued con man.
‘…It looks like Shylock is the one who spread them.’
But I’m left questioning.
As far as I know, Shylock wouldn’t do anything that didn’t benefit him.
It couldn’t possibly benefit him to spread my rumors.
‘But what if it did? For instance… Well, I can’t know for sure.’
Moreover, why was he so scared to sell out to Shylock?
“Why were you so scared? Did I do something to you?”
“Ah, no… not like that…”
“Then, why are you being so annoying about it?”
Envinil hesitated, considering whether to speak or not.
He was concerned I might yell at him again; he decided to speak.
“I saw you fighting…”
I’ve fought in front of others twice before.
Against Lindell, and then against Galliot.
People must have found my win against Galliot particularly impressive; they all regarded me with caution or recognition.
But no one ended up this frightened.
‘In other words, he means not here but in Judeca, where we fought.’
He must have seen me kill during our duels in Judeca.
‘Still, this fear seems excessive. There are two reasons he could be scared: either I was too brutal, or I was overwhelmingly powerful. Or maybe both…’
It’s a baseless assumption.
There are logical leaps, too.
However, a plausible conclusion emerged.
Judas has killed people in Judeca.
Cruelly. Or overwhelmingly.
The image of me, composure uncharacteristic of my body, after killing Sardis resurfaced.
‘So that’s why… What was the original owner of this body doing?’
When the information guild contacts me, I might as well have them inquire.
After all, as an orphan, it isn’t strange to be curious about one’s background.
I decided to play it cool, acting as if nothing was wrong.
“Ah, so that’s it.”
But one thing felt off.
“What was your thought process while talking behind my back?”
“That was, back then you weren’t… uh, sorry. I shouldn’t use that word. You didn’t seem like you were the fierce type…”
I learned something more.
Judas’s original character seemed quite calm and composed.
Unlike now, when I leap at someone if they poke me.
“Hmm. So you bullied me because I looked weak, thinking you could get away with it?”
On a whim, I pondered how Elijah would have manipulated this scenario. The conclusion? Just throw something random out there.
Trying it out turned out to be surprisingly effective.
“…!”
Envinil’s complexion turned pale.
‘Was that actually spot on?’
If I keep getting too clever, I might lose balance…
‘Wait a minute. Did I just think like Elijah? Why?’
I mean, there’s no rule against it.
Regardless, it’s a beneficial occurrence, so all’s well.
I stuffed my arm around Envinil’s shoulder and gave it a reassuring pat.
“Even so, that’s a childish way of thinking. If you cross the wrong person, you may get into real trouble.”
“……”
“Be careful in the future, buddy. There are many ears listening around.”
“Er, um…”
The rumors that have spread can’t be helped.
Even if I scold this one, they won’t just vanish.
However, it would be annoying if it spread further.
“Next time, it won’t end nicely. You got that?”
“Oh, absolutely!”
“Good. Off you go.”
Envinil fled back toward the lodging.
As I walked, I organized my thoughts.
‘The root of the rumors appears to be Shylock. The chances of him having a grievance against me are slim. He’s a profit-driven guy, and it’s likely he’s doing someone else’s bidding. But the approach is tricky to dig into…’
Before long, I arrived in front of Section 3, Room 13.
I needed to head to Eliya’s Mansion soon but decided to check on my comrades’ faces first.
They’d probably be curious about my test results.
“Oh, Judas is here!”
Just as I expected, Richard greeted me.
Next were Lindell and Perlyn, followed by a rush of people out of the room.
“How did it go? What happened?”
“I heard you chatted with the lady. What’s going on?”
“Um…”
As I hesitated for a moment, Lindell and Perlyn exchanged brief nods.
They must have explained what had happened earlier.
Thanks to that, I could keep it short.
“The lady passed me for the test.”
“Ohhhh…!”
Richard smiled broadly, celebrating.
Lindell and Perlyn let out deep sighs of relief.
Since they were friends who nearly fell out of the game for my sake, they seemed worried.
“I’m so relieved, really relieved…”
“Right? It would be ridiculous for you to have failed after breaking the rules.”
“I heard you did almost everything on your own?”
“No, I mean, it wasn’t to that extent…”
“Plus, I heard those pricks wronged you first?”
They took some time to curse out Brown and Connor for me.
My praises were not forgotten either.
Especially Lindell and Perlyn took the lead in that.
They said without me, they would have given up or dropped along the way.
That it felt like they were having a picnic, unlike the last test, and so on…
I awkwardly smiled amidst their excitement.
Being praised so openly is embarrassing.
I’m weak to this kind of thing…
“You’re going to be a phenomenal individual, aren’t you?”
Richard clapped me on the shoulder with that proud smile.
Beside him, Dillon nodded in approval with a satisfied smile.
“Just keep doing what you did this time.”
“Yes, I’ll be sure to do so.”
“You might end up becoming one of the first knight-guard candidates at this rate!”
Richard made an atrocious prediction.
Since we’re all knight candidate trainees, I couldn’t flat-out deny it, so I just laughed.
Hah!
*
Envinil trembled as he returned to the room.
The spot where Judas’s hand had touched still felt eerie.
‘That madman…’
He clearly remembered.
The first match conducted to gauge skills held in Judeca.
Judas killed someone as easily as swatting away a branch.
He transformed a shard of glass into a finely honed weapon.
His immaculate technique sent chills—yet it was also awe-inspiring.
The image of him cleanly wiping the blood with an expressionless face was glaringly clear.
He didn’t seem human.
And yet, Envinil witnessed it all.
That day of their match.
In the dead of the night when everyone was asleep, Judas was trembling with tears running down his cheeks.
He appeared weak, suffering from the aftermath of his first murder.
Envinil was surprised.
Simultaneously, he felt an indescribable joy rising inside him.
For an inexplicable reason, he felt superior and relieved.
The one who had appeared monstrous was, after all, a mere human.
At that moment, Envinil realized.
Could he, perhaps, become like Judas someday?
With a similar age and physique.
If he wished, he too could murder callously as Judas had done.
Exceptional killing skills in this world turned into a means of earning.
But he couldn’t.
That was just arrogance.
He was left terrified and given up after being frightened during the first skill assessment.
He hadn’t died, thanks to the fact that his opponent was a frail child himself.
Beaten badly, he had been expelled from Judeca and found himself in Elijah’s knight-guard training center.
And here, he encountered Judas.
Envious, desiring to surpass him—yet, letting it all go.
His resistance turned him into an active participant in sowing rumors.
Though he couldn’t do so any longer.
Envinil weakly returned to Room 5.
One of his dorm mates approached him.
The young man who had been quietly watching Judas earlier, representative of Room 5.
Salaman.
“Envinil. What’s with your expression?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
“What did Judas say?”
“……”
“Why so quiet? Did someone threaten you not to talk?”
Envinil, cowering, looked up at Salaman.
Salaman was grinning widely with a sturdy air.
However, he didn’t feel as if he was genuinely concerned for him.
Was he plotting something, using him for another goal?
That thought prickled in his mind.
Nevertheless…
“If he harmed our dorm folks, we can’t just let it slide…. Envinil, care to share what happened?”
The others in Room 5 listened closely.
With this number of people, perhaps they could take on Judas.
It was a tempting thought that was hard to shake.
Envinil threw away reason and grasped the feeble flicker of hope.
*
He had dinner with the other dorm mates.
The portion was small but acceptable.
Once he returned to the mansion, he would ask Anna to prepare more food.
He could afford to eat like that.
He still needed to grow and bulk up more.
Once he got to live in Elijah’s mansion, the part he appreciated most was how he could eat without reservation.
Every meal he had only deepened his gratitude towards Elijah.
‘If it weren’t for that tragedy…’
“Judas.”
Just before heading back, Gawain came to find me.
“You passed. I’m sure you heard it directly from the lady.”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, indeed…”
Gawain studied me intently.
I waited, wondering if he had something to say.
But in the end, he turned away without speaking.
Then he muttered quietly.
“…Well done.”
“Yes?”
“Nothing. Just keep progressing.”
“Yesss….”
I exited through the training center’s gate.
As always, my carriage was waiting for me, but beside it stood a woman I had never seen before.
Judging by her attire, she was a knight.
Dressed in a neat black uniform.
A glorious golden insignia, bearing a red sun, stood proud on her shoulder.
That was emblematic of the Bevel Family.
“Ah, are you Sir Judas?”
She approached me first.
With brown hair and brown eyes.
She looked incredibly unpretentious for a knight.
Even her freckles on her nose looked quite innocent.
“Yes. I am Judas. And you are?”
“Greetings! I’m Hermes, and I’m now in charge of your guard starting today!”
Elijah had mentioned she would assign me a guard.
Not just any assistant but a seasoned knight with real skills.
The pressure from Balak was likely to intensify.
‘She looks young, but she’s a knight; that’s impressive.’
And it seemed this Hermes woman was going to fill that role.
She gave off the vibe of a naive country girl.
Though her speech maintained knightly decorum, it didn’t feel stilted.
Her deep-rooted mannerisms were remarkably endearing.
“Can I call you Sir Hermes?”
“Yes! Please feel free to use that honorific.”
“I look forward to working with you, Sir Hermes.”
“Yes, the same goes for me.”
She reached out her hand, and I gladly accepted it.
‘But… where have I seen her before? That name rings a bell.’
As she shook my hand, her body leaned closer, and she whispered softly in my ear.
“I look forward to working with you, you wicked hedgehog.”
“…!”
I froze, still clutching her hand.
She kept her distance, but whispered.
“The blind star sent me.”
Elijah assigned a knight to guard me. Hermes.
She was also an informant sent from the information guild.
It suddenly dawned on me.
Hermes is Yuri’s…
“…What are you two doing?”
Just then, a familiar cold voice cut through the air.
Startled, I turned my head.
I hadn’t heard she was coming!
“Ah, Lady?!”
Out of nowhere, Elijah was standing next to me with a solemn gaze directed at us.
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