EP.9
Lisitea von Edelstein.
The current head of the House of Count Edelstein, renowned in the empire as a prominent lineage of swordsmen, and also the Chairperson of Nineveh Academy.
Moreover, she had received teachings from not one, but two of the Seven Heroes, making her a verifiable member of humanity’s strongest class.
Additionally, she had crossed paths with Jin multiple times during his regression, providing him support each time.
In terms of appearance, she looked to be in her early to mid-twenties at most, but Jin knew all too well the ferocity hidden beneath that delicate exterior.
“Ch-Chairperson! What brings you here…?”
“What? Despite how I might appear, I hold a position that oversees Nineveh. Is it so strange for me to come to check on the face of one of my staff?”
As the Chairperson replied with an elegant demeanor, the Head of Admissions broke into a cold sweat.
“It’s not that…”
“Just kidding. I’m not here to monitor you to ensure you don’t leave before your shift is over. I merely stopped by to see if everything was alright while patrolling the area.”
“…”
The Head of Admissions wore an expression as if half of his soul had fled at the Chairperson’s words. How could she have guessed the secret thoughts he had only entertained in his mind?
“By the way, while patrolling, I unintentionally eavesdropped on some interesting discussions happening here. Quite a captivating topic, I must say.”
“If you find it interesting, what exactly are you referring to…?”
“Well, for instance, special admissions. Or perhaps—”
The Chairperson glanced at Jin and chuckled.
“…the descendant of the Seven Heroes, which until now was unknown?”
Chills ran down Jin’s spine.
The moment he met the Chairperson’s gaze, he felt an unmistakable dread, as if every hair on his body had bristled.
Though decades had passed since he first met her, that predatory gaze, akin to a carnivore eyeing its prey, never ceased to unsettle him.
‘Damn it. I almost freaked out there.’
Had he not experienced this kind of gaze from her multiple times before his regression, he might have collapsed in a state of panic.
If he were to decide between friend or foe, the Chairperson would certainly qualify as Jin’s ally. However, the situation was far from favorable.
That was because this version of Jin had no prior connection with her, and he had just been caught trying to fraudulently gain admission to Nineveh by claiming to be a descendant of the Seven Heroes.
As the head of Nineveh, founded by the Seven Heroes and having learned directly from them, she held immense respect for those legendary figures.
Should she discover that Jin was using their name deceitfully, she might very well capture him alive and make a scene.
– …This is the worst. Of all times, encountering Lisitea von Edelstein at this moment.
Erekaya, who resided within Jin’s mind, let out a low groan.
– Just to be clear, do not even think about lying in front of her from this point on. The bloodline ability passed down through the House of Edelstein is none other than…
‘I know. The Eye of the Libra, a pesky ability that reads people’s hearts and discerns truth from falsehood.’
Starting from detecting the lies of others to even discerning the strength and weaknesses of martial arts, it was an absurdly overpowered skill capable of forcing others to confront their own ‘truth’.
Of course, there are limitations. First and foremost, it cannot be used against an opponent of a higher ‘rank’ than oneself, and there is a set number of times it can be activated in a day. Moreover, it only discerns truth without being able to perceive the intent or psychological state behind it.
‘In the current situation, however, those limitations are hardly problematic.’
Jin and Erekaya were not completely oblivious to the possibility of encountering the Chairperson at Nineveh. After all, the final approval from the Chairperson was essential for the special admission process to gain entry into Nineveh.
Therefore, they had devised several strategies to evade the influence of the Eye of the Libra, but they would never have imagined meeting the Chairperson at this particular moment.
– Tch, if I had been able to confront her instead of the version of me that currently exists, the Eye of the Libra wouldn’t have been worth fearing at all.
Yet, even Erekaya knew that this lamentation held no meaningful weight.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson was eyeing Jin with a truly curious gaze, scanning him from head to toe.
“What’s your name?”
“…Jin.”
“Jin? That doesn’t sound particularly special…”
For reasons unknown, the Chairperson seemed to be repeating Jin’s name, searching for something remarkable about it.
“Jin, to cut to the chase, I will ask you one thing. Are you truly a descendant of the Seven Heroes?”
The Chairperson’s blue eyes fixed on Jin, reminiscent of a chilling deep sea.
“Yes.”
In response, the Chairperson neither affirmed nor denied it, merely tilting her head in curiosity.
“Remarkable. You’re… someone I don’t know. And a person seemingly invisible to me.”
Before Jin could ask what she meant by that, the Chairperson murmured something under her breath.
“Well then, let’s see if that’s true.”
At that moment, the Chairperson suddenly reached out her hand towards Jin.
Outwardly, it appeared to be an unbelievably slow motion, one that even a child unfamiliar with martial arts could easily evade.
However, Erekaya, residing in Jin’s mind, let out a startled cry.
– Block it, Jin! That attack is one you absolutely cannot evade!
‘What?!’
Though it was difficult for him to comprehend, Jin instinctively took a step back while raising his arms to enter a defensive posture.
And then—
Thwack!
“Cough!”
In the next moment, Jin regained his senses to find the Chairperson’s hand gripping his wrist. He was aghast.
‘No way, I was definitely out of his range!’
The Chairperson hadn’t moved an inch from her spot, yet she had reached out and caught him. Meanwhile, Jin had stepped back into a defensive stance.
How could it be that her hand was now gripping his wrist?
– That was an attack utilizing the Eye of the Libra. She set her attack as ‘truth,’ while your defense was deemed as ‘false,’ thereby appealing to the world as such. As a result, all intermediary processes were bypassed, and only the outcome of you being caught by the Chairperson remained.
Of course, thanks to Erekaya’s warning, the Chairperson’s hand grasped Jin’s wrist rather than his throat, an unintended consequence.
Even so, it was still sufficient to snap his wrist like a pencil tip.
‘Dammit.’
Considering he was still at the beginning of his regression and weak, allowing himself to be caught this easily was infuriating.
No, it wasn’t merely being caught by the wrist that was the problem. The real concern was the faint glimmer of malice simmering in the Chairperson’s gaze as she looked at Jin.
At that moment, the Chairperson was contemplating whether to kill him or not.
This left Jin with no choice but to ponder his own situation. Should he leave his fate in the hands of this woman’s whims, or should he fight back, even if the chances of winning were almost nonexistent?
‘…Should I use Exceed?’
If he were to fight her at this moment, defeat was guaranteed; it would be impossible to win. The disparity between the Chairperson and Jin was staggering.
However, he was confident that using Exceed would at least allow him to escape this predicament relatively easily.
Of course, using such power would come with its own significant repercussions, but it was a far better option than dying here and having to start all over again.
Just as Jin was debating whether or not to use Exceed, he heard the Chairperson’s intrigued voice.
“Oh.”
“I was aiming for your throat, but I ended up gripping your wrist instead.”
“‘Ended up’ gripping my wrist? You could’ve just as easily taken my head off if you wanted to.”
“Just to be sure, let me ask you this. Did you see anything just now?”
“…No, nothing.”
What exactly was there to see? By the time he regained his senses, he realized her hand was already gripping his wrist.
“Hmm, so you saw nothing, huh?”
The Chairperson nodded as if she understood something, though for Jin, it made not a shred of sense.
‘You insufferable woman.’
Though he felt like cursing her out to her face, the strongest presence in this room was the Chairperson. To act out of line could only lead to a fate worse than what he was already facing.
“By the way, when do you plan on letting go of my wrist? Do you have some peculiar preference for manhandling the wrists of strange men?”
At Jin’s curt remark, the Chairperson merely smirked.
“You’re quite bold. You’re the first man to speak like that in my presence.”
…Did he overstep? Damn it, he should’ve put a lid on that impulsive temper of his.
“I suppose I owe you an apology. I have no particular interest in gripping the wrists of strangers, but it seems this is my first time doing so, and I may have gotten carried away.”
Saying this, the Chairperson shockingly released Jin’s wrist without fuss.
…What is happening? To be honest, Jin thought she would kill him.
Because just moments earlier, he had detected a flicker of malevolence in her eyes.
“No, I never intended to harm you from the start. After all, I am the Chairperson of this institution, and I have an obligation to protect my students.”
“…Excuse me?”
What in the world was she talking about? Unable to comprehend her words, Jin blinked in confusion, prompting the Chairperson to chuckle before addressing him again.
“In simpler terms, it means I acknowledge your right to special admission.”
So, what that meant was—
“To be crystal clear, beginning today, I will officially recognize you as a student of Nineveh, Jin.”
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