“Good night.”
“Sleep well, Emilia.”
“······.”
With a towel draped over his shoulder, Schlus vanished through the crack in the door.
As the door *thudded* shut, Emilia let out a quiet sigh.
‘I’ve never seen Schlus Hainkel like that before…’
Today’s Schlus was definitely strange.
He always seemed composed and calm; I never imagined he’d come back drenched from the rain.
If it were the usual him, he would have contacted the Imperial University to send someone for him or bought an umbrella.
He must have been so shocked that he couldn’t even think of something that simple.
Emilia held an oil lamp as she sat on the second-floor balcony, lost in thought.
‘It must be because of Julia…’
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no other reason.
I didn’t know if it was an accident or by the intention of the Lichtenburg family, but Schlus had crossed paths with Julia von Lichtenburg.
Schlus was startled by her striking resemblance to Julia von Eisburg and soon realized she was completely different, leaving him dejected…
That’s probably how it went.
‘Could that really be it?’
But for some reason, Emilia couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.
It felt like… there was some other secret hidden.
‘But… now might be a good time for it, right?’
Then Emilia suddenly remembered a plan that had been discarded earlier.
A beauty trap. Literally, a plan to seduce Schlus, but it was abandoned when it turned out he was more meticulous than expected, fearing it would only provoke his aversion.
But now, right now, while he’s feeling dejected and weak, wouldn’t it be possible?
If someone he could rely on existed in the all-noble Imperial University, wouldn’t Schlus willingly open his heart?
‘What am I saying…’
Emilia slapped her cheeks with both hands and regained her composure.
After all, she had never received any training in that area.
Moreover, even if it was for information gathering… pretending to love was something she found rather repulsive.
‘To someone I don’t even like…’
Emilia touched her lips while thinking of Schlus.
The Schlus who came trudging in like a puppy, drenched from the rain.
And she imagined herself comforting him with an embrace.
What would follow…
‘No, no, no!’
Emilia buried her face into the desk, her cheeks burning.
She simply couldn’t accept that she had such a lowly thought. Especially not towards someone she was supposed to surveil.
But right at that moment…
“Uh…?”
Emilia suddenly jerked her head up, shivers running down her spine.
It wasn’t a coincidence or just her imagination.
She had always trained her senses to be sharp.
This meant there had actually been a change in the surrounding environment.
And it was highly likely—
‘Enemy attack!’
There was an enemy’s approach.
Emilia quickly withdrew from the balcony and descended to the first floor.
Swift, yet nearly silent, moving as trained to avoid detection.
There was no sound, but her instincts screamed that someone was nearby.
The moment she peeked around the corner—
*Creek…*
The door quietly opened.
Holding her breath, Emilia quickly pulled her head back in.
*Thud.*
Soon, the faint sound of the door closing reached her ears.
A noise so quiet it would not have been caught had she remained on the second floor.
Then she felt a presence slowly approaching.
‘An assassin…?’
An assassination must be prevented at all costs.
Schlus was a target of the Intelligence Agency.
And if Schlus were to be killed, she could no longer remain at the Imperial University.
Emilia lifted her skirt, smoothly drawing the dagger from its scabbard strapped to her thigh.
And she waited.
Until the presence approached sufficiently.
Until they reached right around this corner.
At last, when the target was close enough, Emilia sprang out with a fluid motion, directing her blade.
A perfectly executed surprise attack.
Thus, her dagger should have plunged deep into the opponent’s abdomen.
“Haha.”
“······?!”
As the blade stopped, Emilia’s expression froze.
As if he had expected it. As if he had been waiting, the man calmly held the blade with his bare hands.
And when Emilia slowly lifted her gaze to see his creepy smile, her face drained of color.
Fear. A more primal fear was engulfing her.
It felt like facing an insurmountable wall.
Her body refused to obey as she barely managed to throw a punch at him—
“Heh. I’m beginning to feel like playing rough.”
“Ugh!”
In the next instant, her face was planted firmly on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the man’s form vanished, and he was now standing behind her.
That alone was disorienting enough, but something worse followed.
Her hands were bound and unable to move.
Not only that, but no matter how she tried to cast a spell, the incantations wouldn’t unfold.
“Ugh! Mmm!”
“Heh. You’re more competent than I expected, maid.”
As she was flipped over, the man maintained his chilling smile while covering Emilia’s mouth.
The handkerchief forced into her mouth blocked her tongue, making it impossible to scream.
He raised Emilia’s dagger, targeting her chest—specifically, her heart.
“Ugh!”
“Shh. Hush…”
As she saw the knife gleaming ominously in the moonlight, Emilia shook her head vigorously.
She never imagined she’d be so pathetic in front of death.
But it seemed this man wasn’t going to grant her a chance to beg for her life.
Just when Emilia sensed her impending death and closed her eyes tightly—
“Freeze.”
“······.”
The deep voice echoed through the mansion.
The man grinned even more grotesquely as he lifted his head.
Surprised, Emilia turned to see—
“Release her.”
Schlus stood there confidently.
“If you don’t, I’ll take my own life.”
He held a kitchen knife to his own throat.
What the hell is he doing?
Emilia froze for a moment in utter disbelief.
*
[Henderson]
[Real Name: Henry Pashtun]
[Gender: Male]
[Member of the Crow. Former special forces from the Imperial Army, became a Crow after fleeing from the army that tried to eliminate him.]
As soon as I typed in the query, the information appeared.
Crow Henderson.
I’d thought I would meet him someday, but I didn’t expect it to be today.
[Quest: Rescue Emilia from Henderson of the Crow.]
[Difficulty: ★★★★★]
[Reward: 8 Shop Coins]
Just then, the quest came to mind.
Emilia was already going to be rescued.
No, she had to be.
“Release her. I’ll take my life if you don’t.”
I threatened, holding the knife to my carotid.
To an outsider, it would look like utter madness.
But I was convinced it would work on him.
This guy who roams the Imperial University’s barrier without triggering alarms.
Known for his loud and chaotic methods.
If he had come here to kill me, he would have blown up the mansion with an explosion spell.
The fact that he came here quietly means he either came to kidnap me or to talk. Either way, it means he couldn’t achieve his objective if I were dead.
“Hah. Do you have the guts to do it?”
“Want to find out?”
“······.”
Henderson’s expression hardened completely, except for his mouth. That continued to smirk.
To be honest, I was too scared to make the cut.
Even now, I was barely suppressing the trembling of my hands.
Unless I accidentally slipped, I wasn’t the type to willingly take my own life.
But I believed in Schlus’s eyes.
Those vacant eyes devoid of emotion.
To Henderson, my gaze likely appeared devoid of the will to live. Like a gaze of someone already dead.
“Which would be faster, you cutting or me grabbing the knife?”
“Quit asking and just do it. Once it happens, there’s no going back.”
“······.”
Henderson clicked his tongue impatiently.
Then suddenly, his hand dropped.
The dagger fell from his hand.
He didn’t carry one… Did he take Emilia’s?
I’d have to pretend not to notice.
“Puhahaa…!”
“Okay, I released her. Happy? Now you lower your knife.”
“Come to my back.”
“Ah, yes!”
The moment the magic restraints were lifted, Emilia dashed to me.
I took her wrist and positioned her behind me.
I couldn’t let anything happen to Emilia.
Unless I wanted to be chased by Hertlocker until I’m dead…
[Quest Completed]
[You receive 8 Shop Coins as a reward.]
With the completion of the quest, the reward came in.
This meant Emilia was no longer in danger of dying.
I dropped the kitchen knife to the floor.
After all, I couldn’t fight against someone I couldn’t win against.
“Nice to meet you. So you’re the rumored top commoner? Hehe. I’m Henderson. Among the Crows—”
“Quit the rambling and get to the point.”
“Oh, I see. You’re quite impatient, huh? To be honest, I received a request to kill you.”
He was spilling classified information like it was nothing.
He must be one of the Crows who are completely useless.
Regardless of his skills, he has many followers because he’s renowned.
“But isn’t this too much of a waste? I’d hate to kill a future Crow.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Don’t you know? You already know your future isn’t that bright. Hehe…”
Henderson twisted his mouth in an eerie grin.
It was somewhat off-putting, but there was no way to tell him to stop.
Thanks to his brain injury, he was cursed to always smile involuntarily.
“Do you think you’ll graduate smoothly from the Imperial University? Like other nobles? Hah, not a chance!”
“······.”
“What awaits you in the future is nothing but severe pressure from both students and faculty. You may think enduring through countless bullying until you submit your thesis means you’re done. Heh, but your thesis will be rejected countless times. For absurd reasons, mind you. In about three years, you’ll begin to go mad. While your peers and juniors graduate, you’ll be stuck wondering, why am I still here? What do you think?”
“······.”
“Simply because you’re a commoner! That’s all there is to it! Hah! Because you’re a commoner, you won’t graduate! Even if you enroll in the Imperial University, there’s no path to success! Eventually, you’ll drop out, and do you know what you’ll become? Obviously, you’ll become a Crow.”
Henderson’s impassioned speech was oddly specific.
And it had to be. This was his story.
He had his hopes of achieving greatness by entering the Imperial University but couldn’t graduate due to exclusion from academia, so he dropped out and enlisted in the Imperial Army, ultimately becoming a Crow.
It was the most honest profession in the Empire where no matter if you were a commoner or not, you could earn a fortune as long as you have the ability.
“I can already see your future, haha. So why go through the hassle? Graduate from the Imperial University, Schlus. And become a Crow. I can guarantee that you’ll make more money than most barons.”
“Is this a joke?”
“Hah, of course, I don’t expect you to understand it right away. You’ll need to experience it yourself to know what I mean. So, take your time. Whenever you’re ready, come find Crow Henderson. I’ll kindly guide you along the path of the Crows…”
“I have no interest in becoming a Crow, so there’s no time to waste.”
“Hah… Fending me off? You’ll come back crying later, just knowing it.”
“Where are you going?”
As Henderson turned to leave, he suddenly froze.
And when he turned, his eyes widened in shock.
He saw me pointing a hand shaped like a gun, aiming at his head.
Henderson had to be killed here.
He was a named character capable of screwing up my plans significantly.
If an opportunity to kill arose, I couldn’t let it slip.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Stalling for time, idiot.
I thought I’d let things slide for a while to clear my head and blew off some steam at the training ground today.
Hence, I’d already used up the allocated time for ‘Selection and Concentration.’
Finally.
“Seems like you have little respect for your seniors? I might need to teach you a lesson…”
“······!”
As Henderson spat his words, he suddenly dropped a stone from his pocket.
And in that moment, the area was illuminated by light.
