Henderson, looking back, couldn’t believe his eyes.
Schlus Hainkel, who should have been grateful just for being spared, was raising his hand.
And that finger was pointed at Henderson.
“Did you think you could invade the dormitory and go back safely?”
“Haha! Really now! Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”
It took Henderson a moment to grasp the meaning, and then he erupted into crazy laughter.
It wasn’t a laugh that came out just because he had hit his head.
It was a laugh born from pure disbelief.
“Weren’t you supposed to know my name? I’m Henderson! Crow Henderson! Don’t know? The Prince’s murderer! The strongest Crow! Don’t you know?! And yet you’re… Ha, ha ha… This is just ridiculous.”
The name Crow Henderson surely wasn’t unknown throughout the empire and across the continent.
In some regions, there were even legends that if a child cried, Henderson would come and take them away, cementing him as a symbol of terror.
And yet, he dared to challenge me.
After laughing for a while, Henderson brushed his hair back and put on a serious face.
His eyes narrowed in a glare, yet his mouth was grinning, creating a bizarre expression.
*Deng… Deng… Deng…*
The clock announcing midnight echoed.
It seemed he didn’t really know the name Henderson.
He appeared to be so absorbed in his talent that his arrogance soared to the heavens.
In that case, I had no choice but to show him just how high the sky truly was.
If I inflicted a fatal injury, it would be hard for him to move while he was a Crow, so I had to avoid critical spots.
Then… what about snapping his jaw?
If I quickly closed it up with magic, there wouldn’t be any life-threatening danger.
And that arrogant mouth wouldn’t be able to spout nonsense anymore.
Henderson shoved his hand into his pocket, fiddling with the Luminescent Stone inside.
“I need to give him some early education…”
While speaking, he pretended to accidentally drop a Luminescent Stone.
As it rolled on the ground making a little *thud*, of course, Schlus’s gaze shifted towards it.
Henderson squeezed his eyes shut and let out a triumphant laugh.
At that moment, the Luminescent Stone exploded, scattering flashes everywhere.
“…Right?”
“Ugh?!”
Henderson’s figure jumped out in an instant.
At the moment of the stone’s explosion, Schlus, who was staring at it, must have lost his sight.
It was a simple but sure trap that took advantage of human instinct for caution.
In that brief moment, no one could think faster than their instincts, so he had never failed even once.
Now all that was left was to snap the jaw of Schlus, who had lost his sight and was in a combat incapacitated state.
It was a perfectly executed surprise attack.
“Huh?”
Just as Henderson thought this, his eyes widened.
Schlus’s hand was precisely aimed at Henderson’s head.
Even when he moved to the side, the tip of his finger followed him without a misstep.
He should have been directly hit by the explosion of the Luminescent Stone; how could he still see?
That question popped into Henderson’s mind at that moment.
“Pop.”
“?!”
A soft word slipped from Schlus’s mouth.
Immediately after that, a massive wave of mana crashed over Henderson.
Mana Emission Magic. It was such a fast-deploying spell that he couldn’t react, but it was okay.
The output of mana without elemental transformation wasn’t that high.
The mass of mana broke through the barrier that surrounded Henderson.
There were still three more layers of barriers inside.
Thinking they would naturally hold, Henderson was relieved—
“Huh?”
When the second and third layers of barriers were broken one after another, he was taken aback.
But by then, it was already too late.
The dagger Henderson had drawn was just about to pierce Schlus’s jaw.
“Ha! Hahaha!”
*Boom!*
The tidal wave of mana slammed into Henderson’s head.
Unable to withstand the pressure, Henderson’s head shattered, scattering blood and flesh fragments behind him, soiling the corridor.
Henderson fell to the ground, unable to reach Schlus. Headless, he lay there.
“…”
Schlus was momentarily at a loss for words at the grotesque scene.
*
If this were a movie, it would never get a G-rated certificate.
Looking at the smears of blood splattered everywhere, that thought suddenly crossed my mind.
“Ah…”
Eventually, I succeeded in killing Henderson.
Just as I realized that, the tension eased.
It wasn’t any big trick.
Schlus’s body was just immune to the Luminescent Stone.
There was no point in making an already dead person blind.
Then, I used ‘Selection and Concentration’ on my mana and poured all of it into him in one go.
His quadruple barrier could defend against most attacks, even if caught off guard.
It was set that even with 50,000 mana from long range, he could easily absorb it.
But what if it were 100,000 mana?
In the 0.01 seconds that the spell was deployed, he wouldn’t have any time to react, and it would pierce through all his defenses in an instant.
And that’s how it ended up like this. This sight of blood and flesh scattered everywhere.
I wonder if it will ever be cleaned up.
It seems I’ll have to completely replace the wallpaper and carpet.
“…Emilia?”
Something suddenly thudded against my back.
Emilia was clutching my clothes and burying her face into my back.
“Why… why…?”
A violent tremor was felt, and occasionally, there were sniffles.
No way, is she crying…? The Steel Heart Emilia?
That can’t be.
This must also be an act. Emilia isn’t someone who would be frightened by such trivial things.
In the moment my heart was racing, the reasoning inside me quickly came to a conclusion.
“You were very scared, right? It’s okay now.”
“No, that’s not it… Why… are you holding a knife to your neck over there…?”
You mean this is an act…?
The intermittent choking sounds and sniffles kept throwing me into confusion.
With this, it really seemed like Emilia was worried about me.
“I’m sorry. Because of me… I almost died. I was just a hindrance…”
Hindrance my foot.
If Emilia hadn’t been struggling to buy time, my head would have probably been gone before the cooldown of my abilities reset after midnight.
“No. If you hadn’t made a sound, I wouldn’t have woken up. You saved my life.”
It was a lie. I hadn’t actually fallen asleep at all.
I felt uneasy and had been awake.
“But why… why are you risking your life for someone like me…?”
“You are my attendant. Since the day we made the contract, I have the obligation to protect your life, Emilia.”
If she were to die, Hertlocker would become an uncontrollable villain.
Thus, I had no choice but to risk my life to save her.
Emilia’s death would mean the destruction of this world.
“Emilia.”
“Yes?”
I turned around and looked down at Emilia.
Her face was a complete mess of tears and snot.
To become the ace of the Intelligence Agency, one needs to act to this extent… I couldn’t help but admire.
“If you wish, you can terminate the contract.”
“Excuse me? Why would I…?”
“Think carefully before answering. It’s about your life. There will be many more situations like this. Just like today, Emilia will face countless dangers.”
She spoke earnestly.
To be honest, if I were asked if I could save her every single time like today… that would be a difficult question.
If Emilia died, Hertlocker’s complete blackening would send us millions of light years away from the ending, so I must absolutely keep her alive.
Considering that, it would be right to let Emilia go.
However, there are also great advantages to keeping Emilia by my side.
Currently, Emilia is my only connection to the Intelligence Agency.
To show that I am harmless to the agency and even instead benevolent, I need to keep Emilia close with me.
If I can’t draw the Intelligence Agency into my allies, it would also mean drifting further away from the ending.
Thus, Emilia is a double-edged sword.
“I will do my best to save Emilia every time, but sometimes luck won’t be on our side. I can’t guarantee your safety all the time. Will you still remain as my attendant?”
It was too difficult a subject for me to decide.
So I handed the choice over to Emilia herself.
To stay. Or to leave.
Her answer was obvious.
She probably didn’t expect it to be this dangerous, so of course…
“I will stay.”
“…What?”
I thought she would say she was leaving.
What on earth is happening?
“If you’re okay with it, I will stay. I will do my best to serve you. I’ll try not to be a bother. I will follow you to the ends of the continent. So please don’t cut me off…”
Emilia tightly clasped my hand with both of hers and moved closer.
Right. Emilia cared more about the success of the operation than her own safety; I just realized that.
This was also somewhat like a desperate act on her part to succeed in this mission.
I suppressed a laugh that was about to escape and pulled my hand back. Then I reached out to Emilia again.
Seeing that hand, Emilia tilted her head slightly for a moment, but soon realizing my intent, she cautiously clasped my hand with one.
“Then this is a re-contract. I’ll increase your monthly salary by 100%.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
Emilia smiled up at me with a captivating smile.
I knew that smile was calculated to sway my heart, yet I nearly fell for it.
She looked beautiful and enchanting, all teary and smiling like that.
Seeing my character, which I had created, shine brightly like that, I felt an indescribable satisfaction and couldn’t help but chuckle again.
*
The aftermath was handled swiftly.
As soon as Henderson’s name was mentioned, Sergey and Ludwig were summoned within an hour, and they, along with the Investigation Department, began closing off the mansion and starting the investigation.
The conclusion came surprisingly quickly. They determined that the corpse indeed belonged to Henderson.
I was impressed they figured it out despite the head being missing.
Apparently, they must have collected fingerprints beforehand.
“Are you hurt in any way?”
“No, I’m okay.”
Sergey approached and spoke.
Unlike his usual self, he didn’t pat my back hard, but rather, he looked somewhat serious.
“I’m so glad you’re safe. I have so much to say, but first, I must apologize.”
“Apologize?”
“Since the last terror incident, I was in charge of the investigation, and then this happened… I feel truly sorry.”
Sergey slightly bowed his head.
Although the school bore some responsibility for the intrusion… there wasn’t a barrier that Henderson couldn’t breach.
It was akin to an unavoidable disaster.
Still, the fact that he was bowing his head to a commoner showed Sergey’s vast generosity.
“It’s fine. For now, I’m feeling sleepy and want to get some rest. When can I use the mansion again?”
“Aren’t you sleepy now? You just killed Henderson…”
“I have class tomorrow, Professor.”
“Tch. You’re so carefree. Fine. Let’s talk in detail after a quick nap. But I guess it’ll be hard to use a single dorm room tonight.”
I figured as much.
It was the death of Henderson, the one the royal family had been hunting for years.
I would assume that until the imperial police and people from the palace came to confirm, the mansion’s closure wouldn’t be lifted.
So I thought I might as well stay in one of the dormitory rooms.
Just as I was thinking this, a soft voice came from behind.
“Then I’ll offer you the Chairwoman’s residence.”
“Excuse me?”
“If you’d like, you can stay there indefinitely, or return to the single dorm room later. After all, the Chairwoman doesn’t use her residence.”
Turning around, I saw Ludwig, standing there with his arms crossed.
The Chairwoman’s residence refers to that huge four-story mansion located on the school grounds, right?
That place is empty? Why…?
‘Ah.’
Now that I think about it, there was a setting where Alexia curled up and slept on her desk in the Chairwoman’s office.
It’s not strange for someone as significant as the Chairwoman of the Imperial University to own a mansion on campus, so that massive estate went vacant.
I didn’t expect the Chairwoman’s residence, which was barely mentioned in the original work, to appear like this.
But someone would find it troublesome if the mansion suddenly doubled in size.
Emilia. Her cleaning burden would increase immensely.
“It’s protected by the Chairwoman’s high-output barrier, so you won’t have to worry about being attacked.”
“That sounds good. For now, I’m just sleepy and want to get some rest. Emi, are you coming?”
“Yes? Oh? Yes…”
“Why is your attendant acting like that?”
“Looks like she was shocked from seeing the blood. You don’t need to worry.”
Emilia followed behind me with a dazed expression.
Seeing her walk weakly like that made me realize.
That wasn’t an act at all.
She’s probably regretting our re-contract right now.
