Alexia, the chairwoman, left the Imperial University.
I heard it’s to assess the situation of the war…
But that didn’t sound very convincing.
What would Alexia need to do directly?
‘Is she going to meet another Majin?’
That would make sense.
Once settled, Alexia is busy eating, sleeping, and playing for decades, so only another Majin could motivate her.
Or did a madman run rampant in the wetlands breaking promises between the Majins?
No, if that were the case, Tiltitz would handle it.
If not…
‘I don’t know.’
There weren’t many clues to go on.
Well, it didn’t really matter how Alexia acted right now.
At least, whenever it’s not another Majin, there’s basically a 0 chance she’d stir up trouble early.
In fact, Alexia seemed more inclined to resolve issues with Tiltitz.
So I shouldn’t worry too much.
“Hainkel.”
“Yes?”
As I headed to the Underground Training Room, I heard Emilia’s voice from behind.
“Are you going in to study again today?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Hainkel, once you go in there, you lose track of time. You can’t hear anything from outside and there are no windows.”
“That’s why I go in. It helps me concentrate.”
“Concentration is good, but I’m worried it might hurt your health. Can I join you in there?”
I hadn’t anticipated such a request.
I paused, thinking about what I shouldn’t let Emilia see inside…
There really wasn’t anything.
These days I was just studying to prepare for the midterm exam.
Actually, having Emilia there might make me feel pressured and reduce my break time.
“Alright.”
“Really?”
“Yes, you can come in.”
“Then excuse me.”
It was a strangely cheerful Emilia, and just as we were about to head down the stairs, we heard a *ding-dong* of the bell.
Emilia and I simultaneously turned around.
Had Emilia’s expression been a bit displeased? Did I missee that?
“I’ll go check.”
“No, I’ll go.”
Lately, there had been too many guests.
With Trie visiting almost daily and professors constantly asking about the Whist Forest…
I couldn’t hide my slightly irritable attitude as I burst open the door.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Schlus.”
“I, I also…”
“……”
Iris and Erica, huh?
I tried to slam the door shut, but—
“Why! A guest has come, why not let them in!”
“I don’t accept uninvited guests.”
“Please let us in!”
As Erica’s heel slipped through the gap in the door, I had to open it again.
What a bothersome combination.
Just looking at Iris makes my mind feel tired.
And Erica rarely seeks me out; her reason for coming here can’t be good.
“Shall I bring some tea, Hainkel?”
“No, that’s alright.”
“Why won’t you serve us?!”
“I have no tea to spare for you.”
“How cold, Schlus.”
Emilia giggled and entered the kitchen.
Realizing it was a joke, she went to brew tea.
Honestly, I didn’t care whether I served them or not.
“No, seriously, I really won’t…”
“Eat this.”
“……!”
I poured out the cookies that Aintz had gifted me into a dish.
As soon as I placed the dish on the table, I could see Erica’s eyes change.
Right, this chick had the setting of being crazy about cookies.
Soon, Erica started gobbling them while glaring at me.
I felt like I could keep Erica quiet until the cookies ran out.
“Nothing special, just came to chat.”
“Aren’t you busy preparing for the exam?”
“I’m all set.”
“I’m not ready at all.”
“That’s a fine joke.”
“……”
Iris covered her mouth while laughing.
I couldn’t tell if she genuinely thought it was a joke or was mocking me.
When I was feeling a bit annoyed, Emilia returned with a teapot and teacups, pouring tea.
After munching on cookies, Erica guzzled tea like water.
I wondered if she came here just to eat, but I didn’t say it out loud.
“Chatting. Got it. Let’s get on with it.”
“Fufu, sounds good. How can we only ever meet when there’s a serious matter? We should also meet for trivial things like this.”
“Right. I heard Erica cried loudly in front of my tomb.”
“Puhuh!”
That girl…
She spat tea all over the floor.
Emilia, with no trace of disturbance on her face, brought a cloth to wipe it up.
Wow. Normally, I would’ve cursed out loud.
Truly a big person.
“Puhuh… Hehe… Wh-why are we talking about that?!”
“Weren’t we just having a chat?”
“Not about this. Something else.”
“Right. I heard you almost exhausted yourself from crying.”
“You too, Iris!”
With Iris adding her fire support, Erica soon looked like she was about to cry again.
Well, I could understand.
Since Erica was plenty sensitive, she probably had a breakdown over a classmate’s death as if it were family.
Understanding and teasing are different matters, though.
“That time, I just had something in my eye…”
“With that much, you must’ve been nearly blinded.”
“Geez…! Stop teasing me. Iris, that’s not why we came here, right?”
Well, of course.
This chat was a load of nonsense.
They seemed to have something else in mind.
“I was hoping to enjoy chatting a bit longer…”
“Don’t say strange things. Hurry and tell me.”
“Erica, why don’t you speak instead?”
“If I say it, it loses credibility. Hurry up.”
“Got it. Don’t rush me.”
Iris leisurely finished her cup of tea.
At this point, I was getting curious, too.
What in the world did they whisper about to come find me?
“If I may, excuse me for a moment, attendant.”
“……?”
Iris waved her hand, and a recognition-disrupting barrier appeared.
It seemed she wanted to prevent Emilia from hearing.
“I saw the future, Schlus.”
“And what future is that this time?”
“The future where you die.”
“I don’t need to know that. If you save me, it’s fine, right?”
“It’s not just you who would be dying.”
“What do you mean by that—”
“You will kill Erica’s sister, Julia, and be captured and sentenced to death.”
“……”
I couldn’t help but twist my lips at once.
I was both dumbfounded and angry.
Who am I going to kill?
“There’s a limit to jokes, Iris.”
“I’m serious.”
“Say it was a lie, and I’ll forgive you.”
“I’m saying it for the second time, it’s the absolute truth.”
“Get out. Both of you.”
I shot up and forcibly dispelled the barrier.
In front of Emilia, I could no longer let them spout such garbage.
Still, Iris remained seated, munching on cookies, while Erica glanced nervously back and forth at us.
“T-This is serious. Schlus. What Iris said…”
“How can you be so sure? Did you see it yourself?”
“No… But it’s about my sister. No matter what, there’s definitely something unusual between you two for sure, and the fact that you’ve only met a couple of times doesn’t add up…”
“That’s all there is. Just a couple of times.”
“It can’t be. Julia seems to be having nightmares every night, calling your name while crying. And sometimes she mentions a strange name.”
“What is it?”
“What was it… Kim… Jinwoo?”
“……”
An indescribable rush of emotions surged through me.
I couldn’t think rationally.
How can it be that Julia dreams about me?
That name is probably Schlus.
But Kim Jinwoo… how does she even know that name?
Damn, that doesn’t make sense.
There’s no way an extra from a novel would know my real name.
But why does Julia know it?
“Schlus?”
“Get out.”
I left the table and walked out into the living room.
Soon, I heard footsteps following me closely behind Emilia.
Sometimes, Emilia called out to me, but I ignored it and headed toward the Underground Training Room.
For now, I just wanted to be alone.
“Schlus!”
“……”
Erica finally caught up, gripping my shoulder tightly.
I took a *deep breath* and turned around.
“What was that about meeting our mother last time? What was that about?”
“……”
Had she figured it out?
That I’d nearly made Madam Lichtenburg treat me like a servant?
Well, considering that, it would make sense for her to question me urgently.
“Don’t worry. I’ll only borrow her for a bit and return her soon.”
“What do you mean…!”
Ignoring Erica’s voice, I immediately entered the training room.
Emilia must’ve sensed my intentions, as she stopped following me and saw me off with a bow.
*Thud…*
“Haah.”
As the door closed, silence fell.
No, I had sunk into silence.
In the calm and chilly storage room, I slowly paced myself as I took a *deep breath*.
“Calm down, kid. Calm down.”
I never revealed my anger in front of others like this.
Even in this world, let alone back in reality, I had rarely gotten so worked up.
I slowly suppressed my rage and unraveled my tangled thoughts.
“Julia said my name…”
– Julia knows Schlus.
– Schlus also knows Julia.
I already knew this part.
If both were from Eisburg, that could very much happen.
But that’s not the issue.
– Julia called Kim Jinwoo’s name.
– In the future, I kill Julia.
These two points I could not understand no matter how I thought.
Why?
How?
The approximate cause I could guess was…
“The Ring of Miracles.”
That damned ring.
There was only one.
