🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 16
Right now, this monster rampage is a decoy.
‘Yodala’s real objective is to raid the principal’s office.’
Her true target is stealing the classified document stored inside the magical vault hidden in the principal’s office.
‘I can’t let Black Night get that classified document right now.’
The reason Black Night isn’t fully active yet—only operating in the shadows—is because of the principal.
The principal’s combat power is almost on par with Zeiraon.
Because the principal acts as a deterrent, Zeiraon and Black Night have been unable to move freely even if they wanted to.
‘That classified document contains the principal’s secret… his weakness.’
However, this deterrent known as the principal is removed exactly in Act 2, Chapter 7.
In the episode [Black Night Unleashed], Yodala obtains the classified document and learns the principal’s secret.
Black Night then concludes the principal is no longer a threat and begins openly emerging to the forefront.
‘If Black Night gets that document now, they’ll start moving seriously this early.’
Act 2, Chapter 7 begins during the first semester of third year.
That’s two whole years from now.
‘If Black Night starts moving from now… there’ll be no answer to it.’
At this point in time—
Rosaline, Aris, Chloe, and most ally characters are basically chicks barely out of the egg.
If Black Night begins moving seriously now, there’s no way to respond.
‘I have to stop Yodala from getting the classified document somehow.’
No matter what, I need to stop her.
‘But how?’
How am I supposed to stop Yodala?
Do I even have a way?
‘If I tell the instructors the principal’s office is in danger…’
No.
That won’t work.
With the principal absent, nobody in the academy can stop Yodala.
Sending instructors would only increase casualties.
‘And if they realize I leaked information about the operation, they’ll immediately discover I’m a fake too.’
No reward. Huge risk.
Telling the instructors about the principal’s office is the worst option.
‘Then the only remaining choice… is borrowing Commander Lionel’s strength.’
Even Commander Lionel probably couldn’t defeat Yodala.
But he should at least be able to hold her back.
‘Then first I need to find Lionel… Where would he be?’
That was when I reached my conclusion—
“Student Jian! Why are you spacing out like that?!”
An instructor shouting while blocking monsters in front of me.
The instructor had created a massive barrier, blocking the broken wall of the colosseum while monsters assaulted it with their weapons.
Judging by the condition of the barrier, it wouldn’t last much longer.
“Hurry and evacuate! This barrier won’t hold much lo—”
CRASH!
As expected, part of the barrier shattered.
Fortunately it seemed to be a parallel-cast spell; the entire barrier didn’t collapse.
Only the upper-right section broke.
“You think I’ll let them through…?!”
The instructor manipulated mana again and restored the damaged section.
Thankfully, the barrier recovered quickly.
SKREEEEEEEECH!
But during that brief instant, one monster slipped through.
A griffin flying toward me.
“Student Jian!!”
The instructor shouted in alarm.
The griffin was Level 41.
Not something a first-year student could deal with.
‘First break its wings with Sealing Blast.’
But I’m not an ordinary freshman.
I stretched out my hand and used Rosaline’s original spell that I’d seen yesterday.
FIIIIIIIIING!
A white laser pierced the air and shot through the griffin’s wing.
The griffin flying at me lost balance and crashed to the ground.
‘Destroy the wings first to remove mobility. Then destroy the brain. Standard procedure against griffins.’
I fired the prepared Sealing Blast at the griffin opening its jaws toward me.
[You have defeated a high-level enemy.]
[Additional EXP granted.]
The griffin twitched after having its forehead pierced by white light—
Then stopped completely.
Dead.
“My goodness… you really used intermediate magic…”
The instructor stared at me in shock after seeing me kill a griffin with only two spells.
I shouted back:
“Instructor! All students have evacuated! I’ll withdraw too!”
“Ah…! You were waiting until the other students escaped!”
The instructor sounded impressed.
Truth was, I’d frozen because I was thinking too much.
Still.
No reason to correct the misunderstanding.
“I’ll see you later! Be careful!”
“Yes! Leave this area to me and evacuate!”
I bowed briefly and left.
“What in the world is happening?!”
“Stop them! Don’t let the monsters escape outside!”
As if taking over from me, other instructors arrived.
After exchanging glances with them, I ran toward where I expected Lionel to be.
Fortunately—
I found Lionel quickly.
Perhaps under Aris’s orders, he was coming to help suppress the monster outbreak.
He was running toward me.
“Jian, what exactly is the situa—”
“Sir Lionel! Perfect timing!”
I cut him off.
“I need your help!”
* * *
Yodala watched the instructors gathering around the monsters and smiled with satisfaction.
“This should be enough, right?”
Fewer than ten people remained inside the faculty building.
Enough to infiltrate.
Concealing her presence, Yodala stepped toward the building—
Or tried to.
“Faculty buildings are off-limits to unauthorized individuals.”
Had a huge swordsman radiating killing intent not appeared before her, she would have entered.
“The Kingdom’s Sword…?”
Yodala narrowed her eyes at Lionel.
The only person in the academy grounds she truly needed to be wary of.
A man supposedly unable to move freely because of his duty protecting Princess Aris.
‘Why is Lionel here?’
With a rampage happening while Princess Aris was in class, Lionel should naturally prioritize Aris’s safety.
So why was he here?
‘Did information leak?’
Even if someone realized the monster rampage was a decoy—
Realizing the actual target was the faculty building made no sense.
Normally people would worry about treasure vaults or kidnapped students.
Who would suspect the faculty building?
Information leaking was the only explanation.
‘Only Reaper, me… and Master know this operation.’
Reaper wouldn’t leak it.
Meaning only one possibility remained.
Master leaked the information.
‘Then… is Master really fake?’
The real Master would never expose the plan to Lionel.
If Master leaked it—
Then the current Master wasn’t genuine.
‘If Master is fake…’
Yodala’s pupils slit vertically like a snake’s.
If Master truly wasn’t real—
She would never forgive it.
As though responding to her rage, the Sin of Bewitchment exploded from her body.
“What terrifying demonic energy.”
Cold sweat ran down Lionel’s back.
“Energy that enthralls people… and snake-like eyes. I see. You’re Yodala of Black Night.”
Yodala’s atmosphere darkened further.
“Only people I acknowledge… and handsome men… are allowed to say my name.”
A massive crack formed behind her.
Like a snake opening its eyes.
Like a serpent opening its jaws.
The long vertical fissure split wider.
“You’re too ugly to say my name. Understand?”
RUMBLEEEEEEE!
From the opened crack emerged the head of an enormous serpent.
The being that raised Yodala to her current position—
Part of the illusion-world beast:
The Serpent of Bewitchment.
“Ugly…? I don’t think my face is flawed enough to deserve that.”
Lionel assumed a perfect combat stance.
“You’re ugly. Sharp jawline, broad nose, intense eyes… absolute textbook ugly.”
“I see. So you dislike masculine faces.”
“Mhm. Hate them.”
Yodala raised her right hand.
“So…”
“I’d like you to disappear from my sight.”
At the same moment—
The Serpent of Bewitchment charged Lionel.
Absurd speed despite its size.
Lionel swung his sword in response.
A downward slash intended to split the serpent in two.
CLAAAAANG!
‘Harder than expected…’
His sword couldn’t even scratch the serpent’s scales.
“You thought a sword like yours could cut it?”
Yodala scoffed.
“Go on. Tear that ugly man to pieces.”
The serpent attacked again.
Lionel could only defend and evade.
‘…Dangerous. The difference in power is already huge. And on top of that, our compatibility is terrible.’
CLAAANG!
Lionel was blasted backward.
“Could you stop wasting time and just die? I’m a very busy person.”
Just as Yodala frowned irritably—
A voice suddenly pierced her mind.
—Yodala.
Master’s voice.
—I’ll retrieve the document myself. Focus on holding Lionel and any instructors that arrive.
Yodala’s eyes widened.
Master would personally get the classified document?
‘Then Master didn’t leak the operation?’
Someone trying to sabotage the plan wouldn’t volunteer to carry it out.
‘It’s too early to conclude… but if Master really brings back the document…’
Then Master wasn’t the one who leaked information.
Which meant—
Master wasn’t fake.
* * *
Drawn away by the Serpent of Bewitchment, even the dozen instructors remaining near the faculty building rushed outside.
‘Now.’
I slipped into the faculty building and ran toward the principal’s office.
‘It’s fine if Black Night gets the classified document.’
The important thing—
Is preventing them from learning the principal’s weakness.
‘Meaning I get the document first… remove the section about the principal’s weakness… and hand it over. Then everything’s solved.’
Ideally, I wouldn’t want Black Night getting the document at all.
But I couldn’t do that.
If I failed to obtain it, suspicion would fall on me.
‘Only Yodala, Reaper, and I should know this operation.’
If signs appeared suggesting the plan leaked—
Who would be suspected first?
‘Me. Without question.’
To avoid suspicion, I had to get the document and hand it over.
The best I could do was remove information about the principal’s weakness.
‘Thankfully, the principal’s office door is open.’
The vice principal must’ve rushed out in a hurry.
The office door was open.
‘The hidden vault in the principal’s office should be…’
I’d opened this secret vault dozens—hundreds—of times in the game.
Secret rooms are common in single-player RPGs.
‘Move the painting… then shift the books in sequence…’
Starting by sliding aside the painting on the wall—
I solved the puzzle.
RUMBLE…
About a minute later—
A hidden door appeared where the painting had been.
I entered.
Inside the secret storage room were weapons and artifacts—
And a small but obviously sturdy vault.
The classified document was inside.
‘Take it and leave quickly.’
I turned the lever.
Click. Click.
“…Huh?”
The vault didn’t open.
“What? Why is it locked…?”
It was open in the game.
Why locked now?
‘What’s different… Ah.’
Realization struck.
Right.
Things were different.
‘When I looted this place in the game, it was after Act 3. Long after the classified document had already been stolen.’
Since the document was gone—
No reason remained to lock the vault.
‘Or maybe Yodala destroyed it while stealing the document.’
But now—
The document was still safely inside.
Of course it was locked.
‘What do I do?’
Naturally, I didn’t know the password.
I wasn’t even sure it used one.
“Damn it. Seriously.”
If I couldn’t open this—
I was finished.
Touching various parts of the vault, I searched for a method.
Then—
Words made of mana appeared above it.
[Verifying biometric code.]
“Biometric verification? This thing runs on biometrics too…?”
You’ve got to be kidding.
Then there’s absolutely no way to open it.
“I’m seriously losing my mind…”
What exactly am I supposed to do?!
As I raked my fingers through my hair—
Another message appeared.
[Biometric code match confirmed.]
“…Huh?”
Did I see wrong?
A match?
“Why…?”
[Unlocking.]
Creeeak.
As if proving my eyes weren’t mistaken—
The vault door opened.
“……”
I stared blankly at the half-open vault.
“How could the biometric code match?”
A biometric match.
Not something coincidence could explain.
Because—
“The principal…”
“…is a dragon.”
The principal’s race wasn’t human.
It was dragonkind.
