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Chapter 304
Chapter 304
Chapter 304
“So, your supernatural power got stronger, but now your clothes have to follow along with whatever you want to teleport? Why is your life always so messed up?”
As Riana laughed, clutching her stomach, Connor Lint’s face grew increasingly sour.
“... I don’t know. How should I know?”
Fortunately, thanks to contestant number 40 returning his clothes to the Royal Class students, Connor Lint was able to change back into his clothes and leave the auditorium.
He hadn’t hoped he would win; all he wanted was for the whole thing to go by as quickly as possible. Now, all he wanted was to return to the dormitory and rest. He was struggling to hold together the pieces of his shattered mental state. It had been a terrible experience, but it was all over now. Were they all bad memories?
“... Do you trust me?”
“Of course.”
Even though he didn’t trust himself, someone had smiled brightly and said they trusted him. That trust had allowed him to successfully use his new ability, even with its penalty. Who could that person be? He didn’t want to do anything specific, but it would be nice to at least know who they were. Maybe they could even be friends.
The hand he had briefly held in order to teleport the girl—no, the boy—away had been strangely soft. Despite his nails looking terrible after chewing on them out of nervousness in the waiting room, his hand had been very soft.
Connor Lint shook his head violently, trying to get rid of the strange thoughts that kept creeping in.
Riana took a few steps back, thinking Connor Lint had lost his mind.
“... What’s wrong with him?”
“Hey, isn’t that her?” said Kaier, pointing at something while they were walking down the main street. There stood the silver-haired girl—or rather, someone who looked like a girl—in a hoop dress.
Although they only saw the person from behind, it was obvious that if anyone was dressed like that, it had to be contestant number 40.
Erhi also nodded in that direction. “Yeah, that’s her.”
Heinrich tilted his head, puzzled by what he was seeing. “It looks like something’s going on.”
Contestant number 40, was standing face-to face with an over-two-meter-tall giant who towered over him. Surrounding them were a group of people who looked like troublemakers, laughing and jeering.
“...”
“...”
They were too far away for them to hear their conversation. However, it was clear that the giant and his group seemed to be harassing or threatening contestant number 40.
They all recognized the giant as one of the other participants in the cross-dressing contest. That massive frame squeezed into a dress had left a rather strong imprint on them.
Riana smirked, her lips curling upward. “Well, well, it looks like some big guys are bullying a poor, pretty boy.”
Her words were slightly strange, and the others with her looked at her with puzzled expressions. From a distance, though, it did look like that. Whatever was happening, it was clear that number 40 was in a difficult situation.
“This big sister should go save him.”
Just as Riana was about to step in to rescue the poor, pretty boy in distress, something unexpected happened.
“... He’s just leaving?”
“... Huh?”
The group surrounding him parted, and the silver-haired boy bowed repeatedly to the giant before suddenly walking away. Whatever had happened, it seemed they were letting him go peacefully. Judging by all the bowing, it even seemed like he was thanking them for something.
“What the... That’s anticlimactic.”
“Isn’t it good that nothing happened...?”
Riana seemed disappointed, as if she had been looking forward to some action. She watched as the giant walked away, and then her eyes followed number 40 as he hurried off.
She laughed, as if she found the whole situation amusing. “Anyway, that guy sure attracts a lot of trouble. By the way, I’m still curious about what major he’s in and which class he’s from...”
Riana trailed off, her eyes narrowing as she looked past contestant number 40.
The group that had seemed to be harassing him had just let him go, so it must have been a misunderstanding, but Riana noticed something else.
“Hey, look at that.”
“That?”
“Isn’t that the person who was at the contest earlier?”
She pointed to someone in a black robe, quietly following number 40.
“It looks like it...”
Erhi, who had also noticed the eerie black-robed figure earlier, understood what Riana was talking about. The suspicious figure in the black robe was indeed following number 40. Everyone’s expressions grew serious.
“Whatever it is, this looks really dangerous for him.”
A mysterious figure was tailing number 40. Both Riana and the other Royal Class students felt that something bad might happen to him.
“Let’s follow them.”
“I-Isn’t that dangerous...?” said Kaier rather timidly. He didn’t want to get involved in something potentially dangerous.
“Is this really the time to worry about that?”
Surprisingly, it wasn’t Riana who’d said it, but Connor Lint.
***
Someone was tailing me.
This time, I was certain that the person following me wasn’t just a simple pervert like the middle-aged man from earlier.
At the contest, while everyone had been looking at me, I had distinctly noticed a black-robed figure staring at me from the very back of the auditorium.
It had made me uneasy, but there were so many weirdos that I had just ignored it. Now, that same figure was following me. What did they want from me?
I had to get out of my cumbersome dress and wipe off my makeup, but this strange person was tailing me. They weren’t closing the distance quickly, but they were definitely getting closer. While they couldn’t harm me if I stayed on the main street, I just wanted to get back as quickly as possible.
I tried to lose them by blending into the crowd on the main street, but the black-robed stalker kept following me, keeping the same distance. I could report the suspicious person to the guards, but I didn’t want to get involved in any more trouble.
Why was I going through this?
I decided to duck into an alley. I would lose them and get out of the Temple, then return to the dormitory as Reinhart. This was the last ridiculous thing I had to deal with, I thought, as I turned the next corner in the alley.
“...”
The black-robed figure who had been behind me was now in front of me.
‘This guy is dangerous.’
Before I could even fully process the thought, my fist was already flying through the air.
Whoosh!
My arm sliced through the air, and the robed figure dodged it effortlessly with a slight motion of their head. Their movements were anything but ordinary. Despite my sudden attack, the figure didn’t retaliate.
“... I only approached because it seemed like your business was done. I have no intention of attacking you, Reinhart.”
My thoughts froze. They knew who I was, even though no one had recognized me.
“Who are you?”
Despite the hostility in my voice, the figure remained calm.
“You should have known that the Order would contact you soon.”
The Black Order... They had said they would contact me soon.
‘Of all times... Of all times, it had to be today.’
My mind went blank. I felt like I had been hit with a hammer.
‘No, no... Why today?’
I hadn’t been caught by Ellen, Vertus, Harriet, or any of my dormitory mates.
However, of all people, a representative from the magic societies with whom I needed to discuss important matters with, who were neither friend nor foe, had seen me in drag.
“Wh-When did you... see me? No, how did you even...”
“I saw the list of participants. Contestant number 40, Reinhart.”
‘Damn it.’
The organizers were supposed to keep my identity a secret, but they had to record it down properly on the list of participants. and this person had seen it.
How did they even know I was participating in the cross-dressing contest? Even if they were the Black Order, and it wasn’t classified information, how could they just rummage through the list and find out?
Was that even allowed?
The Black Order member looked at me from within the hood of his black robe.
“So, uh... about this... You see, it’s because I had my own reasons...”
‘I have a story! I can’t explain it properly, but there’s a story behind this!’
“I have no interest in your personal fetishes.”
However, the member dismissed my words, not out of respect for my preferences, but because he genuinely had no interest in them.
‘Fetishes... fetishes?! It’s not like that!’
The stalker, whom I had assumed was planning something weird, actually had no interest in my appearance at all. Although I was trying to explain myself, this person didn’t care at all.
Still, these guys who acknowledged me as someone who commanded a Vampire Lord would certainly find my current state a bit damaging to my credibility.
“We don’t care how well you cross-dress; what matters is the valuable information you have for us.”
Their indifference was strangely hurtful.
Even Ellen wasn’t this indifferent.
Were the Black Order a group of extremely indifferent people, or was it just this guy?
I couldn’t tell if they had infiltrated the Temple so easily because of the festival, or if infiltrating the Temple was no big deal for them. While my mind was oscillating between embarrassment and a sense of crisis, the Black Order member continued forward with his agenda.
“You said you needed the Order’s knowledge, and that you can provide us with information on Cantus Magna. Is that correct?”
“... Yes.”
Talking about this in such a state was incredibly embarrassing, but since the other party didn’t care, I felt like the odd one out.
“What knowledge do you need?”
I was trying to make a deal with the Black Order at this bizarre timing.
Were they really unrelated to the Gate Incident? I couldn’t be sure, but I had to find out somehow. There was no time for jokes or embarrassment.
“I want to know how to open a dimensional gate to another world,” I said.
“...”
The member didn’t respond to my question. He didn’t even ask why I wanted to know. He just watched me in silence.
“Do you know?” I asked again.
“I asked what knowledge you needed, not that I would provide it. If you provide us with valuable information, we will share corresponding knowledge.”
“So, you’re acknowledging that you have knowledge worth sharing in return?”
I didn’t need to know the specific method for it. Just the fact that the Black Order could provide such information would be proof enough for me.
If they confirmed that they could tell me how to open a dimensional gate to another world in exchange for information on Cantus Magna, it would mean that the Black Order had the capability to cause the Gate Incident.
I didn’t need to know the method. I just needed to know if they knew it.
Unfortunately, the Black Order wasn’t that easy to deal with.
“I can’t answer that,” the hooded figure said.
“Then the deal is too unfair,” I replied. “I could give you information on Cantus Magna, but you might not be able to provide the information I want. Why should I agree to such a deal?”
There was no reason to engage in a one-sided deal. I had to make sure that both sides had valuable information.
“Do you have definite information on Cantus Magna?”
“Who knows?”
“Are you saying that the information is not prepared?”
The demeanor of the Black Order member shifted slightly. He seemed to be angry.
“It’s just like how you can’t tell me for certain if you have the knowledge to share or not,” I responded.
“...”
Could this be called a battle of nerves? Neither of us was demonstrating overt hostility or aggression.
“We will discuss this matter further and contact you again.”
It seemed the person in front of me couldn’t make a decision on this matter.
“...”
“Until then, I hope you have the information on Cantus Magna ready.”
“And if it’s not ready?”
“I don’t think you’re the type to play games with us.”
In the end, the only thing that came about during this brief contact was for each side to understand what the other wanted; nothing substantial was exchanged. However, the Black Order member did not deny that they had knowledge of how to open a gate to another world. There was a glimmer of hope that the Gate Incident could be prevented.
My heart was pounding like crazy.
Preventing the Gate Incident wouldn’t fix all the world’s problems, but it would be crossing a significant hurdle.
The Black Order did not seem interested in my intentions. They just wanted to know if I had anything valuable to offer before making a deal.
“I will come back at an appropriate time—”
Crack! Boom!
“...”
Just as the conversation was wrapping up, a flash of lightning suddenly shot through the air, hurtling toward the right cheek of the Black Order member.
However, the fork of lightning was blocked by a quickly-manifested protective spell.
‘What the hell was that?’
“Hey, pretty boy! Over here!”
I turned around to see Riana de Granz and the Royal Class students who had come to watch the cross-dressing contest, together with Connor Lint, standing there watching me.
‘Why did they come all the way here?’
Judging by their anxious expressions, I could guess why they had followed me.
‘Did you have to say “pretty boy”, though? Why are you doing this to me, Riana?’
“Hurry!” Riana called out urgently, her face pale.
The Black Order member seemed to understand the situation and gave me a subtle nod.
‘Was that a signal to go?’
He seemed indifferent, but still had some awareness.
“Yes, I’m coming!”
I quickly ran towards Riana, who grabbed my hand tightly and glared at the Black Order member.
“You bastard! Are you a mage?” she said to the Black Order member.
“...”
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but what the hell are you doing in the Temple? Get lost now!”
Zap! Zap!
Lightning flickered around Riana’s head as a warning that she would strike if he tried anything funny.
‘No... Riana, no matter how bold you are, picking a fight with a Black Order member isn’t a good idea.’
Fortunately, the situation didn’t escalate.
The Black Order member suddenly pretended to be a kidnapper and started to retreat.
“Hmm, what a pity,” he said as he departed. “Well then, until next time, pretty boy.”
“...”
‘Did he just mock me?’
Whether he was just acting or actually mocking me, the member slowly backed away and then turned, disappearing into the alley. Riana, seeing the black robe vanish, looked at me with concern.
“Are you okay? Did anything happen to you?” she asked.
“Ah, well... no, nothing happened...” I replied.
‘Actually... You didn’t need to come and help me...’
“Ugh, why didn’t you just go back as quickly as you could? Even if you were trying to shake him off, why would you enter an alley like this? Are you stupid? Where do you live? This big sister will take you home.”
“Oh... no, it’s fine...”
In the end, this ridiculously long day concluded with Riana showering me with over-the-top concern.