ALL NOVEL Chapter 83
The Claris Academy is vast, and the night is long.
On the empty platform where the last Circulation Train has passed,
–tick.
Only a single central light shines down on the two, while the rest have turned off all at once.
In this now silent space, Aria’s gaze fixed itself on the gray-haired man, as if it had found its rightful place.
–…
It was a silence that could be described as long.
And this silence turned into unease, gnawing at Aria’s heart.
“…I…”
Just as Lev’s mouth was about to articulate something,
“…It’s fine.”
In an instant, she rose on her tiptoes as if to kiss him.
“!”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t an action that led to any skinship.
It was merely Aria snatching a vial containing elixir from Lev.
–whoosh!
After quickly popping it open and sipping, she placed both hands on Lev’s chest.
–shaaa…
In an instant, the magic power of Andras, which had so thoroughly enveloped his being, began to purify.
…
…
…
–ding!
[Erosion Level: 0/100]
[Purified!]
“Ugh…!”
When I finally regained my senses, I found myself facing Aria.
The moment I first met her replayed in my mind.
Back then, I was holding Aria’s wrist too.
“Ah.”
As I let go of her hand, a red mark was left clearly on her fair skin.
She averted her gaze and turned her head toward the train tracks.
With a doll-like small face and beautiful jawline,
Her hair glistening in the moonlight resembled the Milky Way.
While thinking this… I denied reality.
‘Am I losing it…?’
It’s not like I drank and forgot the film,
or that I’m in a weak state!
Seeing the heavy atmosphere, it seems like I must have crossed some line again.
“…Did I say something weird?”
“…Not particularly.”
But the atmosphere felt distinctly awkward…
As I contemplated how to continue this situation,
‘Ah, right, there was that thing.’
I recalled the item I wanted to give Aria.
Of course, it’s a concept miles away from reality romance…
In the game, there’s something called affinity crafting.
This involves gifting artifacts that match the character’s disposition to progress the relationship.
Can you imagine someone hating gifts?
I took out the Healing Wave I obtained as a reward for defeating the [Pleasure Lord] from my pocket.
—————————————————
[Healing Wave]
[Rarity: B]
[A beautiful ring adorned with pristine gems. It resembles an engagement ring and could easily lead to a misunderstanding.]
[Cannot be equipped]
(Can be equipped at Sacred Level 4 or higher)
—————————————————
In the upcoming monster invasion, she will surely need to cast healing magic many times.
It won’t hold much value if I keep it.
“This.”
“…?”
Despite the dark night, the pure white ring stands out brightly.
It should suit Aria perfectly.
She looked up at me with a somewhat flustered expression.
“Why are you giving this to me…?”
“Just, you always help me. You’ve been overdoing it lately.”
Aria, who had no hint of waste in her life, hesitated to accept it.
I awkwardly added a comment.
“If you hadn’t been there just now, I probably…”
“…?”
“I mean, never mind.”
I might have become a Demon.
I swallowed the last part.
This is quite ambiguous.
While I want to spill everything to her,
I don’t think it’s the right time yet.
Given the supporting role quest the author assigned me,
—————————————————
[Supporting Role Quest]
[Main Event 3]
[Mission Objective: As the supporting character, you know the answer. Inform the healer ‘Aria Bluebell’ of Andras’s whereabouts.]
[Reward: 300 Supporting Role Points]
[Remaining Time: None]
—————————————————
This is definitely a trap.
Just think about it,
Aria lost her family to Andras, which completely changed her destiny.
Now,
Let’s say she believes that Lev Denec, a third-rate villain,
defeated the Great Demon whom even war heroes would struggle against,
‘Hey, I smashed Andras’s head, and now I inherited his power.’
It’s as if I’m declaring to Aria,
‘I have inherited the power of the murderer who killed your parents.’
In this world, the hatred and fear towards demons is immense, and the perception of black magic is at an all-time low.
The purpose of establishing Claris Academy is to eradicate evil.
Thus, in this world,
Even if avenging Aria’s parents could be defined as good (善) by her,
the mere act of wielding demonic power would never be easily understood by society.
Even if Aria stands by me,
those unaware of the underlying story will cast stones at me.
‘That’s the witch hunt.’
Therefore, keeping my secret from anyone other than myself would be too cruel.
I don’t want to test Aria’s hatred toward the demons that took her family against her private feelings toward me.
This truth is best kept to myself.
“Take it. My arm is sore.”
“Thank you…”
Aria awkwardly accepted the ring.
Her gaze fluttered around, unsure where to land.
Why is this shy behavior so cute?
For a moment, I imagined a scene from a K-drama, thinking of slipping the ring onto her finger…
‘Don’t overdo it.’
I soon gave up and tied it with a string to hang around her neck.
-*…
“I… what you think I…”
“…huh?”
“Never mind, just talking to myself.”
At that moment, my true feelings slipped out, but Aria’s eyes, filled with questions, were still fixed on me.
She probably didn’t hear it.
*
Returning to the dormitory, Aria tried to tie her hair up with one hand before washing.
The beautiful ring gifted by Lev now rested just above her cleavage.
–Are you… the Great Demon, Andras?
Once again, swept up by the atmosphere, I blurted out a foolish question.
‘…That was rude…’
Why would Andras save her or Yeriel?
Moreover, making jokes involving demons is quite disrespectful.
However, I still hold questions about his erosion.
It’s been said that those lacking Sacred power are at risk of being eroded during battles against demons.
This is entirely reasonable, as the Vanguard is mostly occupied by Holy Knights.
Then, does it mean he encounters demons, particularly Andras’s minions, every time he is alone?
Could that be related to the occasionally fluctuating dark magic?
‘Who knows…’
I still haven’t resolved all my doubts.
However, bringing this up while Lev is eroded is cowardly,
And I wouldn’t believe it even if I heard it in such a state.
‘Just trying to mess around…!’
–More desperately.
-I… what you think I…
Various versions of Lev replayed in my mind.
“…What does the true form look like?”
In a moment, a single question popped into her head.
If he were to reveal everything in his original state, could she accept it no matter what it was?
–grip.
The demons killed Aria’s family in horrific ways.
For that reason… she could never forgive.
Yet…
“…Why could it be?”
The currently overwhelming emotion felt more prominent than that.
The waves of feeling she experienced when Yeriel and Lev returned late that day came crashing upon Aria once more.
*
The Claris Festival.
The Festival of the Sacred Flame honors the hero Kroon Dalunhil, who perished guarding the sanctuary, ensuring the sacred flame would never extinguish until his final moments.
With the central plaza bustling with cadets,
The pink-haired magician, Melissa, and the holy knight, Aveline, passed through the Personal Training Room at the request of their professor.
Suddenly, they were captivated by the sight of a lone figure practicing publicly ahead of them—a pale green-haired man.
It was Edwin Gwynn.
…
…
…
“Training again today?”
“Don’t you ever get bored?”
“Hmm?”
Stretching to prevent injuries before sword training felt as natural to him as breathing.
“Why not join us while you’re at it?”
“No thanks. Training on the eve of the festival? I’ll pass…”
“Cough, I’m also on an empty stomach today.”
The relationship between the three had reverted
slightly back to before the selection test.
From the moment Edwin arrived at Claris,
he was the only cadet who trained daily without fail for two months, even during the interim period before enrollment,
while hardworking geniuses Melissa and Aveline watched him with curiosity.
Of course, that was only until Caeran established the Royal Class and invited the two.
‘I feel a bit bad about that…’
Melissa couldn’t shake off her lingering feelings toward Edwin.
After the match between Caeran and Edwin, Caeran had disappeared,
while Edwin continued to treat Aveline and Melissa without bitterness.
‘He’d at least show some signs of feeling hurt…’
Naturally, she should apologize.
He truly is a naive and kind-hearted man.
As Aveline and Melissa exchanged glances, Edwin spoke up.
“If today’s a holiday… do you two not plan to enjoy the eve festival?”
“Well… um…”
If it were the usual Melissa, she would have spent the time with Aria.
However, the bond had grown distant, and Aveline instead asked Edwin.
“And you, my lord? Are you not socializing with anyone?”
“Me? I’m still a ways off. I need to focus on my training.”
A ways off. Given that he had already beaten Caeran—who was recognized as a genius among freshmen—this wasn’t fair, was it?
As the two pondered that, Edwin added,
“The match against Caeran was just luck… I must strive harder. Especially if I don’t want to fall behind Lev…”
“Lev…? He’s in the same grade, right…?”
“Ah, yeah. That’s true. But actually, I might have started to admire him a bit…”
With an awkward smile, he looked quite charming.
Sweat already trickled down his hair, and yet he still looked good enough.
“You’ve seen it too, Melissa, right? He helped us during the selection test.”
“…Uhm.”
“During the Dungeon Investigation Practice, he performed even more than his share.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. When the second semester starts, they’ll start selecting aspiring heroes too. I can’t just sit idle like this…”
As Edwin’s words echoed in Melissa’s memory, the image of his face resurfaced vividly.
‘That’s right, Lev Denec.’
I had forgotten this due to Selena’s remark.
Melissa, somewhat entranced, asked Edwin.
“E-Edwin, are you quite close to him…?”
“Hmm? I suppose so…? He helped me with my training last time. And… he even encouraged me, saying I can definitely win…”
“And that’s all?”
“That seems to be it…? But he always shows up to help during important times, you know.”
“……”
As Melissa pondered for a moment, Aveline covered her mouth.
She was failing to maintain her expression.
Laughter kept trying to slip out.
Her judgment was indeed on point.
If Edwin, who had defeated Caeran, was saying this, he must be hiding something extraordinary.
At the same time, it made her anxious.
He could be a potential asset for Divine Valhalla, maybe even more than that.
It would be dangerous if he became widely known around here.
‘So that’s why Yeriel wanted to keep him hidden…’
Aveline subtly smiled at Melissa, saying,
“Melissa, today I shall yield.”
“Um… yield what?”
“I hope you two have a great time together.”
As Aveline cast a sidelong glance at Edwin,
Melissa seemed to blush as she caught on, and Edwin smiled as he asked,
“Hey, am I with Melissa as a pair?”
“Oh, we’re not at that stage yet?!”
With Caeran gone, everyone’s attention should shift to Edwin.
And…
They would point him out during the social dance tomorrow evening.
Any nobleman wouldn’t refuse.
I heard the Denec family is currently struggling financially…
Asking for a good deal could lead to a fruitful conversation.