ALL NOVEL Chapter 85
The bright full moon welcomes the eve of the festival.
Clack, clack.
Long, flowing violet hair.
A woman in student uniform walks through the moonlit corridor.
She was a breathtaking beauty.
Her long, straight hair cascades down to her waist, and her striking features, seemingly touched by the hands of a god, add a final touch to her enchanting presence.
It was an atmosphere that was genuinely hard to approach, causing silence to descend in her wake.
The students merely gazing at her could only speculate about her based on her appearance.
The thin, long bow and hand bow slung over her shoulder, along with the black finger guards, hinted at what kind of person she was.
“Ah!”
At that moment, someone called out to her as she walked toward her destination.
Diana Ashkar, the professor of the archery department at Claris.
“I heard you arrived. Violet.”
“Master.”
“We agreed to drop that title after graduation, didn’t we?”
While saying this, Diana beamed with a broad smile.
Violet de Crescent.
The beloved student of Diana, who was known as the best marksman anywhere, a source of pride, and an endearing disciple.
Well, she could no longer be referred to as a disciple.
Even though she was a third-year student, she possessed the skills of a few who advanced to the fourth year and beyond.
The de Crescent family was a prestigious line among human marksmen, known for their unwavering skill in archery, and was the only remaining hope when marksmen were replaced by elves during a long war.
Moreover, as Violet was the only daughter, she must have been treated like a princess in her family.
‘I’m worried she might be too cold-hearted…’
While little emotional fluctuation is a good trait for a marksman who needs to be composed, Diana’s only concern was that it might lead to a lack of humanity.
“From tomorrow, it’s straight to the committee, right?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my, you won’t get a day to rest…”
“……”
Diana felt a longing to catch up with her student after so long, but it couldn’t be done.
Claris was busy preparing for the festival, and once the festivities concluded, the student council would have to select candidates for the hero position.
With a somewhat regretful heart, Diana sent her off.
…
…
…
The Hall of Culture.
Just after the social dance practice had finished.
So, can we do the treasure hunt in teams tomorrow?
Doesn’t matter. But won’t the reward distribution be awkward?
That’s true…
But if we want to catch something big, it’s definitely better as a team…?
In this place where elegant dance performances had occurred, there were also simple refreshments prepared.
It was probably just a formality for rehearsing the party after the ball.
Even so, the students had caught the mood and were gathered in small groups chatting away.
“Senior Yeriel!”
“I’m seeing her in person for the first time…”
“Hello, Senior Yeriel!”
“Ah, yes! Hello!”
While greeting the surrounding students, Yeriel’s mind was still occupied by that ring.
Aria and Lev.
“I have something I left behind. I need to hurry.”
“Oh, okay!”
“Yeriel, I have to go too. I got an urgent call from the Restoration Chamber…”
“That’s fine, just go already!”
Lev disappeared in a hurry, and Aria said she needed to return for tomorrow’s schedule.
She couldn’t bring herself to ask Lev to go with her.
The reason was…
‘I really am clueless…’
There had been more situations than expected.
1. During the dungeon exploration practice, the two of them had been embracing each other.
2. “Lev, where did you leave your girlfriend while you were flirting with my adorable junior?”
“Yeah, seriously. Are you even cheating? Didn’t your girlfriend say she could use healing magic…?”
Scarlet and Dustin’s key testimonies.
3. And then, especially that ring seen in Hwangdo…
‘……’
Now, it seemed all that was left was to admit it, and Yeriel felt a pang in her heart.
It felt like something precious was lost.
‘It’s okay! Lev can’t be anyone’s possession…!’
The fact that he likes someone is entirely his choice.
Just like the affectionate feelings Yeriel had for Lev should be respected in return.
Simply having the relationship of a dormitory supervisor and a dormitory resident had been pleasant enough.
‘It’s going to be hard to see him in the second semester…’
But if she said she would teach him magic in the future, wouldn’t she get to see him even for a bit?
‘Lev is growing way too fast…’
To do that, she resolved to work even harder on her studies.
As a comrade, as a fellow student.
That was a good enough relationship…
‘So, Yeriel, it’s okay. Yes.’
The problem wasn’t just the ache in her heart.
Thud!
‘Uh…?’
Something… forbidden emotions seemed to be bubbling up.
Even though it wasn’t her true feelings… it was out of her control.
‘Wait a moment…’
At that moment, conveniently, Melissa approached Yeriel with a drink in hand.
“Senior Yeriel!”
“Ah… Melissa…?”
“Try this!”
“Thank you! You can just speak casually…!”
“Okay, I’ll do that!”
Next to the cheerfully smiling Melissa was Edwin.
“Yeriel, where’s Lev and Aria?”
“They left first because they had something to do…!”
“Please tell me they’re not training again?!”
At those words, Melissa reacted as if she was shocked.
“Edwin, no one trains more than you…”
“Is that so?”
…
…
…
‘What was that feeling a moment ago…?’
The impulsive emotions that had surged momentarily dissipated just as quickly as they had appeared.
Feeling somewhat calmed down, Yeriel looked at Edwin with a steady gaze and tried to think of something else.
‘Have these two been this close…?’
Originally, Edwin mostly trained alone.
Ever since the duel with Caeran, he seemed to have become much more popular.
“Hey, Edwin.”
This time, a brown-haired guy wearing glasses approached.
Dailen, the S-rank forward spearman.
“Sorry for the late comment, but… I really enjoyed the graded match.”
“Yeah?”
“I shared the same waiting room with Caeran. chuckles. When I told him that you and he were finally facing off, the look on his face was priceless.”
“Of course, I knew he was going to end up like that!”
Raymond Rolenow, the knight who had been utterly defeated by Caeran, chimed in.
“They say he’s been out of sight lately.”
“Probably ducking out. snickers.”
-…
At the sudden mention of Caeran, Melissa’s expression slightly crumpled, and Yeriel stepped in to intervene.
“Everyone, let’s stop there. Speaking ill of someone who’s not present isn’t nice.”
“You’re right. My bad.”
Dailen quickly apologized.
Though they were the same age, Yeriel was the top of the second year in the Magic Department; there was no benefit to being disliked.
And it was at this moment that Dailen seized the opportunity to address the main topic.
“Royal Class… I wonder how Caeran’s created circle is doing?”
“……”
Dailen’s gaze was unambiguously directed towards Melissa.
Perhaps it was merely a simple venting of frustration.
Caeran had sought to recruit only the best among the S-rank, matching his tastes.
The fact that he showed no interest in Dailen was quite irritating for him, making him feel inferior.
-…
Conversely, Melissa had nothing to retort even if she had two mouths.
After joining the Royal Class Circle, she had completely abandoned Edwin.
In the suddenly thick silence, it was Edwin who spoke up first.
“Melissa, the fact that you helped me is still unchanged. Instead, I don’t want to distance myself over that.”
“Edwin…”
“Ha, truly.”
Dailen shook his head in disbelief at Edwin’s foolhardiness and moved to another table.
“Uh… Edwin, I’m sorry! I missed my chance to apologize…”
“It’s fine, what matters is the future.”
Edwin smiled casually.
‘…Why is he so naively kind?’
Melissa thought once again that her judgment about him was spot on.
Her assessment of Edwin had already transformed entirely in her mind.
He was kind, considerate, and moderately decent-looking.
‘That’s not what’s important right now.’
More than that, since Aveline had given her a chance, she needed to make the most of it.
What Melissa needed to think about was the pure-white girl right next to Edwin.
Yeriel.
‘She said they met during dungeon exploration practice…?’
The girl student Edwin had met while being a part of Caeran’s party during practice.
She was as beautiful as a doll, and her gentle voice matched a very pleasant personality.
Despite being a senior, she never made a show of it at all.
A multi-talented individual with the title of the top student in the second year Magic Department…
Now Melissa understood why Edwin sometimes stared at her blankly.
‘This could be a bit risky…?’
Melissa felt it was time for her to take a more proactive approach.
“Edwin…! We’re going to stick together again tomorrow, right?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Don’t tell me… you’re planning to ditch me after making me your partner today…?”
“Ah, right. It’s better to be together than alone…”
“What? You should consider it an honor to be my partner!”
“Okay. I got it.”
Melissa eagerly pressed against Edwin, and eventually, he had no choice but to agree to accompany her.
Melissa looked at Yeriel with a triumphant expression.
Edwin, making an awkward face in discomfort at the situation, was just a bonus.
“…?”
But Yeriel responded with a pure smile.
For her, it was just other people’s thoughts that mattered.
…
Behind the Magical Item Shop, in the commercial district alleyway with the waterway.
Clear water flows in the creek, beautifully reflecting the pale moonlight.
And I… am searching for something.
“I feel like it should be around here.”
The sole reason I slipped out of the Hall of Culture earlier was simple.
I thought I might find a clue about the Gate of the Underworld if I head toward the academy’s commercial district where monsters might appear.
However, the locations mentioned in the books were vague, and the campus of Claris Academy was surprisingly vast, making it challenging to pinpoint a specific spot.
‘Once I find it…’
Since the dimensional gate is a very complex and intricate magic, in the [Reincarnated Hero], it usually takes one to two days to summon a dimensional gate without involving the Magic Tower.
Thus, I thought by now I should be able to sense the flow of magic, expecting that I could create some kind of interference if needed…
‘What kind of nonsense is this from the author…’
Teleportation is indeed a major spell, but is it really possible without requiring any preliminary preparation or groundwork?
Even if he’s a bad writer… I wouldn’t expect him to mess it up to that extent…
‘Let me check that corner one last time.’
Just as I attempt to enter the outskirts of the commercial district, a lazy voice comes from behind.
‘…What are you doing here…?’
The voice I instantly recognized as it engraved itself in my brain.
The great demon, Yellody Latashia.