Chapter 64

Despite having a sword at her throat, her fist came flying at Luon.

Smack!

A sharp pain in his cheek. Luon quickly put some distance between himself and the woman. When he wiped his cheek with his hand, it came away bloody.

‘She’s fast, almost too fast to track with the eyes.’

It was a dodge based purely on prediction. Had he not anticipated the move, his facial bones would have been shattered.

“You nearly cut me. Are you handling your body so carelessly because it’s not yours?”

“If you don’t follow, I won’t kill you.”

“Oh? Nice to have choices.”

Luon recalled his conversation with Fela in the special hall.

[I hide in the scale to maximize the host’s potential and make them stronger.]

-Is that even possible?

[I wanted to be recognized by my master, so I made it myself.]

-Another lie.

It was a lie that she developed it herself, but it seemed true that she made the host stronger. The attack just now had a speed that only a strong knight could achieve.

‘Otherwise, it’s hard to believe a Buerger Hall student could be this fast.’

Luon smiled faintly and threw his sword behind him. The woman relaxed her fighting stance.

“A good choice.”

His role was to scout and return without leaving any trace. No matter how strong a student gets, it’s only a matter of time before the professors subdue them, and things will return to normal. If they were found dead or injured, the professors would hunt down the perpetrator relentlessly.

‘In that case…’

There was no choice but to subdue her without leaving any evidence.

Dash!

Luon charged at the woman. The first-year male from Adelle Hall had long since rounded the corner. In a one-on-one situation, there was a chance to win. The woman feinted a kick with her right foot.

Whoosh!

A sharp kick grazed Luon’s hair as he ducked. Her fist then came straight at him, but he twisted his body to dodge.

‘As expected, her attacks are predictable and rigid.’

Her stance made it obvious where she would strike. The woman’s fighting style was merely textbook moves. Even if her body rivaled a professor’s, her skills were still those of the original owner.

‘Fela was a mage, so I was concerned, but… her fighting techniques are based on this woman’s memories.’

Approaching her, Luon threw a paper containing the “Thought Paralyzing Powder.”

Pop!

The woman reacted immediately, breaking the paper with a punch, scattering the powder. But Luon was already behind her, executing a joint lock.

“Ugh.”

She struggled, but the joint lock left her unable to shake him off. Luon, engaging in a struggle, moved like a snake and choked her.

The woman tried to slam Luon against the wall.

Bang!

As she repeatedly bashed him against the wall, blood dripped from Luon’s mouth. Yet, he smiled with the eyes of a viper.

“Heh heh heh.”

“Ugh…”

As she tried to twist her body, Luon relentlessly tightened his grip, perfecting the chokehold. This was a close combat technique he learned from Arkandrick. �

-The neck is often the weak point for knights. If their body is surrounded by aura, the neck is the easiest part to target.

-A demonstration is unnecessary.

-It’s better to learn from experience.

-Damn old man.

After a few seconds, the woman went limp.

“She’ll wake up on her own.”

Luon propped her up against the wall and realized something new about the wraith.

‘She doesn’t seem to lose the thread of the conversation…’

Fela in the special hall would reset if the conversation broke. If the wraith was the same, it would repeat the same words when it resumed. But this one retained memory and consciousness, meaning unconventional attacks would only work once.

Luon sat down to regain his strength. His next opponent was the first-year mage from Adelle Hall. As Fela was a disciple of the Archmage, she could fully utilize the body’s potential, requiring thorough preparation.

***

Frostheart’s citadel had two entrances, north and south. Students rarely used the north entrance, as most classrooms and facilities were accessible through the south entrance. The north entrance led to a corridor blocked by brick walls with a few doors. Professors used it for setting up exams and storing necessary tools, but the real reason was known to me.

The Forbidden Library was hidden there. And now, Rockefeller was dragging me there.

“Stop being stubborn and call the headmaster.”

I grumbled while floating in the air, suspended by Rockefeller.

“Shut up…”

His pointless stubbornness was tiring. If Arkandrick learned of the professors’ incompetence, this man would bear the consequences.

– It’s not my problem as a student.

But now I had a change of heart. The wraith aimed to reconstitute its original body to become human. The ingredients for that were stored in the Forbidden Library. Normally, they would be detected and resealed by the professors, but with the variable of Leana, their success was likely. It was necessary to assess the situation on site.

“Professor.”

“What?”

“Is Leana really fighting the professors alone?”

“According to the report.”

If that’s the case…

“Then, the other two have already gone inside.”

Rockefeller’s face showed a hint of panic. We began to see a professor lying on the floor, limbs twisted.

Rockefeller stopped to check his condition. He was still breathing, so he wasn’t dead.

“A professor getting bested by a student, pathetic.”

Despite his harsh words, Rockefeller drew symbols with his staff that I recognized. They were healing spells only those with a special talent could use.

“Professor, did you awaken the taste perception ability?”

When I asked, Rockefeller frowned.

“What does it matter to you?”

“Hmm.”

Thinking back, many of Rockefeller’s spells were unconventional. I didn’t realize it when I just clicked skills with a mouse, but now, formally learning magic, I knew he belonged to a rare talent category like me.

It was unsettling to share this trait with him.

Finally, we arrived near the north entrance. The red-haired woman swung her sword, creating a storm. Professors in black robes were being blown away like leaves in a blizzard.

Leana approached a knight professor and struck vertically with her sword.

Clang!

The professor’s sword, blocking hers, bent. He quickly retreated, dropping his arm.

“I think my wrist is broken…”

“Go rest over there!”

Another professor, catching his breath, intercepted Leana. Yet, she bypassed him in an instant, aiming to finish off the injured professor.

Just before she stabbed his heart, her movements slowed.

Thud!

Her sword struck the ground as the injured professor floated into the air.

I watched as Rockefeller swung his staff.

The spell was a combination of curse magic and telekinesis. Despite this, his telekinesis lifted not only the injured professor but also others who were hurt and gasping for breath, pulling them behind him.

-Can telekinesis handle the weight of ten people?

“Professor Rockefeller…”

“I apologize.”

Rockefeller clicked his tongue at the professors.

“Pathetic.”

His face was serious. He had cast a high-level curse, but it barely restrained Leana for even a second.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, he let me go.

“Hersel Ben Tenest. You capture the two intruders in the Forbidden Library.”

He used telekinesis to hand me a professor’s sword.

“Capture?”

“Yes, capture. Do not kill, but capture them alive.”

“…Me?”

Rockefeller drew symbols. A crow appeared, and my staff glowed white.

“What is this?”

“The crow will guide you. And I have cast a purification spell on your staff. Touch their heads with it to break the brainwashing.”

Enchanting another’s staff… A type of magic even Camelo hadn’t mentioned. Curious, I stared at Rockefeller, who scowled.

“Again, capture them alive.”

“Why so insistent?”

“You should know better.”

“…?”

I asked with my expression, and Rockefeller gritted his teeth.

“Don’t cripple them like you did to Bidon.”

“…”

He turned to face Leana, looking quite formidable. Until he muttered softly.

“Hersel Ben Tenest, you must hurry…”

Preparing to run, I retorted.

“I told you to call the headmaster.”

Leana charged at him. As the crow took flight, I ran towards the north entrance.

My task was to purify those two. Given the conditions, it was possible. I had the ‘1-second invincibility.’

**

Thanks to Rockefeller diverting attention, I made it into the citadel. I saw the secret staircase leading to the Forbidden Library, and Donatan evaluated Leana’s combat.

– That woman, Leana. Her situation is the opposite of ours.

‘What do you mean?’

– I have the Sword Saint’s skills, but your body is like a bug’s. On the other hand, her body is exceptional, but her sword skills are lacking.

He got beaten by a kid, Mircel. Fine, I’ll let it slide.

‘Well, that’s understandable. She didn’t have support from her family and likely learned from basic manuals.’

A swordsman’s strength is defined by their training. Unique techniques are far superior to common manuals. Leana just hadn’t found a proper teacher yet. She would soon in Frostheart, but that’s a story for another time.

I walked down the hallway to the Forbidden Library. It led to a maze-like structure, but thanks to the crow, I didn’t have to remember the way.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Turning a corner, I tripped over something.

“Hmm?”

A woman, slumped against the wall. One of the missing second-year students from Buerger Hall. A headache started to form.

-Who knocked her out?

If it were a professor, they would have reported it to Rockefeller. I sensed an uninvited guest and touched the unconscious woman’s head with the purified staff.

‘Hersel, someone’s nearby.’

I gripped the sword handle. As I carefully approached the next corner, a soft voice made my heart jump.

“It’s you, Hersel.”

A man, disheveled yet elegant, stepped out. His eyes, filled with aesthetic appreciation, watched me as he approached calmly, as if meaning no harm.

“Luon…”

He was supposed to be investigating elsewhere, so why was he here?

***

“Huff!”

No matter how hard Rockefeller tried to lift Leana with telekinesis, she wouldn’t budge. She steadily closed the distance. Rockefeller gathered the snow around and blanketed the sky.

A tidal wave of snow cast shadows as it enveloped Leana.

Shooosh!

He compressed the snow into hard ice to restrain her. But sheer force cracked and broke it apart.

Leana charged, shattering the ice.

‘Damn, I need to change the terrain.’

Rockefeller melted the ice and refroze it into a flat ice field. Casting telekinesis on himself, he dodged her charge sideways. Leana slid forward but shattered the ice with her strength.

Crash!

As ice shards scattered, her lifeless eyes closed in. Rockefeller smiled, watching her sword swing.

‘Her speed and strength are like the headmaster’s, but her movements are simple, lacking any technique.’

He cast multiple protective shields and lightened his body with magic.

Whoosh!

As her horizontal strike hit, he was flung far back. Three shields remained intact after the heavy blow, yet his smile persisted. His staff, glowing white, touched Leana’s head.

“It’s over.”

He used telekinesis to hold the staff in place. Moments later, Leana’s dull eyes regained life.

“Huh.”

Her shocked expression was brief. The surrounding malevolent energy darkened the white light, clouding her eyes again.

“What… is this?”

Rockefeller’s stunned face echoed his internal scream.

‘Not yet! Hersel Ben Tenest!!’