Chapter 159: Confession (1)

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The first semester at the Bayern Academy had come to an end.

Though there were still some senior cadets left with exams, most of the first-year cadets enjoyed the sense of liberation from the dreadful shackles of tests.

Some had already gone down to their hometowns, others were catching up on lost sleep, and a few signed up for supplementary lessons scheduled over the break.

Tap, tap.

Carl belonged to the first group.

He was currently packing his belongings in the dormitory to head home.

He thought he would return to Bayern only around the temporary assembly period of the “Walpurgis Night” when the vacation ended.

“So much to do.”

Having roughly finished packing, Carl stretched his shoulders lightly and looked out the window.

The once fatigue-filled campus of Bayern was now bustling with lively cadets as if exhaustion had never existed.

For today at least, everyone seemed determined to enjoy themselves, and the usual disciplined atmosphere was nowhere to be found.

It was only natural—after all, even the first-year cadets had a closing banquet planned for the evening.

“……”

Sitting cross-legged in his room, Carl began circulating his Primordial Unity Divine Art, organizing his thoughts.

‘The most urgent matter now is preparing for Origin.’

By now, those bastards would have figured out what happened to Banabe.

There was no way their intent had merely been reconnaissance.

If they found his capabilities sufficient, they would surely try to swallow NOX again, just like before.

‘But defeating Banabe should have influenced them somewhat.’

Banabe had appeared to be a fairly high-ranking vampire.

Since he had been completely erased without leaving a trace, they might reconsider their approach.

Moreover, it was possible that some connection had existed with the Demon Humans dwelling in Lahan.

Perhaps Banabe had been sent because contact with Besha and the other Demon Humans had been cut off.

Whether Demon Humans or Demons—it didn’t matter; they were all extensions of the Demon Realm.

Grouping them together under the same category posed no issue.

‘The most efficient countermeasure right now is to arm them with holy relics.’

Demonic energy and divine power were natural opposites.

Of course, in a direct clash of power, the one possessing greater energy would prevail, but ordinarily, divine power overwhelmed demonic energy.

For someone of NOX’s Black Label caliber, merely possessing a relic would grant significant advantage against monsters.

‘I already asked Gallon to handle that part.’

Normally, obtaining relics was nearly impossible.

Hence, it was common to sprinkle or coat weapons with holy water as an alternative.

The issue was that doing so rarely brought out the full divine effect.

That might be fine against ordinary monsters, but if a creature on Banabe’s level appeared, they would face serious trouble.

Since Gallon claimed he had a way, Carl decided to leave that matter to him and look for other methods himself.

Ideally, recruiting a priest would be best—but what priest would ever join an underworld organization like NOX?

Not unless he was a man like Gallon.

‘Once NOX’s affairs are settled, I’ll move on to the Leipzig territory.’

He planned to go down immediately to overhaul NOX’s facilities and structure.

Until now, he had been adopting the Killing Veil method to develop the group, but as NOX’s influence grew, fatal flaws began to emerge.

The most critical one was their overwhelming lack of manpower.

Compared to other underground organizations, NOX’s numbers were barely forty percent.

True, individual skill levels were superior, and brainwashing and mental conditioning prevented betrayal, but still—

If NOX was to expand, that method had to be improved.

‘At this rate, it takes far too long to train a White Label.’

Every two or three months, dozens of recruits joined, yet after a single conflict, a similar number would die.

Reducing the intake would restrict NOX’s growth.

As a temporary measure, he had used organizations like Lahan as shields, but that was only a stopgap—he needed a fundamental solution.

Knock, knock, knock.

While he was deep in thought, someone knocked on the door.

Carl quickly ended his meditation, rose from his seat, and opened it.

Standing outside was Maximilian, dressed in his uniform, sharper and neater than usual.

“Carl, were you asleep? You didn’t respond to any of my messages.”

“Ah, it’s already that late…”

Carl glanced at the sunset outside the window with an embarrassed smile.

Perhaps he had been too absorbed in his thoughts while circulating his energy—time had flown faster than expected.

Still, since today wasn’t his only chance, he immediately threw on his jacket and went out with Maximilian.

“You seem more dressed up than usual.”

“Of course. I’m determined to hook someone tonight. It’s the last day of the semester—you have to strike when everyone’s guard is down.”

“Are you planning to ask Amy?”

“…Amy? Where did that come from all of a sudden?”

Maximilian frowned.

“She’s just a friend. We’ve never thought of each other that way.”

“Is that so?”

Carl shrugged.

He had only mentioned it since they seemed closer lately, but given that reaction, perhaps Maximilian had been aware of it too.

“Anyway, I can’t spend a good vacation alone. Same goes for you, Carl.”

“For me?”

“Yeah. You’ve gotten close with Laysis, right? And Yuria, too. Or do you want me to introduce someone else? People keep asking if you and Laysis are really dating.”

“There’s nothing like that.”

“Then give it a shot. Honestly, Carl, you’re not lacking in anything.”

Maximilian narrowed his eyes and looked at Carl.

A noble of the Empire, descended from the Leipzig Family.

His face—grudgingly, Maximilian admitted—was slightly better looking than his own.

His grades in theory even surpassed Laysis’s, and his practical skills were also among the top ranks.

Though Laysis had been the top student of the semester and a princess of another kingdom, there was nothing Carl fell short in.

“Maybe Laysis is the one waiting for you. Keep dragging it out like this, and you’ll only look worse.”

“…Haha.”

Carl gave an awkward laugh.

Maximilian slung an arm around Carl’s shoulders and pulled him close.

“Trust me. And let’s go on a trip together during the break.”

“So that was your goal.”

“It’s awkward going alone, right? I need someone to talk to. You feel the same, don’t you, Carl?”

Carl chuckled bitterly.

As they walked toward the banquet hall, they spotted the ones waiting for them.

“Ah, there you are.”

“Maximilian—and Carl too.”

It was Amy and Lien.

Maximilian, who had his arm around Carl, tried to raise a hand in greeting but froze in place.

“Dresses, huh. You both look great.”

“Thanks.”

“How do we look? The girls decided on a surprise plan to wear dresses together.”

“Honestly, the male cadet uniform works fine as formal wear, but the female one feels a bit plain, doesn’t it?”

Amy twirled lightly on the spot.

The hem of her red dress, matching her hair color, fluttered up softly.

“……”

Maximilian remained frozen in place like a statue.

Carl waved a hand in front of his face and called his name.

“Maximilian, you’re drooling.”

“…Hup.”

Snapping back to his senses, he shook his head and gave a quick cough.

“You look… really good.”

“Compliment’s late.”

Amy giggled and playfully jabbed him in the side.

“Where are Gale and Fosher?”

“They said they’d go ahead. Apparently, they skipped dinner.”

“They must’ve been starving.”

Even as Maximilian rubbed his side, he reached his hand toward Amy.

“…?”

Amy tilted her head at the offered hand, then looked up at him.

“What is it?”

“I’ll escort you. We’re going to a banquet, aren’t we?”

“Hm.”

Amy pressed her lips together.

Normally, she would have switched partners and asked Carl instead, but for some reason, she didn’t feel like it tonight.

So, carefully, she took his hand and stood beside him to walk together.

“Then we’ll go too.”

“Oh my, thank you.”

Lien smiled faintly as she placed her hand in Carl’s.

When they arrived at the banquet hall together, the interior had a much grander atmosphere than before.

“They really went all out for the end-of-semester banquet.”

“Yeah. This could rival a noble household’s party.”

Maximilian and Amy, who entered first, expressed their admiration.

Naturally, Louis had organized the event.

He always enjoyed showing off his influence through such gatherings.

Though his personality had softened somewhat over the semester, he wasn’t the type to miss an opportunity like this.

Clack.

Soon after, all the lights in the hall dimmed, drawing attention to the stage.

Louis, stepping up onto it, wore an elegant suit that stood out from the other male cadets.

“Cheap of him to be the only one dressed up like that, huh?”

“Haha.”

Carl chuckled lightly at Maximilian’s whispered comment.

“I’m Louis. Thank you all for attending the banquet, and for your hard work this semester.”

Coincidentally, Louis had been in charge of both the opening and closing banquets of the semester.

“This semester was unexpectedly meaningful for me. I met great people and gained new experiences… Though, I still couldn’t surpass my rival, Nerian.”

At his self-deprecating comment, soft laughter spread through the crowd.

The rivalry between Nerian and Louis had been well-known even before their days at Bayern.

‘He’s changed quite a bit.’

Carl took a sip of champagne and looked at Louis thoughtfully.

When they first met, Louis had been a bundle of inferiority complexes, weighed down by his defeat to Nerian.

But now, he seemed to have shaken off those chains with ease.

Just as he said—it truly must have been a meaningful time.

“But as a whole, this is still only the beginning. We’ll spend even more time together from here on out.

When people meet, it’s impossible for everyone to fully please or like one another.

Still, for our brilliant future—cheers.”

It wasn’t a rehearsed speech but rather something bold and spontaneous, spoken straight from the heart.

Even so, the cadets, caught in the sentiment of the semester’s final day, raised their glasses with him.

“Cheers.”

Clink!

The sound of glasses meeting echoed from all around.

Carl clinked glasses with nearby cadets and exchanged friendly words.

Then, the banquet began in earnest.

He greeted not only familiar faces but also those he hadn’t spoken with before, building new connections.

As the banquet’s atmosphere reached its peak—

A hand caught Carl’s arm just as he was about to step outside for some air.

“Carl, I have something to tell you.”

Hic.

Standing there, slightly drunk, was Yuria.

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