Chapter 67: Karina Zain (2)

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The next day, I went straight to Lunatic.

“What’s the matter, Master?”

Luis, who was working on some documents, took off his glasses and stood up abruptly.

“I was going to report on the completion of the request tomorrow.”

“Report now.”

“We received the promised 10 gold from the cult, plus an additional 4 gold, making a total of 14 gold. They said it’s great that the job was done quickly, but they asked if we’re overdoing it.”

“No way. Gotta earn money.”

Luis stared at me intently.

“If it’s because of Dayle, you don’t have to do this.”

“It’s not just because of him.”

Sure, Dayle was part of it, but money was something you could never have too much of.

When a crisis hits in the future, having money would widen the range of solutions I could choose from.

Besides, we couldn’t rely on the cult’s requests forever.

The guild needed to expand bit by bit, and I had to keep independence in mind.

I was simply preparing for a farther future starting now.

“If the Master says so, I won’t argue further on this matter.”

“Good. Where’s Dayle? In the liquor storage?”

“Yes, but did you come here because of Dayle?”

“I’ve got a favor to ask him.”

“A favor…?”

Luis tilted his head.

“I’ll explain on the way down.”

As we headed to the liquor storage, I told him about what happened at dawn.

Luis nodded.

“That was a good call. A noble’s daughter, especially someone like Karina Zain who’s been pampered her whole life, needs to be knocked down a peg or two.”

“You’re right. But, Luis, are you pissed off?”

His tone was unusually sharp for Luis.

“Isn’t that obvious? How could I feel good when she keeps interfering with our operations? And it’s none other than the Zain Ducal Family.”

Luis’s expression had turned icy.

“They are our enemies.”

Right.

I’d forgotten.

The Magic Corps’ Evil Eradication Unit, composed solely of the Zain bloodline, were the ones who stood at the forefront during the Fall of the Moon, burning our Shadow to ashes.

‘Come to think of it, Zairo Zain. I forgot about that guy.’

With my current lack of power and influence, the two people I wanted to avoid most were the Zain Duke and that man.

“Hey, Boss? What’s up this time?”

At that moment, Dayle looked up and acknowledged me. His table was littered with unidentifiable machine parts and junk, and the mess had spread so much that it was hard to tell if this was his workshop or the liquor storage anymore.

“Let’s sit down for a bit.”

“I’m already sitting.”

“Not you, me. Get me a chair to sit on. Wanna get hit?”

Heh heh, Dayle chuckled and quickly pulled a chair over for me.

As soon as I sat down, I got straight to the point.

“I’ve got a favor to ask you.”

“A favor?”

Dayle tilted his head, but his eyes sparkled for a moment.

“Finally. Am I getting a mission?”

“No. You need to master lesser thievery first.”

At Luis’s jab, Dayle made a sulky face.

“I want to, but I’ve got to finish making this first.”

“Isn’t that the same thing you were working on last time? You still haven’t finished it? What the hell are you making?”

“It’s a secret. Telling you now would ruin the fun. Heh heh.”

His goofy grin, like he was the only one in on the joke, made my fist clench instinctively.

“You’ll be shocked when you see it.”

“If I’m not shocked, can I hit you?”

“Uh, well, that’s…”

Dayle, who had been grinning, suddenly got serious and waved his hands.

“Alright, alright. Anyway, the favor I have is for you to make something.”

“Make something? Like a magitech tool?”

“Yeah. It’s not complicated.”

When I explained ‘it’ to him, Dayle frowned.

“But you can just buy that. Why ask me to make it… I’ll make it. Haha. Luckily, I’ve got all the materials ready. I can do it right now. So, you want it done?”

Seeing Luis reaching for the sword at his waist, Dayle instantly changed his attitude.

Hmm.

His quick wit and adaptability were, as always, impressive.

Just now, Luis was dead serious, you know.

“I need it for tomorrow, so get it done now.”

“Heh heh. Leave it to me, Boss. It’s just a matter of engraving the spell, so it’ll be quick.”

Time passed like a speeding bullet.

The next day, after attending all my lectures, I headed to Blue Dragon Hall to settle things with Karina.

Blue Dragon Hall, Room 401.

Karina was already there, in a place where no one else would come.

“Making a lady wait. You really have no manners.”

The moment I heard her first words, I realized something was off.

‘What’s this? Does her brain reset after sleeping?’

…Maybe.

The events of yesterday’s dawn must have been a nightmare for Karina.

The human brain does have a defense mechanism that erases memories to protect itself from severe mental shock—yeah, right.

This kid was just plain crazy.

“If you’re late, shouldn’t you at least offer an excuse?”

I stared at her blankly before answering.

“I was eating.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah.”

Ignoring Karina’s scoff, I asked,”Pretty satisfied, huh?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You got through the crisis, didn’t you?”

Karina’s eyebrows twitched.

As expected, this sly girl was pretending not to know.

“Got nothing to say to me?”

“I don’t know what you’re getting at. Just tell me why you called me here.”

I let out a deep sigh.

I’d offered her my last bit of mercy, but she’d just kicked it away.

I activated the magitech tool I’d brought, making sure she didn’t notice.

“You still think I’m a thief?”

“Don’t you?”

She knew I wasn’t.

The venom in her voice was much weaker than before.

She just didn’t want to admit it.

Admitting it would mean acknowledging all the efforts she’d made, all the mistakes she’d made against me, and the humiliating dawn she never wanted to recall.

It would all be her fault.

The lofty daughter of the ducal family had strong pride and that strong pride was now dragging her into the abyss.

In many cases, what screws people over isn’t fate, money, friends, or family—it’s their own stubbornness.

Unable to let go of their pride, people often walk straight into their own graves.

Would proud Karina be any different?

‘If anything, she’s worse.’

If she really still thought I was a thief, she wouldn’t have come here alone.

Anyway, it was time for some serious acting.

To teach her a lesson, it was time to set the stage.

“You know that rumors about us dating almost spread, right?”

“What, what did you say!?”

“But I stopped it.”

Karina, startled, let out a sigh of relief, looking immensely grateful.

“Phew. Good job.”

Then, as if a question occurred to her, she asked,”Wait. Why would you stop it?”

“Why? Because I didn’t want it.”

“Didn’t want it? Dating me?”

“Yeah.”

“Seriously. Shouldn’t you consider it an honor? Someone like you being linked with a daughter of the Zain family?”

Wow, look at that overflowing self-esteem.

Her confidence was so solid it was almost a relief.

It made her easy to deal with.

I shook my head with a look of exasperation.

“You’re really shameless, with not even a shred of guilt. Are all Zains like this?”

Karina bristled.

“Why are you bringing my family into this? You’re not thinking of insulting the Zain family, are you?”

“Insulting? Am I the one insulting here?”

Her mouth snapped shut at my counter.

Before the shock could wear off, I unleashed the full force of the energy I’d been gathering.

“Get a grip, Karina Zain. You’re not a kid hiding behind your family anymore. You’re a full-fledged Academy cadet, and everything you say and do represents your family.”

“…!”

“As your senior, I’ve done enough and endured enough. You should know what this is.”

I pulled a gem from my pocket.

The green-glowing gem was called the ‘Echo Stone.’

It stored nearby sounds for a certain period, like a recorder in the modern world.

It was a magitech tool crafted by Dayle’s labor.

Recognizing it instantly, Karina’s eyes trembled as if an earthquake had hit.

“Every conversation we’ve had is recorded here. Including all the sounds from that dawn in the dormitory.”

The last part was a lie.

But it didn’t matter.

“I’m going to report this to Royal Dream.”

The potential fallout was already driving Karina out of her mind.

“If, if you do that, you won’t get away unscathed either…”

“True. But.”

I pointed at myself.

“I’m a commoner.”

Then at her.

“You’re the daughter of a grand ducal family renowned across the continent.”

“…”

“Who has more to lose?”

Karina’s body shook.

Her face flushed red, and I could hear her teeth grinding from the tension.

I looked at her leisurely, smiling.

‘I’ll have to remember that face whenever I’m feeling down.’

Too bad there’s no camera.

I should definitely buy one later.

On one hand, it was impressive.

If it were me, I’d have groveled the moment the Echo Stone came out.

Yet she still had the strength to hold her head high.

‘Or maybe she’s just brainless?’

As I said before, what often screws people over is their own stubbornness.

“I’m done talking, so I’m leaving.”

Having said my piece and finished the recording, I turned around.

“Wa, wait!”

Karina shouted from behind.

“Senior Gerard? Hold on. Just wait a second!”

Her pleading voice grew closer as she frantically tried to grab me.

‘Yeah, no.’

No more mercy.

I shook her off and opened the lecture room door.

I planned to file an outing request and head straight to Royal Dream.

“…”

But the moment I saw the other side of the hallway, I had to close the door and step back into the lecture room.

“Okay, good thinking. Just listen to me for a sec…”

I turned quickly and covered Karina’s mouth.

“…Mmph! Mmph?”

“Shh.”

Was it because of the last incident? Or my recent threat?

Karina quietly followed my instructions.

Instead, she rolled her eyes, asking, ‘What? What’s going on?’

Instead of answering, I pulled her along and hid under the desk at the far end of the lecture room.

If I hadn’t mistaken it, the figures I saw in the hallway were Dark Clerics.

In this world, the only ones who wore black stealth outfits and carried pitch-black swords were those guys.

‘But why the hell are they here?’

That’s when it happened.

Drurrk!

The door to the lecture room we were hiding in opened.

Step, step.

Three sets of footsteps entered the room.

Exactly the number I’d seen in the hallway.

“Doesn’t look like anyone’s here either.”

“Huh? So the ones attending class on the second floor were it? In this huge building?”

“What, disappointed?”

“Damn right I’m disappointed. Shouldn’t we kill a few as an example?”

Karina, nestled in my arms, flinched at the voice dripping with murderous intent.

I signaled her to stay still again and focused on their conversation from beyond the desk.

“Chuckle. Calm down, Keron. There’s plenty to kill downstairs, right?”

“But we can’t kill them. They’re hostages. I want some guys to kill behind Sabo’s back. When else will we get a chance to kill these high-and-mighty Academy brats?”

“True enough. Heh heh.”

From their conversation, I quickly pieced together the situation.

First, these three were scouts.

There were more of their allies elsewhere.

Second, those allies were probably on the second floor.

I knew there were classes there.

Third, the cadets attending those classes were all their hostages.

Fourth, their leader’s name was Sabo.

‘Sabo.’

I vaguely recalled a High Cleric in the Death Council with that name.

“Man, I had a hard time holding back from snapping necks earlier. Wonder what kind of moans these elite pricks make when they’re in pain.”

“Perverted bastard.”

“Kek kek!”

That’s when it happened.

Step, step.

One of their footsteps started getting closer to the desk we were hiding under.

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