Chapter 78

EP.78 Coven (4)

─ "Dorothy senpai, will you be my partner?"

The Pallas Hall, where the coven is being held.

A female student was sitting alone on a chair attached to the wall, sipping wine in the third hall’s party room.

Her long, light purple hair. She was dressed in an elegant purple dress. She had even put more effort into her makeup, asking the exclusive maid of the Charles Hall.

Instead of her usual witch’s hat, a pretty hairpin shaped like a flower petal was in its place.

Dorothy Heartnova, the top student of the second year in the Magic Department.

She was quietly passing the boring time.

She had already exchanged greetings with her peers and seniors and juniors multiple times. She had also repeatedly rejected numerous partnership offers from male students with a smile.

However, the students kept giving her suspicious glances as she just sat there, drinking the bitter wine.

Dorothy muttered with a bored expression, propping her chin with both hands. Her cheeks were gradually turning red as the alcohol took effect.

"If you say that, how can I not wait…."

Even if Dorothy was hailed as the greatest power in Merhen Academy.

To Isaac, she seemed to be nothing more than a woman who was a source of worry.

The thought poked at Dorothy’s pride, but somehow, it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

* * *

[A nearby demon has been detected.]

I had been reconsidering for a week.

Predicting the flow of the scenario completely and trying to prevent a bad ending without drawing attention was nothing more than arrogance.

As long as I didn’t cross the line, I had to be prepared for a certain level of risk.

'After all, the scenario is already a mess.'

Originally, Heinrich of the Feast and Rifa of the Illusion were supposed to appear in the second semester, but they had been eliminated early.

The impact of this had brought about an unexpected presence.

The demon in this party room.

One of the demons I particularly didn’t want to encounter early.

'Ah, I’m nervous.'

My whole body was trembling, so I carefully regulated my breathing. The effect of the passive skill [Ice Control] greatly helped me calm down.

Come on, stay calm and focus. I can do this. Let’s go.

Soon, the students stopped paying attention to me and Tristan and started enjoying the party again. They seemed to have no interest in the trivial troubles of unfamiliar students.

[ Rizetta Lionheart ]

Psychology: [I am afraid of you.]

I thought she might at least say thanks, but Rizetta immediately turned her gaze away from me. It seemed better not to approach her, given her psychological state.

Kaya also pretended not to know me as we had agreed. As a result, the other male students who had been glaring at me also started to lose interest.

'Ah, males.'

According to the memories from <Merhen’s Magic Knight>, Kaya and the like were receiving attention from many male students.

I could empathize with their psychology, but being on guard wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

'If Lucie were here, it would be chaos.'

Lucie and Kaya. The existence of these two heroines would have driven the male students into a frenzy. They were incredibly beautiful, after all. It’s not like they were just my love interests for no reason.

However, Lucie did not attend this party.

─ "Isaac, are you going to the coven?"

─ "I’m thinking about it~. What about you?"

─ "It might be difficult. Regardless of the coven, I want to be with Isaac…, but I have an important appointment."

A few days ago, this conversation with Lucie took place under a tree in a corner of the garden. It was a conversation to check the scenario.

In <Merhen’s Magic Knight>, during the conversation with Lucie.

If you don’t choose the sappy option, "Be my partner. I want to attend the party with you," she won’t attend the coven.

Today, due to Merhen Academy’s contact, she had an appointment to meet with the mages of the Eldork Tower. It was a privilege for top-tier students.

Since Lucie, with her outstanding talent, was a desirable candidate for the tower, such appointments would likely continue to be arranged.

Although Lucie harbored a sense of rejection towards humans, she would manage to have a formal conversation in a setting related to the tower.

Lucie, who would eventually become a high-ranking tower master and change history. I liked her determination to pursue her goals.

The person who sold my information, Eva Hailover, also caught my eye.

Now that it was time for the 4-star seats to recruit new members, there was no need for the information gatherers to hide their identities. Besides, no one in the Atlahol would dislike the information gatherer who recommended them to the 4-star seats.

Soon, the band stopped playing.

As the telekinesis magic cast a light cover over some of the glowing lamps, the party room darkened.

Then, the glowing lamps on the stage, which were covered by blackout curtains, began to emit bright light.

It’s starting. All the students fell silent and looked at the stage where the lights were shining.

The music soon began with a jazz-like tune, and the stage curtain slowly lifted.

A male student dressed in a neat tuxedo appeared.

Despite pushing his bangs back, he couldn’t hide his cheerful expression.

He was holding a small amplifier, the party’s host.

"Thank you all for coming to this event hosted by the 4-star seats! I’m Louis Kamair, the host of the Atlahol party!"

The students clapped as Louis Kamair bowed with a smile.

"I won’t go into a long story. As you all know, the 4-star seats are a powerful organization that can influence the administration of Merhen Academy! Being a member of the 4-star seats is also a qualification for participating in the student council president election, and it’s considered a great honor just to be a part of it."

Louis continued.

"Especially, you are the most promising students among the current first-year students! The 4-star seats will be the wings that help you soar even higher!

Now, let’s welcome the presidents of each star seat who lead the 4-star seats of Merhen Academy. Please give them a warm welcome!"

The band’s music changed to a grand tune.

The glowing lamps began to brightly illuminate the third-floor balcony.

The students who held the next level of power after the student council started to walk out from the corridor there.

'As expected.'

The faces I had anticipated appeared before my eyes.

"Black Tiger seat, the leader of the Black Tiger. ‘Erica Hellwood’!

Blue Wolf seat, the leader of the Blue Wolf. ‘Ray Lasmorgan’!

Golden Eagle seat, the leader of the Golden Eagle. ‘Braun Pelkborough’!

Red Elephant seat, the leader of the Red Elephant…!"

'Maloch of Envy.'

[ Maloch of Envy ]

Lv: 155

Race: (Human)

Attribute: Darkness, Rock

Danger Level: Highest

Psychology: [Wants to steal the Kerubim’s Necklace and kill everyone in this room.]

Red sports hair, a bulky figure, and a fierce expression.

He was the newly elected leader of the Red Elephant, chosen in a recent vote.

Because the preparations were very sloppy, it was only a matter of time before his true identity was exposed.

Louis introduced him as ‘Maloch Briar,’ but the surname was a pseudonym.

Maloch of Envy.

The villain of the second-year, first-semester part of <Merhen’s Magic Knight>. He had formed a sworn brotherhood with Rifa of the Illusion and was a demon capable of transforming into a human.

Rifa of the Illusion had told Maloch of Envy not to show himself, as he would interfere with her plans.

However, with Rifa eliminated in the first semester, Maloch had appeared early.

'A demon who wanted to become human…'

Rifa of the Illusion and Maloch of Envy, the two demons, had similar abilities but a stark difference.

Namely, Maloch’s intense desire to become human.

In <Merhen’s Magic Knight>, Maloch tried to steal the Kerubim’s Necklace from Ian.

With it, the demon’s power would amplify, and his ability to transform into a human would be perfected.

The moment the Kerubim’s Necklace appeared in this room, Maloch would lose his mind.

Moreover, he hated promising humans more than anything. It was a combination of the instinctive killing intent of a demon and simple envy.

Those who had the life he desired and were doing well among them would enrage him.

In the scenario, Maloch had revealed his true nature at a gathering of top-tier students.

Perhaps his intention to use me to bring in Lucie was simply to kill her.

In other words, Maloch would go berserk here, where the Kerubim’s Necklace and top-tier students were gathered.

Stopping him was my goal.

'The problem is that he is classified as a human…'

The reason I particularly didn’t want to see this demon early.

It was because, as long as he maintained his human form, he would be classified as a human.

As long as he didn’t reveal his true form, the activation condition for [Evil Slayer] wouldn’t be met.

'If Dorothy were here, it would be easier.'

Dorothy was still bound by the curse.

Maloch of Envy was a born demon. If Dorothy were here or used magic against him, the curse would surely accelerate rapidly.

At least until we safely passed the <Merhen’s Magic Knight> "Act 6, Floating Island" part, where Dorothy would lose her life, she couldn’t be allowed to fight a born demon.

Louis gave a brief introduction of the 4-star seat presidents. It was all information I already knew.

The 4-star seat presidents each took their seats on the prepared chairs.

Then, Louis moved on to the next topic.

"And! Many of you have been waiting for this moment~. Today, right here! We will distribute the treasures owned by the 4-star seats from the Merhen Academy treasure vault to all of you!"

The Merhen Academy treasure vault, a place shrouded in secrecy, was known only to the principal Elena and a select few administrative staff.

The cart containing the treasures must have been secretly moved here.

"The treasures will choose their owners by resonating with their mana. We will present the corresponding treasure to each of you!"

On stage, a man appeared, pulling a luxurious cart next to Louis. Various neatly arranged treasures.

Next to the cart, transparent, round cases with golden edges were orderly placed, like an egg tray.

However, the students’ gazes were fixed not on the cart but on the man pulling it.

He was too different from the luxurious stage setting.

Tall stature. His elongated body, like dough stretched out, was extremely peculiar.

His entire body wobbled like a jellyfish, and his skin was as black as pitch.

His spiky hair, in stark contrast to his skin color, was extremely white.

His eerie purple eyes were directed at the host, Louis. It was clear to everyone that he wasn’t human.

"Wh-what is that…?"

A student pointed at the monster pulling the cart. His voice and fingers were trembling.

The audience was filled with doubt and fear about the monster’s presence.

For some reason, Louis seemed completely oblivious and continued calmly.

"We plan to hold treasure events throughout the party, so please enjoy…!"

─────「Hydro Cannon (Water Attribute, ★5)」

Boom────!!

A blue magic circle instantly appeared, firing a high-pressure water mass.

The spot where Louis, the host, stood was instantly cleared. The water mass swept him away, crashing into the wall and falling to the floor.

Lying on the ground, Louis convulsed and spat blood from his mouth.

The band, startled, stopped playing.

Silence fell. Not even a breath could be heard.

The situation was too sudden, and the students’ minds were struggling to understand what had happened.

The monster who had sent Louis flying turned his head towards the audience.

The man’s lips curved into a bizarre smile, almost touching his ears.

The words he spoke next were:

[Hello?]

It was a very familiar resonance.