Chapter 82

EP.82 Church of the Rose (5)

The party was in full swing.

I headed to the agreed location, which was the party hall in the third building of the Pallas Hall.

Inside the splendid party hall, neatly dressed students were chatting merrily, their spirits lifted by the alcohol.

Dorothy must be here.

“Where is Dorothy?”

I quickly scanned the room, looking for Dorothy.

After I resolved to attend the Atlahall party and changed my mindset, I decided to accept Dorothy’s partner proposal.

Being with Dorothy would draw attention? Well, I didn’t need to hide myself like a mole burrowing underground.

Currently, Alice can’t act rashly because the information about the informant has spread within the academy.

Moreover, there are plenty of students with ice attributes stronger than mine, so it’s unlikely they would single me out as the ‘black monster.’

The situation is complicated.

Besides, Dorothy is on my side.

Furthermore, even though rumors based on my relationship with Luce spread, I didn’t suffer any significant harm.

‘Then...’

Instead of trying to avoid attention, I decided to flaunt my friendship with Dorothy.

Even if Alice took an interest in me, if it became widely known that I was under Dorothy’s protection, she wouldn’t dare to harm me recklessly.

I just needed to hold out until the day Alice was eliminated.

Of course, I only planned to emphasize my closeness with Dorothy at today’s party. I had no intention of sticking with her or using her in the future.

…But these thoughts were just excuses.

‘I just felt a bit tired.’

Honestly, I wanted to take a break for a while. I’m human, after all, and can’t just train like a madman all the time.

Just like in my prep school days, taking appropriate breaks is necessary.

I had anticipated being quite exhausted after dealing with Maloch.

Indeed, once the tension eased, I felt all my strength drain away. The mental battle with Maloch was quite draining.

I had anticipated this, so I decided to take this opportunity to spend a day with Dorothy, who had first proposed to be my partner.

However, for some reason… I couldn’t see Dorothy anywhere. No matter where I looked, she wasn’t there.

‘I came a bit early, didn’t I…’

Perhaps I arrived too early, and Dorothy hasn’t shown up yet?

While I was wondering about this, a familiar voice suddenly came from beside me.

“This is quite a coincidence. You’re attending the party too, I see.”

A voice that was elegant but sharp, befitting a noble lady.

I turned my head to identify the speaker.

A brown bob with a red rose hairpin, wearing a red dress. It was Rose Redriver.

Beside her stood a handsome man in a neatly tailored tuxedo.

He had the same brown hair as Rose. A red rose pinned to his tuxedo chest.

Judging from his muscular build and the practice sword at his waist, he seemed to be a student from the Knight Department.

‘I’ve seen him in the game. This must be…’

Ah, Rose’s older brother. A senior.

He was quite a bit taller than me, about a head taller. I’m around 175cm, so he’s really tall.

“Hey, nice to see you.”

Anyway, I greeted her with a smile, despite our poor relationship.

Rose and I have never gotten along, but that’s just in the past.

Surely she wouldn’t start a fight here at the party.

…But I was wrong.

Rose frowned, as if I were annoying her.

“You hurt my dear sister Rose and made her sad. You need to act according to your status. You should know your place.”

[Rayzel Redriver]

Lv: 78

Race: Human

Attribute: Fire, Lightning

Danger Level: Low

Psychology: [You feel humiliated by him.]

My mood turned cold.

This guy, his refined and well-educated tone is even more annoying.

His polite insults were filled with a sense of condescension.

“Not only did you hurt my sister, but you also greet her with ‘Hey, nice to see you’…? You have no shame, no sense of propriety. Don’t you think your greeting was inappropriate?”

Rayzel, having finished wiping his fist, put the handkerchief back in his pocket.

There was no blood or dirt on it. He hadn’t hit anything. Maybe he was just wiping off some dust that had clung to me.

“Lack of proper education, I see. You must be from a poor commoner family. Let me make this clear. No matter what, don’t forget your roots. You need to know your place.”

“…Is that so?”

“Use honorifics.”

Rayzel’s smooth, noble tone was now icy.

“Don’t you know the proper etiquette between seniors and juniors? Where did you learn to speak so casually?”

After some thought, Rayzel’s point was valid. I had indeed greeted Rose improperly.

“You’re right. I apologize, senior. Let me greet you again.”

The proper way to greet them would be like this:

I raised my right hand and flipped them the middle finger.

“Nice to see you, freaks.”

Rose was taken aback. My greeting seemed to have really gotten under her skin.

[Rayzel Redriver]

Psychology: [You feel humiliated and angry.]

As expected, Rayzel began to swing his fist at me with a blank expression.

Fine. This might help me blow off some steam. Let’s have a good fight.

“……!”

At that moment, a cluster of bright stars burst around Rayzel’s head.

Zing──.

Boom────!!

“Gah!!”

Rayzel, who had been about to punch me, suddenly vanished from my sight as if he had teleported.

His body was being dragged away at an incredible speed.

Toward the entrance. Rose and I turned our heads in shock.

Thud──!

Zing───!

“Ugh, ugh!”

At the entrance.

A woman with light purple hair, dressed in an elegant purple dress, grabbed Rayzel’s head with her outstretched arm. The air pressure surged, and the cluster of stars dispersed.

Rayzel, kneeling on the ground and struggling, couldn’t budge the woman, who stood firm like a rock.

A cluster of colorful stars floated around them.

Starlight magic that manipulates all physical forces. Rayzel had been dragged over by a powerful force.

Combined with the gravitational pull, the woman’s delicate hand was gripping Rayzel’s head with such force that it seemed like it might burst.

Moreover, her [Basic Protection Magic] was top-tier. No matter how much Rayzel resisted, he wouldn’t even scratch her.

“……”

Expressionless.

Her eyes, which seemed to contain the universe, were fixed on Rayzel.

The heavy mana in the air was overwhelming. I could even feel a chill of fear running down my spine.

The students watching the scene seemed to feel the same way.

The band stopped playing. They, too, were sweating profusely and looking panicked as they stared at the woman with light purple hair.

The only sound filling the party hall was Rayzel’s agonized screams.

“Gah…! My head, my head…!! Ahh!! P-please, save me…!!”

The dignified Rayzel from a moment ago was nowhere to be seen. All I could see was a common animal struggling for survival.

No matter one’s status, everyone is equal in the face of the fear of death.

The woman with light purple hair, who was still holding Rayzel’s head, stood there silently.

She was Dorothy Heartnova, the top student of the second year in the Magic Department and the strongest force in Merchen Academy.

“S-someone, stop her….”

“D-Dorothy, Dorothy…! Who can stop her…? Ahh!”

Swish──!

Bang────!

Dorothy casually tossed Rayzel to the side and then slammed him into the ground with a strong gravitational force generated by her starlight magic.

The ground crumbled, forming a crater, and Rayzel’s body was crushed.

In the midst of the sparkling stars, he spat blood and lost consciousness.

A suffocating silence fell over the party hall.

“B-brother…? H-huh!”

Then, Dorothy started walking toward Rose.

“W-why, why me…?!”

A thick aura of killing intent could be felt. The cluster of stars that appeared and disappeared around Dorothy was extremely threatening.

Rose, trembling in fear, stumbled backward and fell over, her dress catching her foot.

Dorothy looked down at Rose with a cold expression. Rose was shaking like a person with a fever.

It must feel like walking on thin ice. Even standing next to her, I could feel an immense fear.

“I, I didn’t do anything, I swear…!”

After a moment,

A faint smile appeared on Dorothy’s cold face.

“Sorry, I’m taking this one. He’s my partner.”

The silence in the party hall made Dorothy’s voice clear to all the other attendees.

Dorothy retracted the cluster of stars, grabbed my wrist, and started to leave.

“Huh?”

Rose looked bewildered.

The reactions of the other students were similar. Murmurs like “Dorothy’s partner?”, “That kid?” began to spread.

Dorothy, the strongest force in Merchen Academy. As expected, just being her partner drew a lot of attention to me.

“Let’s go, President~.”

“Senior?”

Dorothy, still holding my wrist, started to walk away quickly.

Her grip was weak and devoid of any magical power, but I followed her lead.

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

Dorothy seemed to remember something and casually flicked her fingers.

A faint cluster of stars appeared around Rose’s head.

Zing─!

Thud!

“Gah!”

Suddenly, gravity acted in all directions, and Rose’s head was thrown to the side, slamming into the floor.

Rose fell to the ground, groaning.

With one last glance at the scene, I left the party hall with Dorothy.