70 – Bloody Entrance Ceremony (5)

I took a short walk around the campus. It is still too early to go to the labyrinth.

Since it’s a festival that happens once a year, I thought I’d look around the campus for a while to get some energy.

I do not attend the entrance ceremony. Even if I attend, there is no place for me and my name will not be called. Some time after the opening ceremony, I had to head for the labyrinth.

When you walk down the street, someone hits you on the shoulder every two or three steps. It feels strange that I am the only one on campus.

I don’t know why, but whenever I walk through the crowds, some roll their eyes at me as if they’re seeing some magical creature.

I am also a student of Eternia, but somehow I feel like an outsider.

“Hey! Hey! Wait a minute!”

Squeezing through the crowd, someone shouts and approaches. Until it grabbed my wrist, I never expected it to find me.

Two girls thrust their faces right in front of me. Behind them were five young, stout men.

“Damian-sama, Damian-sama, right?”

I looked closely at the faces of the two girls. I must have seen it somewhere, but I can’t remember the name.

As I hesitated, a girl smiled and said her name.

“As expected, Damien-sama was right. We, Nancy and Bologna. We were together at the Wiesel Knights’ social church a few months ago. Do you remember?”

That face flashes through my mind. Old Man Popper of the Knights Templar supported me, and Nancy and Bologna were his nieces and biological daughters. These girls were supposed to teach me how to dance, but I ran away.

I greeted you warmly.

“Uh, yes. Of course I remember. How did you come all the way here?”

Nancy and Bologna met each other’s eyes and grinned.

“Two students entered the Order of Wisel. Of course, Damien-nim knew that he would pass. I can’t miss this kind of congratulations.”

“Then the men in the back…”

“No. They’re just friends who followed us.”

Everyone has a clean, uncluttered appearance. Nancy pointed at each one with her hand and said.

“That friend is familiar with Prince Franz, and that friend runs a large Sauvignon farm. Have you heard of Sauvignon wine? Everyone said they wanted to see the entrance ceremony, so I brought them.”

To go on a road that took a month to see the entrance ceremony, these guys are amazing on the other hand.

Nancy said with a laugh.

“hehehe, I kept following him around after seeing his back, just in case, but he really was Damian!”

“It’s really nice to see you.”

Bologna also gave a word.

“But Damien-sama is alone? What about his family?”

now come to mind one by one Come to think of it, these girls knew me as something like the son of a master swordsman. I don’t know what fantasies you have about me, but it came at just the right time. Better to dispel the illusion before the misunderstanding grows.

I didn’t turn around and say it.

“I have no family.”

The faces of the two girls harden slightly.

“Ah, that…didn’t you come because the territory is far away?”

I shook my head.

“then….”

“I grew up in an orphanage.”

“Ah, yes…”

Bologna murmured. He frowned slightly and his expression darkened slightly. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I must have been disappointed.

“Then…what about the Archmage?”

“He’s gone far away and won’t be back for a few months.”

“Ah, sorry…”

Nancy and Bologna exchanging glances with a face that said it was wrong. The further away from the big cities, the stiffer the society and the clearer the classism. There is nothing to say about Wiesel. It’s an expression that he realized only now that he respected an orphan with no family or rank, sent letters and followed him around.

Nancy forcibly raised her tone of voice and asked me, pretending to be calm.

“Damian-sama! Damian-sama, will you go up to the podium at the entrance ceremony? As the representative of the faculty! Damian-sama is a disciple of the Archmage.”

Calculating expectations and vanity dwelled in her eyes.

“That…why are you asking?”

“Oh, didn’t you hear that rumor? Prince Franz, the senior and second-in-command in each faculty, invited them to a celebration ball in Rigbed.”

Bologna helped.

“All of my friends and family are invited.”

The voices of the two girls were steeped in subtle anticipation. Do they think that if I go up on the podium, they can be invited too? After all, I have no family, and these are the daughters of my benefactors, so there is a justification.

It’s a vague feeling, but I can’t erase the feeling of seeing me as a stepping stone or a rope. I understand. I spent a month coming to Eternia after watching just one entrance ceremony, but I wouldn’t be satisfied with it as an ordinary student. I’d be greedy too. I want to see the prince, John An, and I want to feel everyone’s interest and a sense of superiority with the most handsome guy.

“…It has nothing to do with me. My grades are in the middle.”

The look of disappointment in the eyes of the two is clear. He must have thought that he did not meet the expectations of being a disciple of the Archmage.

“Ah…yes. You’re similar to Joyce. That’s amazing too…”

“I wonder if you are familiar with Goddess Varian….”

Bologna then poked at Nancy as if telling her to stop. The two girls were quiet for a moment.

Staying here will only make it harder for each other. I politely said goodbye.

“I have work, so I’ll go first. It was really nice to see you two. Please say congratulations to your two friends in the Order. I’ll be writing a letter to Captain Popper soon.”

“Ah, yes…”

It looked like I had more to say, but I left as if I was running away. Then I went to an empty corner and leaned against the wall to catch my breath.

I put my hand in my arms and pulled out the mask and put it on my face.

It’s the first time I’ve felt so comfortable and thankful for a mask. As if I found my true self.

***

A man approached the special reserved seat. The eyes of the three women who were staring at the empty seat returned to the man. They looked at the man’s peddling and sighed in disappointment.

He was the scribe of Eternia.

“The entrance ceremony will start soon. There is still time, so please say goodbye to your family and friends in advance. You are not allowed to leave your seat after the opening ceremony has taken place.”

The three women glared at the scribe with a frustrated expression. Iris hurriedly answered when Shion’s heart felt bad, as if grabbing him by the collar right away.

“all right!”

Before the scribe left, Cecil grabbed him and asked,

“One seat is empty, so why haven’t you come yet?”

“He’ll be right there. Oh, he’s on his way.”

All the women turned their heads in the direction the scribe pointed.

A sleazy, noble man approached them. He smiled, showing his white teeth, and introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Rupert Rowe, who will be representing the combat department at this entrance ceremony.”

Then, one by one, they shook hands.

Shion ignored the handshake with a cold gaze. Cecile was the same.

Lilith glanced over at Rupert with a worried look and shook hands.

Iris was greeted with a wide smile on her face but teary eyes.

“Nice to meet you!”

When Rupert sat down in his reserved seat, the atmosphere grew colder than ever. Iris couldn’t understand why, so she bit her lip and only looked around.

Shion left with a face full of annoyance. Iris also vacated the seat for a while, as if she couldn’t handle the strange atmosphere.

Only Rupert, Lilith, and Cecil remained at the table.

Lilith studied Rupert’s face and body. And he contrasted it with the man in his memory.

Rupert, conscious of her gaze, opened his mouth, revealing white teeth.

“Did you say Lilith?

“Hey… have we… met?”

“Uh… Hmm? Well, how many times did you pass by at the Rigbet Social Church?”

“No… in the entrance exam…”

Rupert crossed his arms and thought for a moment.

“You haven’t met?”

“Are you sure?”

While combing Cecile’s hair carelessly, he burst into laughter when he heard the conversation between the two. It was an obvious laugh.

“Foot, puheuh.”

Lilith looked at Cecile with a furrowed brow. It was necessary to respond to the rude attitude with certainty.

“If there’s something you don’t like…”

Cecil immediately cut off Lilith’s words.

“That’s funny. Don’t you even recognize the person who got you a second seat at the Ministry?”

“…what?”

“I got all the help from him, I used everything I could use, and I don’t even know who he is, so I’m holding on to a strict person. I don’t even have a conscience, so I’m stupid?”

Rupert’s eyes widened like rabbit eyes at the threatening atmosphere. He said after looking at the faces of the two women.

“Uh…well, I’ll go for a while. Let’s finish talking.”

Then, leaving only the two of them, he slipped out.

Lilith felt like she had been hit in the head with a hammer.

My hair was getting grayer and I couldn’t speak.

“…”

“Why are you looking for that? Because there’s still more value? Do you need more of him to keep the second seat?”

“You say you know what…”

“Isn’t that what you always do? Tailgating boys, using everything you can use, and throwing it away when you run out of sweets.”

Lilith’s hands on her knees trembled.

“…it’s not like that.”

“What isn’t it? It’s really funny. Out of all the boys you’ve used, have you ever had a serious relationship?”

I knew very well about Lilith. To the extent that I wondered if he had made up his mind to do a background investigation.

Lilith’s focus faded.

“…what do you think you know?”

Cecil said with contempt.

“It’s obvious. What would you do if there was a face distorted by burns behind his mask? If you were an orphan with no family, background, or money? After measuring things, if a better toy comes out, or if you want to be embarrassing to hang out with, you’ll kick it out like a ghost. That’s the so-called Isn’t that what ‘proud aristocrats’ always do?”

“…”

When Lilith did not respond, Cecile left with the last words.

“I hate guys like you.”

Lilith was left alone in the special seat. She gazed into space with lifeless eyes. I thought it would be the best day, but it turned out to be the worst.

He took out a bloodstained handkerchief from his pocket. It had wiped the man’s wounds from the entrance exam. It’s a handkerchief that I cherished, but I didn’t wash it.

She looked at the handkerchief helplessly.

Everything Cecile said was correct. I used my appearance to seduce men, used them, and abandoned them when they crossed the line and approached me.

So the words ‘this time it’s different’ didn’t have any persuasiveness, and Lilith’s sincerity had no weight.

So I couldn’t say anything.

In fact, I never seriously considered it. what’s behind the mask what identity do you have? What coat will you be wearing? The feelings that arose for Lilith did not stem from snobbish calculations.

It just came to my mind.

He remembered the time he saved him from Plantera, he remembered the time he cleaned his wounds, he remembered the time he was camping together, and he just remembered the time he held the candy tightly in his hand while he was pretending to sleep.

I kept thinking about it when I was eating, taking a bath, or lying in bed. So I wanted to see you again. that was her sincerity.

Tears fell from Lilith’s eyes.