The plan was relatively simple.
While Aldric distracted Delilah, I would take the chance to sneak into the Academy Mirror Crack.
‘Well, it sounds simple, but executing something like this is extremely difficult. Thankfully, it’s not entirely impossible. But it’ll all depend on him…’
Still, it was incredibly difficult.
How easy could it be to move away from Delilah undetected? I was already glad that she didn’t notice a thing, considering how close we were.
It was a good thing that Noel wasn’t just any regular person.
I massaged my face.
‘He completely changed the structure of my face.’
Though I had my doubts, it clearly worked to perfection, with not even one of the most powerful people in the world noticing.
….I felt that it was a little bit of a pity, but I had a mission to accomplish.
I couldn’t let myself fall for any distractions.
Thinking this far, I scratched the back of my head. But just as I did, I saw a pair of eyes immediately lock in my direction as my entire body stiffened.
Slowly turning my head, our eyes met, and I suddenly felt like my entire body had been submerged into the deepest waters.
I immediately grew alert.
‘Why is she staring at me? Did she notice something? That shouldn’t be possible… or is she now strong enough to detect something like this?’
All sorts of thoughts rambled in my mind at that moment as I struggled to maintain my composure. Her gaze felt suffocating, and I felt like I couldn’t move at all.
However, at the same time, staring at her, I felt nothing.
I had sealed all the pain away, leaving behind nothing but emptiness. This seemed to reflect outwardly as eventually, her eyes drifted away from me and onto ‘Aldric’.
“Who are they…?”
Finally, for the first time, she asked about us.
I slowly turned my attention towards Noel, who looked completely unfazed by her question as he raised his brow.
“They’re my retainers. I need them to accompany me so that no incidents occur.”
“Incidents…? Why would—”
“My son thought the same before he suddenly died. There’s no guarantee that something won’t happen. Even if you’re here. After all… You were there, weren’t you?”
Delilah’s face didn’t change upon hearing the words. However, staring at her, I could feel something about her change.
She eventually closed her eyes and moved forward.
“I understand.”
Delilah didn’t say anything more and just continued ahead.
I traced her back with my eyes, and the locks in my heart started to shake. For some reason, her back… it felt extremely small.
I quietly pursed my lips and let out a breath, calming down the locks on my emotions before focusing them mostly on two specific emotions, leaving the others untouched.
‘Leaving that aside…’
I held onto my arms while staring at Noel.
Thinking about how he had previously referred to me as ‘son’, I started to feel shivers run down my body.
Goosebumps…
I was feeling goosebumps.
‘No, more importantly, I forgot to ask him about how he ended up becoming Aldric. Don’t tell me he actually…’
My stomach twisted as I looked at my hands.
‘…If that’s truly the case, doesn’t it mean that I’ve possessed the body of my own nephew?’
I felt like throwing up.
However, after a little bit of thought, I denied the possibility. I knew Noel well enough to know he wasn’t the type of person to do something like that.
There was more to the story that he didn’t let out.
Or at least, I hoped that was the case.
Looking in Noel’s direction with a complicated look, I could only follow from behind in silence.
There were mainly two reasons why we were currently at the Academy. First, it was to officially recognize ‘Julien’ as dead, and thus have him put off the year list, and secondly, it was to visit Linus.
He was still unaware of the news.
These were the two reasons for our visit on the surface. The real reason was already obvious, and as we made our way into the Academy, Aldric stopped and looked in my direction.
“I think this should be far enough. I’ll go handle the paperwork. You go inform Linus that I’m currently at the Academy. Tell him I’ll be coming to visit him soon.”
“Understood.”
I nodded quietly before glancing briefly in Delilah’s direction. She didn’t even spare me a glance as she looked at Aldric.
Then…
Staring at her one last time, I slowly turned away and headed towards the dorm buildings.
Following me from behind were the other retainers.
In that moment, the locks in my heart shattered, and the pain returned. But even so, I didn’t look back while marching ahead.
‘…I’ll definitely make it up to her. ‘
I promise.
***
At the same time, near the dorms.
“What did you say…?”
The girls were staring at Leon with incredulous, almost worried expressions. Taking a look at his pale face and seeing how bloodshot his eyes were, it was hard to not be worried about him.
This was especially after hearing his words.
“…He… I can…”
Leon tried to help himself up, but struggled to do so. It was only after Evelyn helped him that Leon managed to compose himself.
“Leon, what is up with you?”
She had a worried expression as she looked at him. Not only was he entirely pale, but he also looked quite weak.
When was the last time he had eaten something?
Evelyn was just about to speak again when she suddenly saw Leon raise his head and stare in a certain direction.
Every hair on his body rose as he let go of her and moved forward.
He could feel it now more than ever.
…His instincts told him that ‘he’ was here. Or at least, Leon hoped that’d be the case. However, at the same time, he didn’t hold much hope.
He had witnessed Julien’s death firsthand.
Leon knew that he was dead.
And yet…
For some reason, he still hoped.
He hoped that the sensation he was feeling wasn’t just his imagination. Over the past few days, he had been blaming himself for Julien’s death.
Not because he wasn’t there to help him when it mattered the most.
But because he knew that nothing would’ve changed had he been there.
He… was a failure of a knight.
And that was what hurt him the most. The fact that he failed to do the one job he was supposed to do.
‘And I’ve even managed to make so much progress. Why…? How? How did this happen?’
Even now, he didn’t know who the culprit was. Nobody told him a thing. They all told him the same thing over and over again.
‘Get better.’
‘…There’s no point in you knowing.’
‘That’s not something you can handle.’
The way they looked at him was all the same. They all thought the same thing. That… he was a failure of a knight.
That he was worthless.
And the thing that hurt him the most was the fact that he couldn’t disagree.
He really had failed as a knight.
“Over there…”
With quivering lips, Leon moved towards the door, heading out as the sun bathed his entire body in warmth. Evelyn and the others followed him from behind, their expression worried. However, Leon ignored them.
Right now, he was just following his instincts.
Although they weren’t reliable, they tended to be accurate.
…And soon, his eyes fell on a certain group.
They were headed their way.
Leon’s gaze fell on them, and he recognized them immediately. They were those from the Evenus Household.
Why would they…?
“Wait, looking at the insignia, they must be from the Evenus Household?”
“Why are they here…?”
“I heard that Julien had a brother. Could they be here for him?”
As Leon overheard the conversation behind him, his eyes locked onto a specific person. His gait was calm, and so was his face. However, looking at him, he looked completely different than the Julien he knew.
His face was a lot thinner, and so was his skeletal structure. Thin, circular-framed glasses rested on his nose, adding an almost scholarly air, but his eyes were the real difference.
Sharp and unsettling… it almost felt like nothing could escape his eyes.
Leon felt his entire body shiver at the sight of him.
‘I’ve never seen this person before, and I’ve been in the Evenus Household for very long.’
Could it be…?
“Excuse me.”
Finally arriving before them, those of the Evenus Household came to a stop. They looked at the four cadets in front of them before the man Leon was looking at stepped forward, his gaze directed towards Aoife as he bent over slightly.
“It is an honour to meet you, princess.”
The others followed suit as Aoife raised her hand.
“…There’s no need for that. I’m not a princess in the Academy.”
“If that is your wish.”
The man brought himself up before staring in the direction of the dorms.
“I’ve heard that the second young master is here. Could you perhaps help us find his room?”
“Oh, sure.”
Aoife immediately nodded, looking at Evelyn and Kiera before moving towards the entrance of the door, followed by the two of them.
“Leon…?”
The only one who didn’t enter was Leon, who kept his gaze directed towards the man from the Evenus Household.
The more he stared at him, the more he felt that something about him was off.
But at the same time, he could tell that he wasn’t wearing a disguise or hiding his features with some sort of illusion skill.
Then…?
“Is there something wrong?”
Cocking his head, the man stared at Leon, a half-smile marring his features.
Snapping his head, Leon gradually shook his head.
“No, I… I just don’t recognize you. This is the first time that I’ve seen you. Who might you be?”
“Me?”
The man smiled before shifting his attention to the dorm rooms.
“…If you already know the answer, what’s the point of asking?”
“Eh?”
Leon blinked his eyes, his face changing.
However, before he could say anything further, the man followed the girls into the dorm, his face displaying the same half-hearted smile.
That was all he said, leaving Leon standing stunned.
Eventually, Leon found himself mumbling,
“Is it..?”