Chapter 12
“Lucille, there is something I need to tell you. That boy’s name is Joshua. He is one of the Academy’s problem children. He is lazy and shameless, and he only cares about himself. Maybe because of that irresponsible attitude, there is a rumor that he still has not managed to get past Novice.”
Lucille recalled what her colleague had told her.
Every single thing had been something that chipped away at the boy’s worth.
Information like that should only have been used as a rough reference when judging someone.
Basing your view of a person on what others say is a narrow way of looking at the world, is it not.
‘I have seen this boy before.’
However, when that information was laid on top of what she already knew, she had to stop and think.
She groped for the memories buried at the bottom of her mind.
Her head grew murky, as if mud had been stirred up under water.
Slowly, the silt settled.
Once the haze cleared, she could see what her past self had been doing.
That day, she had been walking across the Academy courtyard.
Patrolling the fief was one of the knight order’s duties as well.
She always ran into Joshua in the same place.
‘He was slacking off. He was neglecting his duties as a student.’
For someone like her, who valued diligence, that was unforgivable.
So, she had turned her back on Joshua.
When she had met him at the front gate this time, he had been different, but she decided it had to be some kind of trick.
‘His current attitude has to be something he is putting on. Inside, he has to be the same boy I remember. Besides, Tania is here. She is the one who protected everyone.’
Her younger sister Tania was here as well.
As her elder sister, Lucille took pride in Tania’s excellent looks and outstanding magical talent.
She was sure that even if Tania had been in danger, she would have stood firm and acted with grit.
But the truth was different.
When she heard it from her sister’s own mouth, the shock was beyond anything she had expected.
“...So you are telling me that boy is the one leading you and the others, and that he played the biggest part in hunting down the dormitory monsters?”
“I told you that already. Sis, were you not listening properly?”
Lucille suddenly felt the forgotten weight of exhaustion settle over her body.
The sister she had believed to be the leader had in fact been trapped on the third floor, unable to move, and it had been Joshua who saved her.
Then he had come down to the first floor, gathered the survivors, and even fought the monsters that were trying to force their way down.
It was an incredible achievement.
That was not something a student could easily accomplish. It was a task that would be difficult even for a fully grown adult.
‘Tania isn’t the type to exaggerate or brag.’
As her sister, Lucille knew very well how honest the girl was.
It had to be true.
A chill ran down Lucille’s spine.
People were creatures who changed in one way or another in times of crisis.
It was not impossible for dormant talent to awaken, or for a rotten personality to improve.
However, she felt that this boy had gone far beyond that level.
‘Does this even make sense?’
Once her distrust faded, what filled the void was a mix of awe and fear.
“He is a strange kid, I will give him that.”
Austin suddenly spoke up.
“Do you remember the survivors we ran into? Every one of them fawned over us and showered us with flattery. They are the very same people who would not even glance our way when things were peaceful. Otherwise, they were afraid. They worried we would take whatever they had. But I did not see any of those feelings in that boy’s eyes.”
Even standing face to face with the knight order, the boy had remained calm.
That had not changed even now, as he sat stiffly at the end of the table.
He was reading a book by the faint light of a lantern.
The book was so thick that just looking at it made you tired.
“Does he just have very good self control? If it were me, I would be complaining about how unfair it all is. I cannot stand the idea of having what I have accomplished taken away from me. Especially at that age, that sense of injustice is even stronger.”
“Are you blaming me now?”
Lucille frowned.
“I am just stating the facts. We saw right away that the kid had guts, but we tried to drag his past out and use it to bury him. And you lost your cool because you were biased toward your little sister. Ah, don't worry, this is not your fault young miss, so relax.”
Austin gave Tania a little wave that said it was all right as he glanced in her direction.
A faint smile fluttered across Tania’s lips.
“Senior is clever. He knows that if he waits, a chance will come to him.”
“Oh, the prodigy everyone talks about rates him that highly?”
“Yes, and I still think you are both underestimating him.”
When she had explained the situation earlier, Tania had left out a few things.
She had not mentioned that he used light magic.
Nor had she said that he had single handedly unraveled the triple layered spell formula on the lower floor.
Joshua had asked her directly to keep quiet about those things, and he had given off a clear sense that he wanted those abilities to come to light later.
“Looks like your little sister has fallen head over heels huh?”
“Don’t joke about something like that! Tania, you are not getting any weird ideas, are you?”
“What? No, I just…”
“His family, the Pallarions, are ruined nobles who lost their fief. On top of that, his rank is Novice. There is no way our house, Rainwood, can ever be joined with them.”
Lucille spoke in a heated voice, as if she were drilling the words into her sister.
Even among nobles, a strict hierarchy existed.
Lucille believed that even with the world in ruins, a family’s influence still mattered.
“In the end, once this is over, the only thing that remains is power.”
“…Sis.”
Austin shook his head and poured himself some water.
He drank, then stole a glance at Joshua.
The boy’s expression did not waver.
He really did look like a doll propped up on a chair.
The two ends of the dining table were quite far apart, but not so far that sound could not carry.
“Hey, if you don’t mind, why not come sit over here with us? It is too dark over there.”
Joshua turned his head.
He closed the book he had been reading and slowly walked toward them.
Even then, he did not lose his composure.
* * *
When I walked over to the other side, Lucille shot me a cold look.
Then she grabbed her sister Tania by the wrist and went outside.
I let it roll off me.
She was one of the hurdles I knew I would face once we joined up with the knight order.
There was no need to rush to mend that relationship right away.
There would be chances later.
For now, I felt it was more important to build a relationship with the man in front of me.
‘These people are not saviors. They are just fellow survivors. And survivors can cross any line if they have to.’
In desperate situations, a knight’s title is nothing more than a shell.
Out of all the knights I had encountered in the game, only a handful put honor ahead of their own lives.
I studied Austin.
His thick, solid frame gave the impression that he was quite strong.
His thighs were as thick as logs, and his forearms looked nearly twice the size of mine.
‘When he drew his sword and came through the front gate, my knees almost gave out.’
I shook my head and brushed the thought away.
Right now, my task was to find out what kind of man he really was.
“You are very composed. Fifth years are, what, eighteen? Every student I have seen either bawled their eyes out or begged us to spare them. I know people are different, but when I see that, I just feel disgusted at first. People only call on knighthood when it suits them.”
Austin complained about his lot.
Knights of this era, too, received fiefs from nobles or kings and passed them on to their descendants.
The problem was that this was the Royal Academy.
Most of the students here were nobles’ children, and even royalty studied here.
For them, the title of knight alone was not enough to wield much influence.
Even so, there was one reason the knights stayed.
The Academy served as a stage where the giants of high society were active, and there was no better place to get yourself noticed by them.
If things had come this far, the smart choice would have been to give up, but most of them probably could not let go of their lingering regrets.
A disaster like this was the perfect chance to prove your worth.
Help given at the edge of life and death stuck in people’s memories longer.
Emotions grew more intense.
The knights were waiting for that opening, and Austin had probably been one of those people at first.
Now, however, he seemed to be drowning in disillusionment.
When he talked about the students, his eyes were sharp and merciless.
“That is a relief. Since you are not looking at me with disgust, I guess I am one of the exceptions.”
“What was that? Haha! Yes, you are different.”
He had no way of knowing that behind this pretty face was a mind that had lived longer than his.
“Do you think the same way Lady Lucille does?”
“Lucille and I see eye to eye on a lot of things. Which part are you asking about?”
“If I had to pick one, I would say the belief that nobles are superior.”
“You are a noble yourself, are you not?”
“I don’t want to insult my own house, but the Pallarions are already on their way to ruin. It will not be easy to turn that around, and as the heir, I have no intention of rebuilding it.”
Austin raised his eyebrows, surprised.
Most people in this world held strong convictions about their family name.
I had just said something completely at odds with that belief.
“The more I look at you, the stranger you get. I cannot get a read on you. Still… maybe that different way of thinking is the reason you have managed to survive this long.”
“Thank you. But you still have not answered my question.”
“Ah, right, you did ask something. If you want my opinion… I am that way too. I believe nobles are better than commoners. But I will not say there are no exceptional commoners.”
I was testing Austin.
I could not let myself be swayed by his easygoing manner.
In the game, the Austin I had known had been a man who was hard to trust.
“I know it is rude to ask, but by your standards, where do you put me?”
“I do not know much about you. All I have are second hand stories. If I judge by first impressions alone, I am surprised, sure. Oh, I get why you want my opinion. You want to come with us huh? You sly little thing.”
Austin chuckled.
I had to read the thoughts hiding behind that laugh.
They had not formed the search party to save lives.
Their original goals had been to check how power was divided inside the Academy and to scout out food supplies.
Depending on the situation, they might abandon us and leave.
The Order of the Stars belonged to the more moderate faction, but internal politics shifted constantly.
So what was it like now?
It was possible that the Line Tower had already reached the limit of how many people it could house.
If that was the case, Tania would probably be safe, but there was no guarantee for me and the two boys.
“Are you going to take us with you? I get the feeling you might leave us behind.”
Austin did not answer right away.
He hesitated.
The atmosphere turned awkward, as if the conversation we had just had had been nothing but a dream.
[Cool] smothered every flicker of anxiety that tried to rise in my chest.
Thanks to that, I did not shake.
Neither of us looked away. Those few seconds felt so long they could have been hours.
Is he planning to kill me?
There were only about three days of food left in this dorm.
I weighed whether that was enough of a reason to kill someone.
By Kang Minhyeok’s standards, it was not. But this world played by different rules.
In the game, I had seen people spill blood for far less.
I do not need to move first. However,
I placed my hand on the book in front of me.
I was confident I could cast a spell faster than he could draw his sword and swing.
Even so, my chances of winning were low.
[Steady Nerves] egged me on, telling me I should at least tear off an arm or something.
Easy for it to say…
“I don’t know yet.”
Austin did not smile.
I could tell that this answer had come after serious thought.
“Don’t worry too much though. At least today, nothing is going to happen. You are my comrade’s sister’s savior, after all. A knight does not abandon his honor lightly. Everybody knows that.”
I know.
And I also know that while it is hard to throw away your honor the first time, once you do it, the next time is much easier.
As soon as he finished speaking, he stood up and walked out of the cafeteria.
I let out a sigh.
It really is a broken, unbalanced game. The zombies keep getting stronger, and people get harder and harder to read.