Chapter 47

How could that man possibly be in the Verka Academy library? Did he have an accomplice within the academy?

Many questions floated through her mind, but that wasn’t the priority right now. She had to escape from this man’s grasp. If she could call Felix and Cedric immediately, they would be able to capture him.

So for now…

“Don’t even think about trying anything foolish.”

The man tightened his grip on the sword. The blade pressed deeper than it had before.

“You’ll have to lose your friends and quietly escort me out. Then I’ll spare your life.”

It was a lie. This man had no intention of letting her live after she had seen his face.

The only reason the children had been unharmed after seeing him was that they mistook him for a ghost.

But she was different. She had seen the man’s face and knew he was the wanted criminal, Anguis.

Moreover, the man likely knew that after helping him, she would tell others about him.

The easiest course of action for him would be to kill her outside the academy.

‘Stay calm.’

Hadn’t I already learned self-defense for situations like this?

She recalled the weak points Cedric had taught her. When caught like this, the easiest target to attack was the solar plexus.

However, the man’s body pressed against her back was solid.

Felix was right. Acting recklessly in this situation would only provoke the opponent.

If only she had the dagger Felix had given her, she could have infused it with mana and tried something!

‘Wait a second…’

She remembered something Felix had said.

– Gather mana into the dagger, or any object nearby. If there’s nothing, even your hand will do. 

He hadn’t limited her to using a dagger. 

In that case!

She infused mana into the thick book she was holding. As the book began to glow yellow, the man reacted.

“What the hell are you doing…!”

But she was faster. She twisted to the side where his sword wasn’t and struck his head with the book.

Thud! With a dull sound, the man staggered. The sword that had been looming over her neck moved away.

This time, she gathered mana into her fist and struck the man’s solar plexus with all her strength.

“Ugh!”

The man let out a groan of pain and collapsed to the ground. She worried for a moment that she might have gone too far, but fortunately, he was merely unconscious.

‘This is no time to relax.’

Clutching her bleeding neck, she ran up the stairs.

“Felix! Feeelix!”

At that moment, Cedric didn’t even cross her mind. She called out to Felix as if he were her only savior.

“What’s going on?”

Soon, he came running. Despite what had happened earlier, which might have made him indifferent, he sprinted toward her at full speed, just as before.

Seeing him run so hard that his hair was disheveled, she felt relieved, and her legs gave out beneath her.

“Elena, what happened to your neck…?”

She collapsed to the floor and whimpered.

“Anguis…”

“What?”

“That Anguis man appeared. The ghost from the rumors was him!”

Felix’s face turned pale.

“Are you okay? Where is that bastard?”

She pointed in the direction she had come from.

“He’s unconscious over there. Go tie him up quickly, just in case!”

Felix glanced at her neck for a moment before dashing off in the direction of Anguis.

“Elena, what happened? Did something else happen again?”

Cedric arrived belatedly, running at a slower pace than Felix. His voice was calm.

He must have thought she had been tricked by another prank from the club members.

However, his calm demeanor changed the moment he saw the wound on her neck.

“My God, Elena. What happened to your neck?”

He carefully took out a handkerchief and tended to her wound. She snatched the handkerchief from him and barked a command.

“Cedric, go get the professors.”

“What?”

“It’s an emergency. Anguis appeared.”

As soon as Cedric heard her words, he ran out of the library. Moments later, the professors, alerted by the news, arrived and took Anguis, whom Felix had tied up, into custody.

‘It’s over.’

Still sitting on the floor, she let out a sigh of relief. At that moment, something was draped over her shoulders. She looked closely and realized it was Felix’s cape.

“Let me see your wound.”

“I’m fine. I’ll go to the infirmary.”

Unlike last time, there were plenty of people here who could treat her. Felix didn’t need to do it himself.

Even so, he stubbornly moved her handkerchief aside and examined her wound.

“It hurts, doesn’t it? When will you even get to the infirmary?”

His ice-cold fingers, reminiscent of Saint Esna’s Festival Day, touched her neck. She instinctively shrank back like a turtle.

For a brief moment, her neck stung, but the pain soon disappeared. Felix’s magic was flawless. She hated to admit it, but she could vouch for its effectiveness.

Her wound was completely healed without even a scar. Yet Felix persistently touched her neck, checking the spot where the wound had been.

The distance between them felt excessively close.

She coughed awkwardly and noticed the book in her hand. A laugh escaped her. Even in that dire situation, she had managed to hold onto the book.

She felt proud of herself for escaping unharmed from such a dangerous situation.

She was no longer the weak Elena Bellote from a few months ago.

When she chuckled, Felix asked, 

“What’s so funny?”

“I worked really hard, you know. I practiced swordsmanship and mana control techniques, just like you taught me.”

She proudly showed him the book.

“I infused mana into this book and hit Anguis on the head with it. It’s so thick that it would hurt even without mana, so the impact must have been significant.”

“…”

“Thanks, Felix. It’s all thanks to you.”

Ah, there it was again. 

Felix looked down at her with an expression so enigmatic that even she, his longtime friend, couldn’t decipher it.

At that moment, she wished she could read his thoughts.

Why was Felix looking at me with that expression? What did it mean? 

She was curious.

But she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

Felix suddenly chuckled. It wasn’t a mocking laugh. Rather, it was a pleasant smile.

He raised his large hand and tousled her already messy hair even further.

“Well done. That’s what makes teaching you worthwhile.”

It was just a simple compliment.

Something that could easily be said between friends.

But because it was Felix, because it was a compliment from Felix, it felt different.

She lowered her head. For some reason, she felt too shy to look at him.

Felix, realizing his actions belatedly, quickly withdrew his hand.

An awkward silence lingered between them. It was broken by Thomas and Oliver.

“Elenaaaa! We heard the news!”

“Senior! Are you okay?”

The two approached, panting heavily as if they had run to get there. Ah, correction. Oliver seemed fine, but Thomas looked like he might collapse from exhaustion.

Seeing the two of them, who looked as if they were about to cry, she held up the book to stop herself from tearing up.

“I found the book! We don’t have to dive in anymore!”

“Senior! Is that the issue right now?”

“No, Oliver. That’s important too. If you dive in this weather, you’ll wake up with a crooked mouth.”

“Ugh, Thomas, stop cursing me!”

She burst into laughter at the sight of the two bickering. Felix, sitting beside her, also smiled faintly.

And so, the ghost commotion that had heated up the new semester finally came to an end.

***

Elena and Felix had to go back and forth between the department head’s office and the security team for some time due to the investigation. After diligently recounting the events of that night, they were informed of the progress in the investigation.

However, the news was not good.

“They couldn’t find the mastermind?”

The department head nodded with a somber expression.

“That’s correct.”

As mentioned before, Verka Academy was a place with strict security, where no one could enter without authorization.

How could someone like Anguis, of all people, have gotten in? The answer was simple: there was an accomplice inside the academy.

The prime suspect was Professor Owen from the Swordsmanship Department. He had reportedly worked under the second prince during his time in the Royal Knight Order.

It was said that he transferred to the academy to avoid the fallout when the second prince was executed.

He seemed like the most plausible suspect.

But while there was circumstantial evidence, there was no concrete proof.

Moreover, Anguis had reportedly taken his own life in prison this time. So, they could no longer learn who his accomplice was.

“If there is an accomplice, they might hold a grudge against you two and try to harm you. So be careful.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

“Of course, the academy will also do its best to ensure your safety.”

With that, Elena and Felix left the department head’s office without much to show for their efforts.

“This is so frustrating.”

They had caught the man, but they couldn’t catch the mastermind. It felt like they had almost completed a puzzle, only to lose the final piece. It was a feeling of wasted effort mixed with unease.

“It’ll be okay.”

Felix reassured her.

“No matter what happens, just remember what I taught you.”

“Okay.”

They exited the main building and headed to their respective dormitories.

Thus, the chaotic freshman welcome party came to an end.

Although it seemed forgotten amidst the commotion, Elena later heard that those who failed their tasks ended up falling into the lake.

She was glad she had held onto the book until the end.

She avoided the plunge and caught Anguis too.

In any case, it was a happy ending.