Elize Kingsley's impression of Adrian Merrick could be summed up in one word:
Weird.
Completely elusive, like a shadow just out of reach.
He didn't behave like anyone she'd met before. More layers of him revealed only more questions, like peeling an onion that made her eyes water in confusion rather than pain.
'…Is he angry?'
At this freshman welcome party, he hadn't spoken a single word of his own accord.
He accepted her partner request without complaint, so she assumed they could walk and talk today. Yet he remained silent. At best, she got an 'En' or an 'OK.'
Normally, that might make her feel out of place, but she didn't realize there was an option actively limiting her perception.
'…How am I supposed to deal with an angry man?'
Fortunately—or unfortunately—Adrian had the social instincts of a trained ape when it came to dealing with the opposite sex.
Work? She could steel herself and manage. Friends? Equal footing? Her brain lagged behind like a broken carriage.
Even if Adrian was truly angry, she couldn't do much about it. After all, hadn't she tried to beat him up the first time they met?
It was a little strange to be worrying about his anger now, but the possibility couldn't be ignored.
'…But if I push a little deeper, I might get information about Duke Caldwell…'
With that thought in mind, she wandered—unaware of the time—until they reached the basement of Berkeley Hall.
It was deserted. The corridors were empty, the silence heavy.
"Uwa…"
Elize frowned as her gaze fell on the cages scattered around.
Inside were live monsters. Clearly brought to the academy as research subjects.
'A medium-sized monster… Oh my gosh.'
Even a single medium-sized monster would require a squad of knights to handle. Not something you simply keep in a student-filled academy.
"The faculty are seriously irresponsible. Even for someone special like me, this isn't acceptable…"
She clicked her tongue and moved closer to a cage, bowing her head slightly.
Perhaps that's when it happened.
The sight of the caged monsters—creatures her brain had studied and fought countless times—tripped some internal calculation, processing instantly without her realizing.
This.
Exploded. Within seconds.
"Sir, you have to—!"
Before she could finish, a wave of heat slammed into her eyes.
Flames—pure white, blinding, and aggressively cheerful—rushed toward her like they had a vendetta.
Normally, Elize could have danced around something like this. Quick feet, sharp reflexes—she had it down.
But these flames… something deep inside her memory screamed.
-Elize, hide here, here! Never come out!
-Damned devil followers, this way! Try killing me, you fcking bi†ches!*
Explosions. Screams. Stomping boots. The smell of burning wood mixed with something vaguely fishy. A scorched family photo drifting in the smoke. Blades flashing in pools of stagnant blood. Dead bodies everywhere.
"…!"
Before she could blink it away, the flames were practically licking her boots.
'Danger…!'
A split second later, someone barreled into her.
The impact sent her sprawling across the floor in a violent tangle, groaning as she rolled, arms flailing.
"Ah, aya…"
Pain. Glorious, sharp, screaming pain.
And thanks to that pain, her head cleared. She could think again.
Unfortunately—or fortunately—it was because Adrian Merrick was lying on top of her. Messy, chaotic, and exactly as dramatic as one would expect.
"…"
His back was a patchwork of nasty burns, one arm hanging uselessly, shrapnel wounds all over. He looked like a human pincushion who had tried to protect her. And judging by the amount of blood… he could die if someone didn't patch him up immediately.
"Si, sir… hold, hold on! Why… why did you do that?" Her voice trembled, half fear, half "what the hell, you insane man?"
Why on earth would he do this?
Wasn't he just sulking and acting like he hated her a moment ago?
And didn't he explicitly like Princess Lirielle?
No logic, no reason, and yet here he was, risking his life for her—his pseudo-enemy.
"…"
Adrian lifted his head slowly, groaning like a broken machine, and looked at her.
Normally, a clone without options exists only to draw attention and take hits. That's the basic programming of point-shop clones.
But this one… this one had the 'Cold Gentleman' option. And apparently, "take the hit and shut up" wasn't cool enough.
Instead, he said, with that infuriating calm:
"Because that's what I have to do."
"…"
Elize's jaw literally unhinged in shock. She had no words. None.
Meanwhile, Adrian Merrick, human pincushion extraordinaire, was sprawled across the floor like a starfish, smiling contentedly—as if saving her life was just another Tuesday.
He must have thought to himself just how cool and gentlemanly that "saving her" exit had been.
-!
-!!
Her expression froze as a series of far less gentlemanly screams pierced the air.
The cages had been destroyed in the explosion. The monsters inside were now loose—and extremely angry.
"…I don't even know what that means."
Elize muttered to herself as she slowly rose to her feet.
Checking herself quickly, she noted several swollen joints—likely to slow her down. No weapon in hand. At best, she could grab a piece of rebar from the debris around her.
But this wasn't a mock battle or sparring. These were real monsters. And not just one or two… six of them.
Even a single small monster could tear apart a group of adult men without breaking a sweat. Six? This was enough to make even a seasoned knight think twice.
"…"
She could almost hear Marquis Kendride scolding her in her mind, teaching her combat skills only to see her hesitate now.
But logic intervened. Avoiding a fight you can't win isn't cowardice—it's survival. There is no shame in retreat. That lesson had been drilled into her since day one.
However…
"Ha."
Her gaze snapped back to the man lying on the floor.
Adrian Merrick. Calm. Casual. Smiling like this was all perfectly normal.
And just like that, her sense of frustration and disbelief sharpened into something dangerously focused.
Does he have some obsessive-compulsive disorder that compels him to dive headfirst whenever someone's in danger?
Not even funny as a joke.
Elize yanked a potion from her belt.
A high-quality potion, personally given by Marquis Kendride for emergencies. So precious that receiving even one per year was a luxury. Normally, it was best saved for herself.
"…"
But without hesitation, she splashed it onto Adrian Merrick.
"Isn't it the hero's job to save people?" she muttered.
So. She couldn't just let him die here.
"Eueum…"
Injured body. Six monsters.
"This is nothing."
Especially when it came to protecting someone. For her, that was the unshakable truth.
●
[System Message]
[ Main Quest Renewed! ]
[ Main Quest: Monster trouble! Keep the situation under control! ]
[ Warning: Heavy penalties for excessive casualties! ]
[ Reward: Exclusive Equipment Materials ]
…Why not just kill me then?
Unleash a horde of monsters in a crowd of rookie freshmen, and now you want me to keep the casualty count low? Really?
"Wait, where are you going!?"
"I need to do something! Lirielle, inform the priests!"
I shouted back at Lirielle, who was panicking as I dashed forward.
"We need to protect the students!"
Priority was clear. While Lirielle brought the priests to treat the injured and minimize casualties, the first step was to stop more people from getting hurt. That meant reducing the number of monsters before they escaped the basement.
With that thought, I sprinted into the basement—and froze.
"…Uh."
Elize was in the middle of the fight. Monsters swarmed her, her movements precise and controlled, yet surrounded by chaos. On the floor lay my clone, sprawled but intact.
Five of the six monsters had already fallen, leaving only one requiring the finishing blow.
"…"
And somehow, I had to make sure it didn't get up again.
These weren't artificial monsters in a mock battle. Five real, vicious monsters—and she'd taken them all down with just a piece of rebar?
Is she even human?
Well… in the first place, Elize wasn't the type to jump into fights without reason. Before awakening as a full-fledged hero, she was always calculated, cautious, and precise.
If she was fighting like this already, it could only mean one thing: there was someone she truly wanted to protect.
"…"
But wait—wasn't it just my clone here?
And why did an ominous feeling crawl up my spine?
'…Ahh, I don't even know!'
I quickly retrieved the clone before she noticed there were now two of the same person standing there.
Meanwhile, Elize delivered the final, precise blow to the last monster. She exhaled sharply, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Whew…"
With the clone safely retrieved, our eyes met. I remained seated idly, observing.
"…!"
Elize's expression suddenly brightened. Exhausted, barely able to lift an arm, yet her smile was proud, triumphant even.
"…That's a relief."
[ Favorability Level of Target 'Elize Kingsley' has changed! ]
[ Favorability Level upgraded from 'Curiosity' to 'Interest'! ]
[ Redeemable rewards added! ]
[ Chances of awakening second gift increased! ]
[ Important character detected. Main scenario updated! ]