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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Falling Deeply
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First, I check the objective.
I rack my brain while staring at the beast in front of me, drooling yellowish saliva and heaving ragged breaths.
'Killing it is off-limits.'
With that in mind, I wave my hand at Elnor, who's drawn her sword from afar and looks ready to charge in, signaling her not to come closer.
No, that woman's way too strong. If she came here, a beast of this level would be done in a few minutes.
'But...'
I can't get confused.
The main quest's primary goal isn't 'Kill the beast'—it's 'Minimize casualties.'
Beasts of mid-tier rank come with basic combat prowess plus one or two special abilities as standard.
If it has options like 'acidic blood' or 'rapid decay on death,' even winning could cause deaths nearby.
It's better to leave direct subjugation to the regular knight order, who deploy prepared for such scenarios.
And in this case, it's actually more advantageous not to kill this one.
Because this just popped up in front of me.
[System Message]
[ !Emergency Mission! ]
[ Current casualties: 0. An impressive feat! ]
[ Since no one's died yet, how about sparing the beast too? ]
[ Successfully hand the beast over to the academy's internal knight order! ]
[ On successful completion, the main quest reward 'exclusive equipment material' will be upgraded! ]
"..."
Cancer cells are alive too, so we have to protect them, huh.
But the reward on the line is undeniably tempting.
Exclusive equipment's performance is more than half determined by the materials used in crafting—it sets the upper limit of growth.
'Alright then.'
Guess I'll just hold out.
With that thought, I smirk at the beast as it menacingly raises its front paw.
Each strike would shatter bones if it connected.
But as proven in the mock dungeon before, reading a 'beast's' attack patterns is like reading a book to someone like me who's sunk countless hours into the game.
Not fighting—just holding up a sturdy shield and enduring?
'Could do it blindfolded.'
So from here, it's just 'repetitive work.'
Not combat.
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The Tristan Ducal House is undoubtedly one of the empire's premier noble families, alongside it since the empire's founding. Just the title alone is enough to intimidate most people.
But put another way, its long history means it has as many enemies as it has allies.
Even without Kendrid Margrave, the one who's matched them most evenly, plenty of people wish for the ducal house's downfall—they're everywhere.
And the priest Dawood had brought at his request was one particularly venomous figure among them.
"Didn't you say you left the holy relic behind? Didn't you hear me?"
Elnor fought the urge to smash her fist into the middle-aged man's sneering nose and calmly spoke again.
"...I sincerely regret what happened to Riverback Marquis. The Tristan Ducal House will take appropriate measures—"
"What on earth are you talking about? I have no idea."
Her eyes flashed at the mocking response, which left no room for negotiation.
The professors pushing hardest to import live beasts for research materials were all from the Tristan Ducal House faction.
The bigger the casualties from this incident, the wider the scope for assigning blame.
And this damned priest was a key figure under Riverback Marquis, a staunch anti-Tristan faction member.
'That trash...!'
In other words, despite wearing priestly robes, he was calmly suggesting sacrificing lives for political pressure.
Rage boiled in her head just listening to him.
-...
Elnor bit her lip and clutched her chest.
Her heart raced. Again.
Whenever negative emotions surged, that insidious energy welled up from within—the product of her family's collective mania.
'...Suppress it.'
So she cooled her mind and regained reason.
A training repeated her whole life.
Follow the rules. Clothe yourself in justice. Be perfect always. Never succumb to dark impulses.
Principles learned from a truly loathsome man, but they helped when this energy tried to surface.
Thanks to it, her next words remained as cold as before.
Laced with icy fury, though.
"You'd drag politics into this even now? This is an emergency—lives are at stake!"
"Hah, this is why the Tristan Ducal House..."
"Then give it to me."
Elnor's eyes widened at the voice cutting off the priest's snide remark.
It was Dawood Campbell.
Again, this man.
-...
-...!
Her heart pounded harder. Far worse than the anger from before.
But what enveloped her now wasn't insidious emotion—it was something else.
Blood rushed to her face. Her body felt light, floating. A sensation she'd never felt in her life, forcing her to stay alert.
'Suppress it.'
But the action she needed to take remained the same.
Don't waver. Never yield control to this feeling.
It had worsened lately whenever she saw him, but surrendering to it went against her nature.
Emotions must never overwhelm her.
'...Suppress it. I won't lose.'
So she suppressed it.
Even as she watched Dawood snatch the emergency kit from the priest and dash toward the beast, she locked the feeling deep inside.
Lately, his presence had grown too rapidly in her world—enough to surprise her with her own outbursts at times.
Letting herself be pulled further was dangerous—
"Angelic blessing...! That madman, how does a student even know that?!"
Elnor's gaze snapped toward him as the priest muttered.
Blessing?
Even ordained priests needed long prayers for one—yet a freshman just unleashed it?
'...No.'
By now, it wasn't strange that he could.
He'd shown dozens of talents hidden within him multiple times.
As she dazedly thought that, a panicked voice came from beside her.
"...Using a blessing and still fine? How...?!"
Hearing the priest, Elnor's eyes widened too.
Activating a blessing without a relic should burden body and mind heavily.
Yet he stood unscathed—what trick had he used?
"Wow. How does he even know about that?"
She turned to the new voice, where Eliya was knocking out the priest with a blow to the back of his head.
"..."
"Don't look at me like 'what are you doing.' He seemed like trash, so I hit him."
"Where have you been?"
"Passed out until just now, woke up and came."
Eliya slumped down listlessly after her nonchalant reply.
"It's a trick combat priests often use. They embed a blessing in their body ahead of time and draw it out when needed. Takes at least ten years of study—how'd he know?"
If Dawood heard, he'd panic, insisting he didn't know such cumbersome methods. He just pulled out a pre-stored one.
But in Elnor's mind, a new hypothesis formed.
Ten years studying blessings.
-I want to learn something from the Divinity Faculty.
Studying blessings for so long, even entering the academy to continue.
The field most directly countering the Tristan Ducal House's curse.
-I've always had something I wanted to protect.
Because.
He had something he wanted to protect.
-It's to protect you, so no need to overthink.
And the target was—
-...
-...!!!!!
Her heart throbbed sharply.
Painfully so.
"..."
No, no.
She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her chest hard.
She couldn't let it consume her. She had to push it away.
She knew nothing about him. Not even his true intentions.
'Elnor, get a grip—'
Before she could repeat her resolve, Eliya's voice cut in again.
"You must be thrilled."
"...What?"
"Even embedded blessings have some burden. He's probably pushing his limits right now."
Dawood would panic at that too.
His only pain was mild discomfort from the biosignal on his left arm scratched by the rosary.
But Eliya, unaware, continued flatly.
"He's risking that weird stunt because it could harm you. Even though he could end it quickly."
-...!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now it went beyond throbbing—her heart ached, stabbing.
Elnor bowed her head slightly. Her breath quickened.
"...What are you saying."
"If casualties happen, it'd hurt you too, so he's dragging it out without killing what he doesn't have to. See?"
Elnor barely opened her eyes and looked at Dawood.
There, a one-sided play unworthy of 'battle' unfolded.
Reading every beast attack, dodging, blocking, parrying with minimal movement.
Just like in the mock battle—moves only possible from knowing the opponent completely, down to the smallest details.
"Someone who can do that could've killed it ages ago. Right? No point helping."
True.
But still.
"...No reason to do that."
"Isn't there?"
Eliya smirked.
Elnor bit her lip until it bled, the words stirring memories.
-I kinda like that guy.
But she shook it off.
Instead, she gripped her sword hilt and stepped forward.
"What are you doing?"
"...If everything you say is true, he's putting himself in pain. We need to help now."
That's what she thought.
Until Dawood gestured for her not to approach.
'...Why?'
As she stared blankly, Eliya chuckled.
"Wow, such a romantic. How'd you fall that hard?"
"What do you mean?"
"'You might get hurt, so stay back.'"
Heat surged from her heart.
Not insidious, but shockingly hot.
Like flames poured into her veins.
"...Everything you said could just be speculation."
Eliya gave her an incredulous look.
You see that and still say that?
"For a mid-tier beast, even killing it cleanly is risky. Some explode from mana backlash. He's probably shouldering that burden himself."
"..."
Eliya brushed back her hair and sighed deeply.
"For you."
-...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Her breath caught. Her heart pounded wildly.
'Control... it...'
No.
Don't, Elnor.
She repeated frantically.
-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But the uncontrolled heat.
Spread through her body.
She lost it. Lost control.
Conquered.
'...'
In that moment, she instinctively knew.
From now on, every time she saw him, she'd feel this.
She collapsed to her knees there.
Huddled, arms around her legs, dejected.
"...What are you doing?"
"Shut up and stay quiet. Don't talk to me."
"..."
Eliya stared in disbelief—like, what kind of lunatic?—but Elnor couldn't even look.
A shard of glass from the chaos reflected her face.
An expression she'd never seen, her whole face flushed red.
Unrecognizable, like a stranger.
"..."
Elnor stared silently.
Even as the regular knights finally arrived, footsteps echoing, and clamor erupted everywhere.
She gazed at her reflection, entranced.
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[ Emergency mission completed! ]
[ Main quest reward grade increased! ]
A pleasant message after somehow ending the fight and handing the beast to the regular knights.
But I couldn't smile at it—not with the log beside it.
[ Skill: Fatal Charm activates! ]
[ Villain resists! ]
[ Resistance weakened by 'Pheromone' option! ]
[ Resistance failed! ]
[ Villain cannot control herself! ]
[ Villain falls deeply for you! ]
"..."
Cold sweat poured.
[ Target 'Elnor Erinarije la Tristan's favorability stage changes! ]
[ Favorability upgraded from 'Trust' to 'Adoration'! ]
[ Additional rewards available! ]
[ Important figure. Main scenario will change! ]
[ Second gift unlock imminent! ]
[ Target '???' takes interest in you! ]
"..."
Desperation twice that of facing the mid-tier beast alone.
It spelled out my doom so neatly.
Eliya after, now her—main scenario changes. Second gift unlocking soon, whatever that is.
Plus some mystery target interested in me.
'I'm screwed...!'
No other thought fit.
Misreading my expression, one knight approached with a water bottle.
"Good work. You look beat."
One of the knights dispatched for this beast suppression.
'...Monsters.'
Three of them cleanly took down a mid-tier beast in seconds—terrifying.
A perfect show of why regular knights are idolized by students.
"Kid, no praise is enough this time. Without you, casualties could've been huge."
He patted my shoulder, clearly fond.
A regular knight praising a student this much was huge.
"With skills like that, every department's eyeing you. Divinity aspirant?"
"...Yes. As one, I have a request."
I point to one side.
Where the hero and final boss were vehemently insisting on decapitating the priest who'd refused the blessing earlier.
"Could you rein them in? He'll really kill him if left alone."
"...Well, he kinda deserves it. Talented kids have good hearts too, huh?"
No. Not such pure intent.
If I'm right, that priest has his uses.
Er.
Uses so bad he might prefer death.
"Oh, almost forgot. Take this."
The knight handed me a letter.
"Dunno why, but they said open it alone."
He vanished to handle cleanup, and I sighed.
Another letter?
As I mulled, another window appeared.
[ Main Quest Completed! ]
[ Proceed to designated location for reward! ]
[ Location: Atalante Swansong's office ]
Atalante Swansong—I know the name.
Current Elpante Imperial Academy headmaster.
Rumored immortal over a millennium old. Key influencer in the main scenario.
"...?"
Wait.
Headmaster?
Eyes wide, I tore open the letter.
Reading it confirmed: definitely from Atalante.
An 'invitation,' really.
She wants a private meeting now.
"..."
What.
What the hell?
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