Cael turned around angrily, with his eyes full of fury.
'WHO THE F*CK IS TH—'
But the moment he saw the person in front of him…
He froze.
A woman.
Not old.
Not young like a kid.
She was seemingly in her early twenties and possessed soft features and an attractive face; the same female that the man rescued earlier now looked like an entirely different person.
And the worst part?
She was smiling.
Smiling as if she knew him well.
Cael blinked once.
Then twice.
"…You"
The woman cocked her head, her smile growing larger.
"Hehe~ my prince finally woke up."
Cael could feel his entire body locking in place.
His face immediately turned red.
"What prince?? Stop saying weird things!" he yelled.
The woman chuckled softly and approached him.
Her steps were light, as if she was not scared of anything in this world.
Cael's eyes narrowed.
He was not a fool.
A normal woman who almost got killed by bandits like these shouldn't be behaving like this—this calm and playful demeanor.
He could feel it.
Something was different about her.
"Who are you?" asked Cael. "And why have you come here?"
The woman proudly placed her hand on her chest, as though giving her own introduction.
"Name? You can call me Lyria."
Cael scowled at
He tried to remember.
Not from any major character.
Not from any side, NPC either.
But he didn't recall this name from the game.
Cael's eyes narrowed.
"Then tell me, Lyria," he said. "Why did you hit my head?"
Innocently, Lyria blinked
"I didn't hit you," she replied. "I just… greeted you."
Cael's eyebrow twitched
"That was not a greeting. That was assault."
Lyria laughed once again. She didn't even take him seriously.
"Come on, don't be mad. If I didn't come for you that day, you would have died."
Cael's expression went blank for an instant.
"…You came for me?"
Lyria nodded.
"Yes. When we escaped, I ran directly to the guards."
"And told them that there was a boy who had remained behind so that we could live."
"And because you're going to be an academy student soon, they brought an instructor too."
The eyes of Cael widened
"…Wait"
He gazed at her.
"How did you know I'm going to join the academy?"
At that instant itself, after he asked that question, the air around her had changed a little.
Her smile did not disappear, but its expression was more. controlled.
As if she knew she talked too much.
Lyria rubbed gently on her cheek.
"Ah. well..."
Cael's eyes were narrowing even further.
"Tell me the truth."
Lyria let out a sigh before waving her hand as if it were nothing.
"Fine, fine"
"I overheard you."
Cael blinked. "Overheard me"
"Yes," she said. "When we were traveling together. You were talking about the academy and the entrance day."
Cael said nothing.
He attempts to recall. But the memory is jumbled from the battle and blood loss.
"He couldn't confirm it."
And yet… something didn't feel right.
Cael muttered quietly,
"Overheard,"
Then he suddenly looked at her again and said,
"And why did you call me my prince?"
Lyria smiled.
"Because you saved me," she said. "Like a prince in stories."
Cael's face got even redder.
"T-That's…"
He wanted to argue, but couldn't.
He said, "Stop it. It's embarrassing," and shook his head.
Lyria laughed and said.
"Okay, okay, I will stop… for now."
Cael felt his mind getting tired again.
Then his expression became serious again.
"By the way," he asked, "what happened to your timid self?"
Lyria blinked.
"…Umm… can I not tell you about that right now?" she asked softly. "Maybe in the future. It's… related to a secret of mine."
Cael froze.
He wanted to shout—risked his life screaming to save her.
But he did not verbalize this.
Because he knew…
If she wasn't telling him, then so be it.
Then Cael's thoughts returned to the cave.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure there is something there.
But I don't recall what it was.
His heart beat faster.
Before he could think further,
A familiar cold voice spoke behind him.
"Cael"
Cael turned around.
Instructor Crispin was standing there with a serious look on his face.
"Stop walking around too much," he said. "Your body hasn't fully recovered."
Cael rubbed the back of his head and replied,
"Yes, instructor."
Crispin looked at Lyria, raising an eyebrow.
"…And who is she?"
She smiled politely and bowed slightly.
"I'm just someone he saved," she replied.
Crispin didn't look very impressed
He simply looked at Cael and said,
"You really can't stop bringing trouble to yourself."
Cael mumbled, "It wasn't on purpose…"
"You are right. Listen. The entrance exam preparation is starting soon. And you're also being watched."
Cael opened wide eyes.
"…Watched?"
"Shh," Crispin whispered
"That mana pulse we felt in the forest."
"The Mage Association is going crazy because of it."
"They're searching the area like mad dogs."
Cold sweat trickled down Cael's back.
He tried to act normal.
And inside, his stomach twisted.
Mage Association,…
Those people were monsters wearing human skin.
If they believe he has information, they'd rip him apart to get it out of him.
Crispin stared sharply at him.
"If you know something, speak now."
Cael made an effort to appear calm.
"I don't know anything," he replied. "I was unconscious."
Crispin stared for a few seconds.
Then nodded slowly.
"…Fine"
"But be careful."
"If those mages suspect you, they won't care if you're a kid."
Cael swallowing.
"I understand."
Crispin appeared to want to say more, and then he turned around.
"I have to go prepare for the exam."
He walked away.
Leaving Cael standing there, with Lyria by his side.
As she leaned in, she whispered,
"Those mage people are scary, huh?"
Cael gazed at her.
"…You know about them too?"
Again, Lyria smiled.
'I know a lot of things,' she said.
Cael's eyes narrowed.
The woman was, however, not simple.
Not at all!
But before he could ask more—
A flickering blue light appeared before his eyes.
Cael's breath halted.
He attempted to open his status.
--------------------
[System]
Error… Error…
Status: Window Locked.
Reason: Upgrade in Progress
Expected Completion: 10 Days
EXP: 0/400
Skill Points: 15
--------------------
Cael's mouth hung open in shock
"What the—"But before he could finish his sentence, the screen disappeared.
Cael clenched his teeth.
Still locked.
"But I can see EXP and Skill Points now?"
His heart began to beat faster.
So the system is slowly unlocking parts…
He looked up and muttered,
"Fine"
"If I can't see everything."
"Then I'll just become strong enough to force it open."
Cael thought again of looking at the calendar.
January 15th
That meant—
Remaining days: only six.
Six days until the academy entrance day.
Six days before the attack.
He had six days left to live.
Cael's eyes turned cold.
"I can't waste time."
He turned around to leave.
Lyria trailed behind him like a shadow.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
Cael responded seriously,
"To train."
Lyria smiled.
''Hehe~ training is good."
Then she leaned in again and whispered near his ear,
"But don't die, my prince."
Cael winced
And his whole face red again!
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
Lyria laughed and ran up.
Cael watched her back.
Then he sighed deeply.
"This world is really crazy."
But even so.
He can't deny that.
For the first time in both his life… He felt as though he wasn't entirely alone anymore. And that was exactly why… He simply couldn't afford to die.