Invincible
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#131
🕑 Added 2024-10-26 08:38:06 +0000 UTCSpecial Admission (2)
Asares is destined for destruction.
It's almost a guaranteed conclusion.
While gathering clues to prevent this is the core of the scenario, that's not what's important right now.
The reason I bring up this story is to explain a certain woman.
[Dorosian El Grice]
Long black hair with a tear mole.
A quirky personality with a fox-like face.
The daughter of a duke with the potential of a great sorceress.
A woman who was spoiled with the knowledge of the world's end by her future self.
In fact, that last characteristic is the most important.
She is the other person, besides me, who knows the fate of Asares.
Her personality likely became this way because her future self injected some memories into her, revealing the end of the world.
After learning of the inevitable demise, she likely gave up on life and started living recklessly.
Even with the talent of a great sorceress, she probably couldn't even think of holding onto hope after seeing "that conclusion."
*
Tonight, Mircel is arriving here.
As the time approached, I walked towards the main gate with Selly.
The reason Selly came along was simple.
Since a young master of the family is coming here, it's basic etiquette for her as an attendant to greet him.
"It's been a long time since we've seen the youngest master."
“Indeed. It’s only been a few months, but it feels like much longer.”
With so many incidents occurring constantly, it felt as if a lot of time had passed.
This means that we’ve been leading some very hectic days.
"But, I understand the students gathering, but why are the professors here?"
Selly pointed to the main gate.
A few students and professors in black robes were huddled together, staring blankly down the road beyond the gate.
The snow had finally melted, revealing the dirt road beneath.
They were probably waiting for a carriage to pass by.
“They're probably trying to confirm if Mircel is really coming.”
When I answered indifferently, Selly nodded.
In the meantime, someone passed by my side.
It was Rockefeller, who with an angry face, turned to the professors.
“What are you doing here?”
At his irritated voice, the professors flinched and mumbled.
Unhappy with their response, Rockefeller shouted loudly.
"Get back to work!!"
The professors quickly scattered, fleeing in a hurry.
I shook my head as I watched Rockefeller smiling in satisfaction beside me.
He, too, was here to watch, just like everyone else.
He had no intention of leaving, his feet firmly planted on the ground, his eyes fixed on the gate.
Feeling a bit bored, I decided to tease him a little.
"I wonder if he’ll actually come. He’s such a capricious guy, you know? He might have turned back already.”
Although I was speaking to Selly, Rockefeller widened his eyes and stared at my face.
Ignoring him, I continued making snide remarks.
“Oh, and did you know, Selly? Valiant Academy offered him good terms too. They say they even provide horses there. They also give ample living expenses, so it’s common for graduates to buy farmland on the outskirts after they graduate."
"Wow, really?"
"Of course.”
Some graduates were so diligent in saving money that they bought the estates of fallen nobles right after graduation and started anew.
They probably took out a loan, but with the royal family as guarantors, it wouldn’t have been that difficult.”
Valiant Academy is known for producing the best knights.
Many graduates end up in the royal palace right after graduation, so the benefits are plentiful.
But what about Frostheart?
“It really contrasts with this place. Even becoming a Pathfinder doesn’t gain much recognition. Most people working in the royal palace don’t even know this institution exists. Look at me, for instance. What’s the point of finding relics and beheading infamous criminals? It’s like being a big fish in a small pond—only the people in the know care.”
As I criticized harshly, Rockefeller’s face turned red with anger.
If he had any objections, he could have tried to refute what I said.
"With such poor welfare, it's no wonder we can't attract talent. Look at Wisdom Academy. Their graduates can join the Mage Tower or become private tutors for wealthy families."
After venting all my pent-up complaints, I felt a bit relieved.
Just as I was about to think of another way to provoke him, a carriage came into view.
"Oh? Look, the carriage is coming."
"Is it arriving already? Wait a minute... huh?"
As the carriage approached, my eyes widened.
The soldiers guiding the horses nearby bore the insignia of a black Pegasus within a golden shield on their armor.
That emblem belongs to the Grice Duchy.
"...It seems they’ve arrived first."
At Rockefeller’s words, I gently pulled Selly back a bit.
There was no benefit in catching the attention of the woman who was about to step out of that carriage.
"Selly, let’s step aside so they can pass easily."
I blended into the crowd of students who had come to watch, becoming just another background figure.
Clunk.
The latch was pulled, and the carriage door swung open. A right shoe poked out, and its owner was a maid.
Thud.
The maid stepped onto the ground and then grabbed the ankles of someone inside, whose feet were bound in shackles.
With a grunt, the maid carefully backed away, step by step.
On the fifth step, a bare white leg fully emerged from the carriage door.
Realizing her mistake, the maid hurriedly pulled down the hem of the black skirt to cover the exposed skin.
As they continued to pull out the figure, much like moving a wardrobe horizontally, a woman in a tightly fitted black dress was revealed.
It was already an unusual entrance, but what made it even stranger was that the woman's eyes were tightly bound with a blindfold, and a gag was placed in her mouth.
"Miss, we'll help you stand up now."
"Alright, on three... one, two, heave-ho!"
As the maids coordinated to lift her into a standing position, the chains around her ankles, wrists, and neck clanked.
Those chains were all equipped with anti-magic restraints that suppressed both aura and mana.
Even if she was known as a "monster," this might seem excessive, but I thought it wasn’t enough.
Why? Because 'Dorosian El Grice' was a woman for whom even the term "monster" felt inadequate, so much so that she was always mentioned when discussing the pinnacle of playable characters.
[Dorosian El Grice]
• The Return
◆ The Wizard of Beginnings.
She is not called a blessing, for she is not an incarnation but a return.
The term "blessing" implies something given, but "power" is more appropriate here.
Why? Because this was a power she possessed from the beginning.
She masters all magic.
She is destined to become the wizard of truth.
• Attribute
◇ Mana of the Great Sea
This is not a blessing but a return.
It’s a unique attribute only Dorosian possesses, granting her mana as vast as the sea.
Her specs are truly astonishing.
Well, with this foundation, it’s no wonder her future self could travel through time and all that.
Thud.
Dorosian stood firm, regaining her balance.
The maids cautiously removed her blindfold. Dorosian’s eyes gleamed with a menacing light.
One of the maids, visibly nervous, slowly untied the gag from her mouth.
As soon as it was removed, a sultry voice flowed from Dorosian’s lips.
"When you return, ask my father if he prefers to see the mansion burn or be submerged under water."
The maid, hesitating, gathered her courage and, pressing her lips together, forced out a reply.
"Pardon my impertinence, but the Duke made this choice for your sake, Miss—"
"Yes, it is indeed impertinent."
However, Dorosian cut her off mercilessly.
"I wonder why they all act like this? Do they not think about the consequences?"
At her veiled threat, the maids paled and stepped back in fear.
Even with her magic suppressed, Dorosian began to trace a spell.
Despite being bound by three anti-magic restraints, her attribute, 'Mana of the Great Sea,' allowed her mana to seep out, making it possible.
"Shall I carve a message on your face to send to my father as a warning?"
At that moment, a voice echoed from the carriage Dorosian had emerged from, like a cavernous rumble.
"Dorosian El Grice. That will be enough."
The owner of the voice was Arkandric.
He stepped out of the carriage and looked down at Dorosian with a serious expression.
Dorosian, seemingly losing interest, waved her hand dismissively, erasing the spells she had been casting.
Then, with a sly smile like a fox, she asked Arkandric, "My wrists hurt. Could you at least undo one of these restraints, Sir Arkandric?"
"The length of the chains has been adjusted to allow you to live comfortably, so don’t try anything unnecessary. And remember, here, you should address me as Headmaster, not Sir."
"Oh my, but it would be difficult to change clothes like this. What if I stumble while trying to change my undergarments?"
Dorosian chuckled, making her chains jingle as she laughed.
Arkandric, gesturing for her to follow, walked ahead. As she moved, a maid followed close behind.
I felt relieved to blend into the crowd around me, thinking it was fortunate that I hadn't caught the eye of that wicked woman.
But then...
"Hmm?"
Dorosian paused for a moment and looked in my direction. Her eyes gradually widened, only to transform once again into her usual sly, fox-like gaze.
I wondered why, until I realized that everyone around me had already fled—everyone, including Selly, who had come with me.
Left standing alone, I had inadvertently drawn Dorosian’s attention.
I averted my gaze, pretending to admire the sky.
"Hmm, the weather is nice. A perfect day to become a cloud," I murmured.
At that moment, Arkandric quickly turned his head and looked straight at my face.
He then smiled ominously before saying to Dorosian, "Come along. Let’s unpack first. It might be hard to adjust at first, but you’ll get used to it."
“Yes, Headmaster.”
With that, Arkandric and Dorosian disappeared from my sight.
*
Dorosian was treated differently from other students who had been admitted through donations.
She was a special admission, brought in because of her recognized talent.
To accommodate her, she was given a separate dormitory, which, unlike the special wing, allowed for a fair amount of freedom.
The only flaw was that she had the entire half of the floor to herself.
As Dorosian clicked her heels on the cold, empty hallway, she remarked, "Hmm, it’s spacious, but it feels so barren."
The maid following her cautiously replied, "The Headmaster said this place was prepared specifically for special admission students."
"But no one else applied, right?"
"...Yes."
The other half of the floor was likely meant to be a male dormitory, but it was empty, so it remained vacant.
"Hmm. I’d like to take a shower first. Where’s the bathroom?"
"Oh, I have a map for that. Just a moment. Ah, here it is."
Dorosian followed the maid’s directions. Although the maid seemed fearful of her, Dorosian had no intention of harming her.
Injuring her attendants would only make her own life more inconvenient.
At the entrance to the bathroom, Dorosian said to the maid, "Maybe I drank too much yesterday? My stomach feels off. Could you bring me something to drink?"
"Yes, I’ll bring you a soothing drink right away."
"Good."
Come to think of it, it was alcohol that had led her here.
Dorosian frowned as she recalled the event. She had heard that her father’s wine cellar had received some fine liquors, so she openly took about ten bottles and drank them all, only to pass out.
When she came to, she found herself bound in anti-magic restraints, inside a rattling carriage.
Considering her usual tolerance for alcohol, there was no doubt that her drink had been spiked.
'Father really... I didn’t expect him to resort to such tricks.'
After finishing her shower, Dorosian drank the beverage the maid had brought.
Burning her clothes was easy enough, but getting dressed was inconvenient.
The maid struggled to help her change into specially made clothes that could be worn even while wearing the anti-magic restraints.
It was the maid’s first time doing this, so her hands were clumsy.
Well, she’ll improve with practice.
"Alright, you can go. Go and do your tasks."
"Yes, Miss. Please call me if you need anything."
After the maid left, Dorosian flopped onto the bed.
Though she felt some fatigue, perhaps from the long carriage ride during which she had slept extensively, her mind remained sharp even when she closed her eyes.
Bored, Dorosian twirled the end of her black hair with her index finger as she recalled the blond man she had just seen.
"Did I see wrong...?"
Dorosian quickly dismissed the thought with a soft "hmm."
It must have been someone who just looked similar.
After all, according to what her future self had told her, at this point in time, he was supposed to be in his grave.
—That guy? You'd better not get close to him. He's destined to die at the hands of his stepmother in ten years.
It had been a year since that prophecy.
The timing didn’t match.
*
I frowned deeply as I glared at Selly.
"You just left me behind?"
"Well, everyone else was running away, so I just followed the flow."
"You should have stayed with me."
When I pointed out her dereliction of duty, Selly muttered quietly, "Isn't it your job to read the situation and get out on your own?"
I guessed at her words by the movement of her lips, but in any case.
"If you abandon me again, I’ll throw you to Dorosian."
Upon hearing the infamous name of the wicked woman, Selly’s face turned pale.
"I-I believe you really would do that, so I'm terrified..."
"Of course. I could even make you Dorosian’s personal maid. So, you should be grateful. Do you realize how well I treat you?"
Selly pressed her lips tightly together.
She was probably deeply moved and feeling truly thankful.
Serving someone of my caliber must be a stroke of luck for her.
"Isn’t that right?"
"......"
"Answer me."
"Sigh... yes, yes. Then, can I have this weekend off?"
"No. You need to do my laundry."
"Tch."
Selly scowled and kept her mouth shut.
As I waited endlessly for Mircel to arrive, I looked around.
Rockefeller, who had been standing as if he intended to wait forever, seemed to have left in a hurry for some urgent business.
At that moment, I noticed a carriage approaching from the distance.
"He’s here."
