Invincible
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#123
🕑 Added 2024-10-09 08:30:18 +0000 UTCThe Fugitive (3)
Before going to the Adele dining hall, a parasite latched onto me.
When I glared at it with contempt, it recoiled.
"Erucel, remember this: you're just a rat scavenging the crumbs I leave behind. Never touch what I want to eat."
Suddenly, his eyes filled with tears.
"Now you're even calling me a rat... I was already feeling miserable since I got here, but how did my life end up like this..."
Maybe I went too far.
Feeling a bit sorry, I smiled and tried to soothe his fragile heart.
"No, even rats work harder than you. They strive day and night to survive in the competition. So really, what I just said was more of a compliment."
Despite that, he frowned and complained bitterly.
"How is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Why? Should I say it like this? My dear brother, have you eaten yet? Like that?"
"Ugh. Good thing I haven’t eaten. No chance of throwing up."
This is why I can’t feel any affection, or even annoyance, towards this guy.
Even when I try to be nice, he acts like he’s about to throw up, like someone seasick.
Honestly, I don’t know what his problem is.
Mircel and Niasele have at least some cute qualities...
I squinted my eyes and scrutinized Erucel's face.
"...Why are you so different from the twins? Do you perhaps have some kind of secret about your birth?"
"What? I’m definitely my mother's son. I even have the same silver hair as father."
While we were chatting nonsense, the door to Adele's dining hall opened.
"But don't worry. At least I don't consider Daisel my sibling at all. You're a better person than him."
"That’s actually nice to hear. Haha, I’m better than the second brother, huh?"
"Yeah, of course you're better than that lunatic who tried to release a monster to massacre everyone."
People’s eyes turned towards us.
Erucel wiped the silly look off his face and put on the dignified expression of a noble.
It seemed like he cared about appearances in front of others.
"Hmm? But brother, someone’s already sitting there."
"Oh, Emeric is treating us today."
"...What about my meal?"
"Don't worry. I'll make sure he covers yours too."
I had heard from Athera that Emeric’s last gambling win was a whopping 970,000 coins.
He’s now ranked among the top five richest in Frostheart.
Meanwhile, with all the money I have, even including half of Athera’s earnings, I only have 530,000 coins.
I can’t forgive that.
It should’ve been me among the top five, not him.
I did all the work, but he dared to steal my spot.
Oblivious to my anger, Emeric cheerfully pointed to an empty seat.
"Ah, Hersel Ben Tenest, please have a seat. The food will be out soon."
Then, noticing Erucel beside me, he asked,
"And who’s this man?"
Before I could answer, the man sitting next to Emeric, was it Harmon?
He answered in my stead.
"Oh, you probably didn’t know since you were at the Buerger Hall. That’s Erucel Ben Tenest, Hersel's younger brother."
"Haha, nice to meet you, seniors."
Erucel awkwardly greeted them, and Emeric pointed to the seat across from me.
"I didn’t know you entered the academy with your brother. Good timing. Sit down too."
Emeric called the waiter and handed the menu to Erucel.
I said in a casual tone,
"Order anything you want."
Erucel glanced at Emeric and cautiously responded.
"Is that really okay?"
"Of course. Right, senior?"
Emeric nodded without hesitation.
Soon after, the food started to come out, and Erucel, sitting in front of me, could only gulp in anticipation.
Since he hadn’t ordered ahead, he had to wait a bit longer for his food.
As I finished a plate of meat, Emeric asked bluntly,
"Have you ever thought about joining the Ten Elites?"
The man next to him, Harmon, was so surprised that he dropped his fork on his plate.
I didn’t mind and picked up my spoon.
"Why are you asking?"
"I just thought you might be interested. But from your expression, it seems like you’re not."
The Ten Elites are the most talented students in the academy.
Soon, Riamon would claim one of the spots, and the rest of the key players would take over once the third-year students graduated.
"Yeah, you're right. I’m not interested in that sort of thing."
I spoke dismissively, and Emeric looked into my eyes, as if trying to gauge my true intentions.
"Then what do you want?"
I pondered his question for a moment, unsure of how to respond.
What do I really want?
For now, the best I can hope for is to graduate peacefully.
To live a prosperous life, keep an eye on how the scenario unfolds, and escape this hellish academy.
"What I want isn’t much. If we’re talking about the academy, all I hope for is to graduate without any trouble."
Emeric asked in a voice tinged with interest, "When you say 'trouble,' you must mean things that irritate you or the like. So, what will you do in such cases?"
"What else? I’ll change things so they don’t bother me."
So that the scenario flows smoothly.
When I answered curtly, Emeric fell silent.
Then, he chuckled softly and nodded.
"I see, that’s it."
"What is?"
"Oh, nothing. Let's just eat. Your brother's meal is coming too."
For a while, the conversation revolved solely around food.
As I started to feel full, I looked at Erucel.
It seemed he still wanted more to eat, as he showed no signs of getting up.
"I think I’ll head out now. Thanks for the meal, senior. Erucel, finish up and come back on your own."
"Got it."
With that, I left the dining hall.
***
After Hersel left, Harmon asked,
"Seems like he just wants to quietly graduate without any issues, huh?"
Emeric scoffed at his remark.
"Do you really think so? I heard something entirely different."
"Huh?"
Harmon blinked and looked at Emeric’s face.
Emeric put down his fork and explained slowly,
"Hersel Ben Tenest said if something bothers him, he’ll change it."
"And why is that important?"
"A man like that chose the Schlaphe Hall. Why do you think that is?"
Harmon tilted his head in confusion.
"Why, though?"
"It’s dissatisfaction with the current system. His involvement in the slave revolution proves that. It wasn’t just a message directed at us."
"Uh... so?"
Emeric glanced at the seat Hersel had occupied and replied,
"He’s not satisfied with this place. I’m sure he sees the entire academy as something that needs to be changed."
Harmon’s pupils shrank, as if he’d just felt a chill.
"Are you saying..."
Emeric smirked and voiced his thoughts, "He’s planning to become the student council president."
Harmon gasped in shock.
"Now it all makes sense, doesn’t it, Harmon? The seat of the Ten Elites can be seized with force, but Hersel doesn’t covet that. It’s not enough for him. He’s aiming for something far higher."
To become the student council president, strength is important, but more than that, one must be nearly perfect in every aspect.
They must prove their excellence in handling affairs and win the hearts of the students to secure their votes.
Only those who possess both wisdom and strength can sit on the throne of power.
"The only way to change the academy is to claim the throne. And if it's Hersel Ben Tenest..."
Emeric abruptly stopped speaking.
Harmon, looking serious, pressed his finger to his lips and glanced around, signaling for caution.
"Watch your mouth, man. What if someone hears?"
"Ahem, I spoke too freely…"
Talking about a coup must be done carefully, no matter where you are.
If those in power hear of it, nothing good will come of it.
Realizing his mistake, Emeric glanced at Erucel, who was nearby.
"Mm, this really is delicious."
Erucel, with his cheeks puffed full, was too busy enjoying his meal to care.
"Erucel, did you hear what I just said?"
"Huh? What did you say?"
"...Never mind. Just enjoy your meal."
Emeric left Erucel alone and resumed his conversation with Harmon.
"Anyway, back to the main topic, Emeric. What about the gambling situation? The guys above the Seven Elites will be back in a few days."
"Just leave them be. They’re bound to show off, boasting about what they’ve learned under the current leadership. If we keep quiet about Hersel, friction will arise naturally. They particularly hate the Schlaphe Hall."
Erucel paid no mind to their chatter, treating it as background noise while he quietly chewed his food.
'Talking so much during a meal. How rude.'
Erucel had no interest whatsoever in things like the student council presidency.
***
In the underground dungeon, Hetherson watched the backs of Luon and Alena, who were walking ahead.
She seemed to have trouble with one of her legs, as she kept limping, and Luon was helping her walk.
It was something he hadn’t noticed during the surgery, but it became apparent while moving.
"Hey, miss. Your joints look fine. Are you faking it?"
Alena quickly turned her head, glaring at him with disdain.
"Have you been creepily staring at my leg?"
Grinding his teeth, Hetherson overtook the pair.
'I have eyes, you know. What's the point of being good-looking when you're a total lunatic.'
"Is this good enough?"
"Fine. Now, try heading to the right."
Following Alena’s instructions, Hetherson turned at a three-way junction.
Suddenly, three bats the size of rabbits swooped in.
"Aaah!"
Hetherson flailed, swinging his bone whip.
Alena found the sight so hilarious that she doubled over, laughing.
"Hahaha!"
'This crazy woman!'
After hurriedly fending off the bats, Hetherson glared at Alena and asked, "Hey, do you even know where we’re going?"
"How would I know everything? The paths in this dungeon change all the time."
Hetherson had an urge to hit her for a moment.
But given their current situation, acting rashly would get his head smashed in.
On top of that, he couldn’t roam around on his own either.
"Sigh, I guess it’d be better if I just find the way myself."
"Don't worry. The sentry’s position is always the same. Just follow my directions."
"What, what? The sentry? Are you seriously thinking of heading to that thing?"
Alena shrugged.
"Of course. There’s an emergency exit there. If you don’t like it, go your own way. Let’s go, Luon."
Luon and Alena walked ahead.
Hetherson hesitated but soon began to follow. The eerie cries of monsters echoed around him.
"L-let's go together!"
After walking silently for a while, Alena pointed to an entrance.
"Here, here."
She picked up a spellbook and was about to enter when Luon stopped her.
Alena asked, surprised, "Why? Do you want to hunt, Luon?"
"Well, I feel like stretching my legs a bit."
Hetherson, who had barely survived earlier, scoffed at the sight of Luon preparing to enter without any weapons.
'Now that I think about it, that guy’s not normal either. He’s too calm. Birds of a feather, I guess.'
Hetherson was only thinking about abandoning them once they escaped the dungeon.
After that, they’d be of no use to him.
But as Luon crossed the long bridge, something strange caught his eye.
"What?"
At the center, a bone lizard with glowing blue eyes—a counterfeit of a Bondragon—stood waiting.
Though it wasn’t the real thing, it was still a formidable opponent to face without weapons.
Yet, in an instant, one of the creature's eyes was sliced clean off.
'A slash? If that's the case, then that guy…'
There was no time to reflect.
The bone lizard, with blue flames flickering at its mouth, charged straight at Luon.
Despite that, Luon approached it at a leisurely pace.
"Hey!"
Hetherson shouted urgently, but it was too late.
The bone lizard’s jaws shot towards him in a straight line, about to collide with Luon.
As Hetherson closed his eyes, the sound of bones scraping against the stone floor echoed throughout the chamber.
Krrrraaaaaaack!
"It’s over."
Alena's voice made Hetherson open his eyes.
"So, your boyfriend got blown to pieces, huh?"
"Are your eyes just holes in your head? Look properly."
At her irritated tone, Hetherson looked past the settling dust and widened his eyes in shock.
"What?"
The bone lizard lay motionless on the floor, and next to its tail, Luon stood holding a massive black heart in one hand.
Whoooosh—
A cold wind emanated from his hand.
When Luon tossed the heart onto the ground, it shattered with a crash like glass breaking.
Hetherson gulped as he watched Luon, who was now being embraced by Alena.
'This guy’s the real deal.'
In that split second, he had avoided the sentry’s charge and ripped out its heart.
With skills like that, it wouldn’t take long for him to become an executive of the Shadow Wardens.
He was too valuable a talent to just let go.
"Felia, why didn't you erase your memories?"
"Sigh, call me Alena now. Erase memories? Why would I erase our precious memories together?"
Though their odd conversation confirmed they were lunatics...
Narrowing his eyes, Hetherson seriously considered whether he should recruit them.
As he pondered, Alena stood in the middle of the corridor and waved her hand.
"Hey, old man, what are you doing? Hurry up."
"Huh? Oh..."
Hetherson stood dumbfounded in the center.
Then Alena began drawing a magic formula, and the ground lit up as the scenery around them changed dramatically.
Pop!
