༺ Nice To Meet You (2) ༻
Seras didn’t need to do much to infiltrate Elfante.
All she needed to do was join the group of transfer students who enrolled outside the regular semester.
Unlike typical educational institutions, the Imperial Academy accepted students all year round due to its immense scale. This was the vulnerability that she utilized.
Of course, she still had to go through strict security procedures, but since she could even infiltrate the Imperial Palace using a forged identity, it wasn’t a problem for her. A mere child’s play.
‘…It’s ridiculously easy.’
In the train compartment heading into Elfante, Seras let out a deep sigh as she thought as such.
She deemed forging a fake identity as a student unneeded. After all, she only needed to finish the task in a day then returned to the Holy Land immediately.
-Trust me, Ma’am, you’ll still need one. Don’t worry, I’ll have it ready within a day.
If Vizsla hadn’t insisted so strongly, she would have done it much earlier.
She remembered their conversation yesterday.
-Do I really need a fake identity? Are you doubting my abilities?
-No, Ma’am. I am well aware of your capabilities. I know it better than anyone.
-Then, is there a need for such a cumbersome process? I’ll be done with this task in a day.
After hearing that, she could recall Vizsla shutting his mouth for a while before eventually giving off a bitter smile.
-…Just in case. Think of it as me being overcautious.
Though he said this…
It was evident that he anticipated a situation where she’d be needing such a thing.
As if, he knew that she, too, would never be able to handle that man in one go.
He was certain that she would need to stay longer at the academy because she couldn’t do it as quickly as she claimed.
‘…Just wait, Vizsla. I swear I’ll make you suffer when I return.’
She swore to herself that she’d make him pay for distrusting her abilities. To her, getting this far meant that the mission was as good as done.
Just by looking at a glance, it was obvious that she deemed those Empire fools incompetent.
And it was even more so when it involved the ‘Imperial Palace.’
She sneered coldly, eying the imperial crest emblazoned on the fluttering flags at the entrance to Elfante.
‘Scum.’
That was the only evaluation she would give them.
How deeply had she suffered because of them before she met the Pope and started a new life?
The night where heaven and earth were all dyed ‘red’.
All the atrocities the Imperial Family committed against her on that day were still clear in her mind.
‘…Soon, Seras.’
She calmed her heart, raging with hatred, and repeated to herself.
‘Soon.’
After all, the annihilation of those scum and the descent of the savior who would bring peace to the entire continent was imminent.
It was indeed the true faith.
No one but the Pope could bring equality and happiness to this rotten world.
‘Paradise will soon arrive on this earth.’
The Pope’s ‘plan’ was about to enter its final phase.
So, what she should do now was to remove all the obstacles in accordance with the Pope’s order.
And as always, it all started with ‘preparations’.
“Phew.”
Closing her eyes and letting out a deep sigh, she slowly rotated the mana from her dantian. Her consciousness subsided.
Fundamentally, an assassin’s combat method prioritized a one-hit kill without any thoughts of retreat or follow-up.
And the basis of such a method started with erasing ‘emotions’ so that they’d be unshaken in any situation.
The meditation method she did built a mental barrier to prevent any sympathy or mercy towards the ‘target’.
After going through even this process, her already lethal attacks would possess a machine-like precision and a frightening level of concentration.
How long had she been in that state?
[The train is stopping. The train is stopping. All students, please remain seated.]
With that, the train slowly pulled into the station.
Inside the train that was coming to a halt, Seras rechecked the weapon hidden in her embrace.
[Welcome to Elfante.]
Along with that announcement, she blended into the crowd pouring into the station.
As expected of the largest educational facility on the continent, what sprawled in front of her was a sea of people.
“…”
However, even among such a crowd…
Thanks to her sharply honed senses, she quickly found her target.
A man with a vacant expression who had just gotten off the train.
Dowd Campbell.
He perfectly matched the description she had been informed of beforehand.
“…”
After letting out a deep sigh, Seras began moving through the densely packed crowd.
Shadow Step.
While precise steps even through this number of people, her movement was so clean that it was akin to water being sliced straight through.
Though this footwork, where she moved unnoticed among people, was basic for an assassin, the level of her execution could almost be called a miracle at work.
She moved in a different direction from the crowd, but not a single person ‘recognized’ her presence.
As if she was a ghost, floating through that space.
The reason why she chose a place that a normal assassin would never pick was because she was that confident.
Someone who could kill without being noticed, even in broadlight and in the middle of a square. That was what being a Grand Assassin entailed.
That was why…
Seeing that man looking around in bewilderment surprised her.
It was as if he knew that someone was targeting him.
“…!”
At that moment…
Dowd Campbell, seemingly sensing something, looked around with a tense expression. His ability to detect danger was astonishing.
However… It was too late, as she was already within range.
Seras reached into her clothes.
She readied her blade. A single strike was all she needed.
And just as she was about to unleash it…
The target’s face caught her eyes.
“…”
And at that moment…
Her blade stopped.
It had happened before she could even fully process what happened consciously.
‘…?’
She stared dumbfoundedly at her own hand.
‘…Why?’
It didn’t make any sense.
There was no reason for her to stop.
But it was as if…
Before her mind could process it, her ‘body’ had instinctively rejected the action.
It was telling her that she should never, ever harm this man.
As she would definitely come to regret it.
Afterwards…
“…!”
Her eyes widened.
Because something surged from beneath her consciousness.
Since she had eradicated all other emotions, she felt this one far more intensely.
In her consciousness, calm like a still pond, an ‘emotion’ spread like a single drop of dye.
Even in a state where she poured out immense amounts of mana to leave nothing but ‘rationality’…
A Grand Assassin…
The consciousness of someone who prided herself on being able to maintain a sharp mind far better than anyone on the continent…
Was suddenly dyed white.
Just from seeing the face of the man in front of her.
An unsuppressable ‘pulse’ could be felt pounding in her heart.
“…Huh?”
Her voice trickled out.
It had slipped out unintentionally as she was stuck in her bewilderment.
“…”
And perhaps because of that…
Dowd Campbell quickly turned his head towards her.
“…Uh, uh…”
And as soon as their eyes met…
Seras, with her face entirely flushed red, stumbled backward without realizing it.
Her whole body trembled. Heat rushed to her face as her heart raced wildly.
All she did was make eye contact with that man.
Only from that, she suddenly had the urge to escape right then and there. She couldn’t bear to keep facing him.
The pounding in her heart was now so loud it felt unbearable.
“…!”
And then, failing to notice a protruding stone, Seras stepped on it and stumbled…
Dropping the dagger she had been holding.
Something even an amateur wouldn’t do.
Such a novice mistake was unthinkable for someone of her caliber, one of only two in the world.
Following the sound of the dagger hitting the ground, all the nearby people turned their heads towards her.
“…Is that a weapon?”
“What the? Isn’t bringing personal weapons forbidden?”
“It looks like she dropped it while holding it…”
“…Why is she holding something like that? Was she trying to stab someone? Is it that person over there?”
“Eh, what in the world? Really? Was she actually trying to kill him?”
Such murmurs were heard. It didn’t end with just that; The attention of everyone around who realized something was happening was now concentrated on her.
Being noticed in this kind of place was almost akin to a death sentence for an assassin.
“…”
It was a crisis.
The standard response in such a situation would be to quickly escape, but doing so could leave evidence of an assassination attempt on Dowd Campbell.
And leaving such a ‘trail’ was something she absolutely couldn’t allow.
Caught in a dilemma, Seras bit her lip until it bled.
But then…
Help came from a completely unexpected place.
“Are you okay?”
Dowd Campbell, who had approached her, extended his hand and asked.
“…”
As she looked up with wide, round eyes, Dowd bent down, took her hand, and helped her up.
Due to the height difference, it was as if she was drawn into his embrace.
“…E-Eeek-!”
Seras, having her cheek against his chest, let out a shrill shriek with a voice that she had never made before in her entire life.
His chest was firm and solid. It filled her with a desire to bury her nose in it and enjoy the sensation for a long while.
Though she had ‘tasted’ uncountable numbers of well-trained bodies by mutilating and chopping them…
With this man, just a slight bump made her entire body twitch.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Dowd, brushing the dust off her restlessly fidgeting body, asked with an indifferent voice.
“I-I d-donnnnnnnnnnnn’t…”
Her voice sounded like she was crawling into a mouse hole.
It was a voice that even Seras herself could not control.
“I’m sorry for bumping into you. You even dropped your belongings.”
After saying that, Dowd picked up the dagger from the ground, offering it to her.
“Still, personal weapons are prohibited, so you’ll have to hand it in when you enter the academy.”
“…”
“I know that children from martial households often carry weapons, but it is still against the rules.”
At that moment, she realized this man’s intention.
He was trying to downplay the situation by claiming that she dropped her ‘personal item’ after bumping into him.
In fact, as soon as those words were spoken, the crowd’s interest dissipated rapidly.
Everyone began losing their focus, dismissing the incident as something trivial.
“I’ll be going then. See you inside the academy.”
Then, Dowd turned around with a slight smile.
“It was nice to meet you. See you later.”
Seras stood still, overwhelmed by the sheer destructive power of his smile.
“…”
She was frozen in place, her whole body started to tremble.
Her heart almost felt like bursting from the smile he had just given her. Her entire body felt like a forge, a terrifying amount of heat exuding from every pore. She was unable to control the shaking.
However, even in such a state, what she couldn’t understand was…
‘…He covered for me.’
‘But why…? Just… Why…?’
That man knew someone was targeting him.
After all, he had, in fact, glared at her sharply as soon as Seras lost her concentration and revealed her presence.
If he wasn’t an idiot, he would have obviously realized she was trying to harm him.
“…”
Seras watched the man moving away from her with a complex gaze.
For now, one thing was certain.
It was good that she had listened to Vizsla.
“…”
Even with her face completely red, all she could do was fiddle with the student ID in her embrace.
He was right…
Perhaps her stay at this academy would be longer than expected.
Because of a multitude of reasons.
‘…He said it was nice to meet me.’
Seras muttered such words to herself.
The words that he uttered towards her.
That it was nice to meet her. And that he would see her later.
“…”
Strangely…
Those words struck deep into her heart.
“…Shit. Fuck. Shit.”
As soon as Seras disappeared from my sight, I cursed under my breath as I gasped for air.
Damn it, why on earth did she suddenly pop out here?
At this time, she should be sticking closely to the Pope and obediently doing whatever he ordered. In the first place, it was absurd to deploy such a high-value personnel just to fuck someone like me up!
‘…If I didn’t cover for her, who knows what would have happened…!’
Cold sweat broke out when I thought about this.
As I said before…
Because of the scenario, she was definitely a Vessel harboring a Fragment of the ‘Purple Devil’.
Who knows what could happen if she gets cornered.
“…”
Please.
I was someone who prayed every night before bed, pleading that nothing unexpected would interfere with my plans.
Then wasn’t it about time to have my prayers answered at least once?
Despite everything, I was still a human. I’d rather take the easy path…
System Message
[ ‘Skill: Fatal Charm’ Activated! ]
[ Favorability Level of target ‘Seras’ skyrockets to ‘Interest Level 5’! ]
[ Rewards Available! ]
[ The Fragment of the ‘Purple Devil’ dormant in the target begins to awaken under your influence! ]
[ An event related to target ‘Seras’ will soon be generated! ]
That was why…
Stop doing this kind of shit!
Please, anyone…! End my suffering!
༺ Nice To Meet You (2) ༻
Seras didn’t need to do much to infiltrate Elfante.
All she needed to do was join the group of transfer students who enrolled outside the regular semester.
Unlike typical educational institutions, the Imperial Academy accepted students all year round due to its immense scale. This was the vulnerability that she utilized.
Of course, she still had to go through strict security procedures, but since she could even infiltrate the Imperial Palace using a forged identity, it wasn’t a problem for her. A mere child’s play.
‘…It’s ridiculously easy.’
In the train compartment heading into Elfante, Seras let out a deep sigh as she thought as such.
She deemed forging a fake identity as a student unneeded. After all, she only needed to finish the task in a day then returned to the Holy Land immediately.
-Trust me, Ma’am, you’ll still need one. Don’t worry, I’ll have it ready within a day.
If Vizsla hadn’t insisted so strongly, she would have done it much earlier.
She remembered their conversation yesterday.
-Do I really need a fake identity? Are you doubting my abilities?
-No, Ma’am. I am well aware of your capabilities. I know it better than anyone.
-Then, is there a need for such a cumbersome process? I’ll be done with this task in a day.
After hearing that, she could recall Vizsla shutting his mouth for a while before eventually giving off a bitter smile.
-…Just in case. Think of it as me being overcautious.
Though he said this…
It was evident that he anticipated a situation where she’d be needing such a thing.
As if, he knew that she, too, would never be able to handle that man in one go.
He was certain that she would need to stay longer at the academy because she couldn’t do it as quickly as she claimed.
‘…Just wait, Vizsla. I swear I’ll make you suffer when I return.’
She swore to herself that she’d make him pay for distrusting her abilities. To her, getting this far meant that the mission was as good as done.
Just by looking at a glance, it was obvious that she deemed those Empire fools incompetent.
And it was even more so when it involved the ‘Imperial Palace.’
She sneered coldly, eying the imperial crest emblazoned on the fluttering flags at the entrance to Elfante.
‘Scum.’
That was the only evaluation she would give them.
How deeply had she suffered because of them before she met the Pope and started a new life?
The night where heaven and earth were all dyed ‘red’.
All the atrocities the Imperial Family committed against her on that day were still clear in her mind.
‘…Soon, Seras.’
She calmed her heart, raging with hatred, and repeated to herself.
‘Soon.’
After all, the annihilation of those scum and the descent of the savior who would bring peace to the entire continent was imminent.
It was indeed the true faith.
No one but the Pope could bring equality and happiness to this rotten world.
‘Paradise will soon arrive on this earth.’
The Pope’s ‘plan’ was about to enter its final phase.
So, what she should do now was to remove all the obstacles in accordance with the Pope’s order.
And as always, it all started with ‘preparations’.
“Phew.”
Closing her eyes and letting out a deep sigh, she slowly rotated the mana from her dantian. Her consciousness subsided.
Fundamentally, an assassin’s combat method prioritized a one-hit kill without any thoughts of retreat or follow-up.
And the basis of such a method started with erasing ‘emotions’ so that they’d be unshaken in any situation.
The meditation method she did built a mental barrier to prevent any sympathy or mercy towards the ‘target’.
After going through even this process, her already lethal attacks would possess a machine-like precision and a frightening level of concentration.
How long had she been in that state?
[The train is stopping. The train is stopping. All students, please remain seated.]
With that, the train slowly pulled into the station.
Inside the train that was coming to a halt, Seras rechecked the weapon hidden in her embrace.
[Welcome to Elfante.]
Along with that announcement, she blended into the crowd pouring into the station.
As expected of the largest educational facility on the continent, what sprawled in front of her was a sea of people.
“…”
However, even among such a crowd…
Thanks to her sharply honed senses, she quickly found her target.
A man with a vacant expression who had just gotten off the train.
Dowd Campbell.
He perfectly matched the description she had been informed of beforehand.
“…”
After letting out a deep sigh, Seras began moving through the densely packed crowd.
Shadow Step.
While precise steps even through this number of people, her movement was so clean that it was akin to water being sliced straight through.
Though this footwork, where she moved unnoticed among people, was basic for an assassin, the level of her execution could almost be called a miracle at work.
She moved in a different direction from the crowd, but not a single person ‘recognized’ her presence.
As if she was a ghost, floating through that space.
The reason why she chose a place that a normal assassin would never pick was because she was that confident.
Someone who could kill without being noticed, even in broadlight and in the middle of a square. That was what being a Grand Assassin entailed.
That was why…
Seeing that man looking around in bewilderment surprised her.
It was as if he knew that someone was targeting him.
“…!”
At that moment…
Dowd Campbell, seemingly sensing something, looked around with a tense expression. His ability to detect danger was astonishing.
However… It was too late, as she was already within range.
Seras reached into her clothes.
She readied her blade. A single strike was all she needed.
And just as she was about to unleash it…
The target’s face caught her eyes.
“…”
And at that moment…
Her blade stopped.
It had happened before she could even fully process what happened consciously.
‘…?’
She stared dumbfoundedly at her own hand.
‘…Why?’
It didn’t make any sense.
There was no reason for her to stop.
But it was as if…
Before her mind could process it, her ‘body’ had instinctively rejected the action.
It was telling her that she should never, ever harm this man.
As she would definitely come to regret it.
Afterwards…
“…!”
Her eyes widened.
Because something surged from beneath her consciousness.
Since she had eradicated all other emotions, she felt this one far more intensely.
In her consciousness, calm like a still pond, an ‘emotion’ spread like a single drop of dye.
Even in a state where she poured out immense amounts of mana to leave nothing but ‘rationality’…
A Grand Assassin…
The consciousness of someone who prided herself on being able to maintain a sharp mind far better than anyone on the continent…
Was suddenly dyed white.
Just from seeing the face of the man in front of her.
An unsuppressable ‘pulse’ could be felt pounding in her heart.
“…Huh?”
Her voice trickled out.
It had slipped out unintentionally as she was stuck in her bewilderment.
“…”
And perhaps because of that…
Dowd Campbell quickly turned his head towards her.
“…Uh, uh…”
And as soon as their eyes met…
Seras, with her face entirely flushed red, stumbled backward without realizing it.
Her whole body trembled. Heat rushed to her face as her heart raced wildly.
All she did was make eye contact with that man.
Only from that, she suddenly had the urge to escape right then and there. She couldn’t bear to keep facing him.
The pounding in her heart was now so loud it felt unbearable.
“…!”
And then, failing to notice a protruding stone, Seras stepped on it and stumbled…
Dropping the dagger she had been holding.
Something even an amateur wouldn’t do.
Such a novice mistake was unthinkable for someone of her caliber, one of only two in the world.
Following the sound of the dagger hitting the ground, all the nearby people turned their heads towards her.
“…Is that a weapon?”
“What the? Isn’t bringing personal weapons forbidden?”
“It looks like she dropped it while holding it…”
“…Why is she holding something like that? Was she trying to stab someone? Is it that person over there?”
“Eh, what in the world? Really? Was she actually trying to kill him?”
Such murmurs were heard. It didn’t end with just that; The attention of everyone around who realized something was happening was now concentrated on her.
Being noticed in this kind of place was almost akin to a death sentence for an assassin.
“…”
It was a crisis.
The standard response in such a situation would be to quickly escape, but doing so could leave evidence of an assassination attempt on Dowd Campbell.
And leaving such a ‘trail’ was something she absolutely couldn’t allow.
Caught in a dilemma, Seras bit her lip until it bled.
But then…
Help came from a completely unexpected place.
“Are you okay?”
Dowd Campbell, who had approached her, extended his hand and asked.
“…”
As she looked up with wide, round eyes, Dowd bent down, took her hand, and helped her up.
Due to the height difference, it was as if she was drawn into his embrace.
“…E-Eeek-!”
Seras, having her cheek against his chest, let out a shrill shriek with a voice that she had never made before in her entire life.
His chest was firm and solid. It filled her with a desire to bury her nose in it and enjoy the sensation for a long while.
Though she had ‘tasted’ uncountable numbers of well-trained bodies by mutilating and chopping them…
With this man, just a slight bump made her entire body twitch.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Dowd, brushing the dust off her restlessly fidgeting body, asked with an indifferent voice.
“I-I d-donnnnnnnnnnnn’t…”
Her voice sounded like she was crawling into a mouse hole.
It was a voice that even Seras herself could not control.
“I’m sorry for bumping into you. You even dropped your belongings.”
After saying that, Dowd picked up the dagger from the ground, offering it to her.
“Still, personal weapons are prohibited, so you’ll have to hand it in when you enter the academy.”
“…”
“I know that children from martial households often carry weapons, but it is still against the rules.”
At that moment, she realized this man’s intention.
He was trying to downplay the situation by claiming that she dropped her ‘personal item’ after bumping into him.
In fact, as soon as those words were spoken, the crowd’s interest dissipated rapidly.
Everyone began losing their focus, dismissing the incident as something trivial.
“I’ll be going then. See you inside the academy.”
Then, Dowd turned around with a slight smile.
“It was nice to meet you. See you later.”
Seras stood still, overwhelmed by the sheer destructive power of his smile.
“…”
She was frozen in place, her whole body started to tremble.
Her heart almost felt like bursting from the smile he had just given her. Her entire body felt like a forge, a terrifying amount of heat exuding from every pore. She was unable to control the shaking.
However, even in such a state, what she couldn’t understand was…
‘…He covered for me.’
‘But why…? Just… Why…?’
That man knew someone was targeting him.
After all, he had, in fact, glared at her sharply as soon as Seras lost her concentration and revealed her presence.
If he wasn’t an idiot, he would have obviously realized she was trying to harm him.
“…”
Seras watched the man moving away from her with a complex gaze.
For now, one thing was certain.
It was good that she had listened to Vizsla.
“…”
Even with her face completely red, all she could do was fiddle with the student ID in her embrace.
He was right…
Perhaps her stay at this academy would be longer than expected.
Because of a multitude of reasons.
‘…He said it was nice to meet me.’
Seras muttered such words to herself.
The words that he uttered towards her.
That it was nice to meet her. And that he would see her later.
“…”
Strangely…
Those words struck deep into her heart.
“…Shit. Fuck. Shit.”
As soon as Seras disappeared from my sight, I cursed under my breath as I gasped for air.
Damn it, why on earth did she suddenly pop out here?
At this time, she should be sticking closely to the Pope and obediently doing whatever he ordered. In the first place, it was absurd to deploy such a high-value personnel just to fuck someone like me up!
‘…If I didn’t cover for her, who knows what would have happened…!’
Cold sweat broke out when I thought about this.
As I said before…
Because of the scenario, she was definitely a Vessel harboring a Fragment of the ‘Purple Devil’.
Who knows what could happen if she gets cornered.
“…”
Please.
I was someone who prayed every night before bed, pleading that nothing unexpected would interfere with my plans.
Then wasn’t it about time to have my prayers answered at least once?
Despite everything, I was still a human. I’d rather take the easy path…
System Message
[ ‘Skill: Fatal Charm’ Activated! ]
[ Favorability Level of target ‘Seras’ skyrockets to ‘Interest Level 5’! ]
[ Rewards Available! ]
[ The Fragment of the ‘Purple Devil’ dormant in the target begins to awaken under your influence! ]
[ An event related to target ‘Seras’ will soon be generated! ]
That was why…
Stop doing this kind of shit!
Please, anyone…! End my suffering!
