Chapter 42: The Demon’s Disciple (4)

“Oh my, what’s going on? Why is a man here…?”

“And he’s an outsider! How did he even get in?”

“He looks unfamiliar, but… kinda handsome, don’t you think?”

Whispers echoed from every direction—female apprentices murmuring amongst themselves.

The way they looked at us carried a swirl of emotions.

At least half of them seemed wary. A quarter of them… curious.

And the rest?

“Wait a sec, isn’t that Liana standing next to him?”

“Don’t tell me she brought a guy in here? Into the girls-only zone? Just like that?”

“She really is a troublemaker, huh…”

I glanced at Liana from the corner of my eye.

They were whispering from a distance, but thanks to the tower’s silence, every word came through crystal clear.

“Hm? Kayron-oppa, what’s wrong?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Despite what was being said about her, Liana looked almost too calm.

She must’ve heard it all—those nasty comments calling her a troublemaker. And yet she smiled softly, as if it didn’t bother her in the slightest.

But something about her expression felt off.

It wasn’t the carefree, innocent smile of a child too young to care about others’ opinions.

It was the smile of someone who already knew—mature, composed.

A look of calm, or maybe… resignation.

To carry that kind of weight at her age—it wasn’t just magical talent that made Liana stand out at the Mage Tower.

Maybe this was why she became so cold in my past life…

“Ugh, damn.”

As I stepped further inside, my face twisted into a grimace before I could stop myself.

“Kayron-oppa? Are you okay?”

“What’s wrong, Kayron?”

“…It’s nothing.”

I said it was nothing, but that was a complete lie.

Just a few steps deeper, and the demonic energy in the air was staggeringly intense.

Even with my eyes closed, I could pinpoint exactly where it was leaking from.

Avelin caught the look on my face and gave a small, knowing nod.

But then—

Grab—!

“Ugh—?!”

“Don’t tell me ‘nothing’!”

Liana suddenly reached out and grabbed my cheeks, pulling me down to meet her worried eyes.

“You’ve got that super uncomfortable look on your face! Wait… don’t tell me—”

Her expression turned serious, like she’d figured something out.

“Don’t tell me… you’re not used to being around girls?”

“……”

That caught me completely off guard.

Used to girls? Or not?

I’d never really thought about it before.

Technically speaking, I guess I am used to them.

I mean, I’ve never really dated anyone, sure—but I’ve met tons of women over the years.

Even in the current order I belong to, there are plenty of female members, not to mention all the women who help us out.

“That’s not it. Liana, do I look like I’m blushing right now?”

“No, not really. You just look uncomfortable.”

“I’m not someone who’d have a problem with that. You have no idea what kind of life I lived before joining the order. I was kind of a big deal, you know?”

“Hmm… that makes sense.”

Liana nodded along easily, playing along with my half-joking boast.

“I mean, you are good-looking. And you’ve got substance too.”

“You don’t need to butter me up. I’ve never once thought of myself as good-looking. And what does ‘substance’ even mean in this context?”

“People who say they’re good-looking are usually the weird ones. But in your case, you’ve literally heard it just now, didn’t you?”

Liana pointed her finger straight at the whispering female apprentices.

“They were the ones who said it. That you’re good-looking, oppa.”

“Ugh…!”

The apprentices she pointed to flinched and quickly made themselves scarce.

After trash-talking Liana, they now realized she’d heard every word—and were clearly embarrassed about it.

Which made no sense, considering they hadn’t exactly tried to be discreet in the first place.

“Well… Kayron is kind of handsome.”

As I glared lightly at the backs of the fleeing apprentices, Avelin chimed in nonchalantly.

“But what does that even matter? He’s clueless and not the least bit delicate.”

“Avelin. What the hell are you saying now?”

“I’m offering a totally normal compliment. About how you stay focused on your duties in the Order without letting yourself get distracted.”

“…That doesn’t sound like a compliment. Wait—hold on.”

It suddenly hit me. Avelin knows about my past.

After I won the swordsmanship tournament, it wasn’t just offers for personal guard positions that came pouring in.

The mercenary guild, the adventurers’ guild, even the military—all offered me high-ranking roles.

And just as many—if not more—offers came in the form of… matchmaking.

They came in all kinds of ways.

Fathers brought their daughters, relatives, or acquaintances to dinner gatherings and subtly seated them next to me.

Marriage brokers visited my home uninvited, flashing portraits of young women and urging me to “just pick one.”

Naturally, I rejected every offer.

Because I remembered what my sword master once told me:

-“The idea that you grow stronger by having something to protect? It’s a lie. Sentiment only makes you weak—your body, your mind, and especially your spirit. And above all else, attachments to the opposite sex will drag you down. Don’t repeat the same mistake I made.”

It sounded so profound coming from him. But truthfully, avoiding emotional entanglements was never that hard for me.

I was never drawn to those forced connections to begin with.

Which is why, even in my past life…

If only it hadn’t been for that incident at the very end…

If only—

My eyes naturally shifted to Avelin, narrowing slightly.

“…Why are you looking at me like that, Kayron?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing—you’re clearly mad!”

That kiss from Avelin.

For some reason, the memory of it made my face flush with heat.

I tried to ignore the warmth creeping into my cheeks and kept walking—but then…

“Kyaaah! A man! A man’s in here!”

“Look at that filthy gaze! He’s practically leering!”

The misunderstanding was spreading like wildfire.

All I’d done was follow the demonic aura into the female apprentice quarters, and yet there were more embarrassed, flustered girls than I’d expected—even though I hadn’t so much as looked in their direction.

Just like my master once told me to avoid unnecessary attachments, most mage towers around the world maintained strict social rules to keep apprentices focused on magic and study, without the distractions of romance or mingling.

And when you’re unfamiliar with someone, curiosity can bloom—but so do fear and rejection.

Right now, my very presence was a source of discomfort and anxiety for the women of the Rostia Mage Tower.

In other words—I was unintentionally being a nuisance.

“Kayron-oppa, are you really planning to keep going like this?”

“Yeah. I need to go deeper in. But… I’m clearly making people uncomfortable like this. Liana, Avelin. Do either of you have a cloth or something?”

“A cloth?”

“A cloth? Why, oppa?”

“Well…”

Avelin pulled out a handkerchief from inside her cloak.

Even at a glance, the fabric looked expensive and high-quality—something only nobles would carry.

The reason I asked for it was—

“I seriously don’t understand what this is supposed to accomplish,” Avelin grumbled as she tied the handkerchief around my head, covering my eyes.

Liana asked with a worried voice, “Are you really okay like that? You won’t be able to see.”

“Still, this is the least I can do for the women in the Mage Tower. If they’re uncomfortable with my gaze, then it’s only right I cover it.”

“You said you lacked subtlety—and now you’re compensating in the weirdest way possible.”

And yet… what is this?

Sniff sniff—

There was a strangely familiar and sweet scent…

Squeeze—

“Argh—!”

“What are you doing?! Don’t sniff it!!”

Avelin tightened the handkerchief around my face with force.

“You okay, oppa? Want me to hold your hand?”

“I’m fine. You know—”

I took a deep breath.

With one sense—my vision—sealed off, the nerves usually devoted to sight were now free to focus on my other senses.

I reached out with my perception, feeling the flow of mana and the direction of the wind through touch.

“Alright, shall we go?”

With that, I stepped forward, leading the way confidently.

I couldn’t see perfectly, but I could feel which direction I needed to go.

And the clearest landmark of all—the thickening demonic energy—was unmistakable. The closer I got, the more suffocating it became.

“Uh… oppa? Are you sure this is the right way?”

“Yeah. Why? Something wrong?”

“You don’t really know where you’re going, do you? If you keep walking that way, you’re gonna…”

For some reason, Liana trailed off, her voice growing hesitant.

“Ah! Watch out!”

“What the—? Is he seriously walking blindfolded like that?!”

Thanks to not worrying about people’s stares, my steps grew lighter and faster with confidence.

It helped that people instinctively moved out of the way the moment they saw me barreling through—likely because I looked like a man possessed.

As a result, I reached the heart of the demonic energy faster and easier than I had anticipated.

“Avelin.”

“Yes?”

“We’re here.”

“…This place—take off the blindfold, Kayron.”

Now that we’d arrived, I untied the handkerchief.

What appeared before me was a room—clearly not your average apprentice dorm.

While other rooms were shared among multiple girls, this one was unmistakably a private suite.

And not just any private room—it was ornately decorated, reserved for someone special.

“Liana, is there any chance we could go inside?”

“Ehh? Seriously? Are you actually asking that like you don’t know?”

“What’s wrong? It does look like a VIP room. Even as a high-ranking apprentice, you don’t have the authority?”

“There’s nothing stopping me. Because…”

Liana gave a sheepish grin and added,

“…this is my room.”

-- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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