“Mmm……”
I lifted my heavy eyelids.
The pain from yesterday, when every joint in my body had been screaming, was nowhere to be found.
Instead, three immense streams of energy I had never felt before were gently intertwining and circulating around my dantian.
[Trait “Mana Receptor (EX)” has been activated.]
[The mana of Sword Qi (劍氣), Frost (氷結), and the Imperial House (皇室) has achieved perfect balance and is sustaining your life force.]
[Current life force: 85%]
‘My life force is at 85 percent……?’
It was a number I had never seen even once since the day I was born.
But before I could be moved by the miraculous figure on the system window, I had to turn my head at the strange, soft sensation brushing against my cheek.
“……This is insane.”
My king-size bed had been completely occupied.
My right arm was held tightly by Sylvia, whose silver hair lay scattered as she slept soundly.
My left arm had somehow been claimed by Ellara, who had crawled up from the sofa and was holding it as preciously as if it were a famed sword.
The highlight was Princess Aurelia.
She had buried her face outright in my chest, one leg casually draped over my waist, sleeping as though reigning like an empress.
“You people…… where did you sell off the dignity of royals and nobles?”
As I muttered with a hand to my forehead, Aurelia, the first to sense movement, languidly opened her red eyes.
“You have awakened, my impudent possession.”
Still showing no intention of getting off my chest, she slowly traced my jawline with her finger.
“Last night, I expended quite a bit of my noble imperial mana suppressing that dreadful abyssal mana raging inside your body. How do you intend to compensate me?”
“Your Highness, you are being rude to my lord. Please get down at once.”
Ellara, whose eyes had snapped open at some point, glared at the princess while emitting killing intent.
“Even royalty has no right to touch my lord’s honored body so carelessly……”
“Ellara is right! Kylan is still a patient!”
Sylvia also hugged my right arm even tighter, keeping Aurelia in check.
From morning onward, the dormitory windows began to rattle under the power struggle of three monsters.
At this rate, before my sickly life force could even recover, the entire dormitory was going to collapse.
Just as I was about to irritably force myself upright—
Knock, knock, knock.
“Young Master…… it is Benjamin. How is your honored body feeling?”
From beyond the door came the cautious voice of Benjamin, the attendant.
“Come in.”
When I answered in annoyance, Benjamin opened the door and stepped inside, only to see the disaster(?) on the bed and lower his head with a “Hiiik!”
“Um, well…… I am terribly sorry to interrupt, but…… Headmaster Ignis has urgently summoned you to the headmaster’s office.”
“The headmaster summoned me?”
My heart dropped.
‘So it’s finally come.’
Yesterday, when I had collapsed onto the Demon King’s throne on the lowest floor of the labyrinth because my leg cramped, the ceiling had caved in.
Since I had turned the academy’s precious practical training facility, the dungeon, into a mess, it was obvious they were convening a disciplinary committee for property damage and obstruction of practice.
‘If I get expelled, I’ll deviate from the original route, and then the system penalty will kill me instantly. I have to deny everything no matter what.
I have no choice but to crush them with the authority of House Del Rothschild!’
Feigning composure, I put on my cold-faced “villain mask.”
“I’ll go.”
When I rose from the bed, all three women tried to follow at once.
“My lord, I will escort you.”
“You can’t go alone, Kylan.”
“I shall go as well. I must hear what nonsense that old man Ignis intends to spout at my possession.”
“All of you, stop.”
I drew a cold line, frowning.
“What could a mere headmaster possibly dare do to me? You will wait here. I refuse such an unsightly performance as having you trail after me.”
It was an outrageously arrogant line, but the three women blushed and nodded at once.
‘Ahh…… that lonely back, trying to shoulder everything alone even before the headmaster……!’
It was obvious that such deranged misunderstandings were flashing through their minds, but I pretended not to know and left the dormitory with Benjamin leading the way.
The top floor of the academy’s main building, the headmaster’s office.
The heavy oak door opened, and I stepped into the room with a dignified and arrogant gait, leaning on my cane.
“You called, Headmaster.”
Behind the massive desk in the headmaster’s office stood Ignis, the archmage and ruler of the academy.
The benevolent smile he usually wore was completely gone, and he was watching me with a heavy, sharp gaze.
Behind him, an agent of the Imperial Shadow Division with a covered face waited in silence.
‘The mood is pretty brutal. Is he planning to shove a repair bill at me?’
Inwardly swallowing hard, I sat down on the plush sofa in front of the desk without permission, crossing my legs.
Seizing the initiative came first.
“You haven’t even served a cup of tea. Has the academy’s treatment of guests always been this poor?”
At my provocative words, Headmaster Ignis’s eyes trembled faintly.
(Ignis’s mental filter)
‘T-that composure! Even after being exposed as an Abyssal Lord commanding dozens of black mages, he shows not the slightest agitation!
And the energy flowing from that body is…… Good heavens, a Sword Master’s sword qi, the absolute frost of the Northern Magic Tower, and even the pure white mana of the Imperial House?!
He contains those three mutually opposing powers within his body and is still breathing? Just where are the limits of that monster?!’
Ignis swallowed dryly and cautiously opened his mouth.
“……Young Master Kylan. I have received a full report…… on what occurred yesterday in the lowest level of the underground labyrinth.”
“Then that is fortunate.”
I tapped the handle of my cane and spoke coldly.
“So, do you intend to hold me responsible over a few worthless stones breaking? If you wish to know the price of offending me, I will gladly show you.”
(My true feelings: ‘If you expel me over a little broken ceiling, my dad the duke will cut off all academy funding, you know! Don’t mess with me!’)
But Headmaster Ignis’s complexion instantly turned pale.
(Ignis’s mental filter)
‘A-a few stones? That overwhelming might that suppressed in an instant the black demonic energy rising from the labyrinth yesterday…… he dismisses it as mere playing with stones!
It’s a warning that if I offend him, he will turn the entire academy into ruins! He even knows full well that an imperial agent is behind me, yet he dares provoke the Imperial House so boldly?!’
“O-of course not, Young Master!”
Headmaster Ignis suddenly bent at the waist and hurriedly waved his hands.
“Rather, it is our academy that failed to recognize the Young Master’s…… er, ‘grand design,’ and acted discourteously. We will cover up yesterday’s incident as negligence on the academy’s part.”
“……Huh?”
I panicked inwardly.
‘Why is this old geezer suddenly bending over backward? Was my family’s power always this strong?’
When I stayed silent in confusion, Ignis seemed to interpret my silence as dissatisfaction. He hurriedly opened a drawer in his desk, took something out, and pushed it toward me.
It was a brilliantly shining “gold badge” engraved with the academy’s emblem.
“What…… is this?”
“It is the special badge of the academy’s ‘Student Supervisor.’”
Ignis carefully spoke while wiping away cold sweat.
“We are well aware that the Young Master…… has been quietly watching over the academy from the shadows.
The Imperial House has also acknowledged the Young Master’s ‘great influence’ and has decided to grant you special authority to control all student organizations and facilities within the academy.”
“……”
I stared down blankly at the badge.
(My mental translation)
‘No, instead of disciplining the guy who caused trouble, they’re actually giving me an armband? Wait, could this be…… the headmaster’s clever scheme to dump chores on me?!’
I narrowed my eyes and glared at the headmaster.
“Headmaster. Are you daring to put a leash on me?”
“A-a leash? Absolutely not!”
Ignis flinched violently and glanced at the Imperial Shadow Division agent.
“This is merely…… a token of a ‘peace agreement’ stating that we will not intrude upon the Young Master’s territory!
If the Young Master, together with Miss Ellara, Miss Sylvia, and Her Highness Aurelia, protects the peace of the academy…… we will not interfere with any of the Young Master’s actions!”
(Ignis’s true thoughts)
‘Please, do not destroy the empire and simply take this badge and leave us be, Lord Demon King!
We will turn a blind eye so that you can live comfortably at the academy, eating and playing with those three young ladies you like, so please do not raise an army of darkness!!’
Without understanding even one percent of the meaning behind it, I inwardly rejoiced.
‘Jackpot. Not only are they writing off the broken ceiling, they’re saying they won’t touch me even if I cause a ruckus at the academy from now on, right? This is basically a free pass!’
I forced back the laughter threatening to burst out and picked up the gold badge with an arrogant expression.
“Very well. I shall graciously accept your paltry tribute. But remember this. If I see even one insect that offends me, this flimsy agreement ends at once.”
“We will remember, Young Master Kylan!!”
Headmaster Ignis and the Imperial Shadow Division agent both bent their waists ninety degrees in submission.
Leaning on my cane, I leisurely turned around and left the headmaster’s office.
[Status: You have successfully engraved “the overwhelming terror of a true mastermind”! Penalty waived!]
[Your infamy stat within the academy and the Imperial House has greatly increased!]
A system warning appeared, but I walked down the corridor with light steps.
‘Yes! I avoided expulsion! Now I can finally rest comfortably for a while.’
But that complacent thought of mine was shattered by the murderous gaze of a man waiting outside the headmaster’s office.
Behind a marble pillar at the end of the corridor.
The academy’s top student and the hero of justice, Lumen, was glaring this way with his fists clenched tight.
In his eyes, the scene from moments ago was replaying perfectly: the headmaster and imperial agent bowing to me, and me arrogantly accepting the gold badge before emerging.
(Lumen’s automatic mental translation)
‘……Good heavens. Even the archmage headmaster, the highest authority in the academy, has bowed his head to that demon and offered a token of surrender?
Even the imperial agent is trembling in fear as he serves him……! The Imperial House and the academy’s leadership have already been completely corrupted by his darkness!!’
Lumen bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and quietly turned away.
‘Kylan von Cliff. If you stain even the sanctuary of light with darkness…… then I, Lumen, will risk my life to destroy that rotten kingdom of yours!!’
[The original protagonist “Lumen”’s hostility and killing intent toward you has surged by 2000%!]
[The Hero’s Awakening event has been moved ahead of schedule!]
As I walked down the corridor, I nearly tripped over the sudden system message.
‘What the hell, why did his killing intent surge by another 2000 percent?! I just had a meeting with the headmaster and came out?!’
Drenched in cold sweat, I began limping toward the dormitory at a run.
“Ellara! Sylvia! Aurelia!! Save me!!”
No one knows that I am terminally ill.
And the misunderstanding that I am the mastermind who will destroy the world has, as of today, even received official recognition from the Imperial House.
Amid overwhelming power and misunderstandings on a grand scale, my pitiful survival game was now racing toward a cliff from which there was no turning back.