"I'm starting."
"..."
The air was thick with the tension of a brewing storm.
Elena gripped my wrist, her eyes grave as she began to channel her power.
Vwoooom—
A brilliant light erupted from her hand. It was the power of divinity—a force that annihilated all evil, a literal punishment from the gods.
Under the pretext of healing me, this was her way of confirming whether I was truly a demon. If I were the creature she suspected, this divine healing magic would undoubtedly tear me apart.
And, as if to prove her right…
'Ugh.'
The moment the divine power surged into me, a searing pain shot up my arm. Even for a half-blood who was half-human, the demonic blood in my veins made me fatally vulnerable to divine energy.
Before the agony could completely shatter my composure, I manipulated the system settings.
Ting—
[Sense Synchronization has been lowered to 10%.]
It was a function I'd discovered while fiddling with the system window in the Student Council office: Sense Sync. It allowed me to adjust the intensity of the physical sensations I experienced. It was a considerate feature, likely included to prevent players from dying of shock by experiencing the game's pain at full capacity.
Ting—
With the setting active and the pain transmission rate throttled, the agony of Elena's divine power became bearable. The sensation of my flesh burning away subsided into something akin to the pleasant warmth of a heated pack.
And that wasn't all.
Externally released demonic energy vanishes.The flow of mana is stabilized.
The foul demonic energy pouring out of me—a natural reaction to divine purification—was completely nullified by the effect of Derod's Ring. The chaotic flow of mana caused by the damage to my body was concealed by Arin's Pendant, and my pathetic, sub-human stamina was being bolstered by Gehiron's Belt.
That's right. This was how Roen had survived until now.
'It's all about the items.'
Fwoosh—
Thanks to my gear, I was able to withstand the immense divine power pouring from Elena without showing a single outward sign of distress. Of course, Elena's divine power was no ordinary force.
The ring's durability is decreasing.The ring's durability is decreasing.Health is decreasing.Health is decreasing.All stats are decreasing due to low health.All stats are decreasing due to low health.Health is at a critical level. Treatment is required.
...
...
...
System notifications popped up relentlessly, nearly obscuring my vision. In exchange for blocking Elena's divine magic and the demonic energy gushing from me, the ring's durability and Roen's health were plummeting at a terrifying rate.
'I guess a bad matchup is just a bad matchup.'
I grimaced internally, watching Elena pour every ounce of her being into the release. To think it was this intense just moments after she started—as expected of a Saint candidate.
The pain itself was manageable, but if this continued, either this body's health or the ring's durability would hit zero. I had to stop her before disaster struck.
Shk—
Waiting for the perfect moment, I pulled my arm free from Elena's tight grip.
"Elena. I think that's enough healing for now."
"Ah…"
Elena, who had been channeling her power in a trance-like state, seemed to snap back to reality and quickly let go.
Shaaa—
The particles of white light scattered into the air.
"Oh, my."
Elena gasped as she saw my reddened wrist. Where her hand had been, there was no sign of the characteristic purification reaction that occurs when a demon is touched by divinity. Instead, all that remained on my gaunt wrist were the red marks from her grip.
With this, Elena had failed to prove I was a demon.
I rubbed my tingling wrist and stood up coldly.
"I assume our business is concluded. I'll be taking my leave."
I snapped at her in a deeply offended tone and picked up the coat I had discarded. As I turned to leave with a frosty demeanor, Elena scrambled to her feet to follow me.
"W-Wait a moment!"
She hesitated for a second before forcing the words out.
"I… I have been terribly rude."
"..."
Her earlier confidence was gone, replaced by a belated attempt to salvage the situation. Her move hadn't been bad; the original Roen would have been caught red-handed. The only thing she hadn't considered was that the master of this body wasn't Roen, but me.
In any case, I had no intention of meekly accepting her apology. The situation was now overwhelmingly in my favor.
'I should use this to my full advantage.'
Still wearing a look of displeasure, I replied curtly.
"I don't need an apology. However, I will be collecting my due for today's events, Elena. And it won't be a light price."
"..."
This bet was my victory. By putting her in my debt today, I was sure I'd find a use for her someday.
Flutter—
I shrugged on my coat and left the cafe, leaving a stunned Elena behind.
*
'Phew, I almost got screwed.'
After quickly exiting the cafe, I let out a silent sigh of relief. Weaving through the crowd on the street, I checked the remaining durability of my items.
Derod's Ring, which I had restored to 22 durability, was now down to a mere 1. Roen's health had also dropped below 10%, causing all his stats to plummet. The trembling in my legs and the fog in my head were likely the effects of the stat reduction.
If my timing had been off by even a little, I would have collapsed on the spot. The consequences of that were too obvious to even mention.
Of course, it was all a calculated risk, but I couldn't help the pounding in my heart. Only after I was far enough away that Cafe Seraphium was out of sight did I finally let go of the tension and allow a small smile to form.
"Hah."
Regardless of the process, my meeting with Elena had been a resounding success. Not only had I dispelled the suspicions of the one person I absolutely couldn't let discover my half-demon nature, but I had also won our bet and earned a favor from her.
"What's with that guy?"
"So creepy."
People passing by shot me disgusted looks as I grinned to myself, but I couldn't care less. Walking down the main street with a satisfied smile, I stopped in front of a shop.
"Should I buy one?"
A short while later.
The evening breeze was still chilly. I headed toward the Union's main building, a warm bag of donuts in my hand.
*
Elena. Elena Sion Celestia.
The Student Council President of Seintea, one of the Union's Four Great Academies, and the princess of the Holy Kingdom Celestia.
She stared blankly at the empty seat Roen had left before turning her gaze out the window. Roen had calmly disappeared into the crowd. Watching his retreating back, Elena murmured to herself.
"Why… No, there's no point in saying that now."
It was something she couldn't quite understand, but the proof had been right before her eyes. She shouldn't question it any further.
"…I should formally apologize later."
She had cornered an innocent person and treated him like a demon. It was a clear mistake on her part, a grave insult. No matter how improper his usual conduct was, this was wrong. She would have to find an opportunity to visit him and formally apologize.
'Still…'
As payment for the bet, she now owed him a wish. It was only a verbal promise between the two of them, but Elena wasn't shameless enough to simply pretend it never happened. As long as it was within her power and didn't violate her principles, she was willing to grant it. It was the least she could do to atone for the disrespect she had shown him.
'That said, I never thought my intuition could be wrong.'
Elena gave a bitter smile and clenched the sleeve of her priestess robes. Until now, her sense for detecting the power of demons had never failed her. It was awkward to say it herself, but her aptitude for divine power was so great that she was hailed as a candidate for sainthood.
Of course, she hadn't acted on a simple hunch. She'd had grounds for her conviction.
Elena narrowed her eyes in thought.
'In the year since his admission, Roen has never once been treated by the Divine Knights.'
Every student at the academy received treatment at some point. Whether it was during a combat exam, a practical training session, or for personal reasons, it was nearly impossible to go a full year without getting injured. Yet he had not a single treatment record.
Furthermore, it was suspicious that he had turned away the priests from the Divine Knights she had sent when she heard of his recent hospitalization. She didn't know why, but he was clearly avoiding divine healing magic.
'His movements are certainly suspicious. And besides…'
That wasn't all. There was another reason she had been so certain. It was because of the incident that occurred a few weeks ago, on the day of the Student Council President inauguration ceremony.
Elena sighed deeply and recalled the events of that day.
It had happened in the grand auditorium, where Roen's inauguration ceremony was being held along with the opening ceremony after the long winter break. A massive explosion of mana had erupted during Roen's inaugural address. Shrapnel rained down like a storm, and thick dust made it hard to breathe.
Amid the pandemonium, panic-stricken students fled while high-level monsters appeared in the chaos. It was a patently bizarre incident. While everyone was in a state of panic, an unidentified light had burst forth from where Roen was, and all the monsters were annihilated.
And in the midst of it all, Roen had thrown himself in front of Freya to protect her. It had been utter chaos, but Elena had seen everything with perfect clarity. After that day's events, Roen was severely injured and had to spend several weeks in the infirmary.
In any case.
'That unidentified power…'
Elena quietly bit her lip. Recalling that day brought back the strange sense of unease she had felt from that mysterious light. If she assumed that power was demonic energy—which was antithetical to divine power—all of Roen's other actions made sense.
That was why she had concluded that Roen was involved in the incident and that he had a strong connection to demons.
'But I was barking up the completely wrong tree.'
Elena silently looked down at the hand she had used to grab Roen's wrist. After all, no demon in the world could remain unscathed after receiving her divine healing.
"Haaah."
With a deep sigh, Elena stopped her train of thought. Worrying about it further wouldn't solve anything, and more importantly, she was in a bad mood. She needed something to lift her spirits.
After a moment of deliberation, Elena made a decision.
"…I have no choice. Excuse me."
At Elena's call, a waiter hurried over.
"Yes. I'll take your order."
"This one, and this one, oh, and this one too, please. It's the limited edition, right?"
Elena held up the menu and ordered a large number of her favorite sliced cakes. A short while later, an array of colorful cake slices covered the table. Elena picked up her fork, and her hands moved with blurring speed.
Fwip-fwip-fwip—
In an instant, the slices of cake vanished. The cakes from Cafe Seraphium lived up to their reputation, boasting a heavenly taste that seemed to melt away the moment they touched her tongue.
'…It's delicious. It is, but…'
For some reason, she felt like she could taste a hint of bitterness in the sweet cake. As she gobbled them down, the plates were soon empty.
"..."
Staring blankly at the empty plates, Elena began to feel angry at herself for failing to control her momentary desire.
'I need to go on a diet.'
Crrk—
She clenched her fist without thinking, and the fork in her hand bent like taffy.
"Ah…"
Paying for the bent fork wasn't an issue, but it wouldn't do for word to get out that she had broken the cafe's utensils. Elena carefully straightened the fork and placed it gently back on the table.
Clink—
Her momentary lapse over, Elena slowly rose from her seat. She stepped out of her private booth and spoke to the Seintea students gathered in the cafe.
"Everyone. It's time for us to leave."
Screech—
"Yes, President."
At Elena's words, the Seintea students all rose in unison. After paying their bills, they followed Elena out of the cafe one by one. Only after the entire group had left did the owner of Cafe Seraphium let out a sigh of relief.
*
Chirp, chirp—
The sound of birds waking the world pulled me from the sleeping quarters. After meeting Elena last night, I had returned to the Student Council office and collapsed into a deep sleep.
In any case, one eventful day had passed, and today was the second. Waking up didn't magically return me to the real world; it wasn't a dream.
Shwwwk—
I pulled back the curtains, but it was still early dawn, and the world outside was dark. As a bluish morning light filtered in, I looked around the office and noticed that the bag of donuts I had left on the table was gone.
"Hmm."
I hadn't gotten to eat a single one, but as long as Ciel enjoyed them, it was fine. I opened the window and took a deep breath of the cool dawn air.
"Hoo."
As the window opened, fresh air—and 'mana'—filled my lungs. Though invisible to the eye, it was undoubtedly the mysterious power called mana that existed in this world.
To awaken my modern sensibilities to this unfamiliar concept and learn how to wield it, mana breathing was essential. Even with the system assisting in the manifestation of spells and skills, it would be better in the long run to get a feel for mana myself.
"Hoo."
I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, inhaling the fresh air and mana, then exhaling. It felt pretty good, but it wasn't enough. I sat on the floor and began to seriously imitate a pose I had only ever seen in comics.
I sat in a lotus position, my hands resting gently on my lower abdomen. Was this what they called circulating energy? I closed my eyes, cleared my mind of distracting thoughts, and regulated my breathing.
"Hoo."
I wasn't sure, but as I continued, my head felt clearer. If I kept up this mana breathing, the system would probably give me a clue, just as it had with alchemy.
Just as I was thinking that, after a long period of deep breathing…
Ting—
As I expected, a system notification appeared. However, it was slightly different from what I had anticipated.
[The Path of the Martial Artist.]
• You have successfully opened your lower dantian, fulfilling the conditions to practice martial arts.
• Would you like to change your class to Martial Artist?