Chapter 44 : Why Are You Here? (1)

Wade looked down at her.

“It seems the match is settled. What should I do with you?”

Despite having taken down her dolls and special collection, he showed no signs of exhaustion.

It wasn’t even a competition from the start.

Elia gave up all resistance.

She had no strength left anyway, and no matter what she did, escaping from this man was impossible.

Thinking that way oddly put her at ease.

“Do as you wish.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Whether you torture or kill me… what can a loser like me do about it?”

“You don’t seem afraid of death.”

Wade shook his head.

“I have no intention of torturing or killing you. I just came here to give you a small warning.”

“A warning…?”

“Yes. I have something to say about Kalian.”

Kalian? That was a name she never expected to hear here and now.

Elia couldn’t understand why such a strong man would suddenly bring up Kalian.

And the words he said next made even less sense.

“From now on, don’t approach Kalian.”

“…That’s all I have to say.”

“…What?”

After causing such chaos, after displaying such overwhelming power, that’s all he had to say?

The command to stay away from Kalian was certainly unwelcome, but Elia had expected something different—

Like forbidding her from turning living people into dolls or demanding she leave the academy.

There was no shortage of things he could say in this situation.

“Is that really it?”

“What, can’t you do it?”

Elia didn’t answer.

Kalian.

The man she fell for at first sight, the one she’d marked as the person she wanted to spend her life with.

She was willing to do anything to be with Kalian, and so far, she had.

But what should she do when such an overwhelming force stood in her way?

After some deliberation, Elia made her decision.

For now, she’d promise to stay away from Kalian.

She’d only say so and later figure out a way to meet him again.

“Just in case you’re thinking something unnecessary, I’d advise against it.”

But Wade spoke as if he had read her mind.

With a wave of his hand, a woman in a maid’s outfit appeared from the shadows.

Her silver hair and red eyes naturally drew attention.

The maid handed something to Wade.

It was a set of photographs.

“While you were busy causing a commotion, my friend took a few pictures.”

“But no one but you was in my barrier. How did you…?”

“That’s not important. Just take a look at these.”

Wade showed the photographs to Elia.

They captured her controlling her dolls and cornering Wade, every moment vividly documented.

“Now, looking at these, what do you think?”

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

He lowered his head to meet Elia’s gaze as she sat collapsed on the ground.

“Imagine this. What would happen if I showed these photos to Kalian? What kind of person do you think Elia would become in Kalian’s eyes?”

“Please, don’t do that…”

“Hm? Oh, I’m not saying I’ll definitely do it… just imagine it for a moment.”

She didn’t even want to imagine it.

Kalian, who valued righteousness and justice above all, would surely despise her if he realized she was a puppeteer who used human corpses as materials.

He would undoubtedly look at her with disgust, and the impression she had painstakingly built up until now would be utterly ruined.

Her complexion turned pale.

“If I follow your demands, will you promise not to reveal the truth to Kalian?”

“Well, I don’t know yet. It depends on how you behave. I’ll decide then.”

“Promise me!”

“Where in the world is anything certain? If you don’t like it, do whatever you want. I’ll do as I please too.”

Wade’s eyes curved into crescent moons.

This devilish man was toying with her as though dangling her over the edge of a cliff.

But she had no other choice. In this situation, she had no option but to comply with his demands.

In exchange for keeping her secret, Wade demanded two things.

First, she must obey any order he gave, no matter what it was.

Second, unless instructed otherwise, she was forbidden from approaching Kalian personally.

Both were absurd conditions, but they were the only way to protect her life and maintain her relationship with Kalian.

“You bastard.”

After Wade left, Elia collapsed onto the ground under the moonlight.

She was utterly drained.

The conversation earlier had been trivial, but Wade’s very presence had left her feeling as though her life was in danger.

As her tension eased, a cool breeze brushed through her hair.

She stared blankly at the blue moon and suddenly wondered:

How could that man remain so composed?

If he knew that she, who hid behind a mask of innocence at the academy, was actually a puppeteer using human materials, shouldn’t he have reacted appropriately?

Feelings like hatred, contempt, or disgust should have surfaced.

Yet, he acted as though it didn’t bother him at all, treating her no differently than usual.

That realization unsettled her in a new way.

Her secret must remain hidden.

She had to continue being Elia Belmore, kind and virtuous, no matter where she was.

It was frustrating that someone as powerful as Wade had uncovered her secret… yet she couldn’t deny feeling an inexplicable sense of relief.

After that day, Elia stopped approaching Kalian.

It seemed Wade’s photographic blackmail had been effective.

She no longer attempted subtle physical contact or acted overly familiar with Kalian.

Although they still crossed paths during theater practice, that was all.

It felt like a small victory for Wade, who had successfully provoked her.

Any disobedience on her part would have been troublesome.

As time passed, the academy’s festival period began.

The plays they had rehearsed and various food stalls prepared by the students were set up throughout Arcana.

The festival lasted about a week, during which the academy opened its gates to the public.

As a result, Arcana was bustling with visitors.

“Come here and try some delicious barbecue!”

“We’ve got fruits grown with magic!”

“Score just one point against a knight and win a prize!”

Knights and mages, who normally focused on their training, were now eagerly drawing in customers from the crowd.

Now then… where should I start?

I licked my lips and glanced around.

There was still plenty of time before my play began, so I had some free time.

Of course, I wasn’t planning to spend it idly munching on barbecue.

That’s not why I came to this school.

I had a goal: to find the heroines.

The festival brought in a vast number of visitors, meaning there was a chance to encounter heroines from outside the school.

The notable ones were the Third Princess and the Grand Duke of the North.

While it was typically difficult to meet them, they had a tendency to attend events like these.

If I could establish a connection early and link them to Kalian, it would surely yield good results.

But before I could set off in search of the princess or the grand duke, a woman caught my eye.

She had long black hair and wore a black dress.

Her striking beauty was almost otherworldly, yet no one seemed to pay her any attention as she stood in front of a street vendor.

The vendor was selling skewered chicken.

“What’s this?”

“Welcome! This is called a chicken skewer. It’s grilled chicken seasoned and cooked on a stick. Would you like to try one?”

As the woman stood silently, staring at the skewers, the vendor handed her one.

She examined the skewer carefully before cautiously taking a bite.

Finding it to her liking, she quickly devoured the entire thing, oblivious to the sauce smearing the corners of her mouth.

After finishing the skewer, she nodded and extended her hand to the vendor.

“It’s delicious. Give me more.”

“Each skewer costs 5 coppers.”

“Coppers? What’s that?”

“Ah, are you from another country? In that case, just give me any five copper coins.”

“Coins… Are you asking me to pay?”

“Yes?”

The vendor looked confused by the woman’s strange question.

In response, she took out a small object from her pocket and handed it to him.

It was a glowing red gemstone. Even from a distance, its brilliance was striking and unusual.

“Will this do?”

“Uh… This is way too much.”

“Take it.”

“With this, I could give you all the skewers here and still not have enough change to return. I’m sorry.”

The vendor, overwhelmed by the excessive payment, hesitated awkwardly.

But the woman held out the gemstone without flinching.

“I’ll cover the cost.”

“What?”

I stepped forward and handed the vendor 5 coppers on her behalf.

Seizing the chance to resolve the situation, the vendor quickly accepted my money.

Then I pocketed the gemstone from her palm.

“I paid for the skewers, so I’m keeping this.”

“And who are you?”

The woman, now holding a new skewer, asked as she looked at me.

She didn’t seem angry about me taking the gemstone, just curious.

“I’m a student here. And you?”

“An outsider.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

Her curt replies didn’t bother me as she returned to nibbling on her skewer.

I nodded nonchalantly, but inwardly, I wanted to grab my throbbing head.

Why on earth is the Demon King here?