Chapter 72: Luck and Misfortune Cannot Be Distinguished
Duke Zain stared at me intently.
It was an ordinary gaze.
But perhaps because I had a guilty conscience or maybe because the ingrained defense mechanisms of this body were kicking in.
My hands kept twitching, making it hard to stay still.
"Thank you for saving Karina."
At that moment, his voice pierced through my ears.
"Once, whenever you wish, the Zain family will aid you. This is a promise I, Karaban, make in my name."
In an instant, something shot toward my chest.
My body reacted before my mind could process it.
"There’s no need to dodge the Oath’s Imprint."
But at the words of Marquis Wagner behind me, I consciously relaxed my body.
Swish.
The energy pierced through my chest and settled in my heart.
Aside from a slight sting, it didn’t hurt.
When I looked at Duke Zain again, he was gazing at me with a peculiar expression.
‘What’s going on? What’s happening right now?’
Whether I liked it or not, I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.
From the moment I faced Duke Zain until now, everything had happened so quickly that it took time to process.
Whatever it was, the outcome seemed to benefit me.
Duke Zain was already calling over his secretary to give some instructions.
And the benefits didn’t end there.
"Look at me, losing my mind. I should repay you as well."
Marquis Wagner, who had been holding onto me, pulled something out and handed it to me.
"I’d love to lend you the power of my family like His Grace, but as you know, our family isn’t as influential as the Zain Duke. Heh heh. Take this instead."
What he handed me was a Spirit Stone.
Spirit Stones were treasures so valuable they were worth their weight in gold, not just for summoners who dealt with spirits but for their immense worth as talismans.
Their rarity made them expensive trade items.
But Marquis Wagner had another intention in giving me the Spirit Stone.
"I’ve been sensing a strong spirit aura from you since earlier. Have you perhaps made a contract with a spirit?"
I flinched inwardly but shook my head as nonchalantly as possible.
"A spirit? I’m a swordsmanship cadet."
"That’s why I’m asking. My nose never lies. Or perhaps you’ve recently encountered a spirit?"
"I’m not sure, but I do recall meeting Max’s summon. Narvik, was it?"
"Oh, you met Narvik?"
"Yes. Anyway, thank you for the gift."
"But…"
Marquis Wagner seemed to want to ask more, but he stopped short.
Duke Zain’s secretary approached me.
"Greetings, I am Yudro of the Zain family. Are you headed to the Academy?"
"Yes."
"Please follow me."
And now, here I am.
I was riding in a carriage owned by Duke Zain himself, heading to the Academy!
Even stretching my legs fully, I couldn’t touch the opposite seat in the spacious interior, which was filled with a subtle, luxurious citrus scent.
High-quality wool lined the walls, and soft cowhide gently embraced my waist and hips, making it feel like I was riding on a cloud.
Though invisible to the eye, top-tier magical arrays were likely hidden within the walls, protecting the carriage.
Is this what it feels like to ride in the car of a corporate tycoon?
‘This must be insanely expensive.’
Thinking about money snapped me back to reality.
Looking out the window, I saw the carriage was already climbing the hill toward the Academy.
Seeing it with my own eyes finally eased my tension, and I felt reassured.
‘I survived.’
Yes.
I survived.
I survived meeting a sorcerer who leads the eradication of evil.
Of course, I hadn’t committed any crimes.
In fact, I was the benefactor who saved his daughter.
But the overwhelming aura he unconsciously exuded was beyond imagination.
It was an energy forged naturally from burning countless evils.
That alone wouldn’t have been a problem, but the issue was that this villainous body of Gerard’s instinctively reacted to that aura, putting me on guard.
‘To put it simply, I was scared shitless. Damn it.’
It had nothing to do with my will.
I even tried to block the Oath’s Imprint sent by Duke Zain.
I don’t know how Duke Zain and Marquis Wagner saw that reaction.
‘Now that I think about it, Marquis Wagner is a concern too. Who knew he had such a keen nose to detect a spirit’s scent?’
I’d only know that if I’d dealt with summoners before.
Even during my time as a ‘player,’ I didn’t have much interaction with summoners, so I didn’t know much about them.
‘Still, thanks to Max Wagner’s summon, Narvik, I think I managed to brush it off.’
But that didn’t mean I didn’t need to be cautious.
‘Did I handle it well?’
Reflecting on it, the situation was so chaotic that I couldn’t recall the details clearly.
‘Whatever. Let’s think positively.’
I placed my hand over my chest.
Within it was the promise Duke Zain had personally inscribed.
Marquis Wagner’s Spirit Stone was an incredible gift, no doubt.
But Duke Zain’s promise was a power unlike any other, a cheat code in itself.
It was on a completely different level from Karina Zain’s verbal promise.
It felt so reassuring, like I held a trump card.
‘If he’d noticed anything strange about me, he wouldn’t have given me this.’
And that wasn’t all.
Through this incident, I fully mastered the use of [Dark Sprint].
Considering I faced monsters among those I classified as ‘enemies,’ this was a tremendous success.
"Still, let’s not meet again."
I leaned back on the plush sofa and closed my eyes.
* * *
"What do you think, Your Grace?"
Duke Zain, Karaban, let out a faint chuckle at Marquis Wagner’s question.
Malion Wagner.
His younger brother and close friend, who had followed him since childhood, occasionally omitted the subject when asking questions.
And that habit surfaced whenever he was deeply intrigued by something.
What could that something be?
They were on their way back from visiting Karina at the Cathedral.
But it wasn’t Karina he was interested in.
Why would he suddenly care about Karina, whom he’d seen plenty of since childhood?
"Hm? Why are you laughing?"
"Because it’s funny."
"Come on, I want to laugh too. What is it? Tell me."
Because you’re funny.
Swallowing the words, Duke Zain lightly shook his head and asked,
"What do you think?"
"Well, I was a bit surprised. No, honestly, I was very surprised. Even for a highly perceptive swordsman, reacting to Your Grace’s aura is no easy feat. But that guy not only noticed it right away but even put up his guard."
As expected, his interest was in Gerard.
The 888th cadet they met as soon as they arrived at the Cathedral.
"That’s amusing enough, but the fact that he even tried to block it is even funnier. Heh heh."
Coldly speaking, Duke Zain’s act of sending out his aura without a word was undoubtedly wrong.
But he didn’t say anything because there was no malice.
In fact, it was out of goodwill that Duke Zain sent the Oath’s Imprint without explanation.
There was also a degree of ingrained authority in his actions.
But what happened next was astonishing.
Gerard had reacted to Duke Zain’s aura.
‘A cadet who hasn’t even graduated from the Academy detected the aura of a Grand Mage.’
How incredible was this?
If this were reported to Royal Dream for an article, their credibility and stock would plummet instantly.
No one would believe it.
Even the two who witnessed it were still half-doubting it.
Sorcerers.
From the moment they’re called Mages, they can execute spells and incantations quickly and covertly.
Naturally, Duke Zain, a Grand Mage, manipulated mana so swiftly and subtly that even high-ranking knights would miss it.
‘Yet a cadet who hasn’t graduated from the Academy caught my aura. Unbelievable.’
Even before Marquis Wagner’s question, Duke Zain had been pondering this.
‘I heard he was a mess until last year.’
Could it be a coincidence?
That seemed more realistic.
It wasn’t a perfect detection; perhaps he was just overly sensitive from the previous night’s events.
Though he’d been standing out recently, it was hard to believe a mere cadet had the skills of a high-ranking knight.
Then Marquis Wagner spoke.
"Now that I think about it, that guy took down the Head Collector alone, didn’t he? The Head Collector, who even killed Sir Rockwell, the Spear of the West. Does that mean Gerard is stronger than Sir Rockwell? Hmm."
Duke Zain shook his head.
Fights depend on the environment and circumstances, and outcomes can’t be judged solely by results.
Rockwell was a high-ranking knight who surpassed Aura Expert long ago, while Cave and Sabo were, at best, beginner Experts.
Investigations revealed Rockwell was ambushed dishonorably by the Head Collector and the holy Sabo, two villains.
However.
‘It might not be a coincidence.’
Both those villains were killed by Gerard.
That meant Gerard was at least at the Aura Expert level.
‘No.’
He might be even stronger.
‘If he’s hiding his strength.’
Duke Zain considered the possibility that Gerard was concealing his power.
Curiously, everything fell into place when he thought that way.
‘Why is he hiding his strength?’
Duke Zain was curious.
‘It’s a pity. If this guy hadn’t intervened, I could’ve seen Gerard’s skills more clearly.’
These thoughts weren’t exclusive to Duke Zain.
"Haha. I’m still curious. If I hadn’t stopped him, how would he have reacted?"
Seeing Marquis Wagner express the same regret, Duke Zain curled the corner of his mouth.
"A needle in a pocket will eventually poke through. We’ll find out in time."
"Hahaha! Well said!"
Normally, he wouldn’t care about the Academy’s affairs.
But today, a slight interest had sparked.
"By the way, what will he use Your Grace’s Imprint for? Honestly, that’s what I’m most curious about."
"…"
* * *
"Phew. I’m freaking exhausted."
As soon as I arrived at the Academy, I returned to the dormitory.
I wanted to collapse onto the bed, but I couldn’t.
After a cold shower, I sat at my desk and opened my notebook.
I began listing the gains and changes from this incident.
1. I finally completely dispelled Karina’s suspicions toward me.
2. As an extension of the first, by perfectly resolving the hostage crisis, I moved further away from being a suspect as a thief.
Moreover, my honor and fame rose as the hero who resolved the hostage crisis.
I had read Royal Dream at the Cathedral.
The hostage crisis at the Academy and my name and photo were plastered across every article.
I came straight to the dormitory, so I hadn’t felt it yet, but I’d probably notice the change once I stepped outside.
"No more ‘failure’ label. Good job, Gerard. You worked hard."
It felt like I’d finally cleaned up all the mess left by this body’s previous owner.
It was refreshing.
"Next, number 3."
Growth.
By dealing with Sabo and the Dark Clerics, my level increased by 1.
4. Additionally, weakening the cult’s power was another gain, big or small.
And 5, the complete mastery of [Dark Sprint].
Plus, the Spirit Stone from the Cathedral and Duke Zain’s Imprint.
"Did my prayers yesterday actually work?"
But there was a slight concern.
Wasn’t I taking too much for myself?
Think about it.
I stopped the beast incident, took down Cave, Narsi, and now Sabo.
Those were supposed to be the tasks of the protagonist, Ivan, and his companions, but in this worldline, I took them all.
In other words, I ‘stole’ all the experience points that were meant to fuel their growth.
And that’s not all.
I’ve already met the Dean, Duke Zain, and Marquis Wagner, building connections, and Royal Dream keeps mentioning my name in articles.
It feels like everything meant for the protagonist, Ivan, is coming to me.
Sure, I resolved to do whatever it takes to survive.
But I’m starting to worry I might end up stealing the protagonist’s title.
So, I couldn’t help but wonder.
"Where the hell is Ivan, and what is that guy doing?"