Chapter 46 — The Second Request

1

In the club room after Manus left.

In the room filled with silence, Kael pondered Manus’s words.

-He said he had never met such a connection.

Then what about them?

Did it mean they weren’t yet qualified to be such connections?

Her hand gripping her black skirt tightened.

“Senior is really something. I thought we had gotten a bit closer…”

“I-I don’t think he meant it seriously.”

Anais also crossed her arms and complained with a pouty expression.

She disregarded Melanie’s attempt to smooth things over.

This time, the arrow turned to Alano.

“Senior. Don’t you think so? Always going around alone… Could it be because of that? That he doesn’t acknowledge us as comrades yet?”

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

Alano calmly responded to Anais’s grumbling.

She could vaguely understand Manus’s words.

Her personality as a child and her personality now.

Knowing the difference between the two, she inferred the experiences from the countless hours spent apart.

Words and actions are a person’s life, character, and the product of their experiences.

If someone who was kind became indifferent, it must be because of such experiences.

“Manus is right, Kael. It’s really hard to find people you can trust in this world. Sometimes… even very close people can betray you.”

“We will never betray you.”

Anais responded with fiery eyes.

Seeing her clenched fists, she must be quite upset.

Alano too was waiting for the day to be acknowledged by him.

What does he want?

“Keep that feeling, all of you. Don’t let it change.”

“Of course. He’s always looking out for us, even if he’s a bit prickly and sometimes annoying. I understand if he still doesn’t trust us fully, you know? He’s probably telling us to work harder. We’re still greenhorns after all-.”

Pearson was making sense for once.

Even Anais couldn’t help but sigh and nod.

When Manus looks at them from afar, they must still seem like immature youngsters to him.

He’s probably telling them not to get complacent just because they have a little strength.

Plopping down, she asked Kael.

“What do you think? Hm?”

“-We need to work harder.”

“This one’s always positive.”

Kael’s eyes sparkled.

A desire for something.

It was the will to be acknowledged by Manus.

Everyone, including Anais, felt her determination.

Alano smiled and encouraged them.

After all, she was the one who needed to lead them until they could stand beside him.

“Let’s all work hard together. Manus isn’t a god. Someday, even he will have times when he’s overwhelmed. When that happens… we need to be there for him.”

“…That’s right.”

Anais, Kael, Pearson, and Melanie all nodded.

The Night of the Undead.

That night when a disaster nearly occurred.

Manus didn’t appear until the critical moment.

It’s not like him to miss such moments, so what was he doing that made him late?

Suddenly, Melanie voiced her curiosity.

“Um, by the way-. That night… where was senior?”

“I don’t know either… Maybe he had something urgent to do?”

Alano was equally curious, so she added to the question.

If he had been just a few seconds later, it could have led to a major accident.

If he had been with them from the start, they wouldn’t have felt that tension.

-He said shadows were targeting him.

Perhaps he had protected them from an even greater threat.

“Maybe he deliberately created that situation. That’s how he is, right?”

“-He wouldn’t do that on purpose.”

Kael said quietly.

Although Manus always demands that they become stronger, he wouldn’t intentionally push them to the brink of death.

Kael herself knew this better than anyone.

However, Anais was gradually accumulating dissatisfaction.

The Caesars are certainly amazing.

It was a level she absolutely couldn’t catch up to right now.

‘I want to be of help actively too…’

She wanted to walk beside him, but he always walked one step ahead.

Not a position to rely on, but a position to protect them.

Anais didn’t like that.

“When will he properly look at us?”

No one answered her question.

Anais thought she should look into it more.

Where was Manus and what was he doing that night?

‘If that night… he really did push us into danger.’

Then what should she do?

What if someone had actually died-!

In Anais’s heart, a seed of doubt was slowly sprouting.

It was a tiny seed that even she herself wasn’t aware of.

2

Once you receive a request from the Academy, the institution can apply for a re-assignment to the person who handled the previous request.

This was only possible for tasks that were an extension of the original request, and attendance would be recognized while performing such tasks.

Knock knock-.

Manus’s concentration was broken while he was enjoying reading in the dormitory.

As he closed the thick book, Aden’s voice was heard.

“It’s Aden. I’ve brought news.”

“-Come in.”

As he opened the door, the black-haired maid with a bob cut held out a letter.

It was a somewhat familiar scene.

It overlapped with the scene he had seen on his first day here.

A letter with the Ceaser seal clearly stamped on it.

Aden added as she handed over the letter.

“The family has sent an official request. It seems there’s some follow-up to the previous evaluation.”

Manus nodded and went into the room.

He broke the seal and examined the letter.

The sender wasn’t the family head, Labeth.

It was a letter from his sister, Invidea.

‘I guess I should go. Let’s see.’

He had no schedule for the time being except climbing the Tower.

It wasn’t yet time for the Demonium to appear.

The problem was that it overlapped with the timing of the survival evaluation-.

“If it’s not urgent, I should postpone it to next week.”

Looking at the contents of the letter, it only said to come when he had time.

Meaning it wasn’t urgent right now.

For now, it was time to focus on the survival mission.

If he could draw out Alano’s growth again there, he could confidently face the Dire Order.

“I should write a reply.”

Manus asked the maid who came next to bring stationery and an envelope, then picked up his fountain pen.

How should he reply?

Tap tap, the pen nib that had been tapping the paper for a moment moved elegantly.

A style that was blunt but sufficiently understandable to the recipient.

Manus’s memory of having written numerous reports came back to life.

His pen marked the final period, and he handed the letter to the maid waiting in front.

“Should I send it to the family?”

“Please do.”

The maid bowed deeply.

As she was about to leave, she suddenly stopped.

Originally, maids were not allowed to ask personal questions to students.

However, the sudden incident left the maids with big questions.

A fellow maid.

Moreover, it was about the head maid who had led them.

Manus was said to have been absent for a long time on the Night of the Dead.

“Young master.”

“What is it?”

“How do you think the head maid passed away?”

Manus shook his head.

It was best not to tell anyone.

The fewer people who knew, the better.

The maid hesitated, then bowed her head deeply.

She couldn’t ask any more.

They say the people of Ceaser don’t have much patience.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

The maid, who might have heard about Manus’s cruel daily life, was visibly trembling.

However, contrary to her fear, Manus simply waved his hand and turned his attention back to his book.

They say he completely changed after becoming a second-year student, and it seems that rumor was true.

Secretly breathing a sigh of relief, she disappeared quietly.

After sending the letter, Manus quietly indulged in knowledge, not paying any attention to the disappeared maid.

‘5th-Class. It’s indeed challenging even for Ceaser’s talent.’

By simple calculation, he had to meticulously infuse mana into 512 line segments, and memorize the patterns applied to each formula.

The shape of the magic also varies depending on how much mana goes into which line segment.

In a way, it was a much more in-depth learning than what he had learned in middle and high school.

Still, isn’t it fun when you’re doing something you like?

Students who despise memorizing math formulas and historical dates eagerly memorize game skills, structures, principles, ranges, and everything else.

‘This is similar. After all, games were the joy of my life.’

Thinking about those times made him feel nostalgic.

The feeling of lying comfortably in a hotel, fiddling with a phone.

The feeling of being lost in memories while looking through old photo albums.

-Suddenly, Manus wondered if this was normal.

It had only been a few weeks since he came here.

Could he feel this distant in a period not even a month long?

“…Is it the effect of the skill?”

He felt like he was gradually assimilating, though his essence remained unchanged.

Just in case, he checked his skill window.

The words [Ceaser’s Mindset] were clearly visible.

Mindset.

Yes, it’s a matter of mindset.

Surprisingly, the answer came quickly.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

A man.

Ceaser’s mind layered on top.

And other minds that will be added, what changes they will bring to him.

In what direction they will grow him.

‘This will be interesting.’

Various minds will stick to his upright soul, creating the personality called Manus.

Not multiple personalities, but a great capacity for acceptance and flexibility to cope with any situation.

Manus’s intuition, Ceaser’s excellent intelligence, was telling him so.

With a smile on his face, Manus continued to indulge in knowledge.

He was not yet complete.

3

You wouldn’t find such luxury anywhere in Korea, or even the world.

The ceiling was adorned with vast paintings intricately decorated with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, opals, and more.

Just one of those gems up there, if sold, would be enough to feed a family for over a decade, so large and beautiful were they.

What about the pillars?

The massive beams carved from entire diamonds supported the long corridors, enormous doors and window frames, and the dome-shaped roof.

The glittering decorations, the chandeliers all bathed in golden light, illuminated the interior just by reflecting the moonlight.

“-That concludes the report.”

“Good. You’ve worked hard. It’s late, go and rest now.”

“May Your Majesty’s body be in good health.”

“Yes, yes-.”

A languid face.

Neatly combed dark reddish-brown hair without a single gray strand.

He slightly furrowed his brow, which was beginning to show some wrinkles, as he stared blankly out the window.

“So he survived that chaos. And even gained a loyal subordinate.”

He scratched his head.

Ceaser.

He rolled the name around in his mouth.

The great magician.

One of the three pillars supporting the Empire.

The culmination of the imperial family, created by his father, his predecessors, and further back, to control enemies both internal and external.

-He thought no one else would be able to make that flower bloom again, except for his distant relative and unparalleled friend.

“It would be a fitting gift for a distant nephew.”

He chuckled.

The pink-haired assassin.

A friend who was unusually affectionate and soft-hearted, yet diligently carried out his assigned duties.

-Keller Bradley, the master of the Empire and the vast imperial palace, also knew.

Veronica.

That Aden wasn’t someone who would be tied down here for long.

Yes, rather than the imperial family, she might find it more comfortable to go to Ceaser.

Recalling the contents of the report, he quietly smiled.

Veronica would have failed this mission from the start.

If she had killed him, it would mean that Manus’s capacity in dealing with Veronica was only that much.

“Now it’s Harrison. Ceaser passed, but… I’m not sure about Harrison. It’ll be interesting to watch.”

There was still no one who shone as brightly as he desired.

Not even Labeth, his unparalleled friend.

Someday, if the whole world becomes engulfed in darkness-.

An incomparably brilliant being will be needed.

–TL Notes–
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