Chapter 9
2. An Extra Doesn’t Need Obsession (4)
“And it seems there’s a misunderstanding; I merely told you to keep your distance because I don’t want to be involved in other people’s family matters.”
“Is that so? How exactly did you find out about those family matters?”
Acteon, who had come close, felt threatening, unlike the impression he gave when first encountered.
‘He’s quite young to be an adult, yet he has this much physical build.’
High-ranking Transcendents generally have physical development far superior to that of ordinary people. They grow into bodies suitable for efficiently managing mana.
When such a being cast a long shadow over her head, she instinctively felt a chill.
‘Around this time, he shouldn’t have even gone through his first manifestation yet.’
He would probably go through his first manifestation soon. And not long after, he would have his second manifestation upon entering the academy.
‘His rank will, naturally, be S-Class—incomparable to a B-Class like me.’
She somehow felt discouraged.
Everything was flowing according to the original plot; would she even be alive after Acteon’s second manifestation?
His jet-black bangs, which seemed to have been stripped of color, contrasted with the bright hallway.
Through them, his silver-gray irises, devoid of the smile he had earlier in the day, glared at her.
“Tell me. How did you know?”
But something felt strange. It hadn’t been obvious until now, so she hadn’t noticed.
‘Is he a little tired?’
No, that wasn’t her concern. Instead of unconsciously backing away, she looked up at him.
‘I was too careless.’
The incident of Claire and her Guide’s death was the source of Acteon’s trauma. The Guide was the only person who had ever treated Acteon, who was born an illegitimate child, with kindness.
Yet, she had spoken carelessly, not knowing Acteon was present.
‘If I had known you were here, I wouldn’t have mentioned it rashly.’
What good did it do to protest internally?
Acteon couldn’t read minds.
Facing the sensitive young man, she calmly attempted a conversation, pretending she didn’t know much about the matter and didn’t understand why he was reacting that way.
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if there were no rumors when an S-Class Transcendents, a person so notable they even graduated early, was suddenly announced to have fallen in battle?”
It was better to reveal a moderate amount than to try to hide things poorly. Like most other manifested individuals, Claire was also a graduate of the Estra Military Academy.
Moreover, she was an expected prodigy among the higher-ups, being the youngest student to be admitted and managing to graduate early.
The news that such a highly anticipated figure had suddenly fallen in battle came as a shock to everyone.
Baseless rumors, from the appearance of another S-Class monster in an enemy nation to talk that Claire had actually committed suicide, swept through the academy.
“If you strip away the truly preposterous rumors, surprisingly plausible speculation sometimes emerges.”
Furthermore, the speculative rumors about Claire Brondearn, which were further fueled by Cassiel’s leave of absence, showed no signs of dying down. She decided to leverage this.
‘It’s dangerous to act like I know too much.’
Acteon was a smart guy. A lie would be exposed immediately. The best option was to mix truth and rumor appropriately to navigate the situation.
“It’s an incident that shouldn’t be carelessly mentioned, but wouldn’t it be fair to be this cautious when I, too, might end up in a similar situation?”
“A similar situation, you say.”
“The rank might be different… but the fact that she was an Awakened person close to my age hasn’t changed. I mean, I would find it absolutely horrifying if I were ordered to kill the enemy on the front line at this age without thought.”
Acteon was silent for a moment, then uttered words that sounded as if he were speaking to himself.
“Even if that is the duty of a Manifested person. And that doesn’t seem like a suitable excuse for commenting on someone else’s family matters.”
That… was true.
She expressed an apologetic demeanor regarding that point. But that didn’t mean she agreed with Acteon’s words.
“Even if it is a duty, wouldn’t a normal parent try to hold them back rather than push them to the front lines? With all due respect, the Duke doesn’t seem like the type to do that.”
“…….”
Even though the future where Acteon kills her is predetermined.
‘Clashing with this guy is a foolish move.’
Born an illegitimate child, raised without proper affection under the compulsion of manifesting as a prospective Transcendents, he was simply another victim of this country’s oppression of Manifested individuals.
By hitting the nail on the head, Acteon fell silent.
But she definitely couldn’t feel safe yet.
“I will do everything I can to protect myself and my brother. That’s why I told you not to get involved with your family. The Duke and the other young masters seem to want the same thing, so did I do something wrong?”
The words had already spilled out. What she had just uttered was tantamount to a gamble.
Even as a cadet, such a statement could be considered a challenge to the authority of the nobility, and her neck could be severed immediately without surprise. But she was certain that Acteon couldn’t convey her words to the Duke or do anything else about it.
“But aside from that, I apologize for carelessly bringing up the death of your family. I sincerely apologize.”
The gaze that had been fixed on her face, seemingly about to bore right through her, finally dropped away. He seemed to sigh. She didn’t know if it was a good sign or a bad one.
“For now, yes. I understand your position.”
Fortunately…
‘Did that go well?’
He seemed less angry than before.
She was happy that he understood. Still, complacency was forbidden.
“But I think you were reckless. If my elder brother or father had heard that, this sponsorship would have been canceled.”
Well, about that.
“I don’t care.”
“What did you say?”
“I repeat, I apologize for speaking carelessly about your deceased family. However, we, too, do not wish to be wholeheartedly devoted to a place that doesn’t treat us like people.”
As she spoke, she unconsciously put emphasis on the last sentence. Acteon’s eyes widened at that.
“There was never such a….”
“Don’t say there wasn’t. From the moment we arrived at the mansion, you treated me like I was invisible, and as for your brother or the Duke… well, you saw it firsthand, so you can’t dispute it, can you?”
Even the maid assigned to attend to her treated her far too casually, so that said it all. Of course, she had no intention of mentioning that part.
Just as she had been flustered moments ago, this time it was Acteon’s turn. Her words seemed to sting him, as he realized how disrespectful his actions had been.
‘I’ve said everything I wanted to say…’
Should she cut this off and return to her room?
‘Hyakin must be worried.’
However, even after she walked past Acteon, the distance between them didn’t increase.
This was because Acteon was following her.
“…….”
“…….”
Perhaps because many members of the mansion staff circulated around during this hour, not a single servant was visible throughout the long corridor.
In other words, it was just Acteon and her, playing a game of chase the whole way.
She was the one who stopped abruptly first.
“Is there something else you need to say?”
She declined the situation of being alone with Acteon, of all people. Not only her, but anyone would want to avoid being alone with the person destined to kill them.
“Just one thing.”
However, Acteon seemed to disagree.
“I want to correct one misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“First of all, I wasn’t treating you like you were invisible. I was simply…”
Acteon paused to choose his words, then spoke.
“I did that because I didn’t want to get close to you.”
What in the world…
‘What is he talking about?’
Did he fall in love with me at first sight? That’s a common trope.
‘No, that doesn’t seem right.’
She quickly thought, pretending she didn’t know how to react to Acteon’s words. And before long, she was able to guess what he meant.
“Brother Aran…”
Acteon, who unconsciously mentioned someone, flinched and fell silent. With just that one word, she realized the reason why Acteon had tried to ignore her.
“If it’s difficult to talk about, you don’t have to.”
That person was Claire’s Guide. The Guide who died because he couldn’t stop her rampage.
Knowing that someone close to him had died that way, what did Acteon feel when he first saw her?
‘Did he think I might end up in a similar state?’
Even the Duke himself had said that if her rank had been even slightly higher, he would have accepted her as a family member, hadn’t he?
‘In fact, I’m not exactly safe right now. If Hyacinth awakens, I, his only family member, will become a convenient weakness to control him.’
Is that why he tried to maintain a distant relationship with her? Because she might meet the same fate as Claire’s Guide? Although it seemed like a stretch, it was a perfectly valid reason.
But just as she was about to counter that she didn’t particularly want to get close to him, either.
“Acteon?”
Acteon, who had looked somewhat uncomfortable for a while, suddenly stumbled. Reflexively, she grabbed his arm to support him as he was about to fall.
At the same time, she was startled.
‘W-why is this happening now…?’
Acteon couldn’t sense mana yet.
All that should be happening is a faint mutual recognition and reaction between the mana in the air they breathe and their heart, without conscious awareness on their part. But—
‘Why does it feel like the surrounding mana is rushing at him?’
As if discovering easy prey to devour. The surrounding mana was concentrating on Acteon.
Outwardly, Acteon seemed to be experiencing only slight dizziness and fatigue, much like when one has a simple cold, but—
‘Could this be…’
She couldn’t help but be agitated.
To become a cadet at the Military Academy, one must undergo the first manifestation. That was the admission requirement.
The first manifestation is the stage where a Transcendents or Guide finally begins to sense the surrounding mana.
But—
‘This, this is a symptom of the first manifestation, isn’t it?’
The symptoms Acteon was currently experiencing were precisely that.
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