"I'm sorry. I won't ever bother you again."
Adrian blinked, utterly dumbfounded, as Gallion bowed his head in apology.
And there was Elize, smiling sweetly on the side like she hadn't just mentally crushed a would-be spearman into dust.
'…What the hell did she do to make him so obedient? Hypnosis? Bribery? Blackmail?'
As expected of a hero candidate—apparently she came with bonus points in "domineering sermon mode."
After Gallion slunk off, Trisha approached me as I was about to get my items graded. Her expression was… let's just say, a priestess with that solemn look usually means someone's funeral. Hopefully not mine.
"Excuse me, Mr. Adrian."
"Yes?"
"…Please be nice to Elize. But also—don't be too nice."
"…"
What kind of double-bind riddle nonsense is that supposed to be?
I stared at her wide-eyed, but Trisha's lips trembled as she continued.
"You probably don't realize it yet… but there's something very off about Elize. If handled badly, it could go… really bad."
"…What exactly do you mean?"
"When she fought Armand's eldest son earlier, she nearly crossed the line. Normally, Elize would've just sent him packing. But this time? She drew her sword. She was this close to carving him like a roast."
"…"
"I'm certain that whenever your name comes up, she… changes. It's not just anger. It's like she forgets reason. Like judgment doesn't exist anymore."
"…"
"It'll only escalate. If she decides she doesn't like something… Mr. Adrian, you'll be the one caught in the fallout."
Oh, thank you for the deathly ominous prophecy, priestess. Very uplifting.
'…Why does it feel like the universe itself is running a vendetta against me lately?'
I sighed, watching Trisha walk off with hurried steps, like she just dropped a curse and didn't want to stick around for the explosion.
Seriously, everyone's out to get me.
First things first, I needed to check the system prompts that popped up earlier.
▼ Elize Kingsley
[ Interest Level 1 ] >>>[ Interest Level 2 ]
[ Rewards Available! ]
[ Negative Mark 1 Stack ]
[ Rewards Available! ]
[ Character has partly changed under your influence! ]
[ She is an important character. Increase the mark stack to get something special! ]
[ Taint of the Virtuous usable for 1 time! ]
▼ Gallion Arsmed
[ Negative Mark 1 Stack ]
[ Rewards Available! ]
[ Historically lost sanity under your influence! ]
[ Taint of the Virtuous usable for 1 time! ]
"…"
Opening the system never fails to jump-scare me like a tax notice.
I know the Negative Mark is from 'He Who Touches Pitch Shall Be Defiled Therewith.'
The problem is, aside from Gallion, why is Elize also involved?
"…"
Sighing, I tapped the system window.
[ Received Gift Reward from 'Elize'. ]
[ Received 500 pts. ][ Current Points: 2,500 pts ]
[ Received 1 'Evil Seed'. ]
[ Received Gift Reward from 'Gallion'. ]
[ Received 1 'Evil Seed'. ]
Evil Seed?
What's this, a villain's version of a loyalty card?
[ Evil Seed ]
[ Currency: Special ]
[ Can be exchanged for a special skill in the Points Store. ]
[ Skills available for purchase in the store has been updated! ]
My eyes widened.
'Special skill?'
A special skill is basically a consumable cheat code you can activate regardless of class. One-time use, but hits like a truck when you need it.
It's basically an item you "buy and use."
But it's not called "special" for nothing. In the right situation, it's miles better than anything else in the store.
'Let's check the store…'
Indeed, like the prompt said, there were new things available. Each of them looked disgustingly powerful.
'…I'll figure out how to farm more Evil Seeds later.'
Negative Marks aren't exactly something you can hand out like candy at Halloween.
I'll have to find "suitable candidates."
Some are already on the corruption highway, like Gallion, and some have "good" tendencies that are actually worse than villains.
Guess that's the system's sense of humor.
With that in mind, I grabbed a handful of items and went back.
And there I saw Roderick lying on the ground, drenched in sweat.
"…"
What in the nine hells is he doing?
"…What are you doing?"
"Iya, you brought so much stuff…"
The man in question wheezed out an answer.
"How did you end up like this?"
"That frigging Student Council President kept pushing to go to the forest, so I told her to knock me down first then she can go."
"…"
Sometimes I wonder if I'm surrounded by lunatics, or if the lunatic is me for still hanging around them.
"…"
I'm at a loss.
"So… did you fight?"
"We fought."
What kind of madhouse is this?
The Student Council President picked a fight with the Dean. Like that's a normal extracurricular activity.
The training grounds looked like a meteor shower hit them. Craters everywhere, trees snapped in half, smoke still rising from the soil. I swear if a dragon poked its head out of the rubble, I wouldn't even blink anymore.
"So I knocked her out and dropped her off with the Council. Honestly, her skills have gotten scary good…"
He said it like a dad bragging about his kid's report card.
'…And yet the Dean still flattened Lirielle.'
Yeah, she's supposed to be the Final Boss down the line, but right now she's still in her grind phase. Judging by that fight, she hasn't even reached half of her real potential yet. Which is terrifying. And depressing. For me.
"What about my grade?"
I asked, forcing a smile as Roderick rummaged through the bag I dragged back.
"Perfect score. Just from quantity alone, you're first place."
"…"
That was… fast. Almost suspiciously fast.
As if catching my doubt, Roderick chuckled through his nose.
"What you brought back are premium materials—stuff professionals have to risk their lives for. You basically made us look like amateurs."
"…I see."
Honestly, I only went that far to give Gallion a migraine, but sure, let's call it an academic achievement.
"Take those and go see Percy. She'll eat it up."
"…What?"
"You've got a wish ticket from her, don't you? Use it now, while she's still desperate. Might as well stack some extra points."
Roderick grinned like he just sold me a shady insurance policy.
"…How exactly?"
"She's been whining that she's missing most of the stuff you just collected. If you stroll in with it now, you'll look like her personal messiah."
Huh.
That could work.
"Then… with the ticket, can I ask for something a little bigger?"
"What is it? She could probably pull off just about anything."
"Uh, well…"
I paused to gather my thoughts.
There are a lot of requirements for catching the 'Purifier', but the very first thing that popped into my head…
"I'd like a bomb strong enough to wipe the entire academy off the map."
"…"
Roderick's mouth clamped shut instantly.