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“Ugh… no way this is happening…”

The moment I saw their faces, dizziness hit me.

By the time I regained my senses, I had already teleported away.

I felt like I would puke if I stayed there even for a second.

It didn’t help that I felt the same way even when I was with Shia.

Every time someone looked my way, thoughts surged through my mind.

The gazes filled with scorn, mocking, and contempt echoed in my head.

[You killed him.]

[You won’t be forgiven, you won’t be forgiven.]

“Please, stop…”

Bang!

I slammed my fist against a wall I didn’t even recognize.

Blood dripped down my fist.

Hoping to drown out the relentless voices, I curled up even tighter.

Please let this nightmare end right here.

“Nightmare…?”

Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I’d had a nightmare. I did have one just earlier, but…

Ever since coming to the Academy, I hadn’t had nightmares often for a reason…

“If only Nova… if only Nova was here.”

I didn’t need anyone else, just Nova. If only he would stay by my side,

Then everything would surely be okay.

*

Finally coming to her senses, Stella looked around.

“Did I end up outside?”

The place she found herself was an outdoor corridor connected to the outside.

Maybe it was because it was class time? There didn’t seem to be many people around.

But there were still some; voices could be heard from nearby, as if taking a class outside.

“Let’s move as discreetly as possible.”

If I ran into someone right now, I might lose my mind.

Judging that, Stella tried to cast a spell once more.

“Teleport…”

“Who’s that?”

The moment she heard the voice from behind, Stella flinched.

It wasn’t a hallucination, but a distinctly mocking and frivolous tone.

“Isn’t that the esteemed Master of the Golden Tower’s apprentice, Stella?”

“You…”

A man lounging on a bench revealed himself.

With his refined silver hair and pale skin,

Stella recognized the haughty face all too well.

“Lucius, the vampire?”

His name was Lucius Vladimir, brother to Lucid and one of the Three Great Clans.

“Seems like you still talk like a commoner.”

Seeing him rise from the bench and approach her, Stella began to sweat coldly.

‘I need to teleport right now…’

For some reason, she couldn’t teleport, and with each step he took closer,

Her heart began to race, making it even harder to muster magic power.

“Don’t come any closer…”

“Hmm? What’s this, a change from the last time? Where did that cocky attitude go?”

As Stella stepped back, Lucius raised an eyebrow.

“Ah, I see. It’s because of those rumors spreading among the first-years, isn’t it?”

“Ugh!”

Normally, she would have ignored his words as if they were just dogs barking, but

Stella couldn’t afford to act that way in her current state.

“That reaction… so the rumors are true?”

“N-no… It’s not like that…”

“If you had such a hobby, you could have just told me; you really are a loose woman.”

With Lucius now inches away from her, Stella’s body trembled.

What Lucius felt from seeing her was a disgustingly sadistic pleasure.

“Look at how much you’ve changed from the confident girl you once were…”

“Ugh… go away…”

“I’ll set one condition.”

“…Huh?”

“If you become my woman, I’ll protect you in the name of the Vladimir Clan.”

What kind of nonsense is this?

Stella’s answer to him was, of course, a refusal.

“I don’t need that!”

‘Even if I don’t have this person, I have Serena and Shia, I can trust them.’

Even if I don’t have anyone to trust, I wouldn’t want to be with a man I don’t like,

I didn’t want to remain at the Academy for that reason; I was here for one reason only.

“I already have someone I like… Sorry, but I must refuse.”

Stella’s words twisted Lucius’s expression.

“You’re not talking about that black-haired commoner in your class, are you?”

“…”

Seeing Stella remain silent, he confirmed his suspicions.

“Why did you fall for someone like him, even Lucid? He doesn’t have anything—no status, no skills, no future at all; you’re on a sinking ship right now.”

“Who do you think you are to say that?”

Stella wanted to knock this man in front of her down right now.

But trembling hands and a churning stomach only allowed her to glare.

Realizing that it would be pointless to say anything more, she attempted to escape.

“I don’t have anything left to say.”

However, his actions crossed the line.

Grip.

“Ugh…”

Lucius gripped Stella’s wrist roughly.

At that moment, she felt pain, numbness, unbearable anger, and shame.

She strained against him with all her strength, glaring, but

Normally, she would have knocked him down with her basic physical strength, but

Stella right now couldn’t muster even a drop of magic power.

“Let… go!”

Yet still, Stella struggled to stay planted.

Sensing that his efforts were futile, Lucius abruptly let go of her wrist.

“I thought you’d have some brains being the magic tower master’s apprentice, but I’m disappointed; you’ll regret this.”

At that moment, his gaze suddenly fell on the pocket on Stella’s left side.

Without saying a word, Lucius pulled out the item that was inside.

“What’s this… a letter?”

“Oh, that’s!”

Stella realized the item he had taken out too late.

It was a letter from Nova’s parents that she had kept close all this time.

“Give it back!”

She reached out for the letter, but due to the height difference, it didn’t reach.

“Guess this must be really precious to you. Is there a love letter inside or something?”

Without hesitation, he ripped open the envelope to examine the letter.

Lucius’s eyebrows furrowed as he read its contents.

“So you’re childhood friends with that commoner… So that’s why you’re so close…”

“Give it back right now!”

“Well, it’s not like I can’t give it back.”

Riiip

“Wha…?”

Without hesitation, Lucius tore the letter to shreds.

In shock, Stella’s body froze up.

Soon, the letter lay shredded into pieces on the floor.

“Well, if you want to take it back, feel free to grab it.”

“…”

Staring blankly at the shredded remains falling to the ground,

Stella collapsed to her knees.

Her heart turned cold.

A heavy darkness loomed, wishing to blame the entire world.

‘Why is this happening to me?’

Why was she being subjected to this nonsensical bullying?

Slowly, emotions began to shift inside Stella.

Her heart, once cold, began to eat away at her.

Anger surged in her mind.

“Honestly, if you had just listened to me from the start…”

Lucius smiled refreshingly as he looked down at her.

As she stared blankly at the back of him walking away,

“…I’ll… kill you.”

“What?”

“I’ll kill you.”

Stella, with her fists clenched, approached him.

He couldn’t evade the sudden punch coming at him.

Pow!

Her fist struck Lucius square in the face.

“Gah–?!”

His body flew back from the heavy impact, nearly losing consciousness.

But Stella had no intention of stopping there.

She mounted Lucius, who had fallen to the ground, and rained down punches.

“I told you to give it back!”

“Wait, hold on!”

“I said…”

Wham!

“…give it back!”

Bang!

“I told you…”

Crack!

Her fist struck at him while his eyes half-swollen and breaking into cries.

“Do you think you’ll get away with this?”

Stella drove another punch into him.

“Ugh!… Please stop… I messed up… just…”

Despite his pleas sounding sincere, she didn’t relent.

His face was already swollen, bleeding, and he must be internally bleeding as well.

Lucius’s skin went pale.

Even so, she attacked without a hint of hesitation.

Left, right, she alternated the equally powerful punches.

The last one aimed to take his life.

“Die.”

Just before that final punch landed, her hand stopped mid-air.

“That’s enough now, Stella.”

Stella quietly looked at the direction where her wrist was held.

“Anubis…”

Only then did Stella realize what she had done.

“I’m so sorry, I really messed up…”

“…”

“Even if I’m proven innocent, I’ve touched one of the Great Clans… I’m definitely getting expelled.”

“Ugh, ugh… Anubis?”

Anubis, who had quietly watched Stella, turned his head.

“Glad to see you! Hurry up and knock that girl out!”

“…I offered to help you, but I really am sorry.”

Anubis slowly raised his arm.

Stella stood still, seemingly not planning to resist.

“Alright! Show me my strength…”

Bang!

“Gah!”

Anubis’s fist came crashing down like a hammer.

And at the end of that fist was not Stella, but Lucius’s face.

“Y-you…?”

“Looks like I misfired in this little mistake.”

Anubis casually pulled Lucius, who was buried in the ground.

Stella was bewildered by his incomprehensible actions.

“You’re a subordinate of the Vladimir Clan…if you do this, then you…”

“It’s fine, my master is Lucid, not Lucius.”

“What do you mean it’s fine? If you do this, you’ll get fired, then your goal will…”

“Are you worried about me? Turns out, Stella, you’re quite a kind soul.”

“You…”

“But you don’t need to worry; the Vladimir Clan can’t abandon me. More importantly…”

Anubis grabbed Stella by the shoulders and spoke.

“Stella, you don’t need to worry about anything.”

“…?”

“Just focus on going to Nova; I’ll handle the rest.”

After a moment of contemplation, Stella finally spoke.

“…Thank you, Inuyasha.”

At those words, Anubis’s expression shifted to one of surprise.

“…I’d prefer if you didn’t call me that; I’ve discarded that name.”

A smile returned to Stella’s face.

“Why not? This name feels much more affectionate… it suits the image perfectly.”

*

As Stella exited the Academy, Anubis’s gaze fell upon the sight

of a battered Lucius rolling on the ground.

[You really hit him hard.]

His voice, muffled with his hand on his head, sounded oddly detached.

[Your avatar has been wrecked like that, yet you keep using him… you really are a cruel god.]

He approached Lucius, extending his hand toward him.

From Anubis’s hand flowed a blue flame.

[His memories of Stella have been completely erased.]

In the empty space, save for unconscious Lucius,

it was as if he continued to talk to the air.

[This is the last time I’ll help you, you know, Asteria.]

At that moment, with a flicker in his purple eyes, Anubis coldly curled his lips.

[There will be no more granting your time rewind;

if your avatar dies or the seed hatches this time…]

Then the soul will be mine.

 

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