Chapter 24 “ Balck crystal” part 3
The silence didn’t last long.
One girl slowly raised her hand.
“Um… Lady Scarlet?”
Scarlet stiffened.
“…Yes?”
The girl smiled politely.
“Well, if you want to look cute, maybe… smile more?”
Scarlet frowned.
“I smile.”
Everyone looked at her.
Sisbell tilted her head.
“…You glare when you smile. How can I say it… it’s like you’re planning to kill someone.”
“That’s different,” Scarlet replied seriously.
Another noble girl leaned in, her eyes sparkling.
“You should lower your voice when you talk to boys,” she said.
“Like this—”
She spoke softly, almost in a whisper.
Scarlet tried once.
“…Like this?”
Her tone was flat.
Cold.
Terrifying.
The girl froze.
“…N-No. Not like you’re sentencing him to death.”
Laughter burst out.
Sisbell covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking.
“Scarlet,” she said,
“when you talk like that, even I feel scared.”
Scarlet crossed her arms.
“So… should I act weak?”
Everyone shouted at once.
“NO!”
“Absolutely not!”
“That would destroy the academy!”
Another girl chimed in, hesitant.
“Try… acting surprised?”
Scarlet blinked once.
“…Surprised.”
Her eyes widened—exactly one millimeter.
Sisbell stared at her.
“…That’s your surprised face?”
“Yes,” Scarlet said confidently.
Sisbell leaned back, deeply troubled.
‘This is worse than I thought. Well, it’s not her fault. She’s a pure noble lady… but when it comes to cuteness, she’s at zero.’she thought
One girl whispered,
“Maybe… try being honest with your feelings?”
Scarlet went silent.
“…That’s impossible.”
Sisbell nodded immediately.
“Yeah, no. That’s beyond her level. Scarlet and honest don’t belong together.”
Scarlet glared.
“Sisbell, what do you mean?”
Sisbell coughed.
“I mean—step by step! Step by step!”
Another girl clapped her hands.
“How about bringing snacks?”
“Boys like food! And I heard there was an event where a girl and a boy shared chocolate with each other.”
Scarlet’s eyes lit up slightly.
“…I can do that.”
Sisbell narrowed her eyes.
‘Why does that sound dangerous? Did she misunderstand something… or does she not know what it means when a girl gives chocolates?’she thought
“And,” the girl added quickly,
“don’t glare when you give it.”
Scarlet paused.
“…That’s difficult. How can I give anything without looking?”
Sisbell sighed, resting her chin on her hand.
‘Who exactly is this poor boy? Who gets this kind of attention from her or maybe it's……I'm overthinking ’she thought
Scarlet looked down at her teacup again.
“Just act normal… like when you’re with me.”
‘How hard can that be? She really doesn’t understand the meaning of cute and adorable.’she thought
Somewhere far away—
Nox sneezed for no reason at all.
Ophelia paced back and forth in her private chamber, her fists clenched.
“This is useless!” she shouted.
Three informers cowered in the corner, bowing their heads as her anger crashed over them.
“But… Princess…” one of them stammered.
“We… we gathered everything we could find…”
Ophelia slammed her hand on the table, sending papers flying.
“Everything you could find?!” she shouted, her voice echoing.
“You call this information? This is pathetic!”
Another informer trembled as he spoke.
“Your Highness… he’s from a small village far from the capital… he manages his father’s library…”
Ophelia’s eyes narrowed.
“…That’s it? That’s all you know?”
“Yes, Princess…” the third whispered.
“We tried, but someone blocked access to the proper records. We couldn’t get anything else… and it’s because he’s the headmaster’s student. We can’t check his admission documents.”
Ophelia swept another stack of papers onto the floor.
“Blocked?” she repeated sharply.
“Who dares to interfere with my orders?”
The informers exchanged nervous glances.
“We don’t know, Princess… it happened before we reached the full report.”
Ophelia let out a long, frustrated sigh, her cheeks flushed with anger.
She bent down, picked up the papers one by one—then let them fall again.
“I can’t believe this,” she muttered, pacing.
“I needed everything about him. His background, his family, his abilities… everything.”
One timid informer spoke.
“Princess, maybe… maybe it’s for the better?”
Ophelia froze mid-step, her eyes blazing.
“For the better?”
“How is knowing nothing better?!”
The informers shrank back, praying she wouldn’t explode again.
Ophelia sank into her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“I don’t even know why this is happening,” she muttered.
“Someone doesn’t want me to know about him… but why?”
She leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
Her lips curved into a frustrated smile.
“Fine… I’ll find out myself. No one can hide anything from me for long.”
The informers bowed low, unsure whether she was furious or plotting.
Her voice softened, but remained sharp.
“Now… clean this mess. And don’t fail me again.”
The papers were gathered with trembling hands.
The room fell silent—except for her breathing.
Her mind, however, was already racing.
Ophelia settled onto her plush couch, hugging her oversized bunny.
Half her size, yet strangely comforting.
“This is annoying…” she muttered.
‘How could I pull him to my side without knowing anything about him? Even his mother’s name is a mystery. The villagers know the name—but nothing else. No stories. No history. Just emptiness.’she thought
She lightly batted the plushie.
“It’s strange… but maybe it doesn’t matter.”
“I should focus on him, not his past.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“I thought I’d never feel envy again… not after awakening the Dragon King’s power. But here I am—jealous of Scarlet.”
Her fingers tightened around the bunny’s ears.
“That girl has no right to stand beside him.”
“I’ll do this,” she whispered.
“I’ll uncover everything myself. I’ll make him notice me.”
Her gaze softened as she imagined him, unaware.
“Just him… and me. That’s all I need right now.”
‘And after that, Scarlet will understand how it feels—to be the second option, to be nothing. ’
‘When all his attention turns to me, when he stays by my side… I want to see that sadness and grief on her face, just like I felt when we were kids.’she thought
Meanwhile, inside the sub-space laboratory, Nox sneezed again.
“What is wrong with me today?” he muttered, rubbing his nose.
“I don’t even have a cold…”
The black crystal floated above the alchemy table, pulsing faintly. The room hummed softly as motes of light drifted around.
“Alright… focus,” he said quietly.
“I need clean data today.”
He adjusted the instruments carefully. Sparks jumped toward the analyzer, making him flinch.
“Ugh… this thing really doesn’t want me sneezing,” he muttered.
“If I mess this up, Headmaster Velmira will kill me. Or worse—lecture me.”
He shook his head.
“No distractions.”
He leaned forward, recording the crystal’s energy patterns.
Sneezes came in bursts, but he ignored them.
“Why today of all days?” he groaned.
“…Wait.”
He paused.
“…Is it reacting to this kind of mental magic?”
His eyes sharpened.
“I’ve never felt it this active before. Even the brain tissue has gained magical energy.”
Carefully, he adjusted the filters. The crystal pulsed stronger.
“Just a little more…” he whispered—
then sneezed again.
Back in her room, Ophelia hugged her plushie tightly.
“I’ll find a way,” she whispered.
“No matter what.”
Her eyes gleamed.
“I’ll get close to him first. Scarlet won’t even notice.”
The bunny seemed to nod.
“And next time,” she added softly,
“he’ll look at me first.”
Outside, Headmaster Velmira was playing with Mireon.
“How squishy you are,” she said cheerfully.
“Who would believe you’re undead?”
Mireon tried to escape.
In a sudden burst, he transformed into a small bird-like monster and attempted to scream—
…except he couldn’t talk.
Velmira blinked—then laughed.
“Nice try! You’re improving!”
She clapped.
Mireon gave up and returned to his slime form, oozing into a corner.
Velmira crouched beside him.
“Don’t sulk. You’re learning fast.”
Mireon wobbled weakly.
“One day,” she smiled,
“you’ll be even stronger… and cuter.”
Night fell.
Velmira opened the sub-space crack.
“Nox,” she said, stepping inside,
“that’s enough for today.”
Nox looked terrible—pale, slouched, exhausted.
Velmira blinked.
“Wow. Are you a ghost?”
“No,” he sighed.
“I think I caught a cold without catching one.”
“…What?”
“I’ve been sneezing all day.”
She examined him.
“I see did you succeed?”
“About seventy-five percent,” Nox replied.
Her eyes widened.
“That’s impressive. What did you find?”
He straightened.
“The black crystal is man-made. As we thought, it’s an artificial crystal.”
Her expression hardened.
“And it contains a mind-control spell that reacts to mental magic energy.”
The air grew heavy.
“I see,” Velmira said quietly.
“That’s a good start for me”
“I’ll finish tomorrow,” Nox said tiredly.
“And give you the full report.”
She nodded.
“Good. As expected of a master-level alchemist.”
Nox paused.
“…Whatever. Where is Mireon?”
“…Huh?”
“Well, you see…”
Nox frowned.
“What do you mean by that? Did you do something with him?”
“I let him out for a walk. He tried to go outside, so I let him go.”
“…A walk? You know he’s one of my strongest undead! And he transformed into a living object.”
Velmira waved lazily.
“No students are around at night. I guarantee it.”
Nox rubbed his face.
“…Fine.”
He turned.
“I’ll go find him before he causes chaos.”
Velmira chuckled behind him.
“Good luck. He’s fast—and jumpy.”
Nox groaned and disappeared into the corridor, already regretting everything.
