Chapter 4 – “Black Book” Part 2
Nox left Headmaster Velmira’s office with a tired sigh and headed straight toward the cafeteria.
The moment he stepped inside, he spotted Alber Vin Asterion, waving so wildly it looked like he was drowning.
And… he was surrounded by girls.
Seriously? He already gathered a fanclub on the first day?
As Nox approached, Alber immediately stopped talking to the girls and walked over with a dramatic sigh.
“Nox! Tell me—did the headmaster scold you?” Alber asked, grabbing Nox’s shoulders and shaking lightly. “You look like this.” He made a dead-eyed expression.
Nox brushed his hands away.
“No, she didn’t. And what were you doing? Making girlfriends already?”
Alber burst into laughter.
“Don’t be jealous, my friend! Fate simply smiles on handsome men like me. Anyway—how about I give you a tour of the academy?”
Nox nodded. “Sure… not a bad idea.”
But after only a few steps, Nox felt dozens of eyes stabbing into him.
Whispers. Glances. Glares from nobles.
Why can’t nobles learn to whisper quietly…?
Alber pointed toward a group of students holding small booklets.
“Look, they gave us the academy guide.”
Nox took one, opened it, and froze.
“Who wrote this third-rate guide…? This is worse than a low-tier novel.”
Alber almost choked.
“Headmaster wrote that.”
Nox blinked.
“…Hey, Alber… did I say that out loud?”
Alber sighed. “Yes. Out loud. Very clearly. If the headmaster hears that, I don’t know what will happen to us.”
Nox closed the book immediately.
“Let’s pretend this never happened.”
“Agreed.”
---
They continued the tour and eventually reached the academy garden.
The wind was soft, the paths lined with bright flowers and tall white trees.
But Nox’s steps froze the moment he saw a familiar girl among a group seated under the shade.
One of them—the pink-haired girl—was the one who had slapped him earlier on the way to the dorm.
Great. Just my luck.
Nox sat on a nearby bench while Alber flipped through the guidebook.
Nox handed him a small water bottle.
“Don’t you think this academy is too big?” Nox asked.
Alber nodded seriously.
“I think this is a maze disguised as an academy. There is no end.”
Suddenly, a soft yet sharp female voice cut in.
“Alber Vin Asterion… looks like you picked up a nice little lackey for yourself.”
The girl with pink hair and bright green eyes walked toward them, her steps graceful but her expression smug.
Nox whispered, “A friend of yours?”
Alber sighed.
“No. Not friends. But… we know each other. She is Sisbell Val Bandri, daughter of a duchy—like me.”
He paused. “And I have no idea why she always tries to pick a fight with me.”
Sisbell’s eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms.
“You two idiots—don’t ignore me!”
Alber flinched.
Nox blinked.
…She’s even scarier up close.
Sisbell was yelling again.
“Alber! Are you listening to me?!”
But Alber simply ignored her and kept talking to Nox.
“Sisbell’s annoying, right? We’ve known each other since childhood, and she still acts like this.”
“Gross!” Sisbell snapped. “We both know each other since childhood, yes—but you’re busy chatting with that commoner now!”
Alber sighed.
“How many times do I need to repeat myself? Nox is my roommate. And my friend. Why are you nagging me? I didn’t reply your letter because I was training!”
Sisbell’s face turned crimson.
“Idiot! Of course I know you were training! But you could at least come say hello! You just disappeared for days!”
Nox watched them in silence.
…So she likes him. And Alber is way too dense to notice.
Their voices grew louder and louder.
Nox finally raised a hand.
“Both of you—stop your couple argument.”
Alber and Sisbell snapped toward him like wolves.
“We’re not a couple!” they shouted in perfect harmony.
“Yeah, sure,” Nox muttered. “You definitely aren’t.”
Alber’s ears turned pink as he looked away.
“Sisbell, look what you did. Now my friend thinks we’re a couple.”
Sisbell pointed at him.
“Not my fault! You’re the idiot! You need to make more friends instead of clinging to him—are you worried because your friend misunderstands?”
Nox sighed.
“Can you both stop blushing? Seriously.”
Their bickering was loud enough for half the garden to hear.
And then—
A calm, refined voice drifted through the garden.
“Sisbell. It is not proper for a noble lady to raise her voice like that.”
A girl with long silver hair approached, holding a delicate fan in one hand. The crescent-moon pendant on her uniform shimmered softly. Her presence alone made the atmosphere shift.
Sisbell immediately rushed to her side and clung to her sleeve.
“Scarlet! They’re being annoying again!”
The silver-haired girl—Lady Scarlet El Valorios—looked at Alber and Nox with flawless etiquette and bowed slightly.
“Good evening, Sir Alber Vin Asterion. Sir Nox Moon. I apologize for my friend’s behavior.”
Alber waved a hand.
“No need. We know she’s troublesome.”
Scarlet hid a small laugh behind her fan—elegant, controlled, but clearly amused.
“Sir Alber, please. It is improper to speak that way about my Sisbell. She’s simply… cute. Don’t you agree?”
Alber froze.
Sisbell glared at Scarlet.
“Hey! Don’t say it like that!”
Then Scarlet’s pink eyes shifted to Nox.
Her gaze lingered.
Nox felt a strange pressure—like she was assessing his entire existence in three breaths.
He stared back silently.
Scarlet’s cheeks faintly warmed. She quickly hid half her face behind her fan, then turned away and continued speaking to Sisbell and Alber, pretending nothing unusual had happened.
…Wait, what was that?
Nox had no idea.
But he felt something shift.
And the air around Lady Scarlet El Valorios suddenly felt… dangerous.
Beautiful, noble—and a little terrifying.
A true villainess.
