*Huff* *Huff* Huff*
"This way, Professor!"
Sunlight tore its way through the inclement sky.
Students made their way back to their dormitories.
It was almost time.
I sprinted through the school halls, Professor Boyden following not far behind.
The library doors swung open, revealing a nervous August.
His hands raised in surrender.
With the sword of Aurelia Everblade directed at his throat, he shouted.
"P-please Princess, listen to me! You're in danger!"
"Why would I trust the words of a man who is only good at running his mouth?"
"I mean it! You really are in danger!"
August's insistent pleading was making Aurelia uncomfortable.
Her quizzical eyes didn't trust the man known as August Vale.
"Understand your position, Viscount August. Your presence dis-"
She stopped, peering her eyes towards us.
The appearance of Professor Boyden and I broke the tension between the two.
Professor Boyden sighed.
"Your Highness, sheath your blade. You know the rules of attacking another student outside of duels."
"I-I...!"
Her protesting stopped as he suddenly disappeared from beside me.
The Professor's hand, now resting upon her guard.
"...I understand, Professor. I apologize."
Unintentionally, I felt my head landing in my palm.
The imposter's warnings were never going to get through to Princess Aurelia.
I thought he had learned that last time.
Nevertheless, August had incited a convincing conflict to make the assassination look more coincidental.
As Princess Aurelia apologized, she finally noticed my presence.
With nothing but a quick glare, my existence in her eyes became meaningless.
"Now, you."
The Professor's eyes landed on our instigator.
"August Vale, why were yo-"
He stopped.
A cold chill ran down my spine.
The Professor's gaze shifted to the door.
The sun barely peeked over the horizon.
It was uncommon for students to go out soon before curfew.
But that wasn't what struck the Professor as odd.
"I'm not very good with memory, so forgive me if I'm wrong..."
An overwhelming pressure overcame the room.
"...But I don't remember a face like yours."
Cloaked in shadow.
Dagger in hand.
The figure mumbled to himself.
"..Four..? One Professor, three students..."
For the first time, I got a good look at their face.
They stood unphased.
A scar painted the right side of their face.
Their hair was as dark as midnight.
Skin as pale as death.
The man's appearance petrified me.
But what terrified me most were his thoughts.
'The Professor is unarmed. I'll take out the closest first before dealing with him.'
"Shadow Tag..."
An unknown incantation whispered under the assassin's breath.
His empty eyes reminded me of fear.
The memories of death were still fresh in my mind.
The pain.
Suffering.
And terror.
It all washed over me the instant this man met my eyes.
I read his thoughts.
However, my brain took a moment to process what it meant.
I was the closest.
I needed to run.
It would only take a moment for him to finish me.
But I couldn't move.
What felt like thousands of pounds dug my feet into the floor.
It was the overwhelming fear of death.
In my split second of hesitation, the assassin appeared before me.
'That Professor's already reaching for the target's sword. I'll quickly cut this one's carotid artery. Even if he doesn't die, the poison will be enough to take him out.'
The same glimmer I had seen end my fate once before flashed in my vision.
However, this time it was different.
My brain processed his thoughts.
Almost on instinct, I fell backward, barely missing the edge of his blade.
And in that same instant, I felt the weight holding me down suddenly disappear.
The assassin was as shocked as I was.
'He broke out from shadow tag?'
He acted quickly, bringing his dagger down towards my abdomen.
But, saving me from the fate of death, August's blade aimed for the assassin's skull.
He narrowly missed.
From the force of his swing, the edge of August's blade stuck into the floorboards.
Pulling with all his strength, he removed it.
'The blonde one's skills with a sword are inadequate, but he'll be an annoyance. I can't afford to waste any time. Silencing the Professor will take too long. The barrier will expire before then. I'll remove the target quickly.'
Only four seconds passed.
In those four seconds, I almost lost my life twice.
But, also in those same four seconds, Professor Boyden received Princess Aurelia's blade.
Calmly, he rushed the assassin.
Colliding with the assassin's dagger, the two of them met on even ground.
Unlike the assassin, Professor Boyden couldn't use any magic.
He fought purely as a swordsman.
However, Professor Boyden's skill with the blade was incredible.
I wouldn't have chosen such a Professor if I wasn't already aware of his strengths.
He's the academy's swordsmanship instructor for a reason after all.
Their fight began to destroy the library.
August struggled to run to Princess Aurelia.
Professor Boyden competed strike for strike with the assassin in speed.
But something was strange.
The Professor's movements were slowing down.
A few small wounds were inflicted on each side.
Was the poison already taking effect on him?
"Umbral veil."
A spell came from the assassin's palm
An unstoppable black wave blinded the room.
For a moment, there was nothing but black.
But slowly, my vision recovered.
It made it difficult for me to see, but, just barely, I could see the figures of everyone through the shadows.
From the figure of Professor Boyden, a violent wave of aura surged from his blade.
Shining through the veil of darkness, he removed the spell's effect.
But in the split second that the veil blinded the room, the assassin had made his move.
It was a horrific scene of desperation.
Blood had scattered across the floor as August took a hit for Princess Aurelia.
Her face of horror said it all.
His head, cleanly removed from his torso, landed lifelessly on the ground.
My gut wrenched at the sight.
His death was so fast.
Once again, August Vale lost his life.
It was painful to see.
However, the words I heard next were even more painful.
[Objective failed.]
It was the sweetest voice I had ever heard.
[Reset initiated.]
But that voice left me feeling nothing but bitterness.
The scene changed instantly.
I blinked.
The bloodied and destroyed library had now become a classroom.
The adrenaline in me ceased.
"Did you unintentionally fall asleep in my class Sir Everblade? Or are you intentionally trying to piss me off?"
One week.
All of that time I spent went down the drain.
I was back to ground zero.
"The former."
I responded the same as before.
"Oh really now? You sure look upset for someone who made the mistake in the first place!"
Without realizing it, my frustration was seeping out into my expressions.
"I apologize Professor. It won't happen again."
"Humph. Next time will be more than a warning."
Professor Grimrose accepted my apology and went back to her presentation.
It was after class.
I met with August yet again.
The atmosphere surrounding us was depressing.
Not that I was surprised.
The guy did get decapitated and made all of our efforts ultimately useless.
So I can understand why he was saddened.
However, the silence between us was only on the surface.
With telepathy, it was another story.
The imposter's thoughts ran wild.
Almost as if he was organizing and searching through a file cabinet of information.
'The hidden piece there won't be available until the third act. And that one's outside of the school's vicinity. If I try taking anything from there now, I might risk more than my life.'
I couldn't understand a single thing he was thinking about.
The images the imposter imagined could only be witnessed by him.
Telepathy didn't give me such an ability.
'Dammit! Why did I have to arrive in this world before the first act?!'
August released a sigh.
"Your Highness. I'm going to need you to trust me."
'He won't like this. But it's our only choice.'
"We'll need to figure out a way to get Princess Aurelia to trust us."
Fuck.