The Duke’s Madness

Jenika narrows her eyes.

‘… Suddenly asking for blood?’

It was quite unusual considering the condition of the request to keep the secret.

Of course, there were cases where blood with special abilities, the so-called lineage, was worth calling according to its abilities.

However, those who wanted such blood were usually wizards.

And Arthur Bayern in front of him was far from a wizard no matter how he looked at it.

Because of that, Yenica didn’t respond hastily.

If I could give a few drops of blood and finish this situation, I would sell surplus, but for some reason, a sense of incongruity kept sending me warnings.

So when the silence gets longer, Arthur speaks first.

“The answer, Yenika?”

“… … .”

“Are you going to hand over the blood? Or are you going to see the end like this?”

After coming to her senses, Jenika raises her head.

“If I don’t give you blood, will you not let me go?”

“For now. I hate losing money.”

“Are you saying my blood is worth it?”

“Isn’t that obvious? A lineage that can freely change into a lump of blood. If it’s that kind of lineage, it’ll be used well wherever it’s used.”

Jenika raised an eyebrow.

‘Pretending to be a mistake with a clumsy tone… I’m calculating everything that needs to be calculated. Could it be that he intentionally uses that tone?’

I thought it was too much leap, but at first it seemed so.

Because of that, I couldn’t shake the thought that I had made a mistake.

‘You came too soon. I acted on account of not knowing my true identity… I never thought I would be guessed for such a ridiculous reason.’

It was because of another power imprinted in my blood that I was able to recognize Arthur’s identity.

It was the ability to distinguish the unique scent of blood that each individual had, and he could smell it without having to shed blood.

So, the moment Yenica saw Arthur for the first time, she was able to recognize that he was the same person as the mercenary named Dawn who had interfered with their plans.

‘I’m sure you’re from a noble family. I didn’t even dream that the heir of Bavaria would live as a mercenary in the back world, so I acted right away… If you do this, you will only suffer loss.’

But it wasn’t without gain.

After thinking about it, Yenika came to a conclusion and answered.

“Okay, Confucius, I’ll give you your blood.”

The corners of Arthur’s mouth go up.

“really?”

“yes. If only I could give a few drops of my blood and put an end to the situation… It’s a business that remains.”

Arthur’s eyes twinkled.

Yenika grinned at those eyes that did not hide her anticipation.

“Now, just one drop.”

“… ?”

“I’ll give you just one drop. And after some time, a drop again. So until I remain at this school, I will give you my blood drop by drop.”

Arthur narrowed his eyes.

“uh···. Isn’t that what I want?”

“yes. But please consider my position as well. If I give you the desired amount of my blood right now… There won’t be any cards to keep Confucius silent, right?”

“I have no intention of revealing Yenika’s true identity?”

“Me and Gongja met for the first time today. No matter how much we know each other’s identities, trust is inevitably lacking.”

“… What if I decline the offer?”

Jenika smiles brightly.

“I will leave it to the imagination of Confucius. Let me give you a warning… I will only say that my patience is not very long.”

Arthur shuts up.

And after looking at Yenika for a while, he murmured.

‘hmm···. It seems that this is the end.’

From nob le mt l dot com

Now, Jenika’s proposal was very reasonable if you look at it rationally.

We hold each other’s weaknesses, but that doesn’t mean we’re in the same position.

From nob le mt l dot com

No matter how much he puts on the mask of being the heir to a giant corporation called Hazel, he is still a mediocre corporation.

Likewise, when his identity is revealed, there will be more people who will believe his words as the heir to the Duke of Bavaria.

‘In addition, the other side is also an organization of the underworld… Considering the various risks, I can make that much suggestion.’

Because of that, Arthur now felt that Jenika’s proposal was an ultimatum.

If you refuse here, Jenika will not back down anymore and will attack you.

If that happens, you will have to fight to the death, and even considering that this is Arcane University, in the worst case, you could lose your life.

‘Because the magic of an excellent wizard is unpredictable. but···. Too bad. If I did well, I could have gotten another useful lineage.’

Arthur licked his lips with judgment.

I couldn’t have an accident from the first day of the semester, so I decided to give up one step in the end.

“Whoa… yes what All right. Now I have to go back to class soon.”

“that’s right. The way you look at us is strange, but we shouldn’t misunderstand you for nothing, right?”

“Are you misunderstanding?”

“The misunderstanding that Confucius and I are dating.”

“I have no intention of dating Yenika.”

“That’s mutual.”

Yenika snapped her fingers in response.

At that moment, a drop of blood escaped from his fingertips and came towards Arthur.

“Today is the first drop… yes. Let’s finish it here.”

With these words, Yenika passes Arthur and runs away from the scene.

Arthur, who was looking at the back, turned his gaze and looked at the blood floating in the air.

“To absorb bloodline abilities… If not a handful, I need half.”

Arthur, who complained gruntly, gulped down the blood.

And it was the moment I was about to return to the classroom with Yenika.

“what?”

Arthur, his eyes wide open, muttered in sincere admiration.

“Blood… Why is it so delicious?”

* * *

The schedule of the first day was not much different from the first lecture.

Following Professor Knowles, three other professors entered the classroom and gave brief self-introductions and an outline of the future course direction.

“It is your judgment no matter which lecture you take. Instead, just keep in mind that you must complete 20 credits to be promoted to the second grade. Students who do not complete 20 points are retained without exception.”

After finishing his first day at Arcane University, Arthur returned home.

After that, I went to my room and thought about what happened today.

‘hmm···. I didn’t expect to get involved with people from the underworld.’

Moreover, it was Arthur who did not expect that his identity would be revealed.

‘what···. It’s not like it’s going to be a big deal right away if your identity is revealed… I can’t leave the risk molecule as it is.’

So the best way was to kill Jenika.

It wouldn’t do any good if rumors spread that the heir to the ducal family was living as a mercenary in the underworld.

However, killing that Jenika Hazel didn’t seem easy.

‘Even if you hold a meteoric sword and use all your abilities… I’m not sure you can kill it.’

Aside from her lineage ability to turn her entire body into blood, her magic was the problem.

If it’s enough to block out the surrounding sounds without chanting, it’s said that it’s better than the Ares Arekis I encountered a few days ago.

Considering the level of the wizards she encountered in her previous life, her skills were at least 30 years old.

From the wizard of ’50… It’s amazing to think of it as an imperial mage. I guess that appearance also lied to me about my age.’

After thinking this far, Arthur licked his lips.

I thought I had grown quite a bit after coming to Arcane, but after meeting another real person after Taken, I realized that I still have a long way to go.

‘My ability now, having absorbed Julie’s lineage… When viewed objectively, a 4-circle swordsman. It’s not a low level, but it’s also ambiguous.’

Of course, I didn’t think that my future self couldn’t beat Jenika Hazel.

‘If you increase your circle and collect a little better lineage… I can kill it, but until then, I’m saying you have to watch it.’

Thoughtful, Arthur nodded.

Anyway, Jenika Hazel didn’t seem to have any intention of doing anything right away.

If so, there was no reason for this to rush out.

Arthur, who organized his thoughts, raised the corner of his mouth.

“It’s been fun since day one… I ran into the person of the black cross, and the blood is delicious.”

That was when the next day came.

Entering the front door with Anna’s loud greeting, no different from the first day, Elin appears from somewhere and smiles brightly.

“Arthur!”

“Oh Elin.”

“Are you coming now? You came quickly.”

Elin, who decided to stop talking, tilted her head and asked.

Arthur nodded and replied.

“yes. Maybe that’s why you’re late from the first day.”

“Oh really? Me too.”

“Oh really? I don’t think that’s the case with Elin’s personality, right?”

Elin raised an eyebrow.

‘I’m glad I came sooner… I was waiting in the morning breeze to meet you.’

However, he didn’t bother revealing that fact.

The impatience is because the one who showed it was unconditionally damaged.

In the meantime, Arthur looked at Elin, who was standing next to him, and thought.

‘Has Godfather Holland ever thought of me and asked me to stay as a friend?’

This was the only reason why this girl with a pretty face and a cool personality would want to be with him.

‘hmm… Not bad. It would be convenient to have at least one friend.’

It was even better if that friend was someone you could trust.

That’s how the two opened the door to A-1 class, where the first lecture would be held.

I turned the gaze of the dozens of students who were already waiting and looked at the two.

“… Are you coming with me again?”

“What is it really like?”

They didn’t gossip openly, but whispers that weren’t overheard were heard here and there.

However, since there were no malicious whispers, Elin moderately ignored them and sat down.

Anyway, from the moment he approached Arthur, he was prepared to hear such gossip.

Leverkusen and Bayern.

The sons of the most famous aristocrats in the empire would stick together as a pair.

‘That’s why it’s not what I was aiming for. Create a rumor first. Then, naturally, the rumor will become true.’

It was when Elin raised her eyebrows after recalling a phrase from a dating magazine she had seen before.

Arthur, who was sitting next to him, suddenly handed over a note.

[Sorry Elin. You got this kind of attention because of me.]

Elin raises her eyes.

Then he raises his gaze and finds Arthur smiling awkwardly.

In the meantime, Arthur hands over the note once again.

[It seems like I’m not enough, so I’m making people listen to stories like that. Somehow, the prejudice of being dumb doesn’t go away so easily…]

Elin, who even read the contents of the note, unknowingly trembled at the corner of her eyes.

The classroom door opens and a man walks in.

Professor Nols Heizen, who was in charge of the swordsmanship lecture this time, came in.

Elin, who lost the timing to speak, shuts up.

In the meantime, the students who had been making a lot of noise instinctively realized that class had begun and sat down.

Standing on the podium, Professor Knowles Heisen shouted as if he had been waiting.

“Students are welcome. As I introduced you before, I am Professor Knowles Heyen, who is in charge of your swordsmanship class!”

The students clapped in unison.

Knowles, with a satisfied smile, continues his explanation.

“I won’t tell you any personal stories. I already did enough yesterday, and the students won’t want to talk about it.”

“… … .”

“It’s called a swordsmanship class, but nothing grandiose! In the first place, swordsmanship is not standardized, and everyone has their own style.”

“… … .”

“So the first class is to find out the level of the students. After that, I’m thinking of progressing according to each individual’s level. Of course, they will do basic training, but it would be more correct to view swordsmanship training as customized.”

Students write down lengthy explanations without omission.

However, some students looked a little bored.

I came for swordsmanship training, but it seemed that he didn’t like the explanation.

Professor Knowles, who was watching the scene, raises the corner of his mouth.

‘Cute guys… Well, even if it’s a carefully selected gemstone, he’s only 17 years old.’

So it was also the intended reaction.

With thoughts, Professor Knowles declares.

“In that sense, we will proceed with the test.”

“… ?”

“This test is the equivalent of a future final exam, and students who do not pass do not receive credit.”

Students raise their eyes.

Arthur was no different.

‘oh···. I thought you were boring, but you’re unexpectedly hot-tempered, Professor Knowles?’

However, the announcement that followed was even more unconventional.

The students were astonished by Professor Knowles’ words.

“In other words, the students who pass the test that will be conducted from now on… It means you don’t have to take my class.”

Professor Knowles raises the corner of his mouth.

“A perfect score. You may leave the classroom right away with that score. Now then, shall we proceed with the test immediately?”