Episode 8
…Now what?
It was fine that I’d taken care of the doppelgänger.
The problem was… what came next.
First problem—the body.
I was in my private dorm room on the 4th floor of the male dormitory.
Smuggling a corpse out and dumping it without anyone noticing? Pretty much impossible.
Should I contact Reaper?
I’d been trying to avoid contact with Reaper or any other high-ranking executives as much as possible to keep my cover safe…
But I had no choice.
I took out the “communication artifact” I’d gotten from Reaper in advance.
…How do I use this?
It looked like an ordinary copper ring.
How was I supposed to use this to contact someone?
Maybe I just had to pour mana into it?
I tried moving my mana into it—
Piiing!
A faint trace of mana flowed over the ring’s surface, and a voice echoed in my head.
―Master.
The voice sounded like metal grinding.
The best way to describe it… a monster trying to imitate human speech.
―What. Is it.
I was thrown off.
I’d expected Reaper to answer.
Who is this?
Still… he called me “Master,” so he was obviously from Black Night.
And the fact that he didn’t seem surprised by my direct call meant he must be someone important enough for direct contact to be normal.
A monstrous voice, high-ranking in Black Night…
“Endrich. I have a request for you.”
One of Black Night’s executives, a High Elder Lich, ruler of all undead—Endrich.
I was sure it was him.
―Anything. Command. Me.
As expected.
“I want you to dispose of a corpse.”
―A corpse. You say.
“Yes.”
―What kind. Of corpse.
The choppy way of speaking was another of his quirks.
Endrich had the “Word of Command” ability—whatever he said became reality.
So he spoke in fragments to avoid accidentally making something happen.
“It’s a doppelgänger’s body.”
―A doppelgänger. Is dead?
“Yes. I killed it.”
―I see. Understood. I will. Take care of it.
That answer surprised me.
I thought he’d at least ask why I killed it, but he didn’t—just said he’d handle it right away.
―Should. I dispose. Of it. Immediately?
“The sooner, the better.”
―Understood. Then… this may be. Unsightly. Be advised.
As soon as he said that, the doppelgänger’s corpse began glowing black and changing shape.
Its normal skin turned into black metal, and its height shot up from 170 cm to nearly 3 meters.
Its frame bulked up with the height increase.
…A Death Knight?!
The doppelgänger had turned into a Death Knight.
Why…?
Why had Endrich suddenly made the doppelgänger into a Death Knight?
―For daring. To trouble. My master. This sinner. Shall suffer. Forever.
Kuuuurk!
The Death Knight let out a guttural scream and caught fire.
I was briefly worried the flames might spread—but thankfully, they didn’t.
They were soul-burning flames that only harmed the spirit, not the living.
Fwooooosh…
The flames consumed the Death Knight completely.
Thud!
After about ten seconds, the Death Knight collapsed.
―Now. The doppelgänger’s. Soul. Will burn. In this world. Forever.
“…”
―If you. Need me again. Call me.
Before I could say anything, Endrich cut the connection.
I just stared blankly at the now dim copper ring… and the much larger corpse that had once been the doppelgänger.
…What am I supposed to do with this?
Instead of disappearing, the body was even bigger now.
I was about to contact Endrich again to tell him to take the thing away—
When I felt someone outside my door.
“There was a loud noise—what happened in there?”
Sounded like an instructor.
“Y-yeah! It was super loud! Like there was a fight or something…”
That must’ve been a male student calling the instructor.
“If you don’t answer, I’ll force my way in.”
Sounded like he meant it.
“It’s fine! You don’t need to come in—”
“If it’s fine, open the door.”
What do I do?
How do I get out of this?
“Not opening means someone inside is being threatened. I’m coming in!”
“No, it’s not—”
BANG!
Before I could finish, the door slammed open and the instructor came in.
…I’m screwed.
I couldn’t think of a way out of this.
Damn you, Endrich…
All I could do was curse the lich who’d put me in this mess.
“A… Death Knight!”
…This was it.
I braced for expulsion.
But what came out of the instructor’s mouth was completely different from what I expected.
“You… took down a Death Knight alone?”
…Huh?
Later, I was called in for a detailed talk.
“Listen carefully. Your brother, Chaan Velomata—the one who accused you earlier—was being controlled by necromancy.”
Apparently, the “Chaan” I fought—the doppelgänger—had vanished right before expulsion, leaving behind traces of powerful necromancy.
“We had priests and cardinals examine it. It turned out to be the mana of Endrich, the ruler of the Land of Death.”
So the owner of that mana was Endrich.
So the doppelgänger was Endrich’s underling…
That explained how he could instantly transform it into a Death Knight from such a distance.
And why the ring had connected to Endrich—it was because the doppelgänger’s body was full of his mana.
That’s why, when the instructor saw the dead Death Knight, he said “You took it down?” instead of “You summoned it?”.
“And Chaan—the puppet—was targeting you. That’s why we sent you straight to the dorms to keep you safe…”
The instructor bit his lip in frustration.
“But to think… he’d send a Death Knight past all our security…”
“I see.”
I nodded like I’d just understood everything.
“So my brother was under necromancy… That’s why he hated me so much?”
I put on a bittersweet smile—sad, but also relieved.
“I’m glad… It wasn’t really my brother who hated me.”
“Jian…”
The instructor looked at me with sympathy.
“Have you told my parents?”
“Yes. We couldn’t avoid it, given the situation.”
“I see…”
I lowered my head slightly, as if the thought of their grief was tearing me up.
“One more thing—an inquisitor and cardinal will be sent to the Velomata barony.”
“An inquisitor?”
“Yes. It’s unlikely only the eldest son was a puppet.”
“…So there might be more puppets in the family.”
I sighed for effect.
“And… I hate to say it, but…”
The instructor hesitated.
“You don’t have to say it. I know. There’s a high chance my parents are under necromancy too. And…”
I smiled wryly.
“…I’m also a candidate to be judged by the Inquisition.”
“I don’t think you are, but…”
He lowered his head apologetically.
“And that’s exactly why it has to be checked.”
Just then, the door opened and a woman entered.
Platinum blonde hair, stunning beauty.
She was a treasure of the Church, the future Pope, and currently known as the “Saint.”
Also a 2nd-year student at Garam Academy.
“I think so too.”
“Chloe…”
Chloe Urania—one of the top three most popular party members alongside Aris in Spiritual Monarch.
“Sorry for barging in without knocking. But this matter needs to be checked quickly.”
She walked right up to me.
“Chloe, did you finish examining the Death Knight?”
“Yes. Just like you thought, it had Endrich’s mana.”
“Then Jian is innocent, right?”
“No. That’s not enough. He could’ve been putting on a show to avoid suspicion.”
Chloe shook her head.
“Honestly, I think it’s more likely this was staged. It’s more believable than a freshman taking down a Death Knight alone.”
Death Knights were level 67–72 monsters.
No way a brand-new student could kill one solo.
“Well, Jian? Am I right?”
“Of course not.”
My firm answer made her eyes narrow slightly—like she was saying “Why lie when you’ll just get caught?”.
“Fine. We’ll see soon enough.”
She held out her hand.
“If you’ve got nothing to hide, this won’t be a problem. Take it.”
Chloe could sense any “evil power” in someone she touched—an absolute ability that couldn’t be fooled.
If I were still Jairon, I’d already be checkmated.
But—
Nope. I’ve got nothing to hide.
I took her hand without hesitation.
She seemed surprised by my confidence.
“You’re bold. Let’s see how long that lasts—”
She stopped mid-sentence.
“This… this energy…”
Her eyes widened in shock.
What? Why’s she reacting like that? Do I have remnants of Jairon’s power left in me?
It was possible. Jairon had tried to take over my body—maybe he’d left something behind.
But—
“The aura of one loved by all things…”
Not what I expected.
“Favored by the world… practically God’s blessing…”
Loved by all things. Favored by the world…
Isn’t she talking about Princess Aris’s trait?
Her special trait that unlocked once her misfortune was resolved—a totally broken ability.
She must be sensing the leftover trace of the blessing from Aris.
That made sense—Chloe could detect divine power, and Aris’s trait was indeed a divine blessing.
“This isn’t power an ordinary student could have… Is that why Endrich targeted you? Then it all makes sense…”
She muttered to herself.
The instructor asked for clarification.
“Chloe, what do you mean, divine blessing?”
“…Ah, ahem.”
She glanced around, then back at me.
She looked down at our joined hands, then up again—her earlier suspicion gone, replaced by… longing.
“Jian Velomata.”
Her smile looked forced and unnatural…
…Ah. I’ve seen this expression before.
“It seems I misunderstood. There’s not a trace of evil in you. Pure and innocent—you’re completely clean.”
“Glad to hear your suspicion is gone.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll personally vouch for you regarding any connection to Endrich.”
Ah. I remembered where I’d seen it—
“By the way, how do you feel about the god Zenas?”
…Do you know the way?
“There’s morning prayer tomorrow. Would you like to come with me?”
It was the same expression as those cult recruiters.
