Terminally-Ill Genius Dark Knight

150: Returning from the Mission and an Uncomfortable Break [1]

“Nox-kun? You’ve caused quite a bit of interesting trouble again this time too…! Thanks to you, I have so much work to do as the dean. I’m so thrilled! Hihi, seriously…?!”

I heard the voice of a woman whose eyes were mostly dead.

I gulped and desperately avoided her gaze.

I was certain that if I got caught, there wouldn’t even be bones left of me.

For reference, right now, I’m sitting in front of Noah von Trinity. To explain how I ended up here would take a while, but to put it simply:

First off,

A few days passed after the incident wrapped up.

The carriage safely returned to the academy.

Just when I thought to get some rest, I was forcibly dragged into Noah’s office the moment I arrived at the academy.

As the leader of the team, I had the frightening disgrace of being the first to stand in front of her.

I thought I’d be with my comrades, I never thought it would be just me and Noah’s private meeting. Damn it, the problem is that this woman has awfully a lot of curiosities.

Besides, I don’t know if she hates me or what, but calling me in alone like this was Noah’s secret hobby

Though most of the time I don’t attend, ignoring her now that the mission is over isn’t favorable.

But I, Nox, an arrogant ruffian. I replied with a straight face:

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I don’t know what I could’ve done to make you say that, Dean.”

“Oh really? So, you don’t need the academy’s reward? We prepared something quite nice this time! What a shame…?!”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t put in any effort.”

I quickly tried to change my stance.

Luckily, Noah seemed to let it slide, giggling.

“Hihi, Nox who is lying even though everything is obvious is kind of cute. Still, I’m the dean! so I need to make sure everything is clear.”

“Yes…”

“So..”

Suddenly, I felt a cold chill and sensed that an ice barrier had spread throughout the office. Before I knew it, Noah, now looking like a mature woman, sat across from me and spoke.

“Kiddo, so what kind of demon did you face this time? I already know it was one of the 72 demons, so don’t even think about lying to me.”

As expected.

Noah already knew everything.

Of course, she shouldn’t have known about the fact that there was a demon called Jagan in Casino. She just sensed the filthy stench lingering on my body.

She must’ve felt the sticky, powerful energy unique to a high-level demon.

I answered as calmly as possible.

“It was Jagan. He was infamous as an alchemist, so it was quite a tough battle. He was more prepared than I expected. At least, he would’ve been a difficult opponent as long they aren’t sword emperors or sages”

I decided to be a bit honest.

I had no other choice.

Honestly, lying in front of Noah is close to a dangerous gamble.

After all, considering that Noah could’ve easily killed me after Paimon, there must be a reason why she’s keeping me alive. Though I don’t know exactly what that reason is.

Noah gave a crooked smile.

“Well, That Paimon is dead, after all. Even if these demon bastards are like bugs, it’s only natural they’d try to prepare themselves a little. Not that it matters since we’re going kill them anyway.”

That was a chilling statement.

Sure, she’s on our side now, but what if she were an enemy?

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

After a moment of silence.

I heard a clinking sound. a clear sound of magic manifesting.

Noah, who had somehow already unleashed her ice magic, created two ice glasses.

Clink!

A bottle of strong bourbon whiskey flew from the cupboard.

In no time, a large round ice cube formed in the glass as a bonus.

“I’ve been particularly saving this… Drink up. It’s a special gift from me”

“Aren’t you still on duty?”

I frowned, but Noah just laughed and continued.

“Is there anyone here who could hinder me? And do you think I’d get drunk from drinking alcohol? emm… Kiddo, you think too much.”

“Well, of course, it’s not a problem for you, Dean. But I’m different. This would be against the rules, and Instructor Vernon might give me a demerit.”

“If Vernon says anything, just tell him, ‘Dean Noah share me a few drinks.’ He might be so shocked that his hair grows back.”

‘What a wicked woman’

Noah has been talking while even joking about Vernon’s already long-gone hair.

Considering how she’s talking to that point, it is certainly a fact.

I sighed lightly.

“…You’re as reckless as ever. Alcohol in the dean’s office, really ?”

“It’s only natural. There’s not many chances to drink with my student like this”

Trickle. The sound of bourbon whiskey being poured filled the glass.

I mean, come on, isn’t that a bit much? At that amount, shouldn’t there be something mixed in?

Though I don’t understand it myself, something to dilute it, or fresh lemon juice?

Why is she drinking it straight, without anything else?

‘You crazy’

It seems she thinks everyone is the same kind as she is.

Sure, she’s a monster, so she can handle it, but for me, it’s like setting my throat on fire, it’s not desirable

This woman clearly isn’t used to considering others.

“Alright, shall we toast? To congratulate the first freshman ever to complete a red mission and slay a filthy, one of 72 demons! Cheers!”

Clink.

I barely lifted my glass and took a sip.

The undiluted whiskey is burning all the way down, as if scorched my throat, and making its presence known. It was so strong that I could feel exactly where the alcohol stay.

I don’t really get the taste.

I’ve never really had alcohol before, not even in real life. Isn’t it me who was addicted to Inner Lunatic even when I was dying?

I can’t help but worry about the next day’s hangover.

‘Crazy….’

It burned my throat more than I expected.

If someone held a lighter to me, I’d probably need to gulp down a whole bunch of Erina’s potions. Even if you call it healing potion, it’s difficult to recover the dead organs.

'This has to be at least 50% alcohol… And she’s drinking it straight? Is she out of her mind?’

As I cursed Noah in my mind.

A system notification suddenly popped up, ringing in my ears.

[You have consumed the rare item '50-Year-Old Black Dragon’s Tears’.]

[Your Magic stat increases by 1.]

[Your Health stat increases by 1.]

“…?”

While I was still processing what just happened.

Noah crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand.

Then, while she was watching me, Noah in her adult version, wore a seductive smile that was typical of the Ice Witch

As if she had expected my reaction.

“Starting to feel it, aren’t you, little apprentice? Your body must be showing some signs by now. This isn’t just any ordinary alcohol. There’s a story that once, an ancient kingdom went to war over this stuff.”

“This is indeed… amazing.”

What an outrageous effect.

The moment I saw that notification, that was exactly what I thought.

A consumable item that increases both Magic and Health stats by 1 just by drinking it?

Such a thing, I’ve seen 27 endings, but I never even heard a rumor about it.

“…. Now that I’ve tasted it, I can see it’s good alcohol. Not bad at all. Then one more glas..”

“I’m sorry but, after the first drink, there won’t be any more stat boosts. You can drink more, but that’s just how it works.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I responded to Noah’s words.

“I suddenly feel tipsy. It seems like I’m not very compatible with alcohol.”

Even I thought that was a pretty shameless excuse.

Noah just chuckled and messed up my hair.

It felt a bit weird, like she was treating me like a kid, but I didn’t show it. After all, there’s a big enough age gap between us that it makes sense.

The reason I’m staying quiet? I don’t want to get trampled by Noah if I start acting up here.

Even if it’s not like that, I still haven’t fully recovered from the internal injuries I got from fighting Jagan.

'My lifespan may have increased, but my body is still in the worst shape. And… though they didn’t say it, the others probably guessed my condition too. I mean, I coughed up blood right there.’

Right now, I barely managed to brush it off as just the result of a fierce battle, but…

It’s fact that the situation isn’t looking good.

As I was organizing my thoughts, Noah suddenly fixed her gaze on me and spoke.

“The demons will start to become even more active.”

“…”

“There might even be some that not even I can stop. That’s exactly the reason why I accepted this dean position. The students, I plan to develop talented ones among them, so they can stand against the demons.”

She discards the useless ones.

But to those with potential, she’s endlessly generous.

That’s how Noah von Trinity was originally set up in the game.

However, it’s no secret that her behavior has recently changed.

You can tell by the way she’s started paying attention, even to students who don’t have any particular talent.

Anyway, she’s begun to fulfill her role as the dean.

That’s a fortunate thing in many ways.

But Noah still seemed dissatisfied with the current situation.

“No matter how much I help, the weak ones won’t just suddenly grow. You know that, right? Little kid from the Reinhaver family. And…”

Then Noah paused for a moment, chuckling before continuing.

“Lunatic’s agent. Isn’t that right?”

Thump.

My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might stop for a moment.

After dealing with Paimon, I thought she didn’t know anything since she hadn’t said a word. But it seems I was wrong.

Noah von Trinity apparently already knew I was a member of Lunatic.

“Huhu… you’ve got quite a cute expression now, don’t you?”

Noah’s hand started reaching out towards me.

Without noticing it, my heart kept pounding wildly.

What?

I fought with my life and even took down one of the 72 demons, and now I’m going to die in absurd place like this?

—————————————

‘As expected, this kid is interesting’

Noah von Trinity.

She is one of the Four Sages, a picture of talent so awe-inspiring that no one could rival.

As if not enough as one of the Seven Stars, she was a monster who had even taken on Paimon and begun to recover her strength while carrying out her duty as the dean of the prestigious Eldain.

People across the continent were already talking about how she might have regained the strength and talent of her prime.

But there was one boy who had caught her attention.

Just fifteen years old, but possessing an extraordinary talent that could easily be called one of the greatest ever.

Nox von Reinhaver.

He, of course, has a special origin of being a son of a noble family

But his talent had little to do with the Reinhaver family’s power.

His swordsmanship? That could be changed at any time. Sorry, Theo, but honestly, if he’s not going to inherit the family head position, I think it will be better to teach him another sword

And what about his magic ability?

This is also generational talent, absolutely not inferior to Penelope and Leon.

Many exceptional people have dabbled in both magic and swordsmanship, managing to gain some proficiency in both areas.

But case of both becoming a weapon that unleashed the best destructive power ?

That’s never happened before.

Nox von Reinhaver has done just that.

Although the public hasn’t caught on yet, as more people become aware of his abilities, demons will start to target Nox and those around him, slowly trying to corrupt her disciple.

'I can’t let that happen.’

“Kiddo, let me tell you something in advance. First off, I don’t plan to kill you just because of your affiliation. Even if it’s Lunatic, a criminal organization, which is targeting the Arkheim Empire.”

Noah started with those words.

Nox’s gaze that had been directed to her quickly darted around, trying to assess the situation.

He’s a sharp one, as expected.

But…

“You probably know this already, right? It doesn’t matter which organization you belong to. What matters is my judgment. I could take your life right now, but I’m not doing that.”

“You’re right”

“Don’t you think there’s a reason for that?”

“Please tell me, Dean Noah. What do you want?”

“You need to get stronger, kiddo.”

Noah finally got to the point.

She was clearly dissatisfied with her disciple’s recent progress.

Of course, Noah didn’t know that Nox had recently started learning the [Moonlight Sword], but it was true that Nox’s magical achievements were still lacking. So, Noah had her reasons for her assessment.

Nox couldn’t let his talent skew too much in one direction and go to waste.

That was the conclusion Noah had reached.

After a moment of thought, Noah precariously uncrossed her legs and said.

“You need a better teacher, someone who has a talent to manage you. Your current instructor can’t bring your talent to the limit. Of course, building a solid foundation is important, so nothing wrong with that.”

“…”

“I’ll introduce you to someone.”

“Introduction, you said ?”

“Yes. Soon, someone will arrive at Eldain as a guest professor. Try to get noticed by her, and you’ll become much stronger than you are now.”

“No way… the person coming as a guest professor is…”

“Correct”

Noah refilled her glass and lightly bit her lip.

“One of the Four Sages, just like me, and the owner of the artifact you possess.”

I immediately cracked a small smile.

<Highest-grade orb of ???>

The original owner of this artifact was none other than one of Noah von Trinity’s old friends. So, she was already aware that I had the artifact that had been sleeping in Eleanor’s vault.

Moreover, that existence was an extraordinary being from birth, someone beyond ridiculous.

And now she was planning to introduce me to such a person.

Did she figure out my intentions?

A smile spread across Noah’s face.

Then, before I knew it, she was already back to her young version and said lightly,

“Well then! We should also check out the second reward I’m giving Nox-kun, right?”

Although Nox was still in shock from what he had just heard, he couldn’t miss out on a reward, so he nodded.

“Of course.”

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