[Ray Dawson POV]
{Do you suspect anyone?}
Aetheris asked calmly, his voice echoing gently in Ray's mind.
Ray, who was quietly staring at his glowing golden status window, didn't respond right away.
---
[Ergency Quest Failed]
[Quest: Kill the two demons]
[There will be no penalty for the failure of the quest as it was an ergency quest]
---
Reading the ssage, a bitter feeling began to rise within Ray's chest—like a wave of guilt and helplessness swelling from sowhere deep inside.
But he took a breath and pushed it down, suppressing the emotion before it could cloud his thoughts.
He finally answered Aetheris's question, his voice low and steady.
"I suspect that person... the one called 'Unknown'," he said quietly.
Ray was currently lying on the infirmary bed. So ti ago, his master had visited to check on him, and during that ti, he had shared his suspicion—that this mysterious figure, 'Unknown', might be the one who had saved them from the demons.
{I know you already told your master about that 'Unknown' guy... but who is he really?}
Hearing the question, Ray shifted slightly and began recounting everything—how he encountered him for the first ti, and what he rembered.
{So you're saying this 'Unknown' only shows up when you're unconscious?}
Yeah...
Rember what you told after I regained consciousness?
{Yeah. I told you that my field of vision beca very limited after you passed out. I couldn't see much—everything went blurry—but even then, I could still soti hear the sound of sword cutting through the air near . It echoed faintly, but just when it seed to approach , it would vanish the very next second. I also heard thunder cracking...}
{That's all I can recall. I didn't see anything. I didn't sense anything. Just those strange sounds.}
{It was like—}
"—soone knew exactly how close they could get to you without being noticed. As if they understood your range of perception perfectly," Ray interrupted, finishing the thought with a thoughtful look.
{Yeah. Exactly.}
That's 'Unknown'.
There's soone out there who knows everything about ... everything I can and can't do. But the ssed-up part is—I don't know a single thing about him. Not even a na or a face. Isn't that na—'Unknown'—just too perfect for soone like that?
I honestly don't know what to do anymore. I'm weak... I really am. If it wasn't for the system, I would've been dead long ago.
Aetheris's next words ca with a thoughtful pause.
{Don't you suspect that boy—Ash? You know... he just appeared out of nowhere, destroyed that portal, and fought the demon like it was nothing.}
The mont Aetheris said the na, Ray went silent.
Ash, huh...
He knew Ash. He was known as a boy with average talent, soone with weak potential.
But even so, he was incredibly hardworking.
The kind of guy who never backed down from training, no matter how harsh it got.
He had surprised everyone—Ray included—in the fight against the demons.
When Instructor Elva placed him into Class 1S, Ray believed there was sothing special about Ash for her to do that.
But even knowing that, he also knew one undeniable fact—Ash was a mage.
And there was no way a mage could be the person known as 'Unknown'.
As Unknown has dual class.
Sure, he had lightning affinity.
And yeah, he'd done so amazing things recently. But if Ray started suspecting every swordsman or mage who could use lightning magic, he'd just end up being that paranoid guy who questioned everyone.
"He's not 'Unknown'," Ray finally said with quiet conviction.
{How can you be so sure?}
"I just know," Ray replied, his tone firm but distant.
With that, he closed his eyes, falling into deep thought—wondering what path he should take next, and how long he could keep walking it alone.
***
"Is this place good enough?"
lissia asked, as they were currently inside a luxurious café, one that was ant only for the rich and elite students of the academy.
The café had private rooms, and each room was enhanced with detection and sound-blocking magic.
It was perfect for anyone who wanted to have a secret conversation without being overheard or interrupted.
"Yeah, it's good."
Ash replied, as he sat down on the chair in front of lissia.
He was wearing a casual outfit—a white shirt paired with black pants. He had changed into this after finding out that they were coming to this place.
Seeing him sit down without asking her to sit first or showing any form of basic courtesy, lissia felt that he was really dense when it ca to these things.
Idiot.
She ntally muttered, suppressing a sigh.
Still, she didn't complain. She sat down across from him, trying not to show her mild annoyance. They ordered coffee, and after that, silence settled over the room like a soft blanket.
Why is he not saying anything?
lissia thought to herself, feeling the stillness grow heavier with every passing second.
But then, Ash finally opened his mouth.
"So, what do you want to ask? Go ahead, I'll try my best to answer it."
Hearing that, she didn't hesitate. She imdiately asked the question that had been burning in her heart for a long ti now.
"Why did you hide your powers?"
To that, he replied in a calm tone, almost like he had rehearsed it a hundred tis.
"I didn't hide them. I just wasn't strong from the beginning. What you saw wasn't so hidden talent or secret power—it's the result of my training. That's all."
lissia narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze searching his face.
"Training alone doesn't make soone fight like that... So what kind of training did you do?"
"It wasn't anything fancy. Just a lot of repetition. Every day, over and over."
She frowned slightly but moved on to her next question.
"How did you know the demons were going to attack?"
"I overheard them talking."
His reply was as calm as before, almost too calm.
lissia leaned in slightly, raising an eyebrow.
"You heard them? Where? When? No one else sensed them, not even the professors."
"I was nearby. I don't know why no one else noticed."
Hearing that, she looked at him with clear suspicion in her eyes, but his face remained completely expressionless.
It didn't show anything, not even the smallest twitch that could give him away.
Tsk.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she continued her questioning, though each answer left her with more questions than before.
"How can you use both magic and a sword at the sa ti?"
"It was just one spell I found in the library. It doesn't work without the sword, so I have to use both together."
She didn't look convinced, but she still pressed on.
"What is that sword you were using—the one that lted and turned into a ring around your finger?"
Hearing that, Ash glanced down at the white, beautiful ring resting on his finger.
So, this was my sword, huh.
I should probably give it a proper na. Calling it just 'sword' all the ti doesn't sound right.
"It's a special sword. Just know that much."
Hearing yet another vague answer, lissia couldn't help but pout in frustration.
But then, after a mont, she asked her final question—the one she had hesitated to bring up until now.
"Are you the 'Unknown' that's been getting famous recently?"
This ti, Ash fell completely silent.
He didn't respond right away. Instead, he stared at nothing in particular, thinking for a mont. After weighing his thoughts, he finally answered, deciding to trust her.
"Yes."
lissia's eyes widened slightly. She didn't expect him to just admit it so easily.
"...Does anyone else know?"
"No. You're the first person I've told."
Her heart skipped a beat hearing that.
She felt a strange kind of happiness rise up from deep inside her heart.
I'm the first one he trusted enough to tell this to... Does that an I'm special to him? Am I the only one who knows the real Ash?
She looked at him again, a little softer this ti, the earlier frustration replaced with sothing gentler.
Just then, Ash decided to drop a quiet bomb that would shatter the calm air around them.
"Now that I've answered all your questions… I need to tell you sothing important. I'll be leaving the academy—for six months."
His tone was even, almost too calm for a statent that heavy.
lissia froze.
Her fingers, which had been resting loosely on the table, curled into a tight grip. Her lips parted, but no sound ca out for a second. Her brain took a heartbeat longer than usual to catch up with what he had just said.
"W-What…?" she blinked rapidly, then raised her voice, just slightly. "What do you an you're leaving? You can't just… vanish like that. Students don't just walk out of the academy on their own!"
She sounded more shocked than angry, like soone trying to hold together a fragile piece of glass that had just cracked.
Ash's eyes didn't waver. "I've already received Principal Nichole's permission. Everything's been approved."
She stared at him like he had slapped her.
In truth, she believed that if he slapped her, that would be much better.
lissia bit her lip, her throat tightening as a lump of sothing unspoken began forming there.
"…Where are you going?" she finally asked, barely above a whisper.
"I don't know yet," he replied honestly. "There are things I need to understand. And places I need to reach. But when I return… I promise I'll tell you everything."
He stood up, slowly, like the mont didn't need a rush.
But before he could take a step, lissia pushed her chair back and stood as well.
"Wait!"
Ash turned, pausing mid-step.
She hesitated, her fists clenched at her sides. Then, with a quiet breath, she lifted her hand—and revealed a small, shimring space ring in her palm.
"When the battle was over… and everyone was unconscious, I… I took the demon's body."
Her words were quiet, but they dropped like stones.
"No one knows I have it. Not even the professors. I stored it in this ring."
Ash's eyes widened in disbelief.
She really did that? I was frustrated I couldn't retrieve the demon's body after the battle… but who would've thought she'd be the one to bring it to like this.
Just as he reached out to take the ring, lissia pulled her hand back.
Her eyes locked onto his, filled with sothing sharp yet gentle.
"I'll give it to you… but only on one condition."
Ash raised an eyebrow, his voice still calm. "And what would that be?"
"I want you to promise sothing." Her voice trembled slightly, not from fear, but from all the emotions she had been bottling up.
"Promise … that you'll co back. No matter what happens, I want you to return alive, safe and whole."
She looked down for a second, then added, quieter, "And when you do… I want answers. Real ones. No vague half-truths. No dodging. I want to understand you. Not this version you show the world… but the real you."
Ash looked at her for a mont. It wasn't a heavy condition. If anything, it felt more like a heartfelt plea.
He nodded.
"Alright. I promise."
lissia's tense expression softened, blooming into a warm smile.
She placed the ring in his hand without another word.
And just like that, they left the café together.
But neither of them noticed a presence watching them from the shadows as they left the cafe.
A pair of red eyes glead coldly, hidden in the distance, fixated on the two walking side by side—on lissia, smiling like a fool.
This lowly bastard.
***
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