Chapter 16: I’m Not That Kind of Person Part 1

Class F classroom.

After school, with everyone else gone, Melana sat alone at her desk, writing something in her notebook.

Tap. Tap.

Then, at some point, her hand which had been freely scribbling without hesitation came to a halt. She began tapping the blank notebook.

“Tsk…”

Nothing was going her way.

Things that were supposed to go smoothly felt tangled from the roots.

Thank goodness the Great Sage didn’t reprimand me. That could’ve been disastrous.

A member of Under Chain.

A link in the chain, Melana.

She was doing her best, all while keeping her identity a secret.

She knew. Just how important her current position was. And exactly how she needed to act.

When it came to leaking information from inside the Cradle, the most important factor wasn’t the amount or quality of the intel. It was complete control over the methods and security.

Whether the intel was false or genuine, it meant nothing if it was exposed.

That was why Melana, even if it was inefficient, had chosen the most reliable method to keep her identity hidden.

Yes…

“Melana, you done yet?”

“No, I just finished, Jeff.”

She had inserted a completely unrelated outsider as her information carrier.

Jeff, her friend who was being toyed with without knowing anything, was her planned scapegoat. Someone to take the fall if false intel ever caused trouble.

Even if someone tracked the source of the leaked intel, it would ultimately lead to Jeff.

And as long as Jeff remained unaware that he had leaked anything, Melana’s own safety was virtually guaranteed.

“Melana, are you okay? You haven’t looked well lately… nothing happened, right?”

“I’m fine, it’s just that I’ve had a lot to study lately.”

“Oh… right? Yeah, you were always the smartest among us.”

The dim-witted Jeff, unaware that he was leaking information, had become Melana’s puppet.

The only problem was that involving a third party who knew nothing inevitably reduced the accuracy of the information.

That was exactly what had happened with the restaurant raid incident.

Using Jeff to leak information to outsiders had gone well, but the intel had excluded details about the princess.

As a result, Under Chain’s forces had been utterly wiped out. It was an inexcusable blunder.

“Jeff.”

“Hmm?”

“About Johan. Has he been acting strange lately or anything?”

“Not sure? He was just discharged from the infirmary today, so we haven’t really had a proper conversation…”

“I see.”

“Are you worried about Johan?”

“…Yeah.”

“Well, it makes sense to be worried.”

The Class F rebellion plan.

That was the plan Melana had been pouring her heart and soul into.

She had deliberately arranged to be placed in Class F and even manipulated Jeff, who considered her a friend, to end up there too.

Deceiving Jeff had been easy.

All it took was feeding him incorrect information.

The foolish Jeff never doubted her, since he believed they were friends.

And by stoking Jeff’s inferiority complex, she intended to foster a hostile atmosphere within Class F which would eventually lead to the expulsion of the entire class.

Getting someone expelled wasn’t as simple as it sounded, but considering the seriousness of the events and the fact that the class was made up entirely of commoners, she figured it would be easy enough.

Johan Damus…

Yes, if only that noble hadn’t been there.

Now that she thought about it, it was clear Johan had been suspicious of her from the very beginning.

Wasn’t it strange from the start?

I should’ve questioned the fact that a noble ended up in Class F.

She had initially believed it was mere coincidence when Johan disrupted the atmosphere Jeff had created.

But after what happened recently, she could no longer think that way.

I should’ve realized from the start that the princess had planted a pawn.

That flippant attitude.

That unimpressive skill.

All of it had clearly been an act he honed as one of the princess’s informants.

How fearsome.

Now that she realized it had all been a performance, Melana felt an unprecedented fear toward Johan.

Surely, that cold and ruthless noble was still probing into Melana’s presence.

Fortunately, thanks to using Jeff, there had been no slip-ups yet, but it was bound to hinder her future actions.

Melana rose from her seat and looked at Jeff.

Jeff who was wearing a clueless expression looked at her and asked,

“Melana? Are you okay? You’re not sick or anything, right? You don’t look well.”

“No, I’m fine. Just tired, that’s all.”

If only Jeff had leaked proper information from the start, none of this would have been a problem.

Had he done that, they wouldn’t have lost the Under Chain’s link.

And there would’ve been no need to be wary of that wretched noble student.

Johan… To be capable of going this far, he must be a monster who’s never once lowered his head and begged with sincerity for anything.

With a chill running down her spine, Melana left her seat.

***

Should I start by smashing my head into the ground?

That was the first thought that flashed through my mind the moment I realized who the pink-haired girl really was.

Should I just beg for my life with my forehead to the floor? Is that the right move?

No, think rationally.

What I needed to do now wasn’t grovel for my life in disgrace.

“I’m sorry.”

An undignified apology had to come first.

All the scorn and ridicule I’d hurled at the pink-haired girl until now…

It was mostly because I’d been too arrogant, relying on my noble status.

I should’ve known better, should’ve picked my targets more wisely. But I had provoked a lunatic Of course I had to bow low now.

“Is that what you really think is right?”

“……”

“Think carefully. Is that truly what you should be saying right now?”

Her words, as if testing me, sent a chill down my spine.

What on earth did she want from me? What was her game…?

“Let’s think more calmly. Do you really believe I’d get angry over something that trivial? That I’d go this far just to express some petty rage?”

Yes… thinking about it rationally, that would be absurdly inefficient.

Whether or not the person before me was someone who cared about efficiency or inefficiency, there had to be a reason she had approached me.

“What is it that you want from me?”

“Yes, now that’s the right answer.”

Only then did I begin to understand her.

And I felt a fear so immense, it was beyond words.

I was the weak one.

And I had always known and accepted that, using it to exploit the gaps between those stronger than me.

But the lunatic standing before me had completely seen through that mindset of mine.

“You and I think alike.”

She understood the strengths of the weak.

She grasped the means and methods I could use.

“That’s why I’ve been watching you. I’m looking for a successor.”

“A successor? But why me…?”

“Because you’re like me.”

Then “Puhihi”…. that strange laugh came again from the pink-haired girl.

She was definitely crazy.

No sane person would look at a noble like me and think to make me the successor of an assassin.

Why on earth would I, with no reason to be desperate, become something as disposable as an assassin?

I was someone who lived with a clear conscience. I had no need to assassinate anyone.

But of course, I couldn’t say that outright to a lunatic.

“Um, but… you’re still young. Do you really need to find a successor already?”

“Yes, I am young.”

“That’s a good thing. Yes.”

“And I plan to stay young for quite a while. Still in my growing phase, you know.”

“It seems you have a bright future ahead of you.”

“Thanks.”

They were having a conversation that seemed off in some way. This was bad.

She responded to my nonsense with nonsense of her own.

That didn’t happen often…

“And I’m pretty. I’m only going to get prettier from now on, too.”

“Huh? Uh… yes, I see.”

Damn it, I should’ve known from the moment I saw that her hair wasn’t just decorated with flowers. Her whole head was cherry blossom pink.

“That’s why I’m looking for a successor.”

“……?”

What an incredible reason.

For someone ordinary like me, it was a reason beyond imagination.

I was foolish to even try to understand.

I had no idea what she was talking about.

“What do you think assassination is?”

“Killing someone in secret?”

“Then what kinds of ways do you think there are to kill in secret?”

“Well… maybe attacking before they notice, slipping in some poison without them knowing, or killing off everyone involved so there are no witnesses…..something like that?”

“I’m not sure about the last example, but overall, you’re not wrong.”

“If you don’t get the last example, then…”

I still remembered the day Safe Clown committed a massacre in the middle of the street.

I still saw it in my dreams. It had truly been a nightmare.

Back then, and even now.

“The important thing is killing the target before they realize what’s happening.”

“……”

“I was never a student of Cradle to begin with. I just naturally blended in with the crowd. That’s how I was able to move freely inside the domain of an archmage.”

“So that was your true power.”

“And it’s a power you possess as well.”

My specialty was blending into the surrounding environment.

Safe Clown had trained that ability to the extreme, becoming a monster capable of deceiving even an Archmage’s eyes.

At this point, I could understand how I had caught her attention.

Come to think of it, I had only ever stood out to others twice in my life.

One time was when I created a potion to save Chris,

And the other was when I stirred up trouble during the placement exam to get out of Class F.

“Your idea was interesting. And the acting skills you used to pull it off were impressive too.”

Safe Clown’s power wasn’t about erasing her presence,

Nor was it about attacking with incomprehensible speed.

What made her truly terrifying was her ability to seem natural, no matter where she was.

Because of that, she was someone who could naturally drive a knife into your heart.

That ability to create such naturalness through acting—

That seemed to be the power she valued most.

“But I’m pretty, aren’t I? It’s getting harder to blend into a crowd these days. What do you think? How would I look mixed in with a bunch of people?”

With those words, Safe Clown removed her mask and gave a different kind of smile than before.

Not the goofy, silly grin from earlier—

But a natural smile.

And the moment I saw that smile, I was at a loss for words.

She was right.

She had the kind of looks that would naturally draw attention while walking down the street.

Even if she were surrounded by a sea of people,

It felt like you could pick her out immediately.

“Sooner or later, I won’t be able to get by on acting alone. So before that happens, I have to find a successor.”

And for someone like her, who pursued naturalness above all else,

That was a fatal flaw.

It was a problem without a solution.

You couldn’t exactly scar her face just because beauty was the issue.

That would only backfire,

And for the same reason, she couldn’t cover her face either.

Anything that set her apart from others would draw attention.

Up until now, she’d been deflecting that attention by playing the fool.

Now I understood why she was searching for a successor at such a young age.

“But if that’s the reason, wouldn’t I be disqualified too?”

“Hmm? Why you? From where I stand, I don’t see anyone more suitable than you.”

“I’m good-looking too, aren’t I?”

“Oh… th-that’s right. But I think you’re still okay. For now.”

Why did she stutter? She had never stumbled over her words before.

Honestly, I’m not exactly someone who would be considered lacking in the looks department, right?

…Damn it, I suddenly felt embarrassed.

“Ahem! But is a successor really necessary? Is there some special reason you need to pass on your legacy?”

“It’d be a waste, wouldn’t it? Do you know how much effort I put into perfecting these skills?”

“Well… I can’t argue with that. That’s a pretty flawless reason.”

Those kinds of honest desires were more troublesome than any noble cause.

That’s the kind of illness only death can cure. There’s no fixing it.

“I appreciate the offer, but…”

The moment I started to speak, I realized something.

Was this even something I could refuse?

“…Just in case, what happens if I say no?”

“I’m not planning to hurt you or anything.”

Was that really true?

Well, either way, I couldn’t let myself sink any deeper into this mess of a life.

At the very least, I had to test her reaction…

“Then I’ll have to decline. Honestly, I don’t see the appeal. Why would I become a butcher who goes around killing people? What am I lacking?”

Sure, you could say the potential to become stronger was a kind of merit,

But I had no real desire for power.

If I did, would I be hanging around here like this?

I’d be out in the training grounds, swinging a sword one more time.

For me, learning just enough to defend myself was enough when it came to strength.

“Well, if that’s the case, then it can’t be helped. Got it.”

“……”

“……”

What was this? Was it really over just like that?

It felt like I had stumbled upon a fairly dangerous secret. Was she seriously going to just leave me alone?

Or maybe, was it because she knew what kind of person I was, and assumed I wouldn’t go blabbing on my own?

“But Johan, one day, you’ll come looking for me on your own.”

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“No? It’s just… your situation looks like it’ll lead you there.”

“…Why would it?”

“Because Eden, Under Chain, and even Lemegeton don’t seem like they’re planning to give up on you.”

“I’ll handle that myself. I don’t even plan on leaving the Cradle until I graduate anyway…”

Wait a second.

What did she just say?

Eden, I understood. I was already marked by Kult.

And Under Chain made sense too.

They seemed to have their hands in the Class F rebellion plot.

But…

“…Why Lemegeton?”

Who the hell were they?

“Well, how should I know? You’re not even my successor. Why would I bother telling you that?”

“Wait, are you seriously still upset about that?”

“Mhmm, totally sulking. I’m not some butcher who casually goes around killing people, you know.”

Wait, she really held on to that comment from earlier?

She was acting like a kid. Then again, maybe she was one. She looked about the same age as me, so in a way, it made sense.

Still, the fact that she used that natural air about her as a weapon made it something I couldn’t afford to take lightly.

“Oh, right. My name’s Yuna. If you ever change your mind, call me. I’ll be watching from afar.”

With those words, Yuna vanished from sight, as if she melted right into the scenery.

***

There was just too much to think about.

There was Kult issue, and then still the problem of the traitor who was probably still in Class F.

And now, Lemegeton…. something I had no idea how or where I’d gotten tangled up with. My head felt like it was going to explode.

The first two, I could somewhat understand. But Lemegeton? What the hell was that really?

Why were those people targeting me?

The situation was so tangled, it gave me a headache.

I needed a break. Even though it was a bit early, I decided to go back to my room and get some sleep.

And the moment I stepped inside, I realized the true intent behind what Safe Clown—Yuna—had said.

“Uh…”

Lemegeton.

It was a word that referred to demon worshippers, but there was also an original source behind it.

It referred to a grimoire. A grimoire said to appear only before those so blindly devoted they’d sell their souls to a demon or the kind of lunatics who had half the screws in their heads loose.

“Wh-Why is this…?”

The Book of Demons Lemegeton was sitting on my desk.

Yeah, to put it simply…

“Crazy.”

I had been chosen by a demon.

It felt like I had been deemed socially unfit overnight.