NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9
The sun was steadily setting, casting a warm glow.
As counseling time approached, I organized the materials and stepped into the hallway.
The inside of the Academy was quiet, save for the chirp chirp of crickets.
There might be several students left behind for training or research, but they were of no concern to me.
The aerial garden of Kia del Academy. They wouldn’t linger near the counseling room in its center.
‘What a sensitivity she has.’
In addition to the lavender garden on the ground, there was another garden on the rooftop gathering various plants.
A place of rest that students often visit when they need to catch their breath.
A modest counseling room in the center of the garden; it certainly had plenty of romantic elements fitting for a female-oriented romance fantasy.
‘It feels a bit excessive…’
The counseling room entrance was wrapped in red rose vines, with vibrant petals fluttering as butterflies freely danced around.
It was a beautiful sight, like a painting, but I couldn’t tell if it suited a student with worries weighing heavy on their mind.
At least, it might match the noble lady who had lured me into this counseling room.
‘I sense four presences near the entrance… Are they all students?’
They used concealment magic to hide their presence, but foolishly left their auras intact.
I felt annoyed as it seemed like they were looking down on me, but I didn’t show it.
Walking straight ahead like someone who didn’t know anyone was hiding.
Gripping the doorknob, I carefully stepped into the counseling room.
“Sorry! I got a bit delayed because of work!”
“It’s fine. I haven’t waited long.”
“I’m glad.”
There sat Rynelle in a simple outfit of just a dress shirt and a short skirt on the desk, without a coat.
She tossed her black stockings to the floor, revealing her bare legs.
She didn’t look like a student who had come for counseling at all.
Still, I had to ask out of courtesy.
“So, what’s troubling you that made you request counseling from the start of the semester?”
“Before that, Professor, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Did Daniel Crawford professor master spatial magic of the Crawford family?”
“Let’s save unrelated questions for later. I don’t want to work overtime.”
“Is that so? That’s too bad, but it can’t be helped.”
Thud!
Rynelle hooked her fingers on the collar of her dress shirt and pulled down sharply.
The shirt, which had been properly buttoned, tore open, exposing her skin and her undergarments.
Black underwear contrasted sharply with her snowy white skin.
In a scene dizzying enough to make my throat dry, Rynelle’s eyes were glinting with mischief.
“Are you perhaps genuinely interested in learning about contraceptive magic mentioned in the previous lecture?”
“Uhuht! It’s so innocent of you to talk about contraceptive magic without realizing the situation you’re in.”
“Isn’t it true?”
“Of course, it’s not! This is merely one of the steps to make you my toy.”
I knew it all.
I knew she was trapped, that she had lured me into the counseling room, and even tore her clothes open, all of it was her trap.
Even so, I played dumb.
“What, what do you mean?”
“Let me explain simply? I, Rynelle Agail, almost got attacked and assaulted by Professor Daniel Crawford in this counseling room today, and you, Professor, will swear obedience to keep this a secret! How does that sound?”
“…Isn’t that a bit much for a joke?”
“If you think it’s a joke, then I’m sorry. I may like toys, but I don’t particularly enjoy playing around!”
The words sounded reminiscent of a certain professor.
While she didn’t start on a long tirade after that, she did scream loudly.
“D-Don’t! No! Please don’t do this! Kyaaa! Someone help me!”
A desperate female scream filled the room.
Rynelle quickly covered her chest with her arms, blushing, her eyes shimmering with tears.
She was a top-notch actress.
Rynelle’s scream drew the students hiding outside the counseling room and turned them into witnesses.
Even if I wanted to protest my innocence, the public would trust the Agail noble lady more than a fool like Crawford.
Using that fact, Rynelle demanded absolute obedience from Daniel and forced him to bow down.
The reason Daniel rejected Nina’s confession was partly due to their teacher-student relationship, but the real cause was Rynelle’s orders.
He had feelings for her but squandered his chance and ended up on the path of the defeated heroine.
In the end, while Daniel regained his freedom when Rynelle fell, he couldn’t reclaim Nina’s heart after she left.
‘This time will be different.’
The culprit who had snatched away Daniel’s happiness.
The future was uncertain; it felt right to gradually reveal my true character.
No, I had to reveal it.
I needed to ensure that she couldn’t challenge me with different tactics and get solid control over her.
“……What’s going on? Why hasn’t anyone come in?”
“Who knows?”
“Aaah!”
I dashed forward and tackled Rynelle, who was sitting on the desk.
Rynelle fell to the ground as I mounted her, crossing my arms over her head and casting a binding spell to block her mana.
Having swiftly restrained her, the previously relaxed look in Rynelle’s eyes turned vicious.
“Take her down!”
At that moment, Rynelle shouted a killing order to someone.
But no changes occurred, and silence reigned as she called out to her shadow.
“Shadow Knights! What are you doing? Can’t you hear my orders to take him down?”
“It’s useless.”
“Ugh!”
The situation flipped.
Now I was the one grinning wickedly, while Rynelle’s face showed clear signs of panic.
“Isn’t it strange? You were screaming a while ago, yet the students outside didn’t come in, and the Agail family’s esteemed knights are mysteriously silent?”
“L-Let go of me!”
“Just to clear up any misunderstandings, I didn’t harm them in any way, okay?”
“If that’s the case…?”
“Looks like you figured it out. Yes, I used the magic you were curious about to trap you and me, leaving us in this space alone.”
It’d be accurate to say I took the counseling room altogether and temporarily moved it to another dimension.
Naturally, I could interfere with the shadow realm too, so the knights were isolated elsewhere.
They would never have the chance to interfere with me.
“Didn’t you seem to be desperately hiding your powers? Are you alright showing them now?”
“Am I alright? Of course not. I was planning to keep that power hidden for at least three years.”
“Oh dear! That’s unfortunate.”
“Are you laughing now?”
“Oof!”
Rynelle, realizing she had seriously messed with me, attempted to force a smile.
But when I glared at her with killing intent, she flinched, her face went stiff.
One mustn’t forget the hierarchy between us.
“What do you intend to do with me?”
“I thought about it carefully, and just like you said, I’ll try to ‘assault’ you!”
“Ha! Are you really going to dishonor me, the daughter of the Agail Ducal Family? Do you think you can handle the consequences?”
Even in a helpless situation, Rynelle continued to mock me, glaring fiercely.
But her lips trembled, and sweat was trickling down her forehead.
Her pride might still be intact, but inside, she was trembling with fear.
Even if she mentioned her family, she must know deep down that her father, the Agail Duke, couldn’t step in here.
‘The duke won’t come looking for me anyway.’
The Duke didn’t care one bit about his daughter’s safety; he was colder than Professor Pernelson.
If he were to show up, it would be because he was drawn in by Crawford’s spatial magic, not because of his daughter.
Rynelle knew this fact well enough.
In the end, it was nothing more than a futile show of bravado.
“From the moment I entered the counseling room, I was supposed to be labeled a rapist, right? If that’s the case, shouldn’t I at least take the noble lady’s virginity to lessen the injustice?”
“You’ll surely regret this; just stop! If you release me now, I can ensure your life at least!”
“Are you joking? You mean to tell me to become a slave with nothing but my head left? I’d rather keep devouring you until you snap and take your own life.”
“Does that mean you don’t care if the Crawford family line ends!”
“If my ancestors were to be used by other nobles, they’d prefer extinction. If I were around, they’d be clapping in their graves with tears in their eyes.”
Better to live fiercely and die in battle than to cower in fear and live long.
“Crawford, it’s you again?” she grumbled.
“I don’t quite comprehend what you’re saying, but if you possess that kind of power, surely you could revive your family!”
“True, but if it means getting bitten by yet another noble, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to let it die and relocate far away.”
The Crawford family’s downfall wasn’t surprising in the least.
There was no need to be tied down to the family name.
“In other words, I have nothing to lose.”
“No way…!”
Those with nothing behind them don’t hesitate to make extreme choices at the last moment.
I guess the noble lady didn’t understand such a basic fact.
“Just watch closely, newbie! This is what they call the sex card.”
“Ugh!”
There was the perfect roundness, the ripe peach rising gracefully.
Encased in a flamboyant black rag that was bigger than necessary compared to her body.
I hadn’t touched it, but I could clearly tell it was soft and delicate.
The urge to grope, squeeze, and flick its protruding tip surged within me.
As I gazed at her with those desires in my eyes, Rynelle bit her lips tightly.
“Are you going to resist a bit more?”
“Do as you wish! Even if my body gets sullied, I will never yield to you!”
It seemed she realized that resistance was futile considering the difference in power.
I gave a cheerful smile and reached for Rynelle.
She squeezed her eyes shut, her fists clenched so hard blood began to flow.
Trying to act tough, yet her first forced experience as a woman frightened her.
“Ha! You’re such a fool.”
“Ugh!”
Thud!
I flicked Rynelle’s forehead, distracting her as her hair fell messily around her.
After the resounding thud, a short scream escaped her lips.
The stupefied look on her face was downright hilarious.
Noble lady, little girl, whatever you call her, she was still a child.
“Did you honestly believe I would assault you?”
“Excuse me?”
“Of course, that was a lie! Why would I risk everything for just you?”
“What do you mean…?”
“An extended special lesson. I’m just teaching you that if you want to ruin someone else’s life, you must stake your own as well. Thank me later!”
Watching the noble lady crouched down like a baby bird, trembling, was tuition enough.
“Once I step out of here, everything will go back to normal. Your knights will probably not even realize they’ve been isolated. I’m simply sending them to a dimension where time doesn’t flow, then bringing them back.”
I sprang up from my seat, releasing the binding spell on Rynelle’s arms.
Then, casually walked toward the exit as if nothing had happened.
“Oh, right, if you want to report what happened here to your father, feel free.”
“Why…?”
“Why? I doubt it’ll change your academy life in any significant way.”
The Duke Agail handled everything with utmost caution.
If he were to learn of my abilities, he would most likely try to win me over instead of acting antagonistically.
He might even go as far as offering his only daughter to me.
He would surely welcome a descendant who could wield Crawford’s spatial magic with open arms.
Of course, such a thing would never happen.
“Lastly, you’re not my type, kid.”
“What did you just say?”
Hahaha!
I laughed heartily as I turned to see Rynelle’s face turn bright red before stepping out of the counseling room.
I had achieved my goal of humiliating her, bending her spirit completely.
Though I had revealed some of my cards, there was no need to worry too much.
Rynelle was clever but prided herself on being stronger than anyone.
She would not allow her pride to let her flaunt my abilities around.
Even if she went to her grave with the secret, she would never reveal it to anyone.
The reason I provoked her to inform her father was to stimulate Rynelle’s pride.
‘It may not be like Professor Pernelson’s methods, but I’d say I’ve baked her sufficiently.’
I could play her like a fiddle and toss her to Nina at the perfect timing in the future.
Awesome! That settled one issue.
*
“I won’t forgive…! I won’t forgive…!”
As night fell, the counseling room darkened.
Inside, a changed Rynelle was curled up, suppressing her rage.
Though the loyal followers and Shadow Knights that had been waiting outside in the shadows inquired about her, she expelled them all with harsh words.
As Daniel had anticipated, Rynelle’s pride silently buried this incident.
“What the hell is that professor? Acting like an innocent fool one moment, then suddenly flipping the script…! It’s infuriating!”
She ground her teeth, hurling insidious comments about Daniel in her mind.
Even so, the emotions surging within her showed no signs of waning.
Anger and hatred mixed with an emotion she had never felt before.
It warmed her body like rage but felt so subtly different.
Her heart raced uncontrollably, and the image of a certain man lingered in her mind.
A loathsome and unpleasant feeling she had to suppress.
“I don’t know. I don’t understand at all.”
Without anyone to tell her what this new emotion was, Rynelle was trapped in turmoil.
‘Could he know what it is?’
The man who brought her shame after her father was also someone who rendered her humiliated in a different way.
Not through cold indifference, but by breaking her down with his very eyes.
Remembering how he toyed with her, the corners of her mouth twitched.
Despicable yet somehow not entirely hateable, it was driving her to the brink of madness.
“Ugh…!”
One day, she would surely break his pride and figure out the nature of this strange feeling.
In the dark, Rynelle’s eyes burned fiercely with resolve.