I’m the Slit-Eyed Character at the Academy, but I’m not the Mastermind

Chapter 332

The plaza in front of Annwood Academy’s main gate.

Far removed from the bustling streets of the city. On the outskirts of even that quiet plaza stood a solitary tavern.

‘This is the place.’

A man cloaked in a robe appeared before it.

It was Crowell, a low-ranking black mage who had entered into a contract with Zero.

‘He said there’d be someone here who could help me.’

While Zero had given him the gemstone allegedly used by a Legion Commander, it wasn’t an item he could use freely.

Even if he substituted trash as the offering, the summoning of a demon would still be unavoidable.

Crowell not only wanted to avoid facing a demon but also feared that using such power in front of other black mages would draw undue suspicion.

‘That’d be the end for me. I’ll only use the gemstone in a life-or-death situation.’

He needed another safety net. Something to keep himself alive.

‘Snake Mask said I could find one here. He said I’d find something else that could protect me.’

Crowell carefully opened the tavern door and stepped inside.

It was early morning, so not a single customer was present.

The only person there was a red-haired young man, lazily yawning.

Even at first glance, the young man looked rough around the edges. He glanced briefly at Crowell.

“Order?”

“J-just a simple meal and some milk, please.”

“Milk and a meal at a tavern? You’re out of your mind.”

Now that he thought about it, it was strange.

But wasn’t the red-haired man just as strange? Who opens a tavern this early in the morning?!

…Not that he could say such a thing out loud.

‘Should I have asked for alcohol instead of milk?’

As Crowell wrestled with this serious dilemma, the young man sighed.

“But fine, I’ll bring it out. I’m kindhearted, after all.”

The red-haired young man disappeared into the kitchen.

Left alone, Crowell let out a small sigh of relief.

Step one—getting into the tavern—was a success. Next…

‘I need to find the helper Snake Mask mentioned…’

No matter how hard he looked around, there was no one who seemed like a potential ally.

In fact, aside from the young man in the kitchen, there was no one here at all.

Snake Mask hadn’t given him any sort of secret code or passphrase, just instructions to find the tavern near the Academy plaza.

He couldn’t very well walk up to someone and say, “Hi, I’m actually a kind-hearted black mage. Snake Mask sent me—do you know him?”

…Could he? Of course not!!

As Crowell continued to agonize over his predicament, a voice jolted him from his thoughts.

“Smells foul in here. Did some lost black mage wander in?”

The red-haired young man reappeared, carrying a plate of food. His casual remark was enough to make Crowell freeze.

“I-I’m a kind black mage! Really…”

“There’s no such thing as a kind black mage.”

“You’re looking at one right now…”

“You’re quite the joker, aren’t you? Anyway, eat up.”

Scarlet set down several dishes and utensils on the table.

“T-thank you.”

Under normal circumstances, Crowell wouldn’t have been able to tell whether the food was going into his mouth or his nose.

But when he took a bite, his eyes widened in surprise.

‘What’s this? It’s… delicious?!’

Did that rough-looking young man really cook this? Despite his appearance (?), he was clearly skilled in the kitchen.

“This is amazing!”

“Ah, well. I once owed a favor to a chef.”

Scarlet’s eyes grew distant, as though reminiscing about a story from the past.

What could that story be? Crowell was curious but decided not to ask. He didn’t want to risk upsetting him.

“At least you’ve got some tact. So, got any questions?”

“How did you know I’m a black mage?”

The remark about smelling a black mage had caught Crowell off guard earlier, but now that he thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

‘That’s impossible.’

If anyone had such an ability, every black mage in this world would already be dead.

The man in front of him couldn’t really distinguish black mages on sight—it had to be a lie.

“Well, you’re not entirely clueless. The reason’s simple—it was awkward.”

“Awkward?”

“Coming to a tavern in the morning and ordering a meal with milk? Isn’t that strange? If you’d at least pretended to be a drunkard and reeked of alcohol, you might’ve fooled me.”

But you’re the strange one! Who runs a tavern this early in the morning?!

“It’s because of you that I opened early. For a week now—morning, noon, night, and even past midnight—I’ve been at this. I nearly died from exhaustion.”

“I… didn’t ask you to do that…”

“Your eyes are saying it all. Still, you’ve got guts, don’t you? Muttering complaints inwardly like that. Takes some nerve to stick your neck out so far.”

Do I have guts? I’ve never been told that before, so I wouldn’t know.

Hmm, what kind of dish is this, anyway? No, who cares—delicious is delicious.

Even as Crowell continued to stuff his face, his gaze occasionally met Scarlet’s, who chuckled to himself.

Zero had brought back a truly peculiar guy.

“For the record, I’m the Golden Rat. Normally, I’m not supposed to reveal my face, but this is a special situation, so I’ll make an exception.”

Scarlet pulled out a golden rat mask and waved it in front of Crowell.

It wasn’t one of the artifacts made by Zero but something Scarlet had crafted himself.

‘I have to admit, I outdid myself with this.’

The reason Scarlet had made the mask was simple.

Animal masks were the easiest way to prove a connection to Zero, but more than that…

‘Because it looks cool.’

After all, Scarlet was only twenty years old. He was at the perfect age to indulge in a sense of style.

Scarlet had even prepared a black uniform adorned with vivid red cloud patterns.

‘Someday, the opportunity to wear it will come, won’t it?’

A mysterious group dressed in striking outfits!

As he pictured himself standing on a rooftop with Zero, cloaked in the dramatic outfit, a loud thud jolted him from his daydream.

THUD!

“Please! I’m begging you, help me!”

Crowell suddenly slammed his head onto the table.

The impact was so strong that the entire tavern seemed to shake. His desperation was palpable.

“First, let’s start with the information. There must be a gathering place for black mages. Mark it on the map.”

Crowell’s hand moved frantically, circling locations on the map with a red pen.

Even knowing the locations, sending out a raid squad immediately was impossible.

Not only could Crowell be killed in the process, but leaving his location untouched while raiding the others would arouse suspicion.

‘They’ve probably already set up contingencies in case the information leaks. Without Caron or the other rats’ support, launching a raid now would be reckless.’

The best scenario would be to simultaneously eliminate every location upon confirming the whereabouts of one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

‘Man… to think up a strategy this cold-blooded. Zero really is one pitiful kid.’

In essence, Crowell was being used as both a spy and a living bomb.

What kind of life must one have lived to devise such plans at only fifteen?

One thing was certain—Zero had endured a horribly unlucky life.

‘I thought my life was the unluckiest… Fine, Zero. You win. Congratulations!’

Scarlet clapped inwardly, saluting the winner of the “Unluckiest Life Battle.”

‘To employ such brutal tactics must mean he truly despises black mages.’

Had he lost his family? Or perhaps something even worse?

Something too horrifying to imagine.

Now that Scarlet understood a bit of Zero’s circumstances, he couldn’t just stand by.

‘I’ll save your sister, and while I’m at it, this big brother will lend you a hand.’

As a fellow man, he couldn’t just leave behind a kid who’d had such a rough life.

‘Besides, I can’t wait to see that kid’s grateful face.’

It wasn’t a bad deal for Scarlet, either.

The Four Heavenly Kings—currently causing a commotion across the continent.

If he could bring them down, he’d finally be able to escape his lowly rat rank.

‘I could even leave this godforsaken tavern.’

To Scarlet, the Four Heavenly Kings were stepping stones for promotion.

And to find their locations, he needed the black mage in front of him—Crowell—to rise to the rank of a lieutenant.

A high-ranking member of a notorious black mage group.

It was, frankly, an absurd goal. Crowell was a boy who, until recently, had been a farmer.

‘That is… if it weren’t for me.’

Scarlet’s memories drifted back to his early days, training under Caron to become a rat.

Caron’s hellish regimen.

If Crowell endured training like that, rising to the position of lieutenant among the black mages would be child’s play.

“Kekeke…”

“W-why are you laughing like that?”

“Oh, sorry. Just remembered something funny.”

“…?”

Crowell scooped another large spoonful of food into his mouth, blissfully unaware of the fate that awaited him.

BOOM!

Luna’s One Flash technique slammed into the training ground’s wall.

Perhaps the real combat experience during the Battle of Carpathia had helped—her One Flash was noticeably more powerful than before.

But—

‘It’s not enough. Mom’s One Flash wasn’t just this strong!’

Luna wiped the sweat dripping down her forehead.

She had stopped by the training grounds for a quick workout before breakfast, but before she knew it, she had gotten serious.

‘Just one more strike, and I’ll wrap it up.’

Snoooore…

From afar, she could faintly hear Rezé’s snoring.

She had told Rezé that it was fine to meet up later for breakfast, but when Rezé had smiled and said, “We’re friends, aren’t we?” Luna hadn’t had the heart to refuse.

‘I guess I’m lucky when it comes to friends.’

Smiling faintly, Luna sheathed her sword and got into position again.

The wooden dummy stood silently in one corner of the training ground.

In Luna’s mind, the dummy transformed into a demon.

The image of the high-ranking demon she had faced during the Battle of Carpathia came to life.

‘I have to get stronger. Strong enough to take down enemies like that with ease.’

Only then could she avenge her family. And, while she was at it, protect Zero as well.

Just as Luna was about to unleash another One Flash—

“Eek! Eeeeeek!”

Rezé suddenly screamed, jerking awake from where she had been sleeping atop a crate.

“Rezé, what’s wrong?”

“Something… something huge is coming this wayyyy!”

Rustle! Rip! Rip!

Rezé’s hands moved like lightning, and in an instant, she had constructed two camouflaged boxes.

“Hurry, get inside!”

Rezé gestured urgently from within her box.

Not only was her assembly speed impressive, but she had slipped inside the box even faster.

Luna quickly ducked into the other box and shut the lid.

Rezé’s box was designed to allow visibility from the inside, so she could easily monitor the outside.

‘Who could it be? An enemy?’

Luna’s question was answered almost immediately.

The door to the training ground creaked open, and a figure stepped inside.

“Hmph… What’s this? No one’s here?”

It was a girl.

She had jet-black, shoulder-length hair like the night sky, a petite frame, and bandages plastered all over her face and body.

A long horizontal sword hung from her back.

Despite her thick makeup, the overall impression she gave off was… cute.

“I came to warn them not to mess with Delin… and it was all for nothing.”

The girl clicked her tongue in irritation.

Indeed, the girl who had barged into the training ground was none other than Lowell, the third child of the Lucid family.

The Lucid family—a prestigious house among prestigious houses. And with such prominence always came pests like flies.

To Lowell, Zero wasn’t just any pest—he was the worst kind. A dung fly.

“I figured as much, seeing how she treats guys like they’re stray puppies, but I didn’t think her taste in men could be this awful…”

Lowell shook her head in exasperation.

Finding the whereabouts of Zero’s group hadn’t been difficult.

All she had to do was grab a passing rat, hang them upside down, and the information came spilling out easily.

‘Well, I guess it was low-grade information they were okay with giving me anyway.’

Information regarding students was classified at a relatively low level.

Thanks to that, Lowell had been able to gather all sorts of details about Zero.

‘I heard he received a commendation before the midterms and was practically the top scorer this time too? So, he’s got some skill, huh.’

The standards of Annwood Academy were no joke.

Even Lowell, for all her talent, had only managed to snag the top spot once. She understood just how difficult it was to achieve such a feat.

‘But still, that’s not good enough. Who does he think he is, aiming so high? A dung fly like him.’

Even if Zero consistently took the top spot, there was no way Lowell was going to let him near Rodelin.

That’s why she’d come here—to give him a proper scolding.

But…

“Why is no one here? Was that rat’s information false?”

As she vowed to start burying rats upside down instead of just hanging them, something caught her attention.

The patterns on the training ground wall began to distort.

“Huh?”

But the surprises didn’t stop there.

Suddenly, a girl’s face popped out of the wall.

She had bright pink twin tails and was small and adorably petite.

‘Is she inside a box? Incredible. I didn’t notice her presence at all.’

If that wasn’t shocking enough, what the girl said next left Lowell completely dumbfounded.

“Hey, shorty, what are you doing here?”

–TL Notes–

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