The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy

"BRGH!"

A burst of black blood shot out from my mouth, splattering onto the ground.

I wiped it off with the sleeve of my black coat, not caring that the fabric was soaked through with that foul taste.

It didn't matter.

"F-fucking hell..."

I muttered under my breath, feeling the poison still pulsing through my veins. It burned, a searing heat that made my limbs feel like lead, but I kept walking forward.

Where was I going?

The cathedral.

I needed to meet Christina.

Just one last time.

I couldn't believe it, though.

The damn knights of the Royal Knights Order—poisoned attacks?

That wasn't part of the plan.

But still... I wasn't dead yet.

"However... my plan did work. That's what matters."

I gritted my teeth, staggering a bit as I kept walking, forcing my body to push forward.

The pain was unbearable, but it was worth it.

I'd made an impact—fear had been instilled in the Emperor's mind.

And Lilith... she was definitely interested in me.

The demon mark on my shoulder was proof of that.

If it wasn't for my system being useful for once, I wasn't going to find it, but I'm grateful that it warned me.

Now, when I fully heal myself, I just need to have a one-on-one with Lilith.

I already had a few plans in mind to kill her.

And if those plans failed, well, I'd resort to the stupidest one.

But I'd get it done.

One way or another.

"Finally... I'm here."

Breathing heavily, I slowly walked up the stairs leading to the cathedral.

However, as I rounded closer, a sudden wave of dizziness hit me. My knees buckled for a split second, but I forced myself to stay upright.

"Fuuu..."

"Come on... just a little bit more."

Creaack...

I pushed the door open with a grunt, my legs barely holding me up as I limped toward the room where Christina usually stayed.

The mask, now useless, was torn from my face and tossed aside.

But as I reached the door, a cold, sharp sensation pressed against my neck.

"Who are you? What's your purpose?!"

A rough and full of killing intent voice reached my ears.

"F-fucking hell... shut your fucking mouth and help me, John," I muttered weakly, spinning around to face him.

But then...

"Ugh...!"

I fell forward.

John's eyes widened.

Before I could even catch my breath, the sword was gone from my neck, tossed aside with a clink, and he was there, his arms catching me as I collapsed.

"AAGH!"

My body hit the floor, my legs buckling beneath me.

Pain flashed through my chest, but it felt distant.

"Hey, hey, dude!" John shouted, panicked.

He quickly threw my arm over his shoulder, pulling me up. His hands were firm, but the world around me spun.

Then he stopped, sniffing the air, and his eyes went wide.

"This smell... are you poisoned? Shit!" he cursed.

BAM!

Without hesitation, John kicked the door open, the heavy wood slamming against the frame with a loud crash.

"John? How many times do I have to tell you not to wreck into my room like—"

Christina's voice trailed off, and her words caught in her throat as she saw me.

"—This is urgent, Saintess! Your lover is poisoned!" John blurted, his voice filled with panic as he laid me down on the bed with a thud.

"Lov—Aestrea?!" Christina gasped, her eyes instantly widening as they locked onto me.

Horror flashed across her face.

I barely had the strength to lift my head, but I could tell from the look on her face that things were much worse than I thought.

My right arm felt like it was on fire, the purple veins that snaked through it ugly and swollen.

I could barely feel it anymore, the pain numbed by everything else.

I must've looked like a mess.

Christina was already by my side in an instant, her hands pressing against my chest, her touch cool against the heat of my skin.

"...This...?! Broken ribs... a fractured arm... and your organs are poisoned?!" Her voice trembled with worry as she frantically checked my injuries.

"Who were you fighting against?"

'Poisoned organs…'

I blinked, the words barely registering.

'Gosh.'

It seems my situation was much worse than I had thought.

Was it due to the adrenaline that I didn't feel anything?

'Ah...'

'It's probably because of that new skill.'

"Actually, that doesn't matter! John, bring me the blood orb from that demon beast!" Christina's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Right!"

John hurriedly shot out of the room.

It took him about five seconds to come back and throw the orb at Christina.

Zooom!

A burst of bright, blinding energy filled the room, and in Christina's hands, the blood orb appeared, pulsating with a strong red energy.

Her lips pressed tight, and her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she stared down at the orb, before she gritted her teeth.

"Dammit..."

THRUM!

Without wasting any more time, she crushed the blood orb, and suddenly, the entire room flashed red.

An extraordinary amount of blood energy surged through the room.

Christina immediately raised her hand, a golden energy enveloping it, as she controlled the energy in the air and pressed it against my body.

"Hagh...!"

I gritted my teeth, trying to force my breath to stay steady as the pain coursed through every part of me.

The pressure built, and everything around me began to blur.

My head spun, my eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

Then, suddenly, a cold sensation washed over me.

I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision, but my eyelids were so heavy.

This...

The system...?

[An unusual amount of blood energy detected...]

[It's detected that the user has a treasure that can evolve attributes...]

I struggled to focus, but the words on the notification were blurry.

I couldn't make them out fully.

My head felt foggy, too tired to think straight.

'I... I'm so sleepy...'

.

.

.

[All the requirements have been met.]

.

.

.

.

[The element [Ice] has evolved to its second form.]

.

.

.

.

"Agh..."

I slowly opened my eyes, the world still a little blurry.

My body ached, every muscle sore, but... I felt strangely light, like my body was actually as light as a feather.

My head was fuzzy, but not as bad as before.

I tried to move, to sit up, but then I felt something pressing against me.

I froze.

I looked to my left, and my eyes softened just a little.

There she was.

Christina.

She was lying next to me, her arms wrapped around my waist.

Her hair was a mess, sticking to her face, and she looked... well, disheveled, to say the least. Her breathing was steady, soft, like she was in a deep sleep.

I couldn't help but glance at her, but then my eyes moved up, staring at the ceiling.

"Haaagh..."

I let out a long, deep sigh.

'What happened?'

I remembered everything—fighting, poison, that damn orb... but now?

Something about my body... felt very different.

And I was here.

With Christina.

I wasn't sure what to do.

I didn't want to wake her up.

She shifted slightly, her grip tightening around me, and I just stayed still, not wanting to disturb her.

'...System?'

[I'm busy.]

'...Fuck you.'

[Gladly.]

'Shitty system...'

Anyways, Christian didn't find the demon mark.

Is that a problem?

Not for me.

But if someone else found it... well, yeah. That could be a problem. If the Saintess couldn't find it, who could?

'Ah.'

Probably the hero.

I almost forgot about his existence.

Well...

I stole most of his opportunities to show off.

...Is that going to bring down his confidence?

Probably not... right?

His ego was through the roof when he got that power boost against me. But, yeah... I crushed him once the power-up faded.

That aside...

When is Lilith going to come after me?

I need to be extremely careful with her.

She wasn't the Succubus Queen for nothing.

But honestly...

But honestly... thinking about it, maybe she was one of those virgin succubus types. That's a common trope, right?

Authors really do like to create Succubus Heroines after all.

Not that I care, though, since I'm going to kill her.

Then again...

...I do have that [Slave Mark] skill from Lumi.

And she's practically an SS-rank awakened...

'Fuck.'

Am I still being influenced by the old Aestrea?

Is it because of the memories?

No...

I was pretty sure that I was back to being myself.

Especially when I decimated those guys in the train, the old Aestrea would probably simply knock them out.

"Haaah..."

No use thinking about it.

I needed to get moving. I had to meet up with Leaf and Ruli.

With that thought, I quietly slipped out of bed without waking Christina. I glanced at her sleeping face, the peaceful look on her face made my chest tighten.

I bit my lip and grabbed some paper and ink from around the cathedral, quickly writing her a short note.

I set it on the desk, then left the room, heading toward the exit of the cathedral.

"Leaving so soon?"

I heard the familiar voice, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Unfortunately."

"...I'll miss ya, buddy," John spoke solemnly.

"Hah..."

I laughed softly.

"Sure, I'll miss Christina, too."

"Bastard." John shook his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

I pushed open the doors of the cathedral before returning to the hotel. Thankfully, both of them were still sleeping, so I seized the opportunity for a quick nap.

Then, I would head back to Silverleaf.

Finally.