NOVEL NEXT Episode 172
Episode 172
“What the hell, are you crazy!”
It was beyond bizarre, to the point of being terrifying.
While flying carpets were a common device, a flying red carpet seemed a bit much. What shocked the students of Areah Academy most was that the professors did nothing as the red carpet gently landed. While other academies were demanding explanations, Areah’s professors were staring into the distance or looking unfocused.
‘Huh? Could it be?’
Capone Jones, being quick-witted, was the first to realize. However, she kept her realization to herself.
She wanted to ignore it…
Unfortunately, Hae Yuna didn’t ignore it.
“This, could it be…”
At her whisper of dread, the gathered crowd also caught on and fixed their gazes on the red carpet.
Shin Myohan squeezed his eyes shut as if dizzy and muttered.
“…It seems to be, but can you tell me it’s not?”
Sadly, as far as they knew, the only person capable of such outrageous scale was Cassice Demillang.
Who else would get pre-approval from Areah Academy for such an act?
A limousine appeared, breaking through the main gate with a massive engine roar and crossing the red carpet. By then, everyone anticipated Cassice Demillang’s arrival. Reporters who had gathered to cover the inter-academy competition rushed in frantically, sensing a scoop.
The news of Cassice Demillang’s collapse hadn’t been made public, and his sudden disappearance had become an unsolved mystery with no known cause or reason. The most prevalent theory was that he had fallen due to an injury, and some even spread rumors that Cassice Demillang might have been killed by the noble house of Demillang.
Breaking the ten-day silence during which no one knew if he was dead or alive, ‘he’ finally returned.
Just before the most spectacular comeback ceremony was about to take place, without any press release being distributed, solely by his presence.
Click.
The door opened.
“…!”
People didn’t dare make even a breath of sound. They couldn’t make any noise until he fully appeared.
Eventually, Ryuseong, who had walked out of the limousine, extended his arm for escort. As if it were natural, a man with snow-white silver hair grasped that hand and stepped out of the limousine. And the moment he faced the camera lenses, the crowd began to let out intense screams. Then, a confident smile etched itself onto his decadent face that had been expressionless until then. It was a smile that seemed to say, “I knew you’d react this way,” uncharacteristically brazen compared to his usual sharp and aloof demeanor.
‘Crazy…!’
Capone Jones felt goosebumps on her arms.
He knew exactly what the public wanted from him. The most dazzling presence. Showmanship that made it seem natural for all the world’s light to shine down on him like a spotlight.
‘The political world has lost a big shot!’
Suddenly, rose petals were being showered from the sky. Capone Jones took a deep breath, regulating her breathing.
Rose petals fluttered down above their heads.
‘…I need to keep my wits about me. I hate falling behind more than death.’
Capone Jones knew she wasn’t special. Her magic was decent, but her physical skills were lacking. She had somehow managed to catch up to the average, but when competing with natural martial artists, she keenly felt her limitations. No matter how many hundreds of times she tried to make up for her shortcomings, a slow learner remained a slow learner. So, at some point in the past, Capone Jones, holding her hands covered in burst blisters, cried for a long time and then decided with determined eyes. She would specialize in and cultivate what she was good at.
The weapon she could proudly claim as superior to others was her political acumen.
Unlike the vaguely soft Logan or the irresponsibly lethargic Diedrich, she had a blade-like sense honed in real situations.
But now, Cassice Demillang was displaying such grand showmanship that it seemed he didn’t need any help from political skills.
It was natural for Capone Jones to be tense.
‘…That’s unfair.’
Some geniuses grasp in ten seconds what others need ten minutes to understand.
Capone Jones had always disliked such human specimens.
But there are very few people in the world who consider what kind of life a genius had to live to understand such things in ten seconds. However, even though her memories were erased by the goblin during the courage test, Capone Jones still vividly felt the residual emotions. Above all, even thinking rationally, the answer was obvious. Given that the elders of the family were stepping up to kill Cassice, how great must have been the storms he had to overcome until now?
Until now, Capone Jones had only envied and desired Cassice Demillang’s genius. She hadn’t even considered the shadows cast over Cassice Demillang’s life.
But if she wanted to possess his genius, she would have to take all of Cassice Demillang’s hardships and adversities as well. That would be fair.
That’s how life always was.
There was no point in shouting at the sky, asking why it had bestowed suffering on one’s life. Because there was no reason. Just as there was no reason for genius to be bestowed, there was no meaning in hardships being given.
At the same time, happiness didn’t require any price in life.
At least for now, at this moment, she decided to think that way.
Anyway, she was glad that Cassice seemed to be safe.
That was enough.
***
However, contrary to Capone Jones’s expectations.
‘Huh? What’s this?’
None of the performances so far had been intended by Cassice Demillang.
‘This is crazy. How many rose petals did they pluck? What a waste of money. Rich kids always…’
Ah, right. Jeong Ian was also a third-generation chaebol.
‘Cancel that, let’s cut what I just said.’
The reason why such a mess had occurred was simple.
Cassice Demillang had left all preparations for attending school to his butler.
The butler, moved by the fact that the young master had placed his trust in him, prepared the red carpet and rose petals in consultation with his parents.
Although Cassice Demillang’s departure was delayed because he overslept, that wasn’t the butler’s concern. He had already obtained permission from the academy in advance. In fact, rather than such matters, the butler maintained the attitude that it didn’t matter whether it was during a lecture or whatever, if our young master wants to go.
Unaware of this, Cassice Demillang was smiling nonchalantly on the outside while thinking:
‘…Should I fire him?’
But after learning that all of the butler’s decisions were made under his parents’ supervision, he just decided to keep his mouth shut.
Anyway, that was the situation now.
But then another unexpected situation unfolded.
“Ca-Cassice!”
This was something even the butler hadn’t anticipated. The same went for Ryuseong. No one could understand this.
The students who had shared the bizarre memory-erasing courage test with Cassice Demillang and the goblin came rushing out en masse, surrounding Cassice Demillang and starting to worry about him.
“Are you okay? Why haven’t you been coming to school?”
“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you? Is your body alright?”
At that moment, Cassice Demillang momentarily lost the smile he had been wearing as usual. That moment was clearly captured on camera. Those who saw that moment felt a strange sensation, as if the mask that had been covering him had shattered, revealing the true feelings of the person named Cassice Demillang through the cracks.
At that moment, Cassice Demillang was clumsily shaken by an unfamiliar emotion.
The name of that emotion was affection.
***
‘Hey, this is ruining my image…’
Why are they suddenly worrying about me?
Forcing myself to close my mouth that was about to say those words, I just smiled.
It was because I now knew that worry was a softer emotion than I had thought.
Well, to be honest, from my perspective, it’s natural to be flustered when kids whose names I couldn’t even remember properly come rushing out to worry about me. But I thought I could understand from their point of view.
‘I disappeared out of nowhere, after all.’
Of course, I had my reasons too. I was the one who had been imprisoned by the emperor under the protagonist’s leadership, after all!
But I wanted to be understanding, thinking that these kids who hadn’t heard any news might have been a bit surprised. The fact that it was these kids who rushed over, not other students, well. Could it be because of the connection the goblin had forged?
I was about to think that and move on, but suddenly an ill-matched group led by Hae Yuna came running over.
“Cassiiiis!”
Well, you see.
‘It’s surprising considering the original relationships, but…’
Hae Yuna and Shin Myohan, I can understand. If we think that Lee Hyang was drawn to them, it makes sense.
‘But why these guys?’
Was there any reason for Capone Jones, Logan Esteban, and Diedrich Vinckel to rush over too?
“Young Master! You’ve finally come!”
And why with faces showing competitive spirit, you guys…?