The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy-Chapter 181: Silverleaf Academy (XXIX)

"Alright, alright. You can get off me now," I muttered with a small sigh, trying to lift her out of my lap.

"Nooo~ I wanna stay like this!" she cried out, wrapping her legs around my waist, making my body arch forward slightly.

"...Ella."

She looked up with a pout so dramatic it could win awards.

"I really need to go now..."

'Tomorrow night is going to be a hectic day, and I'll need to prepare myself, but before that, I still need to do something at the academy...'

"Whyyy~?" she whimpered, giving me the full puppy eyes treatment.

Nonetheless, I replied with the same casual tone.

"I have some stuff to do."

"You can do it tomorrow~"

"...I'll spend time with you tomorrow."

"Deal!" she chirped, instantly satisfied.

She instantly accepted my words, nuzzling into my neck before planting a soft kiss on the nape of my neck, causing me to frown slightly.

I felt something tingle.

Mana.

My eyes twitched.

'...Did she seriously just leave a mark on me? A mana mark? She really wants the whole world to know I'm hers, huh…?'

I shook my head.

A few more minutes passed.

More whining and clinging.

But eventually, I got her off me, set her down, and stepped out of the cozy little love trap she called a house.

Outside, I took a deep breath and instantly erased her mana mark by overloading the mark with my mana.

She probably noticed by now that the mark had vanished.

Whatever.

She'd live.

Now, onto the more important stuff, and by that, I mean the elimination of the Star Society members in the academy.

I was going to make sure that I killed all of them today.

'System... change the scan to detect members of the Star Society.'

[Scan settings adjusted.]

Ah.

So this little shit finally decided to reply.

"...Good."

I let mana rush into my legs, crackling just beneath the skin.

Then, with a sharp breath, I vanished from the spot, wind splitting behind me as I shot forward, almost like lightning.

I quickly arrived at the academy. I stepped just outside the gates, my boots scarcely making a noise on the stone walkway.

I dispelled the mana around my legs and walked in casually.

No one around...

It was pretty quiet.

Most of the students are probably having classes by now.

But just as I passed through the inner courtyard—

"Ehhh? Senior Aestrea!"

A group of three girls from the Alchemy Department waved at me, their eyes practically sparkling at my sight.

"Mhm?" I raised an eyebrow.

They jogged over, giggling among themselves, clearly trying to act casual but doing a terrible job of it.

"Ne, ne~ We saw you leaving from the outer district earlier."

"W-were you with Princess Ella?"

"Are you… dating her?"

I froze for half a second.

My brow twitched.

So the news was already flying, huh?

I let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of my neck.

"...Yeah."

Just a single word.

But for them, it sounded a lot harsher than it was.

Their faces dropped immediately—eyes dimming, shoulders slumping like balloons losing air—but they forced polite smiles anyway.

"Haaah… I see~ That's great…"

"She's really pretty... and strong…"

"Of course, someone like you would end up with a Princess…"

I clicked my tongue lightly.

These girls didn't deserve that look on their faces.

So, I reached out and patted each of their heads lightly.

"You three are very cute," I said in a soft voice, smiling.

"So, don't let it affect you."

They blinked in surprise, but then, their faces broke into shy little smiles.

"Bye, Aestrea!"

"Stay safe!"

I gave them a lazy wave and turned around.

And that's when I saw him.

Standing beneath one of the Academy archways, half-hidden by the shadow of the archway, with his eyes narrowed.

[Daniel Gustav - Star Society's Inner Member]

He didn't even flinch when our eyes met.

Good.

Because neither did I.

"...Found you."

The air around shifted instantly.

Mana coiled at my fingertips like a snake ready to attack its prey.

Crackle...!

I was just about to move in, mana quietly rising from my palm like frost creeping up glass—when—

"Baby~!"

A voice chirped through the night like a bell.

I halted.

A girl—long auburn hair, dressed in the standard Academy uniform but with a ribbon tied at her hip—suddenly darted in from the side and wrapped her arms around the man's.

"Did you wait long?" she asked sweetly, beaming with a huge smile at him.

He stiffened, clearly caught off guard, but didn't exactly move.

I narrowed my eyes.

…That wasn't right.

A quickly scanned the girl—no Star Society marking, no mana signature, no abnormal intent. She wasn't one of them.

Just a girl.

A student.

Probably someone who liked the wrong guy.

The man said nothing.

But her face... said a lot.

She was so happy.

So fucking happy, like she'd been waiting all day just to see him.

'...Fuck.'

The guilt hit me harder than expected.

She didn't even know she was holding on to someone already marked for death.

My fists clenched.

But then I scoffed.

"Whatever."

I turned around and walked away, the cold wind brushing against my skin as I moved into a perfect hiding spot.

"Haaa..."

I exhaled slowly, then raised my hand and snapped my fingers once.

Snap!

『 Time Freeze (✯ 9th-Level Spell ✯) 』

The world cracked apart.

Everything stopped.

The leaves mid-rustle.

The couple standing beneath the lantern, frozen mid-breath. The girl's smile still stretched bright across her face as she clung to him.

I stepped forward, drawing the Crimson Sword from my storage.

The weight of it felt warm in my hand, like it remembered the blood of the Emperor.

Fwip.

I blinked across the field.

Right in front of him.

Daniel.

One of the Star Society scum.

Still wearing that dumb, relaxed smirk as if he owned the world.

I raised the blade—

And brought it down.

Splurt.

Thud…

His head separated cleanly, spinning once in the air before it fell to the ground, followed by a thick, wet splash as blood burst from the open neck like a geyser.

I moved back before a single drop could touch me. Wiped the blade with magic and then stored it again.

Then—

Snap.

Time resumed.

The sound returned all at once.

The wind.

The lamps.

And—

"Aaah…?!"

A beat of silence.

Then the girl screamed.

It wasn't a short scream.

It tore through the courtyard—shaky, raw, throat-ripping.

"D-Daniel…?! DANIEL?!"

Her knees gave out as she stumbled backward, catching sight of his head rolling to a stop near the flowerbed.

She didn't move.

Just fell.

Her hands trembled over her mouth, and her wide, disbelieving eyes locked on his now-headless body still standing, just for a second, before it collapsed forward with a heavy thump.

"No… no no no—DANIEL!"

She crawled toward him, sobbing now, touching his shirt like he'd wake up.

Like he could.

Blood soaked into her skirt.

Still, she didn't care.

Her cries echoed across the Academy walls.

I turned around and got out of there slowly, like nothing had happened at all.

Her sobs followed me as I walked.

But I didn't care at all. After all, this wasn't the only person that I was going to kill today, and even if they had family, I'd kill them either way.

...All for the sake of my goal.

My eyes started glowing intensely.

I was about to go on a killing spree.

Inside the academy that I used to love so dearly.

—

It took me about five hours, but I killed every single student that I encountered, and the scan indicated were from the Star Society.

No mercy at all.

And now, I was wandering around the city, more specifically the south district, where I was trying to find the Iron Forge that James and Derek had told me about.

"Mhm...?"

I raised an eyebrow.

A small, squat building stood nestled between two potion stores. Its sign was shaped like a giant iron hammer, and in bold, chipped letters, it read:

[IRON FORGE]

"This must be the place."

I stepped forward and entered the small store.

CLANG!!!

CLANG!!!

The heat hit me first—dry, thick, like walking into a furnace.

Then came the sound.

Metallic echoes rang loud as a hammer struck steel again and again.

A short, bulky figure stood by the forge, sparks flying around him like fireflies.

"Yo," I called out, raising my hand slightly.

The hammer froze mid-air.

He turned.

A dwarf with—classic, wide-shouldered, soot-covered beard, and a scar running down his cheek. His eyes squinted, then blinked at the sword I drew from my storage.

I held it up with one hand—the Crimson Sword, a sword that was classified as SS-rank from the Red Slayer Dungeon, and also the sword that I used to kill the Star Society's bastards.

Its edge still shimmered faintly red.

The dwarf's eyes lit up.

Literally.

"By the gods—!" he shouted, stomping toward me with heavy boots. "Where the hell did you get this babe?!"

I said nothing.

Just smiled faintly and set the sword gently on his workbench.

"I want it reforged."

He blinked.

"Reforged? Into what, lad?"

"A gun," I said calmly.

"A Desert Eagle-style handgun."

His eyes widened.

"And with enchantments," I added, crossing my arms.

"Auto-mana reload. Triple shot. Mana engraving for trajectory control. No recoil. Piercing bullets, high-velocity type. Oh—and make sure it scales with ice magic."

For a second, he just stared at me.

Then, he grinned widely, almost maniacally.

"…You're one crazy bastard," he chuckled, lifting the Crimson Sword with both hands and inspecting its core.

"But I like that. Alright. I'll do it."

I nodded once, satisfied.

I turned to leave, my lips curling into a satisfied smile.

Then— freewebnoveℓ.com

"Ah! One more thing!" the dwarf shouted after me, raising a greasy finger in the air.

I paused at the doorway.

"The price," he said with a smirk.

"Will be 500 platinum coins!"

"AGHH—!!"

It felt like an arrow had pierced my chest.

I staggered back, clutching my chest.

"Are you forging me a gun or a royal throne?!"

He only laughed, waving me off like I was being dramatic.

I grumbled, stepping out into the night.

My wallet was going to cry.

But damn…

I was going to have one hell of a gun.