I leaned against a tree just outside the guest dormitory, arms crossed, watching as three figures emerged—Princess Sara, her knight Lannete, and Cassandra whom I'd brought here not long ago for this very purpose.
Good. Everything went smoothly.
A quiet satisfaction settled in my chest. The plan had been a bit risky, but necessary.
Earlier, I'd overheard that the prince had been summoned by the academy staff—some urgent matter about his departure tomorrow.
I realized he was being restless. And thought about what to do. And finally found a way.
With him gone, and Lannete having "driven off" the remaining guards (thanks to a little persuasion on my part - disguised as a message from Cassandra), the path had been clear.
Cassandra herself was the final piece.
I'd rushed to town as soon as I heard the princess and prince were leaving the next day.
The original plan had been scrapped—no time for subtlety now. I explained everything happened while mixing a few lies(hiding my involvement and saying I found out this by my friend) and convinced her Princess's life was in danger. Then I offered her to take the princess with herself, that way she would be much safer. I also intentionally gave a hint about prince not being good as he seems on the surface.
Cassandra had listened, her eyes analyzing the info, before nodding. "Leave the rest to me."
She must have been suspicous of the prince even before that. It looked like she trusted my words completely too.
Now, as I watched the three of them step out of the dormitory—Princess Sara happy, Lannete relieved to her master's smile, Cassandra playing her role flawlessly—I let out a slow breath.
No hiccups. No last-minute surprises. Good work me.
I pushed off the tree, satisfied, but then—
A prickling sensation crawled up my spine.
Someone was watching me.
I kept walking, forcing my steps to remain casual even as my mind raced. Why doesn't my background character aura work on her? Is it because she has a system too?
Shaking my head, I shoved the thought aside and made my way to the library.
Yeah. I'd mustered my courage.
Even if Virion decided to turn me into a cosmic punching bag again, even if those grinning stars chased me through another nightmare dimension—I wouldn't back down. Strength came at a price, and I was willing to pay it.
...Probably.
I hesitated at the library doors, hand hovering.
Just go in. What's the worst that could happen?
(The answer, of course, was a lot.)
Sighing, I stepped inside.
Luna sat at her usual spot behind the reception desk, so engrossed in her book she didn't even glance up. Her green ponytail draped over one shoulder like a vine, and the soft glow of the library's lanterns made her look almost ethereal.
Better not disturb her.
I slipped past, diving into the maze of shelves. My eyes scanned the shadows, the rafters, the spaces between worlds where a certain serpent might lurk—
"Looking for someone?"
A voice dripped into my ear like honey laced with poison.
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
Virion hung upside-down from the ceiling, his emerald scales glinting, a book balanced precariously on his tail. His grin was all teeth.
"Wingman boy~ Ready for Phase 5?"
We are still on that?!
I gulped inwardly and eventually nodded.
"Yes, I'm ready. I really want to get stronger."
Virion's slit eyes gleamed with approval. "Good, good~ You really suit to be my student." His tail flicked, sending the book spinning back onto a nearby shelf with unnatural precision. "Well then, let's go."
Before I could brace myself, the air in front of us ripped open—a jagged tear in reality, swirling with emerald light. Virion's grin widened as the portal yawned, and then—
Whoosh.
We were swallowed whole.
I squeezed my eyes shut, half-expecting the gut-wrenching plunge into cosmic void, the mocking laughter of stars, the sensation of my atoms being juggled like playthings—
But none of that came.
Instead, my boots thudded against solid ground.
…Huh?
I blinked.
We stood in a vast, ordinary-looking training hall—if "ordinary" meant a space the size of a stadium, lined with weapons racks, straw dummies, obstacle courses, and strange, pulsating crystals embedded in the walls. Not to mention those majestic Winged Snake images on the ceiling.
Virion chuckled at my stunned expression, his laughter echoing off the walls. "What? Don't like it? Or do you want to play with the stars again?"
I shook my head so fast my neck cracked. "N-no! I think yesterday was enough. And—" My eyes darted across the training equipment. "—this is definitely the best place to train."
"Jie jie~" Virion's grin widened, scales shimmering with mischief. "Don't worry. Today, you won't be getting beaten." A pause. "At least not as much as yesterday."
…So I'm gonna suffer again. Great.
Virion coiled around a training post, his emerald scales glinting in the crystalline light.
"Yesterday was just a test," he said, tail flicking idly. "I evaluated you - your capabilities, your limits, everything I needed to know. Including your body, your mind, and your spirit." His slit pupils narrowed. "You're decent at the latter two but weak at the first. And your foundation..." He made a dismissive noise. "Almost close to zero. I still wonder how you took out those thieves and survived my Starfall Playground so long."
I nodded, rubbing my still-aching ribs from yesterday's "evaluation." "That's... fair. Though I'd say I'm pretty weak at the other two as well."
"Modesty doesn't become you, boy," Virion chuckled. "So today, we'll review your foundation - what you know and don't know."
"Umm..." I raised a hesitant hand, like a student in class. "We should probably start from the beginning. As you've guessed, I have no foundation in combat. It's just my imagination and decision-making skills that are good, that's all."
Virion's head tilted at an unnatural angle. "Oh? Didn't you train or learn to fight before?"
I shook my head. "No. Although I've fought a few times and know a lot of theoretical knowledge about fighting and other stuff, it's all book smarts." I flexed my hands, remembering my recent routine. "But I have recently started training my body - every morning and night."
A slow, terrifying grin spread across Virion's serpentine face. "Jie jie~ Is that so? Well then..." His tail snapped, and suddenly the training hall shifted - walls sliding, equipment rearranging itself. "Let's see what your 'theoretical knowledge' is worth."
The space transformed into a simple sparring circle.
"First," he said, one hand extending toward me. "show me your stance."
I swallowed hard and positioned my feet shoulder-width apart, raising my fists like in those martial arts stories.
...Was it like this?
Virion's sigh could have wilted flowers. "Oh dear. This is worse than I thought." With a flick of his tail, a wooden training sword flew into my hands. "Let's try something simpler. Show me a basic sword stance."
As I adjusted my grip, Virion suddenly appeared behind me, his cold scales brushing against my neck. "Tell me, clever boy," he whispered, "how does one hold a sword properly?"
My mind raced through every book I'd ever , every diagram I'd studied. "Thumb along the blade for control, not wrapped around the hilt. Elbow slightly bent, not locked. Weight distributed-"
"Good!" Virion clapped all four hands, making me jump. "At least your theory isn't completely worthless. Now..." He produced an identical training sword. "Show me how to handle a spear."
"Eh? W-What about the sword?"
"Just do as I say. I will explain to you later." Virion replied.
"O-Oh, ok." I nodded and adjusted the now transformed spear in my hands. "L-Like this?"
"..."
"..?"
"You are more pathethic than I thought."
"!"
I felt an arrow pierce through my heart.
"Now, an axe."
"It should be like this... right?"
"...Are you going to axe your enemy or your own wrists?"
Another arrow.
"Now let's see the bow."
...Bow should be easy right? Everyone can handle it.
"Here is it!"
"...Sigh, I suddenly regret agreeing to you..."
"..."
Black lines appeared on my forehead as I barely contained my anger.
It should be my line! I suddenly regret asking you to teach me!
But then a more painful thought surfaced.
...Am I really that hopeless?