With my phone in hand, I walked with the crowd, slowly getting near the academy step by step.
The streets leading up to the main gates were packed with hundreds of newly admitted students and their parents, all moving together in a massive, noisy wave. It’s relatively safe for me now since the assassins can’t cause a mess openly because we’re already near the academy. Unlike before where I avoid public places, I need to blend in now.
The security forces of the campus were actively patrolling the perimeter in high-visibility uniforms, their sharp eyes scanning the crowds for any potential threats or unauthorized visitors. The securities around here are tighter, they can’t make a reckless move.
They can’t just grab me and pull me aside if I’m with the crowd.
If anyone tried to execute a quiet abduction in the middle of this dense, moving mass of people, the commotion would instantly draw the attention of the academy guards standing just a few yards away.
But still, I slowly and carefully threaded my way to the academy. Being way too complacent might make me careless and put me in danger.
I kept my head slightly down, taking short, deliberate steps while keeping my peripheral vision wide open. I didn’t want to accidentally bump into anyone or draw unnecessary attention to myself.
*****
I got passed the street the others dropped me off without a trouble, the academy in front of me was much bigger now as I got closer.
The grand, white stone spires of the campus towered high into the sky, surrounded by massive metal gates that were open wide to welcome the new students. The sheer scale of the place was breathtaking up close.
The anxiety in my head was gone now as well since I was only a few minutes away from my destination.
My heart rate had finally settled into a steady rhythm, and I felt a brief wave of relief washing over me. I was just a few more steps away from safety, away from the elders targeting me.
"Huh?"
But just as I thought of that—I saw someone not far away.
My feet froze in place on the stone pavement as my eyes locked onto a figure standing right near the edge of the pedestrian walkway.
A man slightly older than me wearing an expensive-looking suit, he was good-looking and looks fit and strong. He was looking around as if he was searching for someone.
He stood tall among the passing crowd, his hands resting casually inside his suit pockets while his sharp gaze relentlessly picked through the faces of every student walking toward the gates.
That already made me feel anxious, but most of all, that man—
’He has the same hair color as me—as Vael!’
White hair with a few blue strands that highlights at the end.
The sunlight caught the distinctive coloration of his hair, making the pale strands and the sharp blue tips stand out clearly against his dark suit jacket.
After searching and studying more about the Frostguard Family—I learned that they’re the only family in this country that has natural white hair!
It’s their signature features!
Every single legitimate descendant of the main bloodline inherited that unmistakable, stark white hair.
So immediately—
"He’s from the family...!"
I realized that. My heart skipped a bit and I flinched.
’Shit, they actually posted a family member right at the entrance gate!’
I thought frantically.
They weren’t relying on hired mercenaries or lower-ranked outer spies for the final perimeter; they had sent an actual member of the family who could recognize Vael’s face in an instant.
But I recollected myself just as fast. I straightened my posture and immediately headed as far away from him as possible.
I forced my facial muscles to remain completely neutral, pulling my chin down slightly as I shifted my trajectory toward the far left edge of the crowd, putting as many strangers between us as humanly possible.
He was near the academy, so I can’t really avoid him. Just waiting him to go away sounds like a bad idea as well, the longer that I was not in the academy; the more dangerous it is for me.
Standing still on the open street would only make me stick out like a sore thumb to any other observers watching from the side alleys.
But once I get past him—then I’m inside the academy.
The school grounds was literally right behind him, just a dozen paces away past the iron threshold.
Tap- Tap- Tap-
I kept my head down, picking up my pace as I blended into a cluster of tall, chatting students who were walking in his general direction. I tried to use their bodies as a physical shield, praying that my pink hair and casual clothes would keep me completely off his radar.
Step by step, I closed the distance. Five meters. Three meters.
I was almost parallel to his position, my heart hammering like a war drum against my ribs.
’Just keep walking, don’t look at him, just look straight ahead.’
I repeated the chant over and over in my head like a desperate mantra.
However, right as I was about to pass his side—
The group of students shielding me suddenly split apart to make way for a luggage cart, exposing my body completely to his line of sight.
Instinctively, my gaze flicked toward him for a fraction of a second.
And at that moment... our eyes met.
"..."
His sharp, cold blue eyes locked directly onto mine. In that brief, agonizing moment, my worst suspicion that he was from the main family was completely confirmed.
His eyes widened slightly in immediate recognition, his posture snapping straight as his calm, searching expression transformed into something sharp and dangerous.
He looked at me like he recognized me without a single shadow of a doubt.
’FUCK!’
I screamed internally.
Without wasting a single microsecond, he stepped out of his standing spot and immediately started heading in my direction!
His long, fast strides cut through the moving crowd with scary efficiency.
I ignored him and sped up walking, I slipped past the crowd—
"Excuse me!"
"Passing through!"
I ducked my shoulders and wove through the dense groups of students, blindly pushing my way forward in a desperate attempt to reach the open gates ahead of him.
I could feel his heavy, overwhelming presence closing in on me from behind like a predator chasing its prey.
Just two more meters to the gate arch!
’Just a little more—!’
TWACK!
A heavy, iron-like grip suddenly clamped down firmly around my right wrist!
The sheer force of the grasp completely halted my forward momentum, yanking me to a sudden stop right in front of the stone archway.
The man caught me.
"Vael."
He called my name—Vael’s name.
His voice was low, deep, and smooth, spoken right beside my ear so that the surrounding students wouldn’t hear the interaction.
That confirmed that he’s one with those trying to get me. I didn’t answer, I couldn’t.
Cold sweat pooled under my shirt, trickling down my spine as my mind raced through every single worst-case scenario.
My mind went completely blank for a second. The noise of the bustling crowd, the chatter of the students, and the distant announcements faded into a muffled, background hum.
I was caught. Right on the very doorstep of safety.
’Think! Come on, think!’
I panicked internally, staring at the hard stone floor beneath my shoes.
I thought that I have no escape now, I secretly tried to gather my mana—ready to fight and use my ice abilities to survive and ran straight to the academy.
I began quietly circulating Vael’s dense, cold mana through my core, sending the energy trickling down into my fingertips.
I was prepared to break the rules. I was going to summon a sudden, localized burst of sharp ice spikes directly beneath his feet, force him to release my wrist from the shock, and make a desperate, full-speed sprint across the academy border before he could recover. It would cause a massive scene and likely get me detained by the school guards, but it was infinitely better than being dragged off into an alley by the elders’ enforcer.
My mana flared up to the surface of my skin, lowering the temperature of my hand until it was icy cold to the touch.
I was just about to execute the attack—
"You’re late, man. The opening ceremony is about to start, let’s go."
But before I could even do, I heard a voice behind me and someone else also grabbed my arm.
A warm, heavy hand suddenly clapped firmly onto my left shoulder, gripping my sleeve with a completely relaxed, friendly force.
I was surprised.
The sudden intrusion completely interrupted my mana gathering, causing the ice energy in my veins to destabilize and vanish back into my core.
Me and the man grabbing me turned to look at the source of the voice—and after doing so—I was even more surprised.
"...!"
My jaw nearly dropped, my eyes widening in utter disbelief as I stared at the person standing right beside me.
He had a bright, energetic demeanor, carrying a sleek black duffel bag over his shoulder with an easygoing, confident posture that radiated immense natural strength.
It was a very familiar face to me, a character that I had seen all the time while playing the game.
It was the protagonist—Zion Braveheart!