Chapter 23
Alice had been running away all day.
For some reason, she freaked out whenever we made eye contact.
She seemed to be trying her best to hide it, but...
[Victor, did you perhaps do something wrong to that child?]
'As expected... you felt it too, Princess.'
[How could I not when she makes it so obvious? She is terrified.]
'I don't really know either. I haven't even properly interacted with her, aside from that one time.'
It was plain as day from an observer's perspective.
I guess you could say she just wasn't the type who could lie.
The girl evaded me by pretending not to notice my gaze or by subtly slipping away.
'But I have business with her.'
I couldn't just keep letting her run away.
So, I carefully cornered her and successfully lured her into a dead end.
A deserted alley.
She wouldn't be able to escape from here.
I casually raised my arm, blocking the girl's retreat.
"Miss Alice."
Only then did our eyes meet.
For some reason, her blue eyes were on the verge of tears.
"I finally caught you. You've been running away all day..."
"Y-yes, yes, y-yess..."
No, seriously.
Why is she acting like this?
This is only our second time seeing each other.
Feeling frustrated, I asked inwardly.
'Princess.'
[What is it, my loyal retainer?]
'In your eyes, Princess, is my face really that ugly?'
[...Are you not wearing a mask? I have never even seen you take it off.]
'Ah, right.'
So it definitely wasn't because I was ugly.
Besides, though I shouldn't say it myself, my face is actually quite handsome without the mask.
Lost in thought for a moment, I quickly snapped back to reality and cleared away my idle thoughts.
Whatever the situation was, handling my business came first.
'My schedule is busy today, after all.'
I needed to move diligently.
As for that incomprehensible reaction, I could talk to her about it later.
For now, I opened my mouth to speak.
"How about a quick date? Just the two of us."
"Y-yes.... W-what...?"
Her pupils trembled wildly.
She looked as if she had received a massive shock.
"It's nothing serious. I just have someone I want to introduce to you, Miss Alice."
"S-someone to, introduce...? To me, s-so suddenly... why?"
"We agreed to be friends, didn't we? You remember, right? The day I found your necklace."
"Ah..."
"Since we're getting along, I wanted to introduce you to another friend of mine. You aren't used to Academy life yet, right? It's better to have as many acquaintances as possible."
"I-is, is that so..."
"You'll come with me, right?"
"...."
"Miss Alice?"
"Y-yes! Yes...! I-I'll go! Please let me go!"
The girl hesitated but eventually started to follow me.
Watching her like that left me with a strange feeling.
The date comment was just a joke, but did she really hate it that much?
Even for me, seeing my favorite character from the original work react like that hurt my heart.
'I have to drag her along for the sake of my business, but...'
I felt sad.
Was it because my heart fluttered for a second? I guess I really had no luck with romance in this life either.
As I let out a low sigh, something wiggled in my front pocket.
Soon after, the Princess peeked her head out.
[Victor, you are quite mischievous too.]
'Princess? What do you mean?'
[A date. Is that not what you said? You could have just told her you had business, but you teased her for no reason and ended up with nothing to show for it...]
'Well, in a broad sense, I wasn't wrong, was I?'
[...?]
'If a man and a woman are walking intimately together, that's a date. What else would it be?'
[I-is that so?]
As if.
Why is she accepting that?
[T-then... does that mean I, too, have actually been on a constant date with you, Victor...?]
As expected of a Vampire.
Perhaps because they were a conservative race, she seemed quite clueless about these things.
'I suppose.'
A race that would stone you in the streets if you did not keep your premarital purity.
A race that also took the theory of absolute purity as a required liberal arts course.
Besides, they say a Vampire only serves one spouse for their entire life.
They were undoubtedly a race of purity.
'Come to think of it... wasn't the lifespan of a Pureblood Vampire around 300 years?'
While normal Vampires usually live for about 200 years, a Pureblood is said to be different.
It was especially true for someone like Carmilla, who had inherited a thick bloodline of Royalty.
Since their power grew stronger the nobler their lineage was.
'How old are you, Princess?'
[Ahem! I turned 30 this year!]
'....'
[Victor? What is the matter?]
I had been treating her half like a younger sister, but she was quite a bit older than me.
If calculated in Human years, we would be roughly the same age, but...
'I should continue to treat her respectfully.'
As a kid from the polite East, I could not help but feel a strange mix of emotions.
While I was mulling over these random thoughts.
My steps, which had been leading Alice, finally reached our destination.
"Ah, we've arrived."
"This is... Main Building A, isn't it?"
Main Building A.
The space used by the Cadets of Class A.
This building alone was as spacious as a typical university campus.
Alice just looked around with bewildered eyes.
"U-um... what brings us here..."
"An acquaintance of mine is enrolled in Class A."
"Could the person you wanted to introduce me to be...?"
"That's right. They are the one we're looking for."
It was about time for lectures to end anyway.
I had contacted her in advance, so she would show up if we waited.
I wonder how long we stood there awkwardly.
Familiar blonde hair came into view from a distance.
Upon spotting us, the girl ran over with a bright smile.
"Ah... Sir Victor! So you were waiting here!"
"Miss Ranne. It feels like it's been a while."
Ranne Kihano.
The Protagonist of the original work, [Ranne & Grandia Academy: The Marchen].
She was also the Salutatorian of Class A.
She was a girl I had a connection with from the entrance exam.
I happily greeted those sparkling purple eyes.
"This is our first time seeing each other since the entrance ceremony, right?"
"Yes! It has been a week! It was a shame that we only briefly made eye contact during the entrance ceremony!"
"Hehe, you are as energetic as ever, Miss Ranne. I was also sad to be separated from you."
"You have no idea how surprised I was when I checked the class assignments. I thought you would naturally enter as the Top Student of Class A."
"I'm lacking, so I'm just grateful you thought of me that way."
"I never say things I don't mean!"
You could tell she was the Protagonist.
Ranne radiated positive energy the moment we met.
The way she endlessly rejoiced at seeing me was like a golden retriever wagging its tail wildly.
"Come to think of it, are you keeping that promise I asked of you?"
"Promise... Ah, right! Of course, I am keeping my mouth completely shut!"
"That is a relief. As I mentioned that day, I have my personal reasons."
"Yes, I understand! You are my Benefactor who saved my life, Sir Victor! Naturally, I should do you a favor like this!"
Some time ago, I had asked Ranne for a favor.
To keep the fact that I hunted Jangboongi a secret.
In addition, I asked her to stay silent about the power and eccentricities I had shown.
'The Apostle of the Evil God... if it becomes known that I dealt with [The Reader], a lot of troublesome things will happen.'
I didn't know how the Faculty would react either.
They might immediately link it to the clearing of the 70th Floor of Purgatory and become wary of me.
Fortunately, Ranne was someone who thoroughly kept her promises.
"It was definitely a strange request, but please do not worry!"
"How reassuring."
"Come to think of it, I heard rumors about you, Sir! They say your performance in the last exam was incredible!"
"I guess I really am a hot topic. Especially if even you know about it, Miss Ranne."
"Well, it is news about the first Close Friend I made at the Academy, how could I just ignore it!"
We exchanged some brief small talk.
After finishing our greetings, I immediately brought up my business.
"Shall we get to the point? The reason I sought you out today, Miss Ranne."
"Ah, right. Didn't you say you had someone to introduce to me?"
"That is right. Please say hello to each other. This is Miss Alice."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Alice! You must be Sir Victor's classmate."
"Ah, u-um... Hello? N-nice to meet you..."
Grab-.
Ranne unhesitatingly grabbed her hand and shook it.
Alice couldn't help but shrink back at that.
If there was a reason I went out of my way to make these two meet...
'Ranne's presence... will be of help to Alice.'
Nightmare.
The Original Sin that Alice harbored.
Her ability is a Madness triggered by her dreams.
'It's a power strong enough to become a disaster later on, but the problem is that she can't control it...'
Alice was inexperienced at controlling it.
Because she was born with that very constitution.
This was the reason why she tried to hide her ability, and why she absolutely refused to participate in events like sparring.
Because she was afraid someone might get hurt from her mistake.
Because she was afraid her cursed power might kill someone.
The pitiful girl was always living trapped in her own obsessions.
'Besides... Alice's power is even accompanied by mental wear and tear.'
The endless Nightmare.
A state where it becomes difficult to even distinguish whether this is reality or a dream.
Until she could completely control her ability, the Madness would continue to eat away at Alice's mind.
'That's why Ranne is needed.'
The Protagonist, Ranne Kihano.
She radiated positive energy in all directions.
It wasn't just a simple feeling, but she actually went around exuding Holy Power.
Because she was inherently born with a massive amount of Divinity.
Therefore, just keeping the two of them close together could significantly lessen Alice's Nightmare.
'Well... even that is only a part of it.'
I could just help her with the remaining parts anyway.
Until Alice blossomed into a disaster, there were 2 years left.
There was still quite a bit of time remaining.
For now, it would be enough to just stop at relieving her mental stress.
Since it was related to a sensitive power like her Nightmare, I needed to approach it carefully.
Well, and at the same time, make a friend she can rely on.
'Since she suffered something similar to bullying in the original work.'
Humans have a way of dividing the gutter even when they are inside the gutter.
There were quite a few descriptions that Alice couldn't blend well with her class.
I wanted to stick our Protagonist right next to her to prevent that as well.
I said with a gentle smile.
"Miss Ranne. You said you would grant me any one favor, right?"
"Of course! You are my Benefactor who saved my life, Sir Victor."
"Then, please take good care of Miss Alice."
"If she is a Close Friend of yours, Sir, then she is a Close Friend to me."
"I am just glad you answered so cheerfully."
"E-excuse me... Sir Victor? What is, w-what is this all about..."
That was right.
Alice had just been forced into a friendship.
Completely regardless of her own will.
"You are okay with this too, right, Miss Alice?"
Well.
It is a good thing for you anyway.
I am protecting you so you don't become a disaster.
Just look at Ranne, isn't she so friendly and nice.
"Y-yes...."
"I believe you two will get along closely."
"I look forward to our friendship, Miss Alice!"
"Yes...."
Unable to formulate a proper response, Alice simply nodded.
An amicable atmosphere.
That was one issue resolved for now.
***
A friendship matchmaker.
A few hours had passed since the Academy schedule ended.
The moon and stars were floating in the sky, which had grown dark in the meantime.
Taking advantage of the night, I quietly slipped out of the Dormitory building.
[Victor? Where are you going again in the middle of the night?]
"Because I need to avoid being seen by others. As expected, nighttime is the best for activities."
[Except for the fact that it is tiring...]
"Get some sleep for now. We have quite a distance to cover today."
I left the building and looked for a suitable Point.
After that, I used Wall Clip. I completely escaped the Academy.
We walked through a dark Alley.
Carmilla had already undone her Transformation and returned to her original form.
"You rubbed yourself on the floor in another weird posture, and we magically teleported. No matter how many times I experience this, it never ceases to amaze me."
"Hehe, the details are a trade secret, so I cannot tell you."
"I did not expect you to anyway. More importantly, we completely left the Academy today? It doesn't even seem like we are nearby..."
"That is correct. We came out quite far today."
I looked around.
A city.
However, perhaps because it was night, it felt rather eerie.
We crossed the dark scenery side by side.
I opened my mouth to speak as we walked at a leisurely pace.
"It's a city far away from the Academy. You know the place where we first met? It's near that sewer."
"The sewer... you mean the area where I was almost executed."
"That's right. Fortunately, I arrived just in time."
"It is still a dizzying memory. But why come to a city like this out of nowhere..."
The Princess tilted her head, shuddering slightly.
I answered while staring at the screen that appeared before my eyes.
My breath had gone a little cold.
"There is something I need to take care of."
Ding-!
[Sub Quest]
-Title: Vulgar slaughter, cowardly survival.
-Description: Stop the Vampires of the New Kingdom from building a 'Human Farm'. Rescue the Humans kidnapped by the Vampires.
-Penalty upon failure: Annihilation of the city 'Liventa'
-Reward: Infinite favor from the city 'Liventa'.
[Time Limit: 2 hours 59 minutes 57 seconds]
I fiddled with my Mask.
Before I knew it, I was holding a colorful Balloon Sword in my hand.
In my other hand, I held the pure white Fragment of the Stake I had used once before.
The corners of the Mask's mouth twitched as if amused.
"Shall we get going."
It was time for the part-time Vampire Hunter to deploy.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Read 62 more chapters ahead on NovelDex!
https://noveldex.io/series/mistaken-for-a-masked-op-character
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━