At
Royal Law University
, Theological and Legal Department, First Seminary Building.
Sitting in the crowded lecture hall,
Aiden
stared blankly at the old professor who was slowly rambling on about the history of the
Star Antimony Kingdom
, unable to stop himself from yawning. He was sitting in the seventh row on the left side, and several students in front of him had already dozed off, their heads resting on their desks.
...Seriously, why do we, the apprentice priests who are graduating to join the church, have to learn history?
The young man with brown curly hair and freckles propped his chin up, squinting his tired eyes, thinking to himself.
He didn’t hate history... it was just that Professor
Bard
's lectures were so boring.
Moreover,
Aiden
didn’t need to leave the country, and he would likely never meet anyone from the
Star Antimony Kingdom
. What was the point of learning about its history? What does it matter what the
Star Antimony Kingdom
was called before?
Not only that, but they had to learn the complex, twisted
Star Antimony
language—was there really a
Star Antimony
person who would come to the Avalon church to pray? Even if they did, they would probably go to the Kingdom of Prayer.
If there were
Star Antimony
people in Avalon, they would likely be under constant surveillance. They wouldn’t need to speak
Avalonian
—just shout in
Star Antimony
, and people would immediately rush over to interrogate them. The inspectors, with their helmet-like black hats, responded faster than the waiters in restaurants.
Aiden
looked at the podium and began to miss the encounter with that lady at the
White Dance Shoes Club
last night.
Forget about her graceful figure, elegant dance moves, and her knowledge of literature and art… just the book she recommended and lent him,
Bram Stoker
’s new book, was quite interesting.
Dracula.
A book written in letters, diaries, telegrams, and newspapers, documenting the secret of the death of the Duke of the now-vanished
Narcissus Duchy
.
Last night,
Aiden
just wanted to read the beginning and end—so he would have something in common to talk about with the mysterious lady in the white dress. But after reading just the beginning, he couldn’t help but finish the entire book. This led to him waking up today feeling slightly tired.
Compared to what Professor Bard is lecturing about the history of the
Star Antimony Kingdom
, right now, he’s far more concerned about whether
Star Antimony
has such a terrifying vampire-like demon.
Because the book was so realistic. It didn’t seem fake.
People say that
Bram Stoker
is a dream monk who extracts hidden “alternate histories” from the dream realm. And now, this seemed possible.
And if what the book describes is true… then the recent invasion of the
Narcissus Duchy
by the
Star Antimony Kingdom
was to purify the transformed
Narcissus Duke
into a vampire.
But the book’s conclusion, “the
Narcissus Duke
was beheaded by an unnamed knight from Avalon with the Holy Sword,” was a bit too abrupt. It could be artistic embellishment or perhaps
Stoker
saw this “alternate history” in the dream realm.
In real history, if there wasn’t the unnamed knight who wielded
Lancelot I
’s Holy Sword—how would the immortal
Narcissus Duke
be killed by the
Star Antimony
people?
But these things weren’t taught in history class.
Because they might not have become history yet, or they could still be secrets.
Perhaps the
Star Antimony
people didn’t kill him at all, but were instead assimilated by him! Maybe he has already corrupted more high-ranking individuals and secretly turned them into vampires!
If that’s the case, the
Narcissus Duke
might be reborn from
Star Antimony
...
Aiden
focused on the professor at the podium, but his thoughts were drifting elsewhere.
Just then, he suddenly heard loud voices coming from near the door, getting louder and louder.
The noise broke
Aiden
's train of thought.
Curious, he looked over and saw someone passing by the window.
He instantly recognized who it was—
Aiden
’s eyes lit up, and he straightened his posture immediately.
—It was
Haina
-senpai!
Haina Dane
was undoubtedly a rising star at
Royal Law University
.
She wasn’t only gracious and approachable, with excellent academic performance and good looks, but she was always sincere toward others and almost never angry. When there were conflicts or arguments between students, she was the first to step in to mediate. If anyone was harmed or treated unfairly, she would stand up and protect them, seeking justice.
Not only did
Haina
have high regard among the female students, but also among the male students. She had a fantastic figure, with a thick head of long hair—though usually tied in a ponytail, she occasionally let it down. Unlike those delicate, often gasping "capital city girls,"
Haina
didn’t understand such “fragile fashion.”
She didn’t distance herself from the guys, and often hung out with them, chatting and drinking.
Moreover, she liked to play sports. The key point was, she was good at it.
Among the six departments of
Royal Law University
, five had their own rugby teams, and the team from the
Individual Tactics Department
even had the chance to play against professional teams.
Though theoretically, rugby teams weren’t only for men, the high physical contact and intensity of the sport meant few women wanted to play. Female enthusiasts couldn’t even form a full team.
Haina
was the only female on the rugby team from the
Individual Tactics Department
, but she wasn’t a burden—she was a valuable asset. She was an excellent flank forward, and even the coach praised her, saying, “
Haina
is the core of your team.” She had led her team to win many crucial matches.
In any sport, the boys’ attitude was very clear: if someone could lead their favorite team to victory and perform excellently, they were an idol.
And if that “idol” was also a beautiful, gracious, and well-endowed girl, her fame was terrifying.
Haina
was like the “big sister,” a star without a doubt. Even though she was just the senior representative for female students in her year, responsible for managing the fourth-year female students’ affairs, younger students from other years would still prioritize asking for her help when they had problems.
But
Haina
had also faced criticism for often mingling with the boys. Some jealous students, envious of her beauty and reputation, even spread rumors that she didn’t like boys, but preferred girls. This was why she was so kind and gentle toward her younger female students.
And such rumors couldn’t be disproven.
Because, despite being so outstanding and so popular with the boys,
Haina
had never had a boyfriend.
Arlen
, the third son of the Minister of Justice and a student one year younger than
Haina
, had once pursued her. But he hadn’t succeeded.
Haina
was from a rural background. A handsome and well-educated son of a minister, who was well-versed in literature and art, was clearly a high-quality romantic partner. But
Haina
never even gave him a chance to date her… What was more mysterious was that her rejection didn’t make
Arlen
angry, but instead made him a loyal follower of hers.
But today,
Aiden
realized that this rumor might end today...
Perhaps it’s just because
Arlen
wasn’t handsome enough.
Because behind
Haina
, there was a young man in a wheelchair being pushed by a maid with a gentle appearance.
He had platinum blonde, smooth hair, with deep and defined facial features. Just by looking at
Haina
, his eyes exuded a tender focus. His deep blue eyes always seemed full of warmth.
And
Haina
, walking ahead, wasn’t her usual carefree self. She walked three steps, then turned around to check on the young man behind her, as if she were afraid of losing him.
When their gazes occasionally met, they both exchanged knowing smiles.
No matter how one looked at it,
Haina
seemed to care a lot about him.
“—
Aiwasi
?!”
Aiden
instinctively said his name.
(End of Chapter)