(Author here, I know things are getting heated up all of a sudden, but let’s leave that for now and shift the story slightly.
Let’s turn back the clock a little shall we!)
This happens after Lyle visit the dean to finalize his school admission. A certain girl was reporting to the Dean, what she has seen and experience inside the enchanted forest
“…………. And that’s what happened!” the girl said, finishing her report.
“Hmm! I see!..... are you taking me for a fool?…… Why did you turn in this lie of report to me, Angelica-san?” Angelica was silent and didn’t know how to respond. All that she could do then was close her eyes somewhat and lower her head as she made a pained look on her face.
Angelica Strauss
Moori then picked up some papers from her extravagant desk and then began to read from it:
“‘An S-rank Titan
What kind of a fantasy setting is this? Are you sure you’re not dreaming this at all, Angelica-san? Because if you are going to lie to me then why don’t you try making a more convincing lie? Even as a joke it seems to be lacking any sort of humor.”
“Angelica-san, you truly are a gifted student, you are the pride of this academy” Moori then went on to say, “While being only a fourteen years old you were certified as a B-Rank mage. And in your academic studies you gain the highest rank of 1st in our academy. In all, you have done exceptionally well with attaining such brilliant grades all the while holding the prestigious name of ‘Strauss’ a very high and influential noble in the Malic Kingdom. Once you have graduated it is all but certain that you will become a very important and influential asset in your kingdom. Naturally, I too have such expectations of you as well. So… for you to pull such a childish prank was quite a shock.”
“I am… very sorry,” said Angelica as she bowed her head after considering all the options lying before her. Though she could have gone on and on trying to defend her report she thought there was no chance of the Dean believing her story. Even as she was standing before her she still doubted that what she had seen was real. Had she been told that it was all a dream she would have found that to be more believable.
For example, had someone been told that Uchih* Madar* was beaten by a three year old narut*! Would anyone believe it? For a boy to defeat a magic being with a rank-S that even she a B-rank couldn’t even touch, instantly would be quite an accomplishment and would be nothing short of miraculous.
“Well, I will overlook this incident. You can be a little too serious at times so I am happy to see you pull a prank like this every now and then,” said Moori as she smiled at her. Seeing this, Angelica could not help but feel that it was because the Dean felt that she was adorable for doing something so stupid and it was then that she started to harbor thoughts of revenge towards the mysterious boy.
So then, Moori went on to say, “What truly happened? We did certainly find the titan’s remains as well as the burned forest as you have said.”
“When I was venturing there, I saw the titan fighting a big monster, although I couldn’t see what it is fighting because I was too far away” answered Angelica as she went about making up a story she thought was more believable. Considering the dean did not believe her after telling the truth, she had no choice but to make up this story.
“So that is what happened. Well, regardless, you did a good job,” continued the dean as a smile began to form on her face. Angelica then went on to bid her farewell and leave but as she was about to close the door, Moori called her and said
“Angelica-san! Don’t tell other people about this incident, okay?”
Bewildered by the dean’s order, she still nods and left while closing the door.
“yare yare, I’m really sorry Angelica but maybe that story is real! But I just can’t tell you that” the dean Moori shook her head while feeling regretful on what she said to Angelica just a while ago. A certain image of a boy appeared in her mind. “Seriously, if what she said is true, and it is really that boy, then maybe, just maybe I’ve underestimated him too much! That troublesome little monster!” a smile appearing in her mouth.
**************
- 2 days later –
The noble girls were refined and high class ojousamas unlike commoners. Their chatter before classes started was just as elegant. Without loud voices, they put their hands up to their mouths and laughed sophisticatedly.
They put public appearance over anything else. Among them was Angelica Strauss who was quietly sitting in her desk while looking through the windows.
“Look, Look that’s Angelica-sama! Kyaaaaaaah! So perfect!”
“She’s so beautiful; I heard she defeated a very high-level monster in the enchanted forest! I heard it was an S-rank!”
“Really? Kyaaaaaaaaah! I want to talk with her!”
“Idiot she’s on another level than us. You think she will socialize with us?”
A buzzing and whispering voices filled the classroom. Some were admiring her from a far, and talking about her. Some people might felt happy about it but not her.
Although she don’t know where it came from, a rumor about her defeating a high-level S-rank monster suddenly was emerged and she couldn’t help herself but be agitated whenever she heard someone talk about it.
‘Shut up! Even though you don’t know what really happened!’ is what she wanted to retort but she ignore it, realizing it was a petty reason for getting mad.
While looking at the sky outside her window, in her mind was a certain mysterious boy she met inside the forest. She still couldn’t believe it even though she personally witnesses it. She thought maybe she was just dreaming but reality sucks. No matter how she turns the world upside-down, it won’t change the fact that it really happened before her eyes.
She was replaying the scenes in her mind when
“Heya, how is it goin’, Angelica-chi?” a voice called out on her.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Nothing, and didn’t I told you before don’t call me like that?” replied Angelica with an irritated look on her face.
“Mah mah, oh? so now you’re treating me like this after being so popular, Angelica-chi?” the girl said while smiling mischievously.
“What the hell are you talking about, Reiya?” she asked, not hiding her annoyance.
Reiya Alderam, Angelica’s friend, or maybe you can call her friend, because she was the only one who always call out on her.
“Hooooo! Are you hiding it?”
“Hiding what?”
“About the rumor of you defeating an S-rank monster, single-handedly!” she said, pointing her finger at her. “So, so, is it true?”
Tsk!
Angelica clicked her tongue.
“Not you too!?” asked Angelica, still not hiding her irritated look. “Who the hell spread that baseless rumor? As if they know everything!”
“What? So is it really just a rumor? And I thought you really encountered something interesting inside the enchanted forest!”
“If you just know it!” Angelica clenched her fist, “Arrrgh, just thinking about it makes me crazy! If I saw him again….”
“What, what? Better explain it Angelica-chi! What happened inside?” As if her interest picked, Reiya with sparkling eyes urged her to explain.
“It’s nothing!” Angelica feeling frustrated stood up and tried to leave but she was stopped by Reiya whose curiosity rose up to a nuclear level, while looking at her as if saying ‘I won’t let you leave until you fess up!’
*sigh* already known her stubbornness, Angelica, without a choice gave up. She returned to her sit.
“I don’t know if you believe it or not, not that it does matter anyway!”
She told her everything she told to the Dean when she reported what happened. All the things she experience (of course she omitted the fact that Lyle saw her naked) inside the enchanted forest
She told her how a boy around twelve to thirteen years old suddenly fell from the sky, and then an S-rank titan shows up. She tried to fight it but can only dealt very little damage, and how she almost got killed. Then the boy save her while moving very fast while carrying her as if nothing, then the boy used a mysterious magic that burned a huge part of the forest but since it didn’t killed the monster he transformed and killed it instantly. Then a gryphon that can talk shows up and fetch the boy.
“………That’s what happened. And when I told the dean about it, do you know what happened?” while saying, her tightly clenched fist rammed in the desk “she didn’t believe me and instead scold me while saying I’m just pulling a prank? Just what kind of person does she think of me? isn’t that horrible?” she asked Reiya who was listening quietly.
“neh Angelica-chi, what kind of fantasy book did you read this time? Can you lend it to me?” is what she answered.
“Not you too! Arrrrgh”
Though Angelica would usually shrug off Reiya’s sarcasm, today she was in a bad mood and, in turn, became madder and was burning with anger. She just can’t help it for this time a boy whose name she didn’t even know had shaken her to her very core.
She stood up annoyed and once again tried to leave but she was cut off
“Mah mah, I’m just joking, so sit down!” she said while gesturing Angelica to sit down. “Well, I know that you won’t lie about this kind of things, so rest assured I believe you! But still I can’t blame the dean for it though, no matter how you see it, just hearing about it makes it more absurd!”
“But it’s true!” Angelica retorted.
“I know! I know! *sigh* but based on what you said, that boy is more of a monster! What Rank do you think he is? Killing an S-rank monster single-handedly, he must be a high-level mage or warrior don’t you think?” Reiya asked while tilting her head.
“I don’t know! He used magic so definitely he is a mage, but he also use sword so maybe he too was a warrior”
“But don’t you think it’s strange?” Reiya suddenly asked as if she realize something.
“Strange?”
“Yeah! You see, a boy who can kill a high-level monster could be called a monster or a genius, he should be well-known and be the center of attention but there is no talk about such things. Every kingdom would be dying to know or possessed him if that is known but there is no such thing happening.”
“Now that you said it, yeah it’s strange I didn’t hear about it”
“Either a kingdom was concealing him and hiding his abilities, or he was inside a mountain or a rock his whole life” Reiya said while putting her hand under her chin.
‘Just who is that boy?’ Angelica couldn’t keep herself from asking. The more she knows about the boy, the more he seemed to be mysterious.
“Oh well, not that it benefits us if we know him. It might also lead us into more problems if we should poke our heads into it, so better to forget it.” Reiya said while smiling. “Oh did you hear?”
“Hear what?”
“You know, a commoner studying in the academy!”
“Commoner? Hmph I don’t care about such things! And just how did you know he is a commoner?”
“Well, he admitted it openly, so no doubt he is a commoner”
“As if a thief would confess when he stole something! Maybe he was a noble who wanted some attention, so he just said that!”
“I don’t think so, you see I heard his appearance differs that of a noble. I heard his hair and eyes were black. In addition he seemed to avoid a lot of people though.”
After hearing this line, Angelica stopped dead. Her mind was working very fast, as if squeezing the words she just heard.
‘A male transfer student, black hair, black eyes.’ These three pieces of information were swimming around in her head which then lead to Angelica to stand up and grabbed Reiya’s shoulders.
“Kyaa— “ leading to her became very surprised “Wh-what happened Angelica-chi?”
“Answer me, how many people in the world who have both their eyes and hair black? quickly answer me!”
“Eh! Ah, um as far as I know, I never heard of anyone like that, well before the transfer student!”
Obviously, in the world of Montania, only commoners has black hair or black pupils but never in the history of it, a single being born with both.
‘It couldn’t be…’ Angelica thought.
“Angelica-chi, why? What’s wrong?”
“Where is his class, Reiya?” asked Angelica, ignoring Reiya’s question, and then asked once more, “Where is that transfer student now?”