"This is a problem," I thought, keeping my expression composed.
On the surface, it might've looked like a casual conversation—just two people exchanging words over drinks. But I knew better. The young man in front of me was watching everything. Every twitch of my fingers, every blink, every breath.
I had to stay calm. Giving anything away could mean walking straight into a trap.
Yes. A trap.
I realized it the moment he went silent and brought his cup to his lips like it was the most interesting thing in the room. Pretending he wasn't paying attention to me at all.
But I wasn't stupid.
Ever since I was little, I've had a sense for things like this. A kind of instinct. Most people get that tingling sensation every now and then when someone's staring at them. Mine? It never felt random. It was always sharp. Always precise. Almost like a sixth sense.
And right now?
That same gut-deep awareness told me he was watching me, even as he pretended to be mesmerized by the stupid cup.
Maybe he'd figured out I'd manipulated him into revealing who that girl was.
…Or worse.
Maybe he was the one manipulating me. Maybe I just thought I'd outplayed him—and that overconfidence was exactly what he wanted.
A setup so I'd lower my guard and slip.
…Now that's a scary thought.
This is why I hate manipulative people.
Someone simple—someone who isn't constantly calculating twelve different ways to bend the world to their favor—that's all I want.
If everyone in this damned world was like that, life would be a whole lot easier.
Maybe I do need to kill every last idiot who stands in my way if I want to accomplish anything at all.
Sigh.
So what now?
Could it really be that he's been playing me from the start?
Maybe. But…
…I still have one card left.
I know his future.
That alone gives me leverage.
Although… that aside… did I seriously just slap a princess right after arriving here?
Goddamn it.
Those lunatics just had to be important characters.
Let me guess—Mr. Smug Guy orbiting her like a moon was the brother of Andor or some crap like that.
Tsk.
This mask is useless. I should've shelled out for an enchanted one that hides presence.
Someone like her definitely has guards watching from every corner. Nothing's happened yet, probably because I'm still inside the castle walls. The mana suppression field is still active here, and there's also the noble ranking restriction.
Not every guard here is a high-ranking noble, but that doesn't mean they can't watch her every move—from outside.
…Could that be the source of the stares I keep feeling?
I thought they were just curious nobles sizing me up.
But maybe… just maybe, it's the royal guards.
Those creepy bastards.
Tsk.
Turns out this whole "castle explosion" event might actually work in my favor.
In one of the visions I saw, I remember a scene where the protagonist is told his sister was about to explore a mystic realm when it suddenly collapsed into our world—triggering a catastrophic mana surge.
Destroyed everything.
But she didn't die. She still ends up at the academy a few months later.
Which means this castle is going to explode… but we won't die.
There's a chance we'll get dragged into that mystic world before anything else happens.
Of course, that's just a theory. Can't say for sure what'll actually go down.
Sigh.
Either way, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.
If the royal guards really are outside, just waiting for me to step out, I'm screwed. I can't even run—not without triggering something worse. And staying inside? That's a ticking bomb waiting to go off.
"You seem to be waiting for something," he said suddenly, voice calm but probing. "Are you perhaps expecting… the mystic world to appear?"
"…."
What the hell?
How'd he guess that?
I expected him to be sharp, but not this sharp. Even with me being careful, he still read me like an open book.
Wait…
I'm going about this the wrong way.
A smirk tugged at my lips.
"Heh. You're smart. Fine, I'll tell you," I said smoothly.
His expression shifted. Serious now.
"I have a special bloodline ability."
His eyes widened—only for a second—but I saw it.
I didn't elaborate.
I didn't need to.
Let him fill in the blanks. Let him connect the dots. That's how you deal with people like him—give them just enough to overthink themselves into confusion.
GRUUUUUUU—
Shit.
It's happening.
My eyes flicked to the side. I could see the guards surrounding Nora already moving—forming a protective stance around her.
Tsk.
You know what?
Fuck it.
BOOOOM!
It wasn't the castle.
It was me.
A mana distortion potion—one of the things I had Anna buy earlier. Not only does it interfere with mana detection, it also screws with physical senses. The moment it hit the ground, thick black smoke engulfed the room.
Perfect.
While everyone was still trying to make sense of the chaos, I dashed toward the place I last saw Nora.
I need to grab her hand. That's the only way to access the Seed of Life.
I have to make contact.
But then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
This time…?
It wasn't me.