# Chapter 43
—
Yenika narrowed her eyes.
‘…Suddenly asking for blood?’
It was quite an unusual condition to demand in exchange for keeping a secret.
Of course, blood infused with special powers—so-called *bloodlines*—could, depending on their nature, be worth a fortune.
But those who desired such blood were almost always mages.
And the Arthur Bayern before her was, by any measure, far removed from a mage.
That was why Yenika didn’t answer carelessly.
Giving away a few drops of blood to wrap up this incident would, in a sense, be a profitable trade—but some inexplicable sense of dissonance kept flashing warnings in her mind.
As her silence dragged on, Arthur was the first to speak.
“Your answer, Yenika?”
“……”
“Will you hand over your blood? Or do we settle this here and now?”
Yenika, regaining her composure, raised her head.
“If I don’t hand it over, you won’t let me leave?”
“For the time being. I don’t like taking losses.”
“Are you saying my blood is worth that much?”
“Isn’t it obvious? A bloodline that can freely transform its entire body into blood. Blood like that can be used in countless ways.”
Yenika curved her lips into a smile.
‘Acting like he’s clumsy with words, letting things slip as if by mistake… But he’s calculating everything. Don’t tell me that tone is intentional?’
It felt like too much of a stretch, but that was the impression she got.
Which made it hard to shake the thought she had blundered.
‘I acted too rashly. I thought I had factored in him not knowing my identity… I didn’t expect him to guess from such a ridiculous angle.’
The reason she had seen through Arthur’s identity was another power engraved in her blood.
She could distinguish individuals by their unique blood scent—without needing them to shed blood at all.
That was why the moment she first met Arthur, she realized he was the same mercenary “Donn” who had disrupted their plans.
‘Never imagined that a noble heir—a successor of the Bayern dukedom no less—would live as a mercenary in the underworld. I acted right away, but in the end it seems I only took a loss.’
Still, it wasn’t as if she had gained nothing.
After weighing her thoughts, Yenika finally replied.
“Fine. I’ll give you my blood, Young Lord.”
Arthur’s lips curved upward.
“Really?”
“Yes. If I can resolve this by giving you a few drops of my blood… that’s a bargain.”
Arthur’s eyes gleamed.
Seeing the unhidden expectation in them, Yenika smiled wryly.
“For now, just a single drop.”
“…?”
“I’ll give you one drop now. Then, later, another drop. I’ll keep giving you a drop at a time for as long as I remain at this academy.”
Arthur blinked.
“Uh… That’s not what I asked for.”
“Yes. But please consider my position. If I give you as much blood as you want right away… I’ll lose my bargaining chip to keep your mouth shut, won’t I?”
“I have no intention of revealing your identity.”
“We only met today. No matter that we know each other’s true selves, trust is still lacking.”
“…And if I refuse your proposal?”
Yenika’s smile widened.
“Then I’ll leave it to your imagination. But here’s a warning… My patience isn’t very long.”
Arthur closed his mouth.
He stared at her for a while before murmuring inwardly.
‘Hmm… Seems this is as far as it goes.’
Rationally speaking, Yenika’s proposal was sound.
They both held each other’s weaknesses, but that didn’t mean they stood on equal ground.
Even wearing the mask of a giant corporation’s successor, she was, in the end, from a single company.
If both their identities were exposed, far more people would side with the successor of House Bayern.
‘And she belongs to an underworld organization, too… Considering the risks, such a proposal makes sense.’
Arthur realized this was Yenika’s final warning.
If he refused, she would no longer back down—she would attack him outright.
That would mean fighting to the death, and given that this was Arcane University, there was the very real chance he could lose his life.
‘The magic of a skilled mage is unpredictable… A shame. I could’ve gained another useful bloodline if things went well.’
Clicking his tongue, Arthur decided to compromise. He couldn’t afford to make a mess on the first day of term.
“Phew… Very well. I accept. Besides, we should be getting back to class.”
“Exactly. People are already looking at us strangely—we don’t want any unnecessary misunderstandings.”
“Unnecessary misunderstandings?”
“Like people thinking you and I are dating.”
“I don’t intend to date you.”
“That goes both ways.”
With that, Yenika snapped her fingers.
A single drop of blood escaped her fingertip and floated toward Arthur.
“Today’s first drop… Yes. Let’s end it here.”
Saying this, she brushed past Arthur and left the scene.
Arthur watched her retreating figure, then turned his gaze to the drop of blood floating before him.
“To absorb a bloodline’s ability… you need at least half a handful, if not more.”
Grumbling, Arthur licked the blood up.
And just as he was about to head back toward the classroom—
“Huh?”
He blinked in surprise, genuine amazement slipping from his lips.
“Why is this blood… so delicious?”
—
—
The rest of the day was no different from the first lecture.
Following Professor Norse, three more professors entered, each giving a simple self-introduction and a brief outline of their courses.
“Which lectures you take is up to your judgment. But remember this—earning 20 credits is mandatory to advance to second year. Fail to reach 20, and you will repeat without exception.”
And thus Arthur’s first day at Arcane University came to an end.
Back home, in his room, he reflected on the day’s events.
‘Tch… Didn’t expect to get tangled up with the underworld.’
Even less had he expected his identity to be exposed.
‘Well… It’s not as if being found out means disaster right away… But I can’t just leave a dangerous element unchecked.’
The best solution was to kill Yenika.
Rumors of the Bayern heir working as an underworld mercenary would serve no one well.
But killing Yenika Hazel wouldn’t be easy.
‘Even with the meteor iron sword in hand and all my abilities… I can’t be sure I’d succeed.’
Her bloodline power to turn her body into blood was one thing—but her magic was the real problem.
To silence surrounding sound without even chanting—she was on a higher level than Ares Arekis, whom Arthur had faced only days ago.
Considering the mages he had encountered in his previous life, her skill was at least that of a 30-year mage.
‘From fifty years onward… that’s the caliber of an Imperial Army mage. No doubt she’s concealing her true age with that youthful appearance.’
Arthur smacked his lips.
He had thought he had grown considerably since entering Arcane, but meeting another genuine powerhouse right after Tacen reminded him he still had far to go.
‘With Julie’s bloodline absorbed, my current strength is… objectively, a 4th-circle Swordsman. Not low, but still… in-between.’
Of course, he didn’t believe for a moment that he would never surpass Yenika Hazel.
‘With more circles and a few stronger bloodlines… I’ll kill her. Until then, I’ll watch.’
Nodding, Arthur concluded his thoughts.
Yenika Hazel didn’t seem inclined to act against him immediately either.
That meant he had no reason to rush.
Arthur’s lips curved into a smile.
“Eventful, even from day one… Met someone from the Black Cross, and that blood was delicious, too.”
—
—
The next morning.
As noisy greetings from Anna heralded another day, Arthur stepped through the front gates. From somewhere nearby, Elin appeared, beaming.
“Arthur!”
“Ah, Elin.”
“You’re just arriving? Early for once.”
Having dropped formal speech, Elin tilted her head as she asked.
Arthur nodded in reply.
“Yes. Didn’t want to be late on the first days, after all.”
“Really? Same here.”
“Oh? That doesn’t seem like you.”
Elin smiled faintly.
‘If only he knew… I’ve been waiting in the cold morning air just to see you.’
But she kept that thought to herself.
Showing impatience was always a losing move.
Meanwhile, Arthur glanced at Elin walking beside him.
‘Did Lord Holan ask her to stay by my side as a friend?’
She was pretty, with a refreshing personality. The only reason she’d bother to stick with him must be that.
‘Hmm… Not bad. Having at least one friend around could be useful.’
All the better if that friend was trustworthy.
The two opened the door to Class A-1, where their first lecture was held.
Dozens of waiting students turned to look at them.
“…They came together again.”
“Are they really something?”
The whispers weren’t loud enough to be blatant, but not so quiet as to be missed.
Still, since they carried no malice, Elin ignored them and sat down.
She had already braced herself for this sort of gossip the moment she chose to approach Arthur.
Leverkusen and Bayern—
The most famous heirs of the Empire, appearing side by side.
‘That was the plan. Create rumors first. Then, in time, the rumors become reality.’
Smirking at the remembered line from a romance magazine, Elin was startled when Arthur suddenly handed her a note.
\[Sorry, Elin. Because of me, you have to endure these looks.]
Her eyes widened.
Lifting her gaze, she saw Arthur smiling awkwardly.
He handed her another note.
\[I feel like I’m making you hear such things because I’m lacking. It seems prejudice against a mute doesn’t fade so easily…]
Reading that, Elin’s eyes quivered involuntarily.
Just then, the classroom door opened, and a man strode in—
Professor Norse Heizen, in charge of the swordsmanship class.
Elin closed her mouth, having lost the chance to respond.
The chatter subsided as students instinctively realized class was starting.
Standing on the podium, Norse Heizen called out in a booming voice.
“Welcome, students! As I said before, I’m Professor Norse Heizen, and I’ll be teaching your swordsmanship course!”
The students applauded in unison.
Norse, smiling with satisfaction, continued.
“I’ll spare you needless chatter. We had plenty of that yesterday, and I doubt you want more.”
“……”
“Swordsmanship training isn’t complicated! After all, swordsmanship isn’t something rigid—it’s natural each of you will have your own style.”
“……”
“So the first lesson will be assessing your levels. From there, I’ll tailor instruction to each of you. Of course, we’ll do basic drills, but consider sword training personalized.”
Students diligently scribbled notes at his words.
A few, however, looked faintly bored.
They hadn’t come here for long-winded explanations.
Seeing this, Norse smirked.
‘Adorable brats… Well, they’re the finest gems we could find, but at the end of the day, they’re still just seventeen.’
It was the reaction he had expected.
And with that thought, he declared:
“On that note, we’ll begin with a test.”
“…?”
“This test will be identical to the final exam. Fail, and you’ll earn no credit.”
Students’ eyes widened.
Arthur’s as well.
‘Oh… I thought he was dull, but Professor Norse is surprisingly bold.’
But the announcement that followed was even more shocking.
Students gasped in disbelief at his words.
“In fact, anyone who passes today’s test… need never attend my class again.”
Norse smirked.
“An A+, perfect score. With that, you can walk straight out the door. Now then, let’s begin the test!”
—
