Pre-Planned Thoughts

Esdeath and Maruti stepped out of the dorm room, leaving Selene behind to stay in the room. The academy corridors were quiet, with only the faint sound of footsteps echoing around them.

As they walked, a figure appeared ahead of them, approaching with calm, steady steps. Maruti immediately recognized him, her eyes widening in shock.

"It's… Corin," she whispered, her voice filled with surprise. "The duke's son. Why is he here?

Corin stopped right in front of them, his face emotionless. He wasn't here by accident; it was clear he had come to meet them on purpose. Without a word, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a small pouch, and handed it directly to Esdeath.

"Your advice was very helpful to me," Corin said in a flat, casual tone. "This is your reward. If you have any more suggestions in the future, don't hesitate to share them."

Maruti blinked, "Advice? What advice?" she asked, looking at Esdeath with a mix of confusion and shock.

Corin didn't stay to explain. He turned around and walked away without another word, leaving Esdeath and Maruti standing there in silence.

Esdeath watched him go, a mischievous smile slowly spreading across her face. She then opened the pouch he had handed her and peeked inside. Her eyes lit up as she saw the glittering contents—gold coins. A dozen of them.

Esdeath snorted and held the pouch up. "Hmph! If this were before, it might've been a great help," she said, tossing the pouch lightly in her hand. "But now? We don't lack money in any way!"

Maruti raised an eyebrow. "Then why not just throw it away?"

Esdeath smirked but didn't toss it. Instead, she tightened her grip on the pouch and slipped it into her pocket. "Future's unpredictable," she said, grinning. "You never know when a single coin might save you."

Maruti crossed her arms, giving Esdeath a sly look. "So… what are you planning now?"

Esdeath didn't answer. She just chuckled softly, her eyes gleaming with amusement, and began walking forward again.

----------

Esdeath slammed her hand on the wooden table with a loud thud, her face twisted with frustration. Her sharp voice echoed in the room as she shouted, "What do you mean, you can't give us private rooms?"

Lilith, seated comfortably in her chair behind the table, didn't even flinch. She leaned back casually, her legs crossed, twirling a lollipop in her mouth as if she had all the time in the world. Her sliver eyes glinted as she replied in a calm but firm tone, "Like I said earlier, it's not possible. Four students have already been killed, and the beast tide is coming. Things are getting dangerous."

Esdeath's eyes widened slightly at the mention of deaths, but her anger didn't fade.

Lilith sighed, leaning forward as she placed her elbows on the desk, her fingers interlocked. "Our forces are currently busy fighting off massive waves of beasts and monsters. The students are unsafe, and we still don't know who's behind the murders. Because of this, the academy has decided that all students must stay inside the academy grounds. No exceptions."

Esdeath clenched her fists, her teeth grinding together as she listened.

Lilith continued, her tone still calm but with a hint of seriousness. "Even the Class A rank students will start living in the dorms. Second-year and third-year students have been assigned to protect the first-years since they're the easiest targets."

Lilith gave Esdeath a small shrug, pulling the lollipop from her mouth and tapping it against her teeth lightly. "So for now, no private rooms outside the academy. However, A-class students will each have a room to themselves, unlike B or C classes, where two or three students have to share. So, technically, it's private enough, don't you think?"

Esdeath's frustration boiled over, and she gritted her teeth harder. Her mind raced as she thought about what Lilith had said. Killing? Beast tide? Why is this happening so soon? And about no private rooms, It never happened in the first place.." she wondered, her brows furrowing deeply.

This didn't align with the timeline of the game she remembered. The beast tide wasn't supposed to happen until a week later, certainly not while the first arc was still ongoing. Her chest tightened with unease as a chilling thought crossed her mind. "Is this happening because of me?"

Her system only rewarded her with SP points when she increased her self-worth without disrupting the storyline. But Esdeath had bent—no, broken—that rule multiple times since arriving here. The possibility that her actions had caused this early chaos gnawed at her.

Esdeath took a long, deep breath, exhaled slowly, and forced herself to calm down. "Okay then, we're done here!" she said firmly, trying to keep her composure. Her tone was sharp, but she was already turning to leave.

Maruti, who had been standing silently by her side, took the cue and started stepping back to follow Esdeath out of the room.

But then—

"Not so fast, kids," Lilith's chilling voice stopped them in their tracks.

Esdeath and Maruti froze, slowly turning back toward Lilith, who was now leaning forward slightly in her chair. Her silver eyes glimmered with an unsettling intensity.

"It's your turn now," Lilith said, her voice calm but laced with an edge of authority. "Tell me where you've been. Did you really leave to search for Luna? We sent officials after you, and they couldn't find you anywhere. How can that be?" She paused, her gaze narrowing dangerously. "You're definitely hiding something. Don't even think about lying to me."

Her tone was enough to send a shiver down anyone's spine.

Esdeath and Maruti exchanged a brief, panicked glance. Lying wasn't an option. They both knew that.

Why?

Because Lilith could read thoughts. It didn't matter how convincing their words were—if their minds told a different story, Lilith would know. And she wouldn't hesitate to expose them.

Esdeath swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. She clenched her fists, trying to come up with something, anything, that wouldn't get them into deeper trouble.

"Luna…" Esdeath muttered softly, her voice trembling. She lowered her gaze, letting her expression shift into one of grief. Her cheeks flushed red, and without warning, tears began streaming down her face like a broken dam.

She wiped at her tears, but they only kept coming. Her voice cracked as she started to speak. "S-sob… Luna was such a kind girl. We heard she had a boyfriend in the Quin Ming Mountain slum area. She used to talk about how he'd become more aggressive lately. They had a fight recently, so… so we went there to meet him. We thought maybe we could help her, but…" Esdeath's voice broke completely, and more tears ran down her cheeks. "But we didn't find anyone. Sob… sob…"

Her crying was heartbreakingly genuine. Every time she wiped one tear away, two more rolled down her face, as if her sorrow were an endless river.

Lilith watched her with a cold, unreadable expression. If Esdeath's tears moved her at all, she didn't show it. "Is that so?" Lilith said flatly, leaning back in her chair as she began to probe Esdeath's thoughts.

Inside Esdeath's mind, Lilith heard, "Luna… I'm sorry I couldn't save you. You were one of my best friends… sob… sob… I'll never forget you. Please forgive me!"

Lilith's eyes widened slightly in shock. Wait… wait… wait… What? Am I hearing this right? she thought, completely caught off guard by the raw emotion in Esdeath's thoughts.

She quickly turned her attention to Maruti, wanting to see if her thoughts aligned with Esdeath's. But the moment she entered Maruti's mind, she was met with chaos.

"A²+2AB+B²… The square root of 144… If X=5, then what is Y? No, wait, solve for Z instead… Okay, focus, quadratic equations next. Oh! How do I simplify this fraction? 5/7 + 3/4… hmm, okay…"

Lilith blinked in confusion as the endless stream of mathematical formulas and calculations continued. Maruti's mind was a whirlwind of complex problems, ranging from algebra to geometry to trigonometry. There were easily more than twenty equations swirling around in her head at once.

"What the hell is this?" Lilith thought, utterly baffled.

Meanwhile, Maruti stood there with a calm expression, completely oblivious to the confusion she was causing.

Lilith sighed heavily, rubbing her temples as she pulled herself out of their thoughts.

Esdeath's voice trembled as she continued, her sclera reddened from crying. "But as we were returning… we actually found something—a fortunate encounter. It was an inheritance… from someone called Xing Liang," she said, her tone still laced with grief but now carrying a hint of awe.

At once, Lilith stood up from her chair, her eyes wide with shock. "Xing Liang?" she repeated, her voice sharp and filled with disbelief.

"Yes!" Esdeath nodded quickly, wiping at her still-wet cheeks. "Because of this, we were able to learn so many combat techniques in such a short amount of time!"

Lilith's gaze darkened, her sharp mind instantly analyzing the situation. "Is that so? Then you must already know the rules. Any inheritance found must be shared with the academy so others can benefit from it as well," she said firmly, her piercing gaze locked on Esdeath and Maruti.

Esdeath hesitated, her face contorting as if she was in a difficult position. "I… I want to, but I can't," she said finally, her voice breaking slightly. "It was an information-path inheritance. The knowledge was directly engraved into our minds. Other than that, we gained nothing."

Lilith froze, her sharp gaze narrowing as she probed their thoughts.

"Everything she's saying matches her thoughts… Could this be true?" Lilith wondered.

Esdeath's acting was flawless. Every word, every tear, every detail seemed genuine, leaving Lilith in a tough spot. If the inheritance truly engraved knowledge directly into their minds, there was nothing tangible to share with the academy.

Lilith frowned, her mind racing. "Should I demand they teach these techniques to other students? No, that would take years of practice to master and adapt to essence stones and magic. But… what should I do?"

For a moment, Lilith was silent, lost in thought. Finally, she sighed and waved her hand dismissively. "Fine. You're free to go for now. I'll discuss this matter with other higher-ups later," she said, her tone heavy with frustration.

Esdeath and Maruti didn't waste a moment. They quickly bowed and left without another word.

As soon as they stepped out of Lilith's office and into the corridor, Esdeath's grief-stricken, tearful expression disappeared like smoke in the wind. Her face shifted into a sly, wicked grin, her red eyes gleaming with pride.

Maruti looked at her, startled. "You were crying buckets a second ago, and now you look like a villain who just stole a treasure!" she whispered.

Esdeath chuckled softly, a satisfied look on her face. "That's because I am a villain who just got away with it," she said, holding her chin high.

From her pocket, Esdeath pulled out a small essence stone. It was a dull brown color and shaped like a human ear, with a drop of blood coming out of it.

The essence stone in Esdeath's hand was no ordinary find. It was a "Pre-Planned Thoughts Essence Stone," something the world had never heard of before.

Why was it unknown?

Because it wasn't supposed to exist yet. This type of essence stone was meant to be refined by someone else in the future. Even though it was classified as D-rank, its potential was said to rival C-rank essence stones due to its unique ability and versatility.

Esdeath's mind wandered back to earlier that day, when she first learned Lilith wanted to meet her. The thought alone had troubled her deeply. How could she get past Lilith, someone who could read minds and unravel lies effortlessly?

At first, Esdeath considered making endless excuses to avoid the meeting entirely. "I could say I'm too busy, or that I don't want to talk about it or just refuse to say anything regardless of what conclusion she goes to," she had thought. After all, what could Lilith do? Suspend her for a week? Punish her? None of that mattered, as long as Lilith didn't have the authority to kill her.

But then fate intervened in the form of Lortell Mariette.

Lortell had given Esdeath a large number of resources—valuable materials for refining essence stones. Among them were sound-path essence stones and a recipe for crafting a telepathy-type essence stone. It was supposed to be a task for Esdeath to refine the stone so that she and Lortell could communicate through telepathy in the future.

However, the resources Lortell provided were far more than necessary, likely in case Esdeath failed in her first few attempts. But when Esdeath inspected the materials, she realized something astonishing: they could also be used to refine a completely different essence stone, one that wasn't supposed to exist yet—the Pre-Planned Thoughts Essence Stone.

This essence stone functioned like a magical recorder. You could "record" your thoughts in advance, and later, when needed, it would play those exact thoughts on repeat. It was perfect for fooling someone like Lilith, who relied on hearing real-time thoughts to catch lies.

Esdeath smirked at the memory of her careful preparation. Before stepping into Lilith's office, she had recorded her fake thoughts—grief-filled and full of regret over Luna. She knew Lilith would hear only those thoughts, no matter what Esdeath was truly thinking.

And it had worked flawlessly.

Back in Lilith's office, the powerful instructor had been completely checkmated—not by a high-rank weapon or an elaborate scheme, but by a simple D-rank essence stone. Esdeath couldn't help but chuckle at the irony.

Lilith, for all her strength and experience, had no way of countering something she didn't even know existed.

As Esdeath walked back to her dorm room, her smirk grew wider. She glanced at the essence stone in her hand, admiring its dull brown glow. "Hehehe… too bad,It's my win, lolicon!"

Maruti, walking beside her for a while, split off to head to her own dorm. Esdeath continued on alone, her steps light and confident.

The cool night air brushed against Esdeath as she walked through the academy grounds, the Pre-Planned Thoughts Essence Stone still clutched tightly in her hand. Its once-solid surface was now cracking, droplets of deep red blood oozing from its edges.

Before her very eyes, the stone shattered into fragments and disappeared into thin air, leaving nothing behind.

It was an expenditure type after all, It was bound to vanish after one use.

Letting out a small sigh, she shook her head. She couldn't dwell on it now. There was something more pressing she needed to do.

Esdeath didn't head straight to her dorm. Instead, she made her way to the academy cafeteria. Selene, her little secret, was waiting for her, and she needed to be fed. Esdeath couldn't risk showing her to anyone else, not even accidentally.

In the cafeteria, she collected enough food to feed both herself and Selene—or at least that's what she thought. She carried the tray carefully back to her room, making sure no one noticed her, and laid out the dishes on her desk.

"Here, this should be enough for both of us," Esdeath said confidently as Selene sat down beside her, her bright, curious eyes lighting up at the sight of the food.

The two began to eat, but within just a few minutes, the plates were empty. Selene wiped her small mouth with her sleeve and looked up at Esdeath.

"Still hungry," she said softly, her tone innocent but firm.

Esdeath stared at her with narrowed eyes, glancing at the empty dishes. "You ate everything?! How are you not full?"

Selene simply tilted her head, waiting patiently for more food.

With a long sigh, Esdeath got up again. "Fine. I'll go back to the cafeteria."

This time, Esdeath returned with double the amount of food—enough to feed three grown adults. She placed the heavy tray down, watching as Selene immediately dug in with enthusiasm.

Finally, after what felt like ages, Selene leaned back with a satisfied sigh, patting her stomach. "Full now," she said with a small smile.

Esdeath slumped into her chair, exhausted from the repeated trips. "How can you eat so much with that tiny belly?" she muttered under her breath.

After cleaning up, Esdeath changed into her sleeping clothes—a casual, oversized t-shirt. The shirt was so big and loose that it hung off her frame, barely clinging to her shoulders. If she bent over a little, it would reveal more than she was comfortable with, but the soft fabric made it perfect for sleeping.

Selene had also changed. Unlike before, when she had nothing to wear, Esdeath and Maruti had bought her some simple clothes on their way back to the academy. Selene now wore a light, comfortable outfit that made her look even more adorable.

As the night deepened, the two climbed onto Esdeath's bed. The small mattress was barely big enough for both of them, but Selene didn't seem to mind. She scooted closer to Esdeath, wrapping her small arms around her waist and resting her head against Esdeath's chest.

The night passed peacefully, and Esdeath was in a deep, dreamless sleep. Her body had completely relaxed, her breathing steady and calm.

Selene, on the other hand, was wide awake. The room was dim, but the moonlight streaming through the window was enough for her to see Esdeath clearly.

Her eyes wandered over to Esdeath's chest, where the oversized t-shirt had shifted slightly. Two soft, round shapes were visible through the fabric, rising and falling gently with every breath.

Selene tilted her head, staring intently. Her tiny fingers twitched as if some instinct had taken over. Her curiosity grew stronger by the second until it reached a point where she couldn't resist.

"This is... milk, right?" Selene whispered to herself, her voice barely audible.

Driven by what she thought was a perfectly logical conclusion, Selene leaned closer. She hesitated for a moment, but her instincts won out.

-------

Esdeath's peaceful sleep began to waver. A strange tingling sensation spread through her chest, and her brow furrowed as she stirred slightly.

"Why does my chest feel weird?" she mumbled groggily, still half-asleep.

She slowly opened her eyes, the blurry room coming into focus. As her gaze dropped down, she froze.

Selene was perched over her, her tiny mouth latched onto Esdeath's nipple through the loose fabric of the t-shirt. Her little cheeks puffed out as she sucked, her expression dead serious like she was completing a vital mission.

Esdeath's scream shattered the midnight silence. "AHHHHHHHH!!!"

With a speed that would put most martial artists to shame, Esdeath sprang out of bed, landing on the other side of the room in a defensive stance. One hand instinctively covered her chest while the other was ready to strike. Her face burned bright red, her heart racing with shock and embarrassment.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" she shouted, her voice a mix of outrage and confusion.

Selene tilted her head innocently, licking her lips. "I thought there would be milk…"

Esdeath's jaw dropped. She blinked several times, trying to process what she just heard. "M-MILK?! I'm not a cow, you little gremlin!"