Signs Of Danger [1]

What did I feel as I entered the room? The urge to strangle myself to death.

Why? Because I believed I had made the most foolish decision in choosing Deerheart's ability.

Some people are always saying, I hate harems this, I hate harems that.

Truthfully, I dislike harems too, but that didn't mean I wouldn't feel envious seeing a man surrounded by women.

Yes, I had dated in my past life, but I was too indifferent to date anyone seriously. As some had said, I didn't even consider myself attractive.

Yet here this man was, with thirty women working for him.

"Oh, Kaiser, Anica, you've arrived."

I did my best to suppress the urge to push the bastard out the window—not because he was a villain, but simply because I wanted to.

'Hold it in,' I thought, forcing a fake smile.

"Yes, sir. You summoned us."

Only after surveying the tidy office did I recall that I was Kaiser Vanguard—the boy with the alabaster skin.

Even with Deerheart's ability, most of the female students who were primarily second-years would glance at me shyly, quickly averting their gaze whenever it met mine.

Yes, it felt quite gratifying.

Now wearing a cheerful demeanor, I approached Deerheart's desk.

At Noctis, every professor was allowed to personalize their office space in any manner they desired, which meant each office had a unique appearance.

Deerheart's resembled a wooden cabinet, with not a single trace of metal, only wood, and not just ordinary wood, but aged, weathered timber.

This was a rare type of wood produced by a sequence six drifter, making it extraordinarily expensive since only a B-rank mage could defeat one and Meltonia didn't have much B-ranks.

'It appears the demonic humans place considerable value on him,' I thought, taking a seat across from him.

The constant glances from the female students were beginning to irritate me, mostly due to the awkward atmosphere.

"Now, what I wanted to discuss," Deerheart stood from his seat and accepted the cups of tea brewed by a female student. "As you may be aware... I have an interest in necromancy."

'He's still trying to bring them back... but I still can't allow it.'

Anica's face contorted as her grip on me tightened; it appeared she had sensed the faint aura of death and forbidden magic around him.

How did magic work? Well, it was simple—at the age of five, those with a mana affinity would awaken, beginning at E-rank, which at its peak is stronger than a sequence nine drifter.

This awakening would unlock the individual's first talent aligned with their affinity, but since talents are personal, each mage developed a unique one, which when an aspect of it is mastered, granted them a gift.

But talents or gifts weren't the sole means of using mana.

From what I had written, there existed another method. And if one considered the sorcery that Neko-sensei mentioned, that made two—which raised the question of how Kaiser Vanguard could use sorcery instead of normal talent.

The alternative method of using mana was known as order, the technique employed by drifters who lacked individuality.

Unlike mages who used spells formed from their talent, order users—who could still be mages utilized natural mana to craft spells through a secondary material as a catalyst—this was typically how artificial vestiges were created.

This all led to the matter at hand—Deerheart was using the souls of female students to attempt soul exchange and transference, all in an effort to resurrect his family.

My heart clenched, and I felt the life drain from me at the mere thought of the horrific methods he employed.

Even though I had written the novel and described the scenes, I hadn't anticipated being able to stomach seeing it in person. Just recalling it made me nauseous.

'How could he be so cruel,' I thought, glancing at Anica, who appeared on the verge of snapping.

It wasn't her fault, she might be lazy, but she despised any form of evil hiding behind a mask of righteousness.

'No matter what, killing someone for personal reasons was wrong—but I can't say I won't do the same,' I thought, trying to suppress the feeling sympathy towards him.

Handing both Anica and me a cup of tea, he continued still masking his objectives. "I didn't expect a first-year to resolve the issue troubling me so effortlessly... Thank you sincerely, Kaiser."

"What? The first-year did what?" A girl with black hair and eyes exclaimed, her gaze fixed on me. "Wait, aren't you Charlotte's brother, the one she keeps mentioning?"

The second-years continued gossiping about my relation to Charlotte, which caused Deerheart to make an expression that sent a chill down my spine.

'Damn, these talkatives...' I held back my thoughts; it wasn't really their fault.

"Kai... let's leave," Anica whispered, still struggling to restrain herself.

I could've listened and walked out, but I needed more information.

'Are you done, system?'

[Mana traces have been detected underground.]

I smiled faintly. It appeared this arc wouldn't be as difficult as I had feared. "So, sir, what exactly do you need from me?"

"So, you want me to get straight to the point, huh?" He smiled, setting the cup down. "Assist me with my research, Kaiser, and I promise compensation."

"I'm sorry, sir. But you're aware I already have a master, aren't you?"

Deerheart's expression shifted to something unfamiliar, something that even the female students instinctively feared.

My breath caught in my throat as an overwhelming pressure enveloped me, the earlier hope I had of this arc being manageable instantly crumbled.

'How did Matt defeat this monster?' Even my thoughts became cloudy, and I felt like collapsing to the ground.

But soon, a soothing sensation washed over me.

"What are you doing, Professor?" Anica's voice was sharp, her gaze even sharper. "And where is my sister?"

Only then did I realize Isabella had never been present, which could only mean Deerheart had moved her elsewhere.

"Oh, I've displayed quite a ridiculous sight. Please forgive my impulsiveness and oh your sister has already left."

'Isn't it too early for her kidnapping?' I thought, trying to calm the fury in Anica's eyes with a glance.

No matter how powerful Deerheart was, he still couldn't defeat Anica—at least, not right now.

'But when did this change happen? I never wrote about him having an assistant. How many deviations are going to occur? Could this be related to Theron?'

My thoughts spiraled, but I soon collected myself—this wasn't the time to overanalyze. I needed to uncover how to defeat Deerheart and rescue Isabella, while confirming whether any other female lead had been taken.

"We'll take our leave now, Professor." I gave a slight bow and exited with Anica.

The confrontation with Deerheart was going to be far more intense than expected.

And worse, he would invoke an order ensuring that no one above the age of 18 could interfere, meaning any upperclassman would be forced to watch, or risk activating the order, which would kill all students.

This single fact placed us in an incredibly precarious situation—on one side was Matt, who wasn't yet invested in the plot, and on the other was Deerheart, who was advancing more rapidly than expected.

Which meant that to move the plot forward and to complete my story—I had to find a way to unite the main cast while preventing further unwanted deviations.

The walk back to class was quiet. Anica, being a healer and also a saintess candidate of the Empire, which encompassed all of Asia including Arione—the location of Noctis, the nation equivalent to Korea.

That meant the drifter energy Deerheart exuded was corrosive to her, souring her mood further.

"Would you like some chocolate?" I asked as soon as we reached the first-year building.

"Yeah." She held onto her hat as she replied.

"I'll bring more once I return."

---

The remainder of the day passed quickly with minimal actual classes, mostly orientation and a brief campus tour.

As the sun began to set, I headed to meet Hari, who had been waiting in her classroom—since Class C's tour took longer due to Neko-sensei's absence.

---

BABY SIS—

Baby sis: YOU'RE LATE... COME QUICKLY OR I'LL KILL YOU 😮‍💨

You: I HEAR YOU, I'LL BE THERE SOON OK... AND ENOUGH WITH THE THREATS 😅

---

I opened the A-class door, which was identical to ours, and my eyes found Hari standing near the window, the soft glow of the fading sun illuminating her skin.

"Oppa—" her voice was calm, as though preparing to share a secret. "Doesn't this pose have so much aura?"

"I won't lie... it does." I couldn't help but play along.

"Would you like to try it?" she asked, pointing to the spot beside her.

"If I may," I stepped closer to the light, basking in its warmth.

'This feels good.'

Before I could speak again, our final guest appeared—Matthew Von Silver.

"Wow! You guys look cool." He exclaimed, still gripping his sword.