Rain falls.

-Swoooosh.

The downpour began from what had been a clear sky, and the ground that had been resting during winter started to get soaked by the spring rain.

-Swoooosh...

Students who had been doing their practical training were grumbling as they ran under trees.

"Why is it suddenly raining?"

"I know. I was just about to catch my tenth one."

"Looks like today's practical is over."

"Damn it. What a shame!"

I watched the students coming toward me while creating a small shade with my palm over my head, and started rummaging through the bundle I had been carrying on my back to find an umbrella.

"Hmm..."

Students approached me one by one.

When they spotted my umbrella, they swarmed like a pack of dogs, and I smiled and started waving my hand.

"Over here! I have umbrellas here!"

The first to arrive was the associate professor from the Swordsmanship Department. I couldn't remember his name.

All I remembered was his shiny crown and nasty temper—an educator who had gone bald at an early age.

No outstanding martial skills.

Just someone who knew how to lose his temper.

Still, I didn't dislike him. People can be this way or that way.

I looked at the octopus approaching me with a small smile.

"Welcome."

The professor said nothing and held out his hand.

Wiggling his fingers, demanding an umbrella. At the professor's quite insolent gesture, I smiled and closed my mouth.

-...

A moment of silence passed.

The professor getting rained on had an expression that showed he didn't like his student's hesitation, while I was looking at him like seafood.

'What?'

'What.'

'What do you want me to do?'

'You little brat.'

Unable to bear the silence, the octopus spoke. Apparently, he needed the umbrella I was holding to protect what little hair he had left.

"Umbrella."

I almost applauded his effort to preserve the human species, and nodded as I answered.

"One hundred gold."

"What?"

"The price just went up. Three hundred gold."

Water droplets began to trickle down the professor's crown as he stared at me with indifferent eyes.

As raindrops gathered on his long mustache, I muttered to myself as if in passing.

"I've heard that rain accelerates hair loss."

"..."

"The little hair you have left might fall out."

"..."

"I'm sorry. Seeing the rain suddenly reminded me. I wasn't talking about you, Professor."

"..."

The professor looked at me with a hardened expression and said.

"Is that true?"

I answered with a cruel smile.

"Yes, it's true. I read it in a medical book before. Rain accelerates hair loss..."

The professor rummaged through his pocket and held out a shining gold coin.

"One. I'll give you the rest tomorrow."

I handed him the umbrella with a serious smile.

"A wise choice."

"Hehehe..."

"Hehe..."

Indeed, suckers are easy to catch.

*

Under the rainy sky.

Mikhail, Yuria, and Histania Hannah, who had separated from the group, were hiding under a tree to avoid the pouring rain.

"Ah...! I wanted to share an umbrella with Butler!"

Hannah stomped her foot in disappointment.

Mikhail clicked his tongue at Hannah's behavior, while Yuria perked up her ears at Hannah's words and expressed her own disappointment.

"Me too..."

"Hm? Yuria, did you call me?"

"No. Just talking to myself."

There were no magical beasts in this area that could handle these three people with their outstanding skills.

Ordinary orcs couldn't withstand Mikhail's aura-infused sword, nor could they keep up with Hannah's swift swordsmanship.

Thinking they might cause trouble for their fellow students if they stayed in the same place, Mikhail had led the two to practice away from Ricardo.

Of course, they had left the area Ricardo had designated. Both of them were confident in their abilities, and Yuria thought it would be fine. It was a situation born from impulsive feelings.

-Swoooosh.

The fierce sound of rain continued to pour down relentlessly.

No one was passing by, and no other students were in this secluded spot where the three were taking shelter from the rain.

An awkward wind was blowing.

The person who was admired.

The person who received admiration.

And Yuria.

The three waited silently for the rain to stop.

After a long silence had passed.

Mikhail carefully opened his mouth at the rain that showed no signs of stopping.

"The rain keeps coming."

"Yeah..."

"It does."

"I wish it would stop soon."

There was no response.

Mikhail looked at Hannah's indifferent face once and gave up on continuing the conversation.

It was also awkward with Hannah, who was friendly with Ricardo, so Mikhail looked at Yuria, who was crouching down, and made some light small talk.

The weather had gotten warmer lately.

There had been a lot of snow this year, and so on. While they were having this light conversation, the topic drifted to their first night at the dormitory.

"Yuria, what did you do yesterday?"

"I was just resting in the dorm."

"Really?"

"What about you, Mikhail?"

"I..."

As Ricardo's face briefly crossed his mind, Mikhail frowned and said with an awkward smile.

"I was resting too."

"I see."

Yuria turned her head to look at Hannah, who was drawing on the ground with a twig.

Hannah was drawing the familiar figure of a man. Though Yuria was curious about many things, she held back and asked Hannah the same question Mikhail had asked.

"What about you, Hannah? Were you resting in the dorm too?"

"Me?"

"Yes."

Hannah shook her head at Yuria's question and said.

"I went to see Young Duchess Olivia."

"Huh?"

"I thought she might be bored, so I visited her after a long time."

Hannah laughed at what had happened last night and drew on the ground with the twig.

-Did you bring chocolate?

-Yes!

-Oh...! Good girl. I'll praise you.

-Instead of praise, can't you just like me?

-No.

-Why not?

-Just. Too bothersome.

She used to dislike Olivia so much.

Now Hannah understood a little why Butler served Olivia.

At Hannah's words, the two closed their mouths firmly. Olivia's existence was like a nightmare to both of them.

Evil.

Selfish villainess who only cared about herself—the two victims of her evil deeds kept their mouths shut and said nothing.

Mikhail spoke to Hannah in a cold voice.

"How do you know Olivia?"

"We became friends when I went to submit my readmission application last time."

"You became friends with Olivia?"

"Yes, she's very ki... well, not kind, but she's interesting."

Hannah smiled happily at how she was becoming similar to Ricardo.

Mikhail made a stern face and spoke to Hannah. Just as he was slowly opening his mouth to advise her not to associate with dangerous people.

-Rumble...!

"Don't hang around with Olivia..."

-CRASH!!!!

With a flash of lightning.

A black shadow appeared in front of Mikhail.

"Found you."

It was a man with a chilling murderous intent.

Wearing white priest robes

With a deep scar over his eye

And sharp gaze.

The man smiled at Mikhail.

Filled with thick killing intent, the man continued to laugh in a way that sent chills down their spines as he stared intently at Mikhail.

Hannah instinctively grabbed the hilt of her sword.

Reflexively taking a stance and gathering her aura in response to the thick killing intent she felt from him.

Swallowing hard from the tension, thinking she would die if she let her guard down, Hannah gripped her sword.

Yuria likewise began drawing magic power to cast buffs.

And Mikhail.

He had been frozen stiff since the moment he saw the man's face.

The man paid no attention to Hannah and Yuria, focusing solely on Mikhail.

Taking out a photo from inside his robe and comparing it with Mikhail's face, the man carefully examined Mikhail's eyes, nose, and mouth before nodding.

"I thought your face looked familiar."

The man dropped the photo to the ground after giving a sneering smile.

The photo getting wet in the rain.

It was a photo of Mikhail receiving a commendation for the dungeon incident last time.

The man looked at Mikhail and said.

"It's you, right?"

He said with a creepy, cruel smile.

"The one who killed your friend to save yourself."

Mikhail's expression began to freeze.

*

It was a very old memory.

No.

It was an old nightmare.

When he encountered the disaster known as an evil person in the dark slums, what happened.

It was raining that day too, just like now.

And that man was standing there.

-You should have run away when I told you to. Because of you, this little kid is about to die.

-N-No...!

-What do you mean, no?

He was scared.

Being hit by a big man swinging his fists, being beaten by someone for the first time in his life—everything was a first, so he was scared.

That day, the man smiled just like now and said.

-Ah, I thought of something fun.

To choose a cruel option.

-Fight each other. I'll let the survivor live.

-...

-Why are you just standing there? Move.

And that day, he made a choice.

A choice he would regret for the rest of his life.

He did it with his own hands.