Gerhard realized this was the same as what he had experienced before.
As he grabbed his head and collapsed onto the bed, memories flooded into his mind like a tide.
["How about it, Aint? Would you like to join the club with me?"
"Club?"
"Yes. I was invited by the seniors. The Yacht Club, I think. A club where we build relationships on a yacht once a month."]
["You must be Aint."
The man sitting naturally at the head seat was watching him.
Aint bowed his head.
"I greet you, Your Highness the Prince."
"Come now, within the Academy, we're all just students. Excessive courtesy isn't necessary."
[There were countless of them, almost like a wave.
"Monsters!"
"Why are monsters here?"
"The ship is shaking! Turn the ship back to the Academy immediately!"
But the ship was going in the exact opposite direction of their cries.]
[- Aint, behind you!
At Gardner's shout, Aint hurriedly rotated his body. But the opponent was a step faster.
Kwajik-!
A dagger broke through his armor and pierced his chest. Along with the burning pain, an ominous poison energy surged in.
"Kugh...!"
Aint checked the opponent's face. If his memory was correct, it was one of the staff working on the yacht.
"Die, Armian."
The staff member's eyes rippled with a creepy black light.]
["...This is."
["Could the Goldenheims be involved?"
"Uuugh...!"
Unable to withstand the shock, Gerhard fainted.
He missed all his lectures that day.
***
"...It's uncanny. As soon as one prophecy is resolved, it leads to the next."
Gerhard searched for cold water as he pulled off the blanket soaked with sweat. The cool water entering his body slightly relieved his thirst.
"Is this the third time?"
Even though it was already the third time, there was no sign of getting used to this pain. It would be stranger if one became accustomed to the pain of a burning brain.
"This time it's the sea. This damned Aint, incidents happen wherever he goes."
Whether it was because he was a hero destined to defeat demons and save the continent, or because he became a hero by bringing incidents with him, was unknown.
"A yacht club, huh."
A club was a small gathering where students built relationships with each other.
It was an activity encouraged by the Academy, ranging from simple tea times to monster hunting, quite diverse.
"This time he'll manage well on his own, so I'll just..."
Among them, the Yacht Club could be described as a small political arena that only students from prestigious families could join.
"have to..."
The gathering was once a month, and Gerhard, who valued connections, was naturally a member and attended regularly unless he had other business.
"go..."
That wasn't all. It was none other than he who had provided a luxury yacht to the club, which originally just held simple tea times, encouraging them to go out to sea.
"...I provided the ship, and a demon's minion disguised as a company employee snuck in to target Aint?"
No wonder Aint ruins me.
Gerhard's face distorted horribly.
***
While Gerhard, who had fainted and awakened, was fuming about demons...
Ding-
"Yes, welcome."
The bookstore owner, standing at the counter, greeted the customer.
"Do you have the book 'Basics of Cooking'?"
"You can find that in section C21."
"Thank you."
After searching for the book in that section for about five minutes, the customer returned to the counter.
"It doesn't seem to be there!"
"If it's not there, then all the displayed copies must have been sold. Wait, let me check in the storage room."
The bookstore owner went into the storage room at the back. The storage was full of books, and a strong musty paper smell wafted through.
"Let's see..."
That's when it happened. A black shadow suddenly rose behind him.
"I report to you."
The bookstore owner continued to search for the book without responding, but the shadow began its report regardless.
"According to our confirmation, Aint Armian never met Veriana Kalproten who was running wild due to demonic energy."
"And?"
"According to Your Excellency's original plan, the defeated Veriana Kalproten should have pursued Armian's mana, but it appears someone intervened in between."
"Intervention?"
The bookstore owner found and pulled out the "Basics of Cooking" book that was deeply shelved.
"We couldn't identify exactly who it was. The traces were thoroughly erased..."
It was because Gerhard, who anticipated the demons' tracking, had completely erased his traces.
"So you couldn't identify them?"
"...I apologize. I will try tracking again."
"No need. If you say that much, it must be unavoidable. It's not good to push too hard, so stop."
"I apologize."
"I was wondering why there was no mention of demonic energy at all, so that's what happened."
He lightly dusted off the book.
"No one should know about us... was it coincidence?"
If it wasn't coincidence, there was no explanation. To humans, demons were no different from legendary beings, and it was impossible for someone to know in advance and thwart his plans.
It was strange that there was no mention of demonic energy at all, but it was somewhat understandable if they didn't know it was demonic energy in the first place.
"Be careful from now on, but don't get too fixated. We can do better next time."
"...I will do my best."
"Aint Armian. We can't just leave him be."
For some reason, since entering the Academy, Aint Armian's growth rate had exceeded imagination.
He was convinced this was the arrangement of the first emperor.
"That cursed seed must have done something. It's obvious."
That's why he couldn't leave Aint Armian alone.
At first, he just wanted to test him, but everything was explained when the guy who was ranked 38th suddenly defeated Veriana Kalproten, who was ranked 2nd.
"Yes, that would be good."
"Please share your wise opinion."
"Lure Aint Armian out to sea. If successful, that cursed bloodline will disappear, and even if it fails, it could cause division in the Empire."
"Yes. I will follow your orders."
"We cannot yet handle the Empire, so it's most important not to be discovered. Don't disappoint me twice."
At those words, the shadow trembled slightly.
"...I will keep that in mind."
At his gesture, the shadow disappeared.
The bookstore owner, now alone, smiled again on his hardened face.
"Customer, I found the 'Basics of Cooking' book here."