I Became a Mythical-Tier Tamer Due To A System Error Chapter 109
A dark night.
The Vice President’s Office in the Student Council Building.
Sitting in his chair, Rubin clasped his hands together and stared at the faintly burning candle.
Whoosh―!
Just like before, the candle suddenly went out without even the smallest breeze.
‘He’s coming.’
Rubin gulped down his saliva and fixed his gaze on the empty air before him.
A bead of cold sweat dripped onto the table.
“Nice to meet you, Black Knight.”
His cold voice pierced like a dagger.
He slowly raised his head toward the man standing before him.
Neatly kept black hair.
A man with red eyes behind round glasses.
Lahan.
“Have you been well?”
He smiled brightly and acted friendly.
But Rubin only stared stiffly at him.
He knew this was the man who could hold his life in the palm of his hand.
“So then… have you sorted out your thoughts?”
At Lahan’s question, Rubin gave a small nod.
“I will accept that proposal.”
“A wise choice. I am very pleased that the Black Knight will be our ally.”
Lahan let out a small laugh and sat on top of the table.
“You may or may not know, but there are still quite a few people who doubt that you’re really the Black Knight.”
Looking down at Rubin from the table, Lahan added.
“That is why… you must once again act for justice, as the Black Knight.”
From his chest, Lahan pulled out a bundle of documents.
“Right before the eyes of all the cadets.”
And in his hand was a fluorescent potion.
“This is a sample I took from Professor Ruber’s laboratory.”
He swirled it elegantly, as though holding a glass of wine.
“When this potion is administered to a monster… its size and power double.”
As he shook the potion, the fluorescent light glowed even brighter.
“In the academy’s deep forbidden forest, there are bomb beetles. But since they’re so small, even if they explode, the damage is minimal.”
Lahan continued with a sly smile.
“…We will release the bomb beetles inside the main building of the academy and administer this potion.”
Rubin, eyes wide open, could only stare at both Lahan and the potion without saying a word.
“All you need to do is take care of them right before they explode.”
“…What meaning does that plan have?”
With trembling eyes, Rubin questioned Lahan.
Wasn’t this nothing more than terrorism?
If he failed to stop them, casualties were inevitable.
…No, there would most definitely be casualties.
“You will be the hero who protects this academy from terrorism. Trust in you will soar, and supporters will cheer.”
Lahan picked up the nameplate lying on the table.
「Vice President – Jed Rubin」
With his finger, he covered the first character, “Vice,” and held it out to Rubin.
“Even becoming Student Council President won’t be impossible.”
As he said.
If he prevented the scripted terrorism and pinned the embezzlement charges on the president…
He could drive President Adin out through impeachment.
The vacant position of president would naturally fall to the vice president—himself.
“By rising to the president’s seat, you will gain the qualification to influence this school’s system.”
“…Understood.”
He already expected that once he became president, Lahan would use him.
But he had no choice but to act according to his words.
And it wasn’t as though he would only suffer losses.
‘If I take the president’s seat, I’ll get to handle a vast amount of money.’
And… his younger sibling could be treated at the capital’s finest noble hospital.
Rubin thought positively.
“The detailed plan is written in that document.”
Rising from the table, Lahan stood up.
“Then, I leave it to you.”
After politely bowing to Rubin, Lahan vanished immediately.
In the deep darkness of the night, only Rubin’s eyes shone brightly.
A clear morning sky.
Classroom 4, bustling with cadets.
“Hm…”
Eris sat in the classroom, watching the surrounding students as they waited for the lecture to begin.
It was a compulsory subject, Introduction to Basic Magic.
In the gathering of all first-year students, Eris was deep in thought.
‘Who should I recruit into the Black Knights…?’
Heidel or Keirin, those untouchable geniuses, were out of the question…
And someone like Kunking was too scary to even approach…
As she propped her chin on one hand, she suddenly noticed someone.
‘What about Ren?’
His grades, which were at the very bottom at the start of admission, had already risen to the upper-mid ranks through sheer effort.
He was a hard worker and also someone with a warm personality.
‘Mm… the conditions are good, but he might be too busy.’
He was not only Professor Ruber’s scholar but also served as the Princess’s knight.
‘He seems too busy, so that won’t work.’
Ren wouldn’t have any spare time.
Regrettably, pass.
‘Then…’
Her eyes inadvertently fell on Villed, but Eris shook her head immediately.
‘No, not him.
Even if he turned over a new leaf… he’s probably too busy with livestock shed work.
Honestly speaking, his ability is… a bit lacking.’
Villed’s overall ranking was only in the 500s.
At the very least, the one she picked had to be skilled enough not to drag other knights down.
So, pass.
Not far away, a cadet with red eyes came into sight.
‘Ah, that one might be good.’
Eris lifted her hand from her chin and looked.
‘Nixie Cheps.’
A powerful fighter, ranked among the upper ranks.
A bit blunt and with intimidating eyes, but still…
‘She’s talking with Arowell.’
If she got along with timid Arowell, then she must be a good person.
Of course, Eris had never once spoken directly with Nixie.
‘She’ll definitely follow the Black Knight’s orders well.’
From what she had heard from other cadets, Nixie was set to join the Red Hawk Knights.
The most suitable candidate for the Black Knights.
‘Good, the first recruit will be Nixie.’
However.
The problem came after choosing.
‘…How do I approach her?’
The Black Knight had used advanced mana manipulation to secretly place letters into lockers.
For Eris, that was something utterly impossible.
‘Maybe I should just sit next to her and secretly slip it into her pocket or bag.’
Yeah, that would work.
The method was decided.
‘I’ll deliver the letter and also prepare a black uniform and mask in advance.’
Surprisingly, it didn’t cost much.
The academy provided each student with ten replica uniforms for free.
Since Nixie’s build was similar to her own, Eris’s replica uniform would fit perfectly.
The only expense would be buying black dye and…
‘Enough money for making the mask.’
The material was Black Mithril.
A very light metal that shone with a black-silver glow.
‘After class, I’ll place an anonymous order at the Hephaestus Workshop.’
A budget of around 20 gold would be enough.
As a commoner, Eris couldn’t usually spend 20 gold recklessly, but…
‘I was really shocked.’
Inside the pocket of the coat given by the Black Knight, there had been 1000 gold.
That money was clearly meant for making dozens of masks for the Black Knights.
‘As expected, the Black Knight really thinks ahead.’
She couldn’t help but admire his thorough preparation.
‘…First, I need to give the letter to Nixie.’
In her bag, Eris already had the prepared letter.
All she needed to do was slip it into Nixie’s bag.
‘Perfect, there’s an empty seat next to her.’
Eris quickly got up from her seat and sat beside Nixie.
“……”
Nixie, who had been talking with Arowell, only glanced at her for a moment and said nothing.
‘So far so good…’
With a sigh of relief, Eris glanced at Nixie.
Beside her lay Nixie’s bag.
Even the zipper was open, leaving a gap.
“Hello, everyone~!”
Professor Hilda entered, and the lecture began.
Eris held the letter in her arms, waiting for the right chance.
“…Now, don’t the multicolored elements look like a painting when they connect? And if I do this…”
As the lecture went on, Eris pulled the letter from her chest.
Her heart pounded loudly.
‘I’m not stealing anything, just putting in a letter. Don’t panic.’
Pretending to listen to the lecture, she snuck glances at Nixie.
It was the first time she had seen Nixie’s face up close.
From afar, she had always thought Nixie looked scary.
‘Her eyes are sharp, but maybe she’s actually cute.’
Maybe being scary was just prejudice.
‘Anyway… now.’
Confirming that Nixie was focused on Professor Hilda’s lecture.
‘Now!’
In a rush, Eris slipped the letter into Nixie’s bag and quickly leaned on her chin as if she were paying attention in class.
‘…She didn’t notice, right? I did well, didn’t I?’
A secret glance told her Nixie was still focused on Professor Hilda.
‘Phew…’
She wasn’t caught.
A perfect success.
‘No more distractions, just focus on the lecture now…’
Eris joined the lesson with an easier mind.
As she focused on class, time passed quickly.
“That’s the end of today’s lesson. See you next week~.”
When the class ended, cadets poured out of the lecture hall.
Eris was packing her bag and about to leave as well.
Grab―!
Someone seized her arm.
The hand that grabbed her was calloused and strong.
‘…What?’
Nervously, Eris slowly turned her gaze toward the person holding her.
“……”
Crimson eyes glared at her.
Eris’s heart sank.
In this tense moment, the one to speak first was Nixie.
“What do you think you’re doing.”
“…Uh, what?”
Eris couldn’t meet her eyes and tried to play dumb.
“This letter.”
Oh no…
The very letter she had secretly placed in Nixie’s bag was now in Nixie’s hand.
Eris forced a smile as she opened her mouth.
“Ah, ah! That! It was just… a joke! Sorry!”
But Nixie’s gaze didn’t change in the slightest.
Instead, her face came even closer.
‘Eek…!’
Just as Eris squeezed her eyes shut in fear…
A small whisper brushed past her ear.
“Did you come to the abandoned building yesterday?”
“…What?”
Eris’s eyes flew open.
“How did you know that…?”
Without a word, Nixie pulled out another envelope from her bag.
In her hand, she now held two envelopes with the exact same design.
…Huh?
“I only put one in… why are there two…?”
At that moment, the expression on Nixie’s face changed.
The intimidating glare faded, and she let out a faint smile.
“I’m the same as you.”
“…What?”
Understanding what she meant, Eris covered her wide-open mouth with her hands.
…Moments later.
They moved to a nearby café and began a long conversation.
They spoke about what it was like before and after being chosen by the Black Knight.
About how the Black Knight was someone they could trust and follow.
Talking with Nixie, whom she had only thought of as scary, turned out to be quite enjoyable.
“The Black Knight has a good eye.
He must have seen you as promising, someone who grew from the lower ranks to the upper-middle.
I think it was an excellent choice too.”
“Really…?”
Eris was deeply moved that Nixie, who had never spoken to her before, knew about her academic progress.
‘That means, even without saying anything, she already knew me.’
It felt like Nixie had recognized her existence all along.
That recognition made her happy.
“…But why were you trying to give the Black Knight’s envelope to someone else?”
At Nixie’s question, Eris answered with full confidence.
“Do you remember the last words the Black Knight told us yesterday?”
At her question, Nixie gave a small nod.
“Though the beginning is humble, the end shall be grand.
If you are the ones who can bring it to fruition.”
Yes, those were the words.
Nixie had taken them to mean that the Black Knights would grow in size later.
But Eris explained the meaning more precisely.
“He meant for us to build the Black Knights into something great.
The thousand gold he gave us was proof of that support.”
“…I see.”
Nixie’s eyes widened.
As she stroked her chin, she nodded in admiration.
“There is truth in those words.”