I woke up too early.
In this cramped temporary dorm room housing ten people, the air felt stuffy with the smell of teenage boys' sweat and the sound of snoring.
My silver pocket watch showed four in the morning. The sun hadn't risen yet, but my eyes were wide open. My old habit as a Five of always sleeping alertly made it difficult for me to fall back asleep. Rather than wasting time staring at the cracked ceiling, I decided to go outside and get some fresh air.
I put on black shorts and a dark green hoodie. I stepped out of the temporary dormitory building, stretching my stiff muscles.
As soon as the door closed behind me, I was greeted by an unnatural warmth.
Normally, a morning in the middle of the ocean like this would freeze your skin. But here, the wind felt cool and comfortable. This was the effect of the temperature control system I wrote about in my story at the academy.
"It's so comfortable," I muttered. "At least the expensive tuition fees are worth it at this academy."
I walked leisurely along the stone path, intending to orient myself before the test began.
This temporary dormitory was located in the Central Region. This was the heart of the academy, housing the Rector's Office, the administrative center, the student shopping district, and entertainment facilities.
However, as I was walking past a row of shops that were still closed, my steps faltered.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
A familiar cold sensation ran down my spine. It wasn't because of the wind, but because I felt someone staring at me from somewhere.
Someone was watching me.
As a member of The Numbers, my instincts for detecting murderous intent or surveillance were very sharp. I immediately turned around, my hand reflexively reaching into the pocket of my jacket where I kept my throwing knife.
Silence.
There was only the sound of leaves rustling in the wind and the slow blinking of magical street lights. No one was there. There were no traces of anyone.
I narrowed my eyes, scanning the roofs of buildings and dark corners, watching for any changes, remembering that I had once fought an enemy with the power of camouflage. But I didn't find anything suspicious.
"Strange," I thought. "I'm sure there were sharp eyes staring at my back earlier. Are my abilities dull because this body has just recovered?"
Or could it be that this stalker has the ability to hide their presence at a level above mine? If so, that would be terrifying.
Trying to ignore that paranoid feeling, I continued on my way, perhaps due to the effects of post-traumatic stress from fighting the wooden robot. As I walked, I remapped the structure of this island in my head.
The academy was divided into five main islands connected by magnificent bridges.
To the west, I could see smokestacks and towering crystal towers. That was the Pure Magic & Magic Machine Technology Department Building. A place where arrogant wizards and crazy engineers gathered.
To the east, the faint smell of sulfur and herbs could be smelled even from here. That was the Alchemy & Cryptography Department. A place that was said to often experience laboratory explosions due to student experiments and was full of secret codes.
To the south, the faint howls of wild animals could be heard. That was the Department of Magical Beast Taming. The island was designed to have a ten-hectare artificial forest for monster habitats.
And to the north...
I stared at the quietest and most brutal-looking part of the island. The buildings were dominated by black stone and iron. That was the Department of Magical Swords.
Unlike the other departments, the northern island had many small buildings scattered irregularly. Ordinary people might be confused, but I knew they were "Private Dojos." Places where students settled disputes with physical duels.
"Rumor has it that fights often break out there," I muttered, remembering my original manuscript. "That's why I placed three high-level trauma hospitals specifically on the northern island."
After an hour of satisfied exploration, the sky on the eastern horizon began to change color. The deep purple slowly faded to pink and gold.
The sun was rising.
I returned to the central area to get ready while waiting for the time of the exam for the new prospective students.
However, my steps halted for the second time that morning.
In a gazebo, right next to the fence facing the sunrise, someone was sitting alone.
Her silver hair glistened in the golden morning light, making her look like a goddess descended from a painting. The girl wore a simple, casual white sleeveless dress.
Seraphina.
She sat hugging her knees, silently watching the sunrise. There were no servants, no noble girls to disturb her. It was just her and the silence of the morning.
Once again, that strange feeling arose. Why was she always alone? As far as I remember in the story I wrote, I wrote that she always traveled with her servant. And why, somehow, did her position seem as if she were waiting for someone?
I was about to turn and leave, not wanting to ruin the peaceful moment by getting involved in trouble. But before I could take a step, Seraphina turned her head.
Her red eyes immediately caught sight of me.
And this time, she didn't look away. She stared straight at me. And slowly... a thin but meaningful smile appeared on her lips.
"Good morning," she said. Her voice sounded soft. "The morning view is beautiful, isn't it?"
I was speechless. She greeted me first? The villainess greeted a minor character like me first? Wasn't it in my script that her character would look down on someone as insignificant as me?
Damn. I couldn't run away now. Avoiding her after making direct eye contact would only make me look suspicious.
I took a deep breath and activated my acting mode.
Instead of entering the gazebo, which felt like stepping into a trap, I chose to walk towards the fence right next to the gazebo. I kept a safe distance of about two meters from her.
I pretended to stare at the sunrise, avoiding direct eye contact.
"Yes," I replied, my voice slightly hoarse and awkward. "It's very beautiful."
I could feel his gaze still fixed on the side of my face, hot and intense.
"You're up very early," she continued. Her tone sounded like light small talk. "Are you also a nervous new student facing an exam?"
I gripped the cold iron fence, trying to look as natural as possible.
"Yes, me too," I replied briefly, trying to end the conversation.
But Seraphina didn't turn her face away. She was still staring at me with that unsettling thin smile.
"Hmm..." she muttered softly, as if enjoying a joke that only she knew. "What a coincidence that we met here."
She emphasized the word "coincidence" strangely. It was as if she didn't believe in the concept of coincidence itself.
The morning breeze blew gently, blowing a few strands of her silver hair in my direction. The faint scent of ice lilies and her sweet perfume reached my nose.
"What's your name?" she asked suddenly.
The question made me wary. In my original script, Seraphina never asked anyone's name unless they were useful to her or a target of her revenge.
"Leon," I replied, keeping my gaze fixed on the lake. "My name is Leon."
"Leon..." She repeated my name. "A simple name."
She stood up.
The sound of her clothes rustling was clear in my ears. My heart beat faster when I realized she was no longer sitting. She walked closer. Not toward the exit, but toward me.
The two-meter distance I had maintained was now shrinking.
"I'm Seraphina," she said. She stopped right next to me, leaning on the same railing. "But I guess you already know who I am, don't you, Leon?"
I swallowed hard. Cold sweat began to bead on my back.
Of course I knew. The entire academy knew who she was. But the way she asked, it wasn't the rhetorical question of a celebrity. It was the question of a predator who knew her prey was hiding.
"Of course, Lady," I replied, forcing a stiff tone of respect. "Everyone knows the Winters family. It's an honor to meet you, Lady."
Seraphina chuckled softly. A clear laugh, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"An honor, huh?" She tilted her head, looking at me with her bright, intelligent red eyes. "You talk like a trained servant. Or maybe someone who's trying too hard to look ordinary."
The brain inside my head wanted to scream. What the hell is this?!
I turned slowly, daring to look her in the eye.
"I'm just a person from the border who could be anything, Lady," I lied.
"The border..." Seraphina murmured, her eyes scrutinizing my face, looking for a weakness. "You have calluses on your hands. But the way you stand... isn't it too stiff?"
She took another step closer. Now we were only an inch apart. I could see my pitiful reflection in her red pupils.
"Tell me, Leon," she whispered, her voice lowering until it was almost swallowed by the wind. "What do you think about the wind?"
"The wind?" I frowned in confusion—or at least pretended to be confused.
"Yes. The wind that blew yesterday," she said. Her pale white hand rose, her index finger playing in the air as if drawing invisible patterns. "The wind that knocked down the people who were bothering me on the airship. The wind that felt like help."
My blood froze.
She knew.
How could she know? I used magic without a spell from a distance! There was no mana residue left behind. No witnesses.
Unless she had a sensitivity beyond my expectations.
"I don't understand what you mean, Lady," I evaded. "I was seasick yesterday. So, I spent my time in the bathroom."
Seraphina stared at me for a long time. An oppressive silence stretched between us. Second after second passed, it felt like waiting for a judge's verdict.
Then, suddenly, the tension broke.
She smiled again. This time, her smile was much more sincere, but also much more dangerous.
"Bad liar," she whispered.
She wasn't angry. On the contrary, she looked happy? There was a glint of obsession in her eyes that made me want to jump off this cliff right now.
"But that's okay," Seraphina continued, looking back at the sun, which had now fully risen. "I like mysteries. At my father's castle, everything is boring and predictable. But, Leon, you're different. I'll find out your identity myself, in my own way."
She turned around, her white dress twirling gracefully.
"I have a feeling we'll meet again."
She walked away, leaving me still frozen, holding onto the railing.
However, after only a few steps, she stopped and looked back over her shoulder.
"And Leon?"
"Y-yes?"
"Thank you for the wind," she said softly, accompanied by a mischievous wink. "That was very funny."
After that, she was truly gone.
I slumped down, my knees feeling weak. I leaned against the iron fence, exhaling the long breath I had been holding.
"Crazy..." I muttered, massaging my throbbing temples. "This world is truly broken."
It wasn't just the script that had changed. It was the character.
The Seraphina I had just met was not the one-dimensional Villainess I had written in the original script. She was intelligent, manipulative, and had terrifying instincts.
The worst part was that she had just marked me.
My original plan to become an invisible shadow student seemed to have failed completely even before the exam began. Hilda's mission to "become a shadow and protect her" suddenly felt much more complicated.
How can I be a shadow if the "object" I'm protecting keeps shining a spotlight on me?
The tower clock chimed loudly, signaling that seven in the morning was approaching. The exam time had arrived.
I straightened my body, staring at Seraphina's back as she disappeared around the bend in the path.
"Alright, Lady," I muttered, patting my jacket pocket to make sure my exam card was still there. "You will never know my identity."
Not as Leon. But as the Writer who holds the key to the answers of this world.
With heavy yet determined steps, I walked back toward the temporary dormitory to change clothes and prepare for the exam.
*****
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