Wein finally arrived at the dormitory's bathroom—or rather, he was already in his room to rest more for the day.
He took a towel and entered the bathroom, placing it in its proper place. Wein then walked toward the sink, where a mirror stood before him.
His face was a mess, but fortunately, Loraine had cleaned it earlier before he headed to his room to rest. Then, he remembered Loraine before thinking about anything else.
He recalled what had happened—Loraine's face had also been messy when she first appeared in front of Wein Arcveil, with tear marks still visible on her cheeks.
Wein tried to brush that off for a moment when he regained some awareness—his heart trembled as he thought of the beautiful student council president.
Damn, I forgot how pitiful I looked… he muttered in front of the mirror, touching the wound on his forehead that was still bleeding.
After he cleaned the blood, Wein leaned his head down toward the sink and turned on the faucet, letting the water flow into his hands.
Once he had gathered enough water, he splashed it onto his face, washing it clean with fresh water—and that's when the stinging sensation began to appear.
He was fairly used to enduring pain, but since the wound was on his head, it was a little harder to manage. He repeated the process a few times until he felt it was enough.
He turned his gaze toward the mirror, pondering some things the mysterious figure had said before leaving Wein Arcveil.
"The Fallen One." That was what the figure had said before disappearing, claiming that Wein was also someone not from this world and then vanishing.
The Fallen One, huh?
Knock… knock… knock… "Excuse me! It's me, Loraine."
She knocked once more, then spoke again after pausing. "I brought something you left behind."
Wein, still shirtless and only wearing pants, quickly grabbed a T-shirt and put it on temporarily before replying, "The door's not locked!" he shouted hoarsely.
Loraine, hearing that, touched the doorknob. "Alright, I'm coming in," she said hesitantly.
Wein stepped out of the bathroom with a cleaner and tidier face, though his mind was still too scrambled to think clearly.
Loraine closed the door behind her, glanced around, then turned her attention to Wein Arcveil while holding an object wrapped in cloth.
"Please, have a seat. I'm tidying up—sorry if the room's a bit messy," said Wein gently, facing the desk and picking up some of his belongings.
Loraine hesitated to choose a place to sit—there was only one spot, Wein's bed. She slowly walked over and carefully sat down.
"Uhm…"
Silence surrounded them…
The room was very quiet. Loraine slightly shifted the object wrapped in cloth while Wein kept busy at his desk.
Eventually, Wein broke the silence and started a conversation. "Oh right, what did you bring?" he asked.
Breaking the awkward atmosphere, Wein pulled out a chair from his desk and sat down. Loraine immediately held out the item.
He took it and sat back down. "What's this?"
"Your weapon, isn't it?" Loraine said, lifting her body slightly and moving across the bed, getting closer to Wein sitting at the desk chair.
"Oh, right," Wein smiled. "Thanks. You could've just handed it over later when I came downstairs."
Upon hearing that, Loraine gave a faint smile and looked at Wein, gathering her mental strength amidst her fluttering heart.
"I… I just wanted to check on your condition." She avoided direct eye contact with Wein Arcveil, choosing instead to stare at the floor while clenching her hands on her lap.
"Thank you for worrying about me," he said, inspecting the revolver to ensure it hadn't been damaged—since revolvers were extremely expensive in this world, and not everyone could afford one.
Loraine tried to look confident, strengthening her mind and suppressing her racing heartbeat when she made eye contact with Wein Arcveil.
As the student council president, she lifted her gaze and looked softly at Wein Arcveil—a slight effort to win his heart began.
Wein was a bit confused when Loraine avoided eye contact, as if she had done something wrong, but he didn't dwell on it.
"Was it that figure who attacked?" Her voice was soft, and Wein's heart trembled upon hearing it. He tried to stay alert and not fall for Loraine.
"You mean the one from the rumors?" Wein asked again to the elf—such a beautiful elf—and she slightly leaned her body closer to Wein.
That was a body language gesture as if urging Wein to speak in a lower voice when talking about this matter.
"I don't know. He only targets nobles of duke level, while I'm from a much lower class than that."
"So, it's true that it's the Duke Killer? I thought it was just a local legend," Wein asked again, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, yeah. No one's been able to stop him since he first appeared."
The room went quiet again after that conversation ended. Wein felt his thigh vibrate and quickly reached for his pocket watch, while Loraine realized hers was vibrating too.
They locked eyes for a few seconds before Wein finally pulled out his pocket watch after struggling a bit to take it out.
Loraine just stared blankly and hadn't dared to press the button yet—until Wein raised his pocket watch to eye level.
Attempting to press the button on his pocket watch, Loraine stood up and stood closely beside Wein. Wein pressed it once he realized it was an emergency.
At first, the voice was unclear—until a familiar voice rang in their ears. "We… We're under attack!" Glen screamed through the watch.
Wein trembled, and Loraine quickly walked to the door to handle it first while Wein was still getting ready in his uniform.
"I'll go ahead. See you downstairs," said Loraine, pulling the door handle. Her face was tense and rigid until her figure disappeared as the door closed.
Wein quickly put on his academy shirt and vest, moving fast and placing the revolver back on his waist, making sure it was loaded with bullets beforehand.
---
Chaos erupted below. The crew members were seeking shelter, and the Monarchs gathered to defend the dormitory. Two hours had passed, and Wein looked at the point standings before joining the battle.
That doesn't matter… he muttered, then descended the remaining stairs before lifting his revolver.
He wore a mask—this was part of a plan to maintain the secrecy of his identity.
The large door swung open—the main gate to the dormitory was now open, and the enemies stood there with weapons in hand.
Monarchs from the Drakvary dormitory had gathered, waiting for the enemies to approach. Wein didn't want to jump straight into the fight.
His thoughts were distracted, and he silently thanked the figure who had terrorized him earlier—it had given him an idea to eliminate his enemies in the same manner.
The sun was beginning to set, and the orange sky heightened the tension. The gate opened, and about five people stood in front of it, confirming they were the intruders.
He recalled how to summon the veil from the fragments of memory he had studied. Shifting his gaze slightly, he saw a girl with black hair aiming at him with her crossbow—Aria.
Wein signaled slightly with his hand—nobody would know who he was behind the mask unless he revealed his face.
Aria furrowed her brows, still aiming, her gaze sharper now. Wein hesitated no more and removed half of his mask to show his face.
Aria narrowed her eyes and then smiled after realizing it was Wein Arcveil behind the mask.
"Is this the weakest dorm?" one of them shouted from below. Wein, up above, crept toward the large window.
Loraine, Glen, and Sherlyn were already at the front lines, preventing the enemies from rushing in, making them hesitate.
Wein moved closer before preparing his magic.
"What do you want?" Glen shouted. They all smirked and jeered while raising their hands to reach into their storage realms and draw weapons.
Some drew swords, others held spears. Wein focused on the emblems on their vests reflecting light.
It was Pyraenix. They ranked the lowest in the standings and still dared to mock this dormitory? That made Wein struggle to control his anger.
"Sorry, but we have to plunder your crew here," said one of them. Then another, holding a spear, added, "They're weak—no need to apologize. Let's attack them."
Weapons raised, they charged without formation. Glen and the others roared and drew their weapons, ready to fight.
Wein took action—casting a spell above the massive chandelier in the main hall, standing like a ninja up high, observing the battle.
The fight had begun, chaos unfolding below. Glen clashed with a spear-wielder, while the others joined the fray.
Wein raised his arm to waist level, rubbing his fingers together to conjure red dust.
The veil began to form beneath the chandelier, spreading like a container that half-covered the room. Thick, pitch-black fog emerged.
The cold air pushed Sherlyn to fight harder. Wein gained full control of the veil, enclosing everyone inside it.
He raised his revolver and pulled the trigger as the gun rose from his pocket, aiming at his enemy.
"What is this?" muttered one of them, confused. The king grinned, cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger after locking onto his target.
The hammer dropped, striking the primer. A small explosion propelled the bullet forward, the muzzle flash igniting from the barrel. The shot echoed, the bullet cutting through the air with deadly precision.
In a straight trajectory, the bullet hit the back of a man—he screamed in pain as it pierced through him.
Of course, he wouldn't die. In this competition, no one would die even if injured—but the pain was still real, sometimes even worse, thanks to the academy headmaster's magic protecting the students.
"Who's that?" his friend yelled, seeing him collapse. The fog grew denser—this was Wein's time to rise.
"Who are you? Where did that shot come from?" another one shouted. "Come face us! Don't hide, coward!" he bellowed again.
With visibility reduced to nearly zero, only Wein—the one who created it—could see clearly. He laughed loudly to show he heard them.
"Don't worry!" Wein shouted back, readying himself to leap.
Grinning, he opened his mouth. "Because I am The Fallen One!" Wein dropped, free-falling, his feet enveloped in wind to brace his landing.
"What? 'The Fallen One'?"