233rd Episode
“…!! No, that… thing?!”
“?”
Ray flinched and took a step back in the bath.
Seeing an unfamiliar face with a man suddenly gesturing towards his lower half and staring wide-eyed, Ray was understandably taken aback.
The brown-haired man also looked at his friend with a bewildered expression.
At that moment, Ray cautiously asked with a grimace.
“Have you ever met my… thing separately by any chance?”
“…!”
The brown-haired man’s eyes darkened with suspicion, distrust, and caution as he looked at Sebas.
Realizing what this guy might be into, the brown-haired man glared at Sebas, who quickly defended himself.
“Ah, no, it’s not like that… You’re that guy rumored to be Speira Prizzran’s fiancé, right?”
“…!”
The brown-haired man shifted his gaze toward Ray with a startled look.
Ray, surprised by the sudden mention of Speira’s name, slowly narrowed his eyes.
“How could you tell just by looking at my… thing?”
The brown-haired man once again eyed Sebas with distrust and wariness.
Sebas, frustrated by the mounting suspicions, shouted.
“We met at a bathhouse long ago!! At the Imperial Capital’s public bath!!”
“You really scrutinized my… thing back then, didn’t you…”
Ray subtly submerged himself further in the bath, while the brown-haired man slowly backed away, increasing the distance between himself and Sebas.
Sebas felt his neck tightening.
“No, listen to me properly, you idiot!!”
*
A person’s appearance can change easily.
Changing just the way eyebrows are styled can completely alter someone’s impression most of the time.
Sebas and his friend had briefly met Johanna and Delun in the past.
Back then, Johanna and Delun were practically country bumpkins.
Their clothing aside, their mannerisms and overall style were quintessentially rural.
And now, Johanna and Delun had spent quite some time in the Prislan Clan Fortress, which refined their overall style and speech significantly.
They had intentionally corrected these aspects to ensure they would fit in well when they eventually resided in the Imperial Capital.
Therefore, unless one had sharp eyes, it was difficult to recall Johanna and Delun from their brief meeting in the past.
However, Ray hadn’t changed much in terms of style compared to before.
Moreover, Sebas had vividly remembered seeing Ray’s scars and lower half at the public bathhouse.
Since Sebas already had a sense of déjà vu regarding Ray, the sight of his lower half became the decisive clue that pieced together fragmented memories.
Upon understanding Sebas’ story, Ray nodded.
“You seem to have been deeply impressed by my… thing…”
“Aaah, stop it!!”
Sebas splashed water violently as he reacted.
Currently, the three were facing each other inside the bath.
Since their bodies were submerged deep in hot water, none of their lower halves were visible to each other.
Ray splashed water onto his face a few times with both hands.
‘Goodness gracious…’
This situation was quite shocking for Ray as well.
He had never imagined being identified by a man—not by his face or scars, but by his lower half.
Ray was currently experiencing significant psychological pressure after a long time.
First, the three exchanged greetings again.
Ray belatedly learned that the brown-haired 2nd-class student’s name was Harvey and that he belonged to the gentry class.
After pondering for a moment, Sebas directly asked Ray.
“Why did you hide your identity?”
“To approach seniors and peers more freely without burden…”
When Ray gave a response akin to what politicians might say, both Sebas and Harvey simultaneously frowned.
Harvey opened his furrowed brow and questioned carefully.
“Do the instructors know about this? If you deceived the instructors or even higher-ups to enter Izhise, this could become a big problem.”
It was a cautious inquiry.
If Ray had lied to the instructors or even those higher up to enroll in Izhise, it would indeed create a massive issue.
Harvey, not wanting Izhise to become chaotic, asked Ray again with a tone tinged with earnestness.
“Do they definitely know…?”
“I’m not sure if the instructors know, but His Majesty the Emperor does.”
As soon as ‘Emperor’ came out of Ray’s mouth, Sebas and Harvey stiffened momentarily, then relaxed.
Given that Izhise was a direct educational institution under the royal family, sensitive issues like identity concealment naturally required the Emperor’s approval.
With the assurance that the Emperor knew, Harvey leaned back against the bath wall, relieved.
“But why did you enroll in Izhise? They said you’re the fiancé of the Empire’s chosen great-granddaughter, didn’t they? There was no need for you to attend here, right?”
“It’s because I’m so talented.”
Ray laughed lightly as he said this.
“The Emperor did not wish for me to fully assimilate into the Prizzran Clan. Thus, after various discussions among the high-ranking officials… I ended up enrolling in Izhise. As for what happens later, it’s hard for me to predict.”
Ray’s self-praise made Sebas and Harvey want to retort, but before they could…
Ray raised a single finger.
A flow of mana condensed above Ray’s fingertip, beginning to rotate sharply after a moment.
Then, in an instant,
Tsik!!
A sharp flash of mana flickered violently on Ray’s fingertip before disappearing.
The creation of sword aura without a medium.
Even for a fleeting moment, creating a sword aura without a medium is an art that is difficult for Expert Level individuals to achieve.
Sebas and Harvey closed their mouths simultaneously.
While his finger still shimmered faintly with light, Ray subtly showed off his skills and status.
An individual coveted by both the royal family and the Empire’s Swordmaster.
At that level, even if an instructor came, touching him would be awkward.
After appropriately promoting himself, Ray added one more sentence.
“Could you keep my identity a secret for now? I will explain properly to the seniors later.”
It wasn’t just that; Ray himself hadn’t yet fully organized his thoughts.
He hadn’t decided how to position himself within Izhise.
Of course, if rumors spread, there wouldn’t be much he could do.
After exchanging glances, Sebas and Harvey nodded.
“For now, we understand… but make sure to apologize properly later.”
“Yes, thank you. I will certainly offer a proper apology to the seniors.”
Since Ray maintained basic courtesy respectfully, Sebas didn’t press further.
Given that Ray was under the protection of the highest powers in the Empire and silence was one of the virtues strongly emphasized among Izhise students, rumors about Ray spreading through Sebas or Harvey’s mouths were unlikely for now.
Later, Ray bowed a few more times to Sebas and Harvey, ingratiating himself before asking.
“By the way, are 3rd-class students unable to use the baths?”
“Hey, weren’t all these things explained during the welcome party and exchange meetings?!”
Sebas raised his voice but quickly calmed down.
“Man, you’ve already forgotten everything we explained? How much alcohol did you drink?”
“Oh, sorry.”
Though the second-class students chattered about many things during the drinking session, Ray mostly ignored them.
Since manuals detailing the use of Izhise facilities were distributed separately, Ray simply memorized the manual adequately.
However, as expected, certain bad practices and injustices existed even within Izhise.
For example, third-class students were not allowed to use the large baths.
‘Somehow… it’s not too serious though…’
In Ray’s previous life, such injustices existed to some extent.
Especially when considering stories from the late 20th century to early 21st century military accounts, there were horrifying injustices worse than treating animals poorly.
In his past life, Ray often felt disturbed knowing that his older generation had personally experienced and perpetuated such terrible cultures. Though it was all part of history.
Anyway, prohibiting the use of large baths fell under the category of relatively minor injustices.
The problem was that such injustices weren’t limited to just one or two instances, and Ray found everything rather tiresome.
“Uh…”
Letting out a sigh, Ray took the opportunity to ask about something he was genuinely curious about.
“Some of the seniors seem aloof. Would it be okay to inquire about the reasons?”
“Hey, don’t get cocky, brat. Stand up.”
Hearing Harvey’s command, Ray immediately stood up.
As Ray stood up, Sebas, who saw the familiar object from years ago, panicked and fell backward.
Splash!
“Cough…! Ugh!”
After choking on water and coughing violently, Sebas finally regained his composure.
With the mood completely ruined, Harvey groaned and shook his head.
“Sit down again.”
“Yes.”
“Hmph…”
After contemplating for a while, Harvey clicked his tongue a few times before answering Ray’s question.
“There are some students in our year from the South whose atmosphere isn’t very good.”
“Why… Oh…”
Ray nodded, catching the implication.
After the warp gate attack incident orchestrated by the high-ranking demon Eridanus,
the current Emperor mildly reprimanded those involved from the South but let the matter pass quietly.
Although several Southern clans collapsed completely, the measures taken were minimal.
When Poibos ascended the throne, the conflict was temporarily resolved, but politically and emotionally, it couldn’t be neatly concluded.
Thus, the Izhise students from the South couldn’t maintain a pleasant atmosphere.
Not only were they subject to wary gazes from others, but rumors circulated that they would find it difficult to secure prestigious positions after graduating from Izhise, making the situation somewhat uneasy.
‘Everywhere people live is the same.’
Regions, origins, and the conflicts arising from them.
Once conflicts arise, they aren’t easily resolved.
As Ray was lost in thought while brushing his hair aside, Harvey tapped his arm.
“By the way, how did you get this scar?”
“Previously, I fought a demon worshiper. A high-level spell fell toward my head, and while trying to deflect it, I almost lost an entire arm.”
Despite using a Spatial Blade to distort space and reduce its power, the spell still managed to burn nearly half of his body.
Recalling that moment, Ray sometimes felt quite dizzy.
On the other hand, Sebas and Harvey blinked with stiff expressions, clearly thinking this guy was boasting unnecessarily.
Sebas, who considered questioning each detail but ultimately felt too bothered, waved his hand dismissively.
“Just leave now. Don’t stay here and risk getting caught by others.”
“Yes, thank you, seniors.”
Ray bowed slightly before abruptly standing up in the water.
Seeing Ray’s lower half again, Sebas cursed.
“Damn it, stop shoving that damn thing in my face!!”
“…”
Ray seriously contemplated shaking his body left and right to splash water off his pubic hair onto Sebas.
