Act 5

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Looking at the hopefuls gathered in the training ground, I couldn’t help but smile internally.

‘I’ve done it. I’ve really done it!’

Let’s be honest. I only found out that the ‘Closed Eyes’ initiation test involved dueling after arriving here. Though I brought a sword, it was merely to showcase ‘Julian’s’ character; I never thought I’d actually have to use it.

Learning from a guide that the test involved combat, my mind went blank. After all, I was wearing ‘Julian’s’ guise, but I wasn’t truly ‘Julian.’

Initially, I thought about escaping under the pretext of an injury. But that wasn’t an option. Too many people who knew Julian were present. With rumors already circulating about my loss of memory and diminished capabilities, showing any weakness could corner me completely. Especially since there were individuals present who were already targeting Julian. It would be a certain death for me.

‘And with the existing variable, I couldn’t rashly make a move.’

The only person who harbored ‘loathing’ rather than ‘fear’ towards Julian.

‘Aileen de Donasien.’

She was among those observing the initiation test. Not knowing why she held such emotions made it even harder to show any vulnerability. She might turn her ‘loathing’ into ‘hostility’ and attack following this event.

As I mentioned before, the current me, ‘Julian,’ doesn’t possess any real means of resistance. If she decided to act, I would be defenseless.

‘That can’t happen.’

Therefore, I needed to prove something in this initiation test.

‘That I, Julian, am still formidable.’

So, I decided to provoke openly. With nothing to lose, I fully embraced Julian’s character and executed a perfect performance. Fortunately, it seemed to work, as the atmosphere turned icy.

Then, finally, one hopeful spoke up.

“Do, do you mean… what sound a person makes when they die, Lord Julian?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you ask that all of a sudden?” 

I looked at him with a smile, casually checking the mist rising from his head. 

Purple.

The ‘fear’ I was anticipating had appeared. Good, I’ll proceed with this.

“Everyone wishing to join ‘Closed Eyes’ should know that it is a place more drenched in the smell of blood than anywhere else in the empire.”

Everyone gulped in unison, clearly tense. There was no sign of suspicion. Naturally, all the words I had uttered were actual lines spoken by ‘Julian Crypart Frason’ in the work.

“Judging by your faces, it seems you are completely unaware. To think of joining Closed Eyes with such a mindset… huhuhu.”

I continued the act without interruption.

“Then, as your senior, I shall give you the opportunity to experience it.”

It might seem like empty rhetoric meant to intimidate. However, the meaninglessness of words can change depending on the speaker. Right now, I am Julian. They couldn’t be unaware of the weight this name carried. In fact, they probably knew it better than I did, having lived through the reality rather than just reading about it in a work.

So, I used that to my advantage.

“Let’s start the initiation test. The condition for passing is to kill me. The test ends when I am dead or… when there are no more aspirants left.”

I looked at the hopefuls gathered in the training ground with a bright smile.

“Ugh.”

Purple mist.

Their ‘fear’ became more distinct as they realized the meaning of my words. I glanced over each of their faces. Not only the ‘color of emotions’ but also the color of fear was evident on their faces.

‘Submission through fear.’

This was the best strategy I could employ to get through the situation. A final ultimatum leveraging the infamous image of ‘Julian,’ a name known for its notoriety.

‘If you don’t want to die, just give up. How many would dare to challenge the empire’s strongest villain?’

“……I, I give up.”

The effect was immediate and unmistakable. One aspirant, crushed by their own fear, declared their withdrawal. Then, following suit…

“I, I also give up.”

“I give up… too.”

“Me too.”

One by one, the ‘Closed Eyes’ aspirants began to announce their withdrawals. 

‘Phew, did I manage to get through this?’

Relieved, I prepared to conclude the test.

“What a pity. There are no successful candidates. Fleeing without even trying, huhuhu.”

I let out a sneer towards the aspirants who couldn’t even meet my eyes. Good, that was very Julian-like. Even I, who despised Julian, felt chills. To others, I must have seemed exactly like Julian himself.

My gaze shifted to the spectators.

Aileen de Donasien.

She must have seen everything clearly. It was certain that she couldn’t harbor more hostile feelings than ‘loathing’ towards Julian now, at least not as easily as before.

‘How about that? Now you can’t underestimate me anymore… Huh?’

Wait, what?

For a moment, I almost lost my composed smile. Because it had vanished. The color of ‘loathing’ that was so prominently present above Aileen’s head was gone. Of course, its disappearance was a welcome development, but…

‘No, if it worked, she should be engulfed in fear, right? Or at least show some wariness…?’

Was there something I didn’t know? Confused by the unexpected turn of events, I watched Aileen leave the training ground with a strange expression.

“Well done, Julian.”

“Lord Julian! You did a great job!”

Herand, accompanied by a man who seemed to be a knight, approached me. Unthinkingly, I placed my hand on Herand’s shoulder, and immediately, a purple mist erupted above his head.

“Julian, what’s wrong…!?” 

There was no problem with my trait, <Color of Deceit>. Herand’s reaction was proof enough of that. 

‘Then, has Aileen become completely indifferent towards me?’

The situation was incomprehensible. I just couldn’t understand it. Shaking my head, I gave Herand a smile.

“You’ve worked hard, brother. Much harder than me.”

I meant it as a reassuring smile, but he seemed frightened.

***

After finishing the initiation test and leaving the academy, Herand, the third son of the Crypart family, glanced uneasily at the figure walking beside him. It was as if a devil wearing a human mask was smiling while strolling through the academy corridors.

‘When is he going to speak up…?’

Herand felt a stream of cold sweat running down his back. Julian had ended the test without swinging his sword, which was not strange considering Julian’s reputation. The problem was what happened afterward.

‘You’ve worked hard…?’

After the test, Julian had responded to Herand’s words of appreciation with, ‘You’ve worked harder, brother.’ Herand knew exactly what that meant.

Despite his injury, Julian had taken on the role of test instructor due to the influence of the Council of Elders. The plan was to engage the second son of the Thorso family in the test, revealing Julian’s weaknesses. If the rumors about his memory loss were true, his diminished skills would be exposed. Even if the rumors were false, that still worked in the Council’s favor.

The expectation was that during the duel, the second son of the Thorso family would sustain injuries, providing a pretext to exile Julian to the northern frontlines. The initiation test was nothing but a stage set up to trap Julian.

However, things didn’t go as the Council of Elders had planned.

Julian was aware of the Council of Elders’ schemes. Moreover, he knew that he was implicated in their plans. Yet, he hadn’t questioned it. When would he start?

Despite no direct confrontation, Herand felt an immense pressure, his shoulders and steps growing heavier.

‘All those rumors about you losing your memory were lies!’

Unaware or indifferent to Herand’s turmoil, the knight who had followed them from the training ground kept praising Julian. Normally, Herand would have dismissed him as noisy, but he couldn’t speak a word now. Fear of giving something away made him keep his mouth shut.

“But, Lord Julian. Did you know that the second son of the Thorso family also participated in this test?”

“The second son of the Thorso family? That’s unexpected.”

However, when the Thorso family was mentioned, Herand couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Shouldn’t the second son of the Thorso family be eligible to participate in the ‘Closed Eyes’ test? Surely you don’t mean to say that he failed the test and brought dishonor to his name?”

“He, Herand, sir. That’s not what I meant…”

“Don’t speak recklessly as a trainee! If you’re not mindful of the relationship between the Crypart and Thorso families, you might find yourself in a lot of trouble…”

“Herand brother, you seem unusually reactive.”

Herand flinched at Julian’s observation.

“I, I didn’t react unusually…!”

“Right. What’s truly unusual is the Thorso family. Quite strange, indeed…”

“What do you mean?”

A smile devoid of any emotion. It was clear, yet devoid of any sentiment. It was something almost akin to nothingness.

“Closed Eyes maintains strict neutrality amid the complex political web entangling the empire. Most of its members are commoners. Even the nobles among us are fallen ones without any factions.”

“You, you’re a member of our Crypart family!?”

“Do you really think so? I’ve heard ‘The Emperor’s Mad Dog’ more often than I’ve been referred to as ‘Crypart.'”

Herand was left speechless. Julian, though carrying the ‘Crypart’ name, was never truly accepted as part of the family due to being a collateral. This was a well-known fact.

“Do you think I was able to join ‘Closed Eyes’ because the royal family judged that I could maintain neutrality in any situation?”

As Julian spoke, a chill ran down Herand’s spine.

“But what about the second son of the Thorso family? By my understanding, even if he passed the first phase of the test, he’d surely fail the paperwork stage. It’s unlikely that the other party would be unaware of a fact that even I know. Isn’t that strange?”

“What do you mean…?”

“The reason why he took the initiation test, knowing he’d likely fail.”

Herand hung his head low, too frightened to look directly at Julian’s face.

“Huhu, of course, I’m not suggesting there’s something suspicious. After all, how could there be any foul play in selecting members for the ‘Closed Eyes,’ an organization directly under the royal family? It must have been a simple misunderstanding or something I wasn’t aware of.”

“O, oh?”

Tap, tap.

Startled by Julian’s sudden patting on his shoulder, Herand looked up.

“It would indeed be troublesome if it were otherwise, huhuhu…”

Seeing his eyes, Herand realized something. Julian saw through everything. And the words he uttered while placing a hand on his shoulder were meant to intimidate him.

However, Julian’s thoughts were entirely different.

‘He’s more frightened than I thought, to the point where I feel sorry.’

His words were driven by sympathy, knowing Herand’s circumstances.

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