Chapter 9: Being Watched

Chapter 9: Being Watched

“Look over there. It’s Sword Emperor Leo.”

“Did you hear? He accepted a challenge from Kayn, and they’re going to fight in a month!”

“Kayn? He’s always challenging Leo to a fight whenever he gets the chance, and he always loses. Nothing is going to change this time around.”

“I’m not so sure about that. Leo is suffering from amnesia, and from what I heard, he doesn’t even remember how to fight. Things might be different this time.”

“If Leo can’t remember how to fight, why even bother fighting him? That will only make Kayn look like a fool, fighting someone powerless.”

“I guess he’s just that desperate to beat Leo.”

At another table, some female students mumbled to each other, “Don’t you think this is the best chance to hook up with Leo?”

“Huh? Are you looking to die? He already has a girlfriend, and she’s a witch!”

“Are you talking about Valery? Haven’t you heard? She’s going out with John now, which means he’s single and available.”

“It’s still too risky. I would wait for a few more days before I do anything if I were you.”

Meanwhile, Leo sat by himself at a small table, trying his best to ignore the stares.

“You’re even more popular now that you’ve returned from the dead.” Lilith said to him as she hovered sideways in front of him, almost as though she was lying on a bed.

Leo mumbled without looking at her, “Can you not speak to me while we’re in public? People will think I am crazy if they see me talking to myself.”

“That’s not fun at all.” Lilith frowned.

“You might not care about your public image at all because they can’t see you, but I care!”

“You don’t have to respond to everything I say, but I will continue speaking. Just act like I am speaking to myself. I am satisfied just knowing that you can hear me.”

Leo quickly finished his food and left the cafeteria.

On his way back to the dorm, Lilith suddenly said, “Leo, don’t stop walking and don’t turn around, there’s someone following you.”

“What! Who is it? What do they want from me?”

“It’s a magic student judging by her uniform.”

“Huh? It’s a female student? Then I don’t have to worry too much about it. She’s probably an admirer of the previous Leo.”

Lilith left his side to go check the stalker’s identity.

When she returned to his side, she said, “I don’t think she’s an admirer.”

“How did you come to that conclusion?”

“Because that student is Nina Wraith, and she’s a witch.”

“So what? If the old Leo could date someone like Valery, he could attract other witches as well.”

“Actually, Nina Wraith is also known as the Witch of Necromancy. Don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence that someone like her shows up right after you ‘came back from the dead’? She probably thinks you got resurrected with magic or something, so she’s spying on you.”

“What an ominous title. Can she resurrect the dead with her magic or something? And most importantly, is she dangerous?” Leo asked.

‘Nina Wraith… I don’t know any students by that name in my old world.’ He thought to himself.

“No, she cannot resurrect the dead. I don’t know if she’s dangerous or not, but she has a bad reputation in the academy.”

“How bad?”

“Rumors say she likes to experiment on corpses and other things that are related to the dead.”

“Isn’t there some kind of law that prevents people from messing with corpses in this world?”

“Well, it depends on what she does with the corpses, but for the most part, what she’s doing is not illegal, and she’s probably just practicing her magic, which is pretty normal for magicians that study necromancy.”

“Hm? Is necromancy considered Dark Magic?” Leo then asked.

“Yes.”

“I see, so she’s also—”

“Leo! Watch out! She’s casting magic!” Lilith suddenly shouted.

“What?”

However, before Leo could even react, two hands appeared from the ground beneath him and grabbed his ankles, preventing him from moving.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Leo shouted out loud.

“Calm down, she’s just restricting your movements.” Lilith said.

A small figure approached him from the shadows a moment later.

“Please calm down. I won’t harm you.” Nina Wraith said to him.

“You…”

Leo was taken aback by her appearance.

Nina Wraith had a petite body and a delicate face, making it seem as though she was no older than 12 years old. She had long black hair that reached the back of her knees, and her eyes were dark but clear.

When Leo saw Nina Wraith, he subconsciously muttered out loud, “A child?”

Nina’s eyebrows twitched after hearing his words.

“Who are you calling a child?! I am 19 years old, a full-fledged adult!” She shouted in a frustrated voice before kicking Leo in the knee with her black mary jane shoes.

“Fuck! That hurts!” Leo fell to the ground while clutching onto his knee.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to harm me!” He shouted afterward.

“That was before you insulted me.” She snorted.

“It’s against school rules to use magic outside of official matches and the training center! You’re going to get into a lot of trouble if the school finds out!”

“It’s just a Tier 1 magic spell. I won’t get punished over something so small as long as I don’t kill you.” Nina shrugged.

“You skipped a few steps there! It should be ‘as long as I don’t hurt you’!” Leo exclaimed.

“Don’t be naive, Leo. She’s a witch. She can beat up another student in front of the teachers and get away with it.” Lilith laughed.

Leo gritted his teeth after hearing such words.

‘So it’s just like my old world, where the rich and influential can get away with pretty much anything as long as it’s not murder, huh?’ He sighed inwardly.

“What do you want from me?” He asked her after forcing himself to calm down.

“I would like to take a look at your body and see if you’d been resurrected with magic,” she said with a nonchalant look on her face.

“What? That’s crazy. Of course I am not resurrected with magic!” Leo refuted.

“If that’s the case, then why do I sense dark magic coming from you?”

“Dark magic? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Leo frowned.

Lilith flew in front of him and explained to him, “Black Bullet. When you use magic, its mana residue will linger around you for some time before disappearing, and people with the same magic affinity will be able to sense it coming from your body.”

‘What?! Why didn’t you tell me something so important before?! My secret is now exposed! And it hasn’t even been a full day since I came to this world!’ Leo cried inwardly.

“Why aren’t you responding?” Nina asked him with narrowed eyes, clearly suspicious of his behavior.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I was definitely not resurrected with magic! This is a misunderstanding!”

“Since you’re so confident that you’re not a reanimated corpse, you wouldn’t mind me inspecting your body, right? I will immediately leave you alone afterward— if this turns out to be a misunderstanding.”

Hearing her words, Leo stared at Lilith in the eyes.

“Let her.” Lilith nodded with an amused smile on her face.

Even though Leo did not trust her, it was not as though he had another choice.

“Fine. I will let you inspect my body. You better leave me alone afterward.” He sighed out loud.

“Thank you for your cooperation.” Nina nodded.

‘Cooperation, my ass! You basically forced me!’ He cursed her inwardly.