“Are your father and mother… are your parents still alive? Please tell me they haven’t both passed away.”

“…What?”

Is she really throwing such a curveball at me? Why on earth is she asking something like that?

Could it be that Erekaya, being the noble scion of the House of Pendragon, is hinting at whether I’m a bastard child? No matter how I think about it, her question sounds like an insult to my ears.

…But, no matter how I ponder, I couldn’t deny that I was indeed a bastard child.

From the very first day of enrollment, I exuded an aura of hostility towards others, and even though I acted disrespectfully, I didn’t actually make Hugo, who is still just a kid, into a bloody mess simply because I didn’t like him.

Of course, if we dissect the circumstances, it was all for a reason, but from Erekaya’s perspective as a third party, my behavior must have been sufficient to make me seem like a bastard.

— …Really, the standards are something else. I can only wish that others won’t assume everyone is like you.

‘Why? Honestly, isn’t that objectively an insult?’
— Yes, objectively speaking, it’s questionable if you’ve done something to deserve such insults, but I am by no means someone who resorts to indirect speech. If I wanted to curse, I would say it straight to your face. I’m not someone who acts furtively and cowardly like you.

‘…Well, that’s a fact I can’t deny.’

In truth, what reason would Erekaya, a noble of the House of Pendragon, have to gossip behind someone’s back?

Even if she shouted curses right in front of me, I would have no choice but to accept those words as they come.

‘She’s doubting my origins.’

— It’s reasonable to think that way.

If Erekaya isn’t a fool, she must have already conducted her own investigation before asking Jin about his connection to the House of Pendragon.

In essence, her previous question wasn’t to express genuine doubt about Jin but rather to seek confirmation of her suspicions.

Yet, the more Erekaya delved into Jin’s background, the stranger it must have felt to her.

That Jin, who comes across as a worthless beggar, is currently performing the “Dance of the Dragon” properly, despite not knowing who taught him.

This means that, regardless of who it might be, Jin undoubtedly has a connection to someone from the House of Pendragon’s past and learned the “Dance of the Dragon” from that person.

However, there arose one critical issue.

The more she investigated this Jin’s origin and history, the more elusive his past seemed to become.

In truth, this was something that could only be expected.

Because Jin was someone who had not much of a past to speak of, essentially a person akin to an illegal immigrant!

But from Erekaya’s perspective, receiving such a report must have seemed exceedingly strange.

No, it’s certain that he learned the “Dance of the Dragon” from somewhere, yet there’s nothing at all about his past.

Not a single clue regarding where he was born, what he grew up doing, or how he lived before coming to Nineveh.

Even if he grew up in a remote, quiet village, there should be traces left behind, but no matter how much one digs, nothing could be found.

Thus, it wouldn’t seem unusual for Erekaya to harbor some suspicions about Jin.

For the absence of a past suggests that someone intentionally obscured it.

…For instance, a spy who completely erased their past to infiltrate a foreign land.

A chill ran down Jin’s spine at that moment.

Of course, he was no foreign spy, but depending on Erekaya’s judgment, he could very well be suspected of being one!

— No, that can’t be right.

But Erekaya dismissed that very thought in his mind.

— If I truly believed you to be a foreign spy, there’s no way I would have come into your room to have a conversation with just the two of us. I would have undoubtedly handed you over to the authorities without a second thought.

‘So, it really is a question stemming from genuine curiosity, then?’
— Naturally, it would be impossible not to be curious. Who wouldn’t question a bizarre person who suddenly appears, using their unique martial arts as they please without any prior knowledge of them?
As she said that, Erekaya added a small remark.

— …Well, I can’t deny that I might have potentially misunderstood you as a foreign spy at this point.

At her words, Jin barely managed to suppress the urge to contort his face in shock.

So why on earth is this woman putting me in such a dangerous position?

I was almost dragged to the imperial underground prison, suspected of being a spy, instead of charming or befriending Erekaya before facing my end there!

— So tell me, what other ways do you think we could get closer at this point?

However, Erekaya shamelessly responded with a forthright attitude.

— Oh, would I have wanted to trick someone like you in this way? If you had been a little more handsome or had any appealing trait that drew women’s attention, I wouldn’t have had to go through such trouble. So if you have someone to blame, direct it at your own face.

‘…My face? Are you done talking?’
— Be grateful I didn’t resort to any bigger insults.

Well, to put it simply, Erekaya was merely curious about Jin’s origins, and all he had to do was answer honestly.

“It feels like it’s been a while since I last saw my parents’ faces.”

Honestly, having fallen into this world around a century ago, I could hardly recall what my parents looked like anymore.

Not that I wished to shed tears at the thought of missing my mother. Those feelings had become so faint that I couldn’t feel any sentiment toward them at all.

…Wait, thinking like this makes me feel like a real bastard child, doesn’t it? A proper child should be tearing up here while talking about missing their mom and dad, right?

“If that’s the case, then your parents…”

“At least they’re not in this world anymore.”

As Jin said this with a slight smile, Erekaya’s face went pale. She must have realized she unintentionally struck a painful chord.

“I-I’m so sorry…”

“You shouldn’t feel sorry about it. After all, it was so long ago that I can hardly recall what they looked like.”

She probably thinks that my parents are in America right now, but that’s not the case at all. They’re living safely back at our home in Korea.

“Um… Jin. That said, I’d like to make a suggestion.”

“What is it?”

“Actually, I’ve thought quite a bit about your origins myself. I have various considerations, so if you’re okay with it, I’d like to…”

But just then.

*Bang!*

“…Jin?”

The door burst open, and Claire unexpectedly walked into Jin’s room.

“…..”

“…..”

“…..”

The moment Claire entered the room, all three present turned to stone.

Why is she even here? And why on earth would a girl boldly enter the men’s dormitory?

In that instant, Jin’s gaze caught the lunchbox Claire was holding in one hand.

…Ah, this is my fault.

Now that I think about it, I had gotten used to eating the lunches she brings me during lunchtime, and today I had completely forgotten to go to the cafeteria because Erekaya had dropped by unannounced.

Since I hadn’t shown up for lunch, Claire must have become worried and came all the way to my dorm.

“…Uh, that is….”

Meanwhile, Claire’s eyes darted between Jin and Erekaya, who were sitting on the bed and chatting.

Do they have some kind of relationship? A girl casually entering a boy’s room and talking like this?

The thoughts running through her mind were practically readable on her face, so what more could be said?

“Um… I don’t know what you’re thinking, but this is all a misunderstanding.”

“…Misunderstanding?”

Claire muttered that with an expression that had grown tense. In that moment, Jin felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

No, I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. No, before talking about wrongs, I haven’t done anything at all.
If I had any fault, it would only be that I got irritated by the gazes around me and was holed up in the dormitory.

But more importantly, I have no relationship with Erekaya yet, and with Claire, we merely share meals together. So why on earth should I be feeling this impending dread?

— I don’t know. You figure it out yourself.

Erekaya, who remains tight-lipped when it’s inconvenient for her, declared she wouldn’t get involved in this situation and sealed her lips.

I can’t help but think that the phrase “surrounded on all sides” was probably coined for moments like this.

“Hey, Claire. I think I know what you’re thinking, but we’re not like that, okay?”

“…Not like that?”

As Erekaya, the first among the three to regain her composure, spoke up, Claire turned her stiff neck towards her.

…That’s incredibly scary. Watching Claire’s neck move so awkwardly and slowly is like a scene from a horror movie.

Well, I can somewhat understand why she’s reacting like this. The Claire Delphin Mascarena I know is the epitome of an innocent, sheltered girl.

But considering we’re two individuals of the opposite gender holed up in the same room, sitting on the same bed and whispering to each other, she must be experiencing quite the shock.

“Ahem, Claire, actually, I came here to confirm the rumors surrounding Jin as part of my role as the president of the Nineveh Student Council. I’m definitely not here for personal reasons.”

“…If that’s the case, couldn’t you just talk about it in class on Monday?”

With a suspicious look in her eyes, Claire replied to Erekaya’s flimsy excuse.

…Ah, Claire. You must believe that Erekaya and I have an inappropriate relationship now. You don’t seem inclined at all to take our words at face value.

“That’s one reason, but actually, we were discussing matters that shouldn’t be overheard by just anyone… um, that is, yes. It was a very public and important discussion.”

“…Public and important? What was that about?”

“Um… so that is…”

Jin stuttered, trying to come up with an answer, but he was so caught off guard that he couldn’t even focus on the details of his lie, making Claire’s gaze toward him even sharper.

…Why am I having to make such ugly excuses in front of her?

Claire pressing me like this makes it feel like I’m in a congressional hearing or something!

But then, at that moment.

“It’s about the Student Council.”

“…Huh?”

“Claire, you knew they were short one member in the Student Council, right? I think Jin is the right person to fill that vacancy, and that’s why I came here on my day off to recruit him.”

As she said this, Erekaya glanced at me, her eyes imploring me to go along with her somehow.

“Right, Jin?”

…The Student Council? Me? When? And with you? Why on earth?

The Student Council, isn’t that the organization that pretends to give students the power to run the school freely while actually turning students into their working slaves?

In the cringe-inducing fantasy stories, they depict Student Council life as a blissful and cheerful part of school life, but that’s just to appeal to the fandoms; in reality, it’s just a cruel system where students are worked to the bone without clocking in or out, like a black company!

While it might mean I’ll have more time by Erekaya’s side, personally, I really despise anything to do with the Student Council.

I already lack time for training, and I need to start preparing for the end soon, so I can’t afford to waste my time on such childish matters!

And then it happened.

[■A branching event has occurred!]

[■The quest has been initiated.]

[The First ■Dragon has been defeated!]

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, a status window appeared in front of him.

The status window that had never shown itself unless he summoned it in the last hundred years was now right before him.